Work Permit Consultancy

In Türkiye, a foreign national's ability to work legally depends on a work permit to be obtained from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security under International Labour Force Law No. 6735. For foreign nationals in the country who hold a residence permit valid for at least six months, the application is filed electronically by the employer directly; for foreign nationals abroad, it is handled simultaneously with the work visa application made to the Turkish diplomatic mission in the country where they are located.

A work permit runs together with residence status, so the residence side has to be arranged as well, according to your current situation. The topics most often asked about alongside this procedure: residence permit consultancy, company formation for foreign nationals and academic translation.

The outcome of the application is determined by assessment criteria such as the capital and employment structure of the workplace, the foreign national's job description and salary level. At BKT we assess your case against these criteria before filing, identify any missing or risky points in advance, and follow the process as your single point of contact until it is concluded.

Work permits for foreign-national staff are handled in a single file together with the employer's obligations.

Who is it for?

• Companies and sole proprietorships wishing to employ foreign staff in Türkiye
• Foreign nationals wishing to convert a tourist or short-term residence permit into a work permit
• Employers and employees wishing to extend a work permit that is about to expire
• Foreign entrepreneurs wishing to set up their own business with an independent work permit
• Qualified foreign employees who may be eligible under the Turquoise Card scheme
• Managers and specialist staff to be assigned in companies with foreign capital

Required documents

The list below is for a typical case. Additional documents may be requested depending on your nationality, the type of application and the practice of the relevant authority; the definitive list is given to you in writing at the initial consultation.

• Copy of the foreign national's passport (the pages containing identity details)
• Diploma or provisional graduation certificate; equivalence certificate where the profession requires it
• For in-country applications, a valid residence permit of at least six months
• The employer's current trade registry gazette and tax certificate
• Balance sheet and profit and loss statement for the most recent year
• Employment contract signed between the employer and the foreign national
• Sworn translation of all foreign-language documents and, where necessary, notarisation

The process step by step

1. 1

   Initial assessment

   The position of the workplace and the foreign national is assessed free of charge against the application criteria, and the status under which the application will be filed is clarified.

2. 2

   Document preparation and translation

   The required documents are listed, and the sworn translation and notarisation of foreign-language paperwork is completed by us.

3. 3

   Electronic application

   The application is uploaded to the Ministry's system on behalf of the employer; for applications from abroad it is matched with the consular reference number.

4. 4

   Follow-up and responses to document requests

   Any additional information and documents requested by the Ministry are completed within the deadline, and the status of your case is reported to you regularly.

5. 5

   Outcome and what follows

   Once the permit document has been issued, we provide guidance on the social security notification, address registration and the extension timetable.

Common mistakes

• Attempting an in-country application after the remaining validity of the residence permit has fallen below six months
• Leaving the extension application until after the permit has expired and interrupting the legal right to work
• Leaving the equivalence procedure until after the application in professions that require diploma equivalence
• Stating a salary in the employment contract below the minimum level required by the job description
• Uploading foreign-language documents to the system without sworn translation and the necessary approvals

For employers who want to hire foreign workers

If you have decided to employ foreign staff at your company, the party that applies for the permit is the employer, not the employee. The work permit application for a foreign worker is opened by the employer through the electronic system of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, which is why your company's capital structure, the number of registered employees and the salary offered have a direct effect on whether the file is accepted.

Before an application to employ a foreign national, we check the quota and the eligibility conditions and set out the employer's obligations and notification deadlines for you in writing. Where more than one foreign employee is involved, we run all the files on a single schedule and warn you in advance so that the extension application is made before the permit expires.

The problem we see most often when companies hire foreign workers is letting someone start work before the permit has been issued, which results in an administrative fine. To plan the start date around the permit date, we set the schedule out together at the initial consultation.