One can file an application to obtain a work permit in Turkey either while located in Turkey or abroad.

In the case of applications filed abroad, foreigners are required to file an application at a consulate of the Republic of Turkey in the country of which they are a citizen or a permanent resident. The application should be accompanied by a labor contract, letter of assignment, or a document stating company partnership. The employer in Turkey is required to file an online application and submit the required information and documents to the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services, either in person or via mail, within ten business days following the date of the candidate’s application to a consulate. The consulates of the Republic of Turkey and the ministry will execute online the procedures for the work permit applications filed abroad.

Foreigners whose applications are approved by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services must enter Turkey within a maximum of hundred and eighty days after the date the work permit is issued. In the case of applications filed in Turkey, with the exception of residence permits issued for education in Turkey, foreigners who hold residence permits with a remaining term of at least six months, or employers thereof, may file work permit applications. Such foreigners are not required to submit an application to the consulates of the Republic of Turkey. The documents required for the application must be submitted to the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services, either in person or via mail, within a maximum of six business days after the online application.

The Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services concludes the procedures regarding work permit applications in consultation, where necessary, with relevant ministries and authorities. The procedures regarding duly submitted work permit applications are concluded by the ministry within a maximum of thirty days provided all required documents are submitted in full. If the ministry determines that required documents are missing, the applicant is notified to submit the documents in question. In such cases, the thirty-day period commences on the date on which the missing documents are submitted to the ministry. In the case of applications filed abroad, the ministry forwards the affirmative or negative decision regarding the work permit application to the relevant consulate of the Republic of Turkey (via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), which notifies the applicant.

In the case of applications filed in Turkey, the ministry notifies the foreigner or the employer. Foreigners who are granted residence and work permits from consulates and enter the country are required to register to the Address Registry System in Turkey within a maximum of twenty business days following the date of entrance.

For more information regarding the work permit for foreigners please click here.