The short answer to how to get a work permit in Turkey is this: the employer who will hire the foreign national logs in to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security's e-İzin system via e-Devlet, completes the application with an electronic signature, pays the fee after approval, and the foreign national starts work with the permit card. A work permit is the official permit that allows a foreign national to work legally in Turkey for a specific employer and also grants the right of residence for its duration. The process consists of seven steps, and most of them are the employer's responsibility.
In this article we focus not on the document list but on the process itself: who takes which step, when each deadline starts to run, what happens after approval and how the permit is extended. We cover the documents to be uploaded with the application in a separate article.
Summary
Key Takeaways
- The first rule in getting a work permit is that the application is made not by the foreign national but by the employer who will hire them, through the e-İzin system.
- Under International Labor Force Law No. 6735, applications with complete information and documents are assessed within thirty days.
- If the fee and valuable paper charge are not paid within 30 days of notification after the application is approved, the application is rejected.
- According to Ministry of Labor and Social Security data, 349,961 work permits were granted to foreign nationals in 2025.
- The extension application opens 60 days before the permit expires and must in all cases be made before the permit expires.
How to get a work permit in Turkey: the 7-step process
Although the process differs slightly depending on where the foreign national is, it follows the same backbone. Based on the Ministry's step-by-step application guide and the e-İzin user manual, the flow is as shown in the table below.
| Step | Who does it | Duration and deadline |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Employment contract and preliminary check | Employer and foreign national | Before the application; the criteria and salary are checked |
| 2. e-İzin login and workplace registration | The e-Bildirge (SGK e-declaration) authorized person or someone they authorize | Done once; e-signature required |
| 3. Choosing the application route | Employer (if abroad, the foreign national first) | The overseas reference number is valid for 30 days |
| 4. Completing the form and uploading documents | Employer | A draft is deleted if not completed within one month |
| 5. Ministry assessment | Directorate General of International Labor Force | Thirty days for a complete file; up to 30 days for missing documents |
| 6. Fee and valuable paper charge | Employer | 30 days from notification |
| 7. Card, entry and starting work | Employer and foreign national | As a rule, work starts within one month |
Step 1: Employment contract and preliminary check
The process starts with the employment contract signed between the employer and the foreign national. Before signing, we recommend checking whether the company meets the Ministry's assessment criteria: employment of Turkish citizens, financial adequacy and the minimum salary for the position. We cover these criteria in detail, along with which documents to upload, in our article documents required for a work permit for foreign nationals article.
The salary written in the contract becomes binding later. According to the Ministry's step-by-step guide, the amount used as the basis for social security premiums cannot be lower than the salary declared in the application as payable to the foreign national. The salary should therefore be set in line with actual payroll.
Step 2: Logging in to e-İzin and workplace registration
e-İzin (Work Permit Application System for Foreigners)is the single channel through which the Ministry receives applications electronically. You log in via e-Devlet; at the first login, your e-mail and mobile phone are verified, and then a workplace record is created under the “Employer with SGK Registration Number” tab. Only the workplace's e-Bildirge authorized person at SGK can open the record, which means a newly established company must first complete its SGK workplace registration.
For the workplace record, the trade registry gazette, balance sheet and certificate of activity are uploaded as PDFs, and capital information is declared. The employer can add people who will handle applications on its behalf from the “Authorization Procedures” screen. This person may be the company's HR manager or an external consultant; the authorization is also approved with an electronic signature.
Electronic signatures are obtained from service providers authorized by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK). A cause of delay we often see in practice is not having an e-signature on the day of application, or the Java components required for signing not being up to date on the computer.
Step 3: From inside Turkey or from abroad?
If the foreign national is in Turkey and holds a valid residence permit issued for at least six months, the application is made from within Turkey. The employer starts the application with the foreign national's foreign identity number and date of birth; the system pulls the foreign national's basic information from the Presidency of Migration Management records.
If the foreign national is abroad, they start the process. They apply to the Turkish embassy or consulate general in the country where they legally reside and receive a 16-digit reference number. According to the e-İzin manual, this number is valid for 30 days; if the employer does not enter the application into the system within this period, the number cannot be used and the process starts over.
For example, consider an employer who wants to hire an engineer living in Germany at its company in Ankara (a fictional example). The engineer should forward the reference number to the employer on the day it is received from the consulate, and the employer should have its documents ready in advance. Starting to collect documents only after the number arrives needlessly narrows the thirty-day window.
Step 4: Completing the e-İzin application form
The e-İzin application consists of four screens: personal information and biometric photo, passport and education information, position information, and document upload. On the position screen, the address where the foreign national will work, their occupation, salary and the reason for employment are entered; if the foreign national is a shareholder of the company, the box indicating this is also checked.
The passport date directly limits the permit period. According to the manual, a work permit can be issued up to 60 days before the expiry date of the declared passport. After the documents are uploaded, the system generates an application petition; the application does not reach the Ministry unless the petition is approved and signed with an e-signature.
Incomplete applications wait as drafts. Records left as drafts for more than one month are deleted from the system, in which case all information must be entered again.
Step 5: Ministry assessment and missing documents
After the application is signed, its status is tracked on the “Application Tracking” screen. If the Ministry requests missing documents or an information update, these must be uploaded on the same screen within 30 days at the latest. Under the Law, applications whose deficiencies are not remedied within this period are rejected.
A rejection is not the end of the road. Under Article 21 of Law No. 6735, Ministry decisions may be appealed within thirty days of notification; if the appeal is also rejected, the route to administrative courts is open. The appeal is made through e-İzin by uploading a document setting out the grounds and signing with an e-signature.
Step 6: Fee and valuable paper charge
When the Ministry approves the application, a payment notification is sent to the employer's registered e-mail address. According to the Ministry's fee and valuable paper charge page , the two amounts are paid separately within 30 days of notification; if they are not paid, the application is rejected. Payment can be made by credit card via the Revenue Administration's Digital Tax Office or through contracted banks.
The fee amounts announced by the Ministry for 2026 vary by permit duration:
| Permit duration | 2026 fee amount |
|---|---|
| Up to 1 year | 12,574.90 TL |
| From 1 year up to 2 years | 25,149.80 TL |
| From 2 years up to 3 years | 37,724.70 TL |
| Indefinite or independent work permit | 125,802.20 TL |
| Valuable paper charge (per permit) | 964.00 TL |
Paying too little or too much halts the process. When paying at a bank, the fee and the valuable paper charge are paid into separate accounts with separate receipts; you do not need to send the receipt to the Ministry, as the payment appears in the system.
Step 7: Card, entry into Turkey and starting work
Once payment is complete, the work permit document is sent to the workplace address by PTT Kargo. In applications made within Turkey, the foreign national must start work within one month of the permit's start date. If the date the document is served on the employer differs from the start date, this one-month period runs from service.
In applications made from abroad, the foreign national obtains a work visa from the mission where they applied and enters Turkey. Within 20 days of entry, they register their address with the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management. They must start work within one month of entry and in any case within six months of the permit's start date.
A foreign national who starts work is reported to SGK just like a Turkish employee. The Law requires the start and end of employment to be notified to the Ministry within fifteen days; according to the e-İzin manual, no separate notification is needed for the employment start notification made to SGK or the termination notification made when the permit ends.
Let’s prepare your work permit file together
You can request a preliminary review with our expert team to plan your foreign staff's permit process, from e-İzin registration to fee payment and the extension timeline.
Who does what in the work permit process?
Obtaining a work permit rests largely on the employer's shoulders. The foreign national's role is limited to signing the contract, providing their documents and, if abroad, applying to the consulate. The Ministry assesses the application, collects the fee and issues the card.
The Law provides that applications may also be made by authorized intermediary institutions. In practice, many companies grant application authority to their HR team or external consultant through the authorization screen in e-İzin. The authorized person can prepare and sign the application, but the employer remains responsible for the accuracy of the workplace information.
We would like to highlight one point: e-İzin compares workplace information with SGK records. If a change notified to SGK, such as a change of address, has not been carried over to e-İzin, the Ministry asks for the information to be updated. Refreshing the record with the “Get My Information” button before applying avoids this extra round.
How long does a work permit application take?
Under the Law, a work permit application with complete information and documents is assessed within thirty days. This period does not include the employer's preparation time, the fee payment or the shipping of the card. If missing documents are requested, the assessment is postponed until the deficiencies are remedied, for at most thirty days.
Key deadlines in the work permit process
Source: International Labor Force Law No. 6735, Ministry of Labor and Social Security e-İzin manual and statistics
When building a realistic timeline, we recommend allowing for three waiting points: the consulate appointment for applications from abroad, the Ministry's assessment period, and the visa and card procedures after approval. Speed alone should not be the goal; a complete first application is always shorter than months spent on rejection and appeal.
Work permit extension: how not to miss the deadline
The first work permit is granted for at most one year. If employment continues with the same employer, a work permit extension application is made; the first extension may be granted for at most two years, and subsequent extensions for at most three years. The extension is made in e-İzin using the “extension/renewal” option, following the same steps as a domestic application.
Timing is the most sensitive part of this stage. Under Article 7 of Law No. 6735, the extension application is made starting from sixty days before the permit expires and in all cases before it expires; an extension application made after expiry is rejected. According to the Ministry's explanation, in that case the first-application rules apply to the foreign national, meaning they start again with a one-year permit.
If the foreign national is going to work for another employer, the extension route cannot be used. The application made by the new employer is assessed as a first application, regardless of how much time is left on the permit.
Indefinite work permit and the Turquoise Card
For foreign nationals who have worked in Turkey for a long time, the indefinite work permit route may open. According to the Ministry, foreign nationals with a long-term residence permit or at least eight years of legal work permits may apply for an indefinite work permit; meeting the conditions does not mean the permit will be granted. The indefinite permit document is renewed every five years, and the renewal application is made within the six months before the five years expire.
The Turquoise Card (Turkuaz Kart) is a separate permit type assessed on criteria such as education level, professional experience, contribution to science and technology, or the economic impact of an investment. Under the Law, the card is granted with the first three years as a transition period, and its holder enjoys the rights provided by an indefinite work permit.
Work permits in Turkey in numbers
According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security's work permit statistics , 437,170 work permit applications were made in 2025 and 349,961 work permits were granted to foreign nationals. According to Ministry data, the number of permits granted rose by about 16.3% compared with 300,852 in 2024.
According to the same statistics, 19,869 work permits were issued in the province of Ankara in 2025, and 32.9% of the foreign nationals granted permits were women. As application volume grows, getting the file complete the first time becomes even more important.
Consequences of employing without a permit
Putting a foreign national to work before the work permit is issued leads to sanctions for both the employer and the foreign national. Law No. 6735 provides for separate administrative fines for a foreign national working without a permit and for the employer employing them; since the amounts are updated each year by the revaluation rate, the current figure should be checked at the time of application.
The penalty does not stop there. Under the Law, a foreign national found to be working without a permit is reported to the Ministry of Interior for deportation; the employer must also cover the accommodation, return and, where necessary, medical expenses of the foreign national and their family, if any. The only way to avoid this risk is not to put the foreign national to work in practice before you have the card in hand.
Practical mistakes that prolong the process
Apart from missing documents, most mistakes that prolong the process relate to the system. The situations we encounter most often among our clients are:
- Missing the 30-day validity period of the reference number obtained from the consulate
- Leaving a draft application for more than one month and causing it to be deleted
- Not verifying the e-mail address registered in e-İzin and missing Ministry notifications
- Paying too little or too much in fees, or paying the two amounts with a single receipt
- Leaving the extension application until after the permit's expiry date
- The foreign national actually starting work before the card arrives
Along with newly arriving foreign employees, the cost of the increased Turkish staff employment should also be planned from the start; when the conditions are met, this cost can be reduced with SGK incentives . Our other guides on company types, branches and foreign-owned entities are in the Company Formation in Turkey category.
Let's map out your tailored roadmap together
At Akal CPA, every engagement starts with a preliminary review based on your company’s structure and goals. Through our Through our human resources and payroll service, we manage your foreign staff's e-İzin application, fee tracking, SGK notifications and permit extension timeline together with the payroll process. If you would like to work out a tailored roadmap for your work permit process, contact us.
The amounts and rates in this article are current as of October 2026.
This content was prepared by the Akal CPA expert team. Since 1975, Akal CPA has provided company formation, accounting, tax and payroll advisory services to domestic and foreign investors in Ankara. The process steps were prepared based on the Ministry's e-İzin user manual and step-by-step application guide, and International Labor Force Law No. 6735.
This article is for general information only; seek professional advice for your specific situation.
Last updated: 17.10.2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can log in to the e-İzin system?
The workplace record is created by the person defined at SGK as the e-Bildirge authorized person. This person can also grant other users authority to apply through the authorization screen in e-İzin; the authorization is approved with an electronic signature.
When is the work permit fee paid?
The fee and valuable paper charge are paid after the Ministry approves the application. Applications for which payment is not made within 30 days of the notification date are rejected.
What happens if the reference number expires?
The 16-digit reference number obtained from the overseas mission is valid for 30 days. An application cannot be made with an expired or used number; the foreign national must obtain a new number from the mission.
Can you appeal a rejected work permit application?
Yes. The rejection decision may be appealed to the Ministry through e-İzin within thirty days of notification. If the appeal is also rejected, you may apply to the administrative courts.
Can the foreign national start work before the work permit card arrives?
Our recommendation is not to put the foreign national to work in practice until the permit is approved and the obligations are fulfilled. Employing without a permit may lead to administrative fines for the employer and the foreign national and to deportation proceedings for the foreign national.
Does the work permit continue if the employer changes?
A fixed-term work permit is tied to a specific employer. An application made for a new employer is assessed as a first application, and the permit is again granted for at most one year.
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