As Chinese companies establish or expand their operations in Turkey, employing foreign personnel can become an important part of their local setup. Understanding the work permit for Chinese companies in Turkey is therefore important when planning to transfer or hire foreign employees.
The same question may also arise for Chinese HR, EOR, payroll, accounting and professional services firms supporting clients with operations or employees in Turkey.
Can a Chinese-owned company employ foreign workers in Turkey?
The short answer is yes.
A Chinese-owned company established in Turkey can employ foreign nationals, including personnel transferred from China, provided that the applicable Turkish work permit requirements are met.
Foreign ownership itself does not prevent a Turkish company from employing foreign workers. However, establishing a company in Turkey does not automatically give the company the right to employ an unlimited number of foreign employees.
The company’s local workforce, capital and financial position, as well as the foreign employee’s position and salary, can all affect work permit eligibility.
For this reason, Chinese companies planning to employ foreign personnel in Turkey should consider work permit requirements as part of their initial business and employment planning.
Work permit for Chinese companies: the general 5:1 employment rule
One of the most important requirements for companies employing foreign workers in Turkey is the local employment criterion.
As a general rule, an employer subject to the balance-sheet accounting method is expected to employ at least five Turkish citizens for each foreign national for whom a work permit application is made.
For example, a company employing five Turkish citizens may generally apply for a work permit for one foreign employee, subject to the other applicable requirements.
A company planning to employ several foreign workers should therefore consider the local employment requirement before transferring or recruiting personnel.
This is particularly relevant for newly established Chinese companies that may initially plan to operate with a relatively small team in Turkey.
However, the 5:1 rule is not absolute. Turkish work permit legislation provides various exemptions and special evaluation criteria depending on factors such as the employer’s financial position, the foreign national’s status, and certain sectors or occupations.
As a general rule, an employer subject to the balance-sheet accounting method is expected to employ at least five Turkish citizens for each foreign national for whom a work permit application is made. The applicable employment, financial and salary requirements are set out in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s Work Permit Evaluation Criteria.
Financial Requirements for a Work Permit for Chinese Companies
An important exception applies to companies with significant turnover.
Where the employer’s net sales for the previous year are TRY 50 million or more, the employment criterion is not applied to work permit applications for up to five foreign employees.
This can be particularly relevant for established foreign-owned companies in Turkey that already have substantial local operations but do not maintain a large Turkish headcount.
For example, a qualifying company may be able to employ up to five foreign nationals without satisfying the usual five-Turkish-employees-per-foreign-worker requirement for those applications.
It is important to distinguish this exemption from a general right to employ foreign workers without restriction. Applications remain subject to the other applicable work permit requirements.
Can a newly established Chinese company apply for work permits?
Yes. The rules governing a work permit for Chinese companies also allow newly established businesses to apply, provided that the applicable employer and financial criteria are met.
However, newly established companies are subject to financial eligibility requirements.
For a newly established employer subject to the balance-sheet accounting method that has not yet prepared its first year-end balance sheet and annual income statement, the company’s paid-in capital must generally be at least TRY 500,000 for a foreign employee’s work permit application.
This is an important consideration when establishing the Turkish company.
The statutory minimum capital required to incorporate a company and the financial criteria applicable to future work permit applications are not necessarily the same thing. A foreign investor that establishes its Turkish company using only the minimum capital may therefore later discover that additional capitalization is required before its employment plan can be implemented.
If foreign personnel will form part of the Turkish operation from the beginning, the expected work permit requirements should therefore be considered when determining the company’s initial capital.
For broader tax, capital, ownership and compliance considerations at the incorporation stage, see our Establishing a Company in Turkey guide.
Financial criteria for existing companies
Once the Turkish company has completed at least one financial year and prepared its year-end financial statements, the financial eligibility test becomes more flexible.
For an existing company subject to the balance-sheet accounting method, at least one of the following criteria generally needs to be satisfied:
| Financial criterion | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Paid-in capital | TRY 500,000 |
| Net sales | TRY 8,000,000 |
| Exports | USD 150,000 |
Accordingly, an operating company does not necessarily need to satisfy all three tests. Meeting one of the applicable financial thresholds can be sufficient for this aspect of the work permit assessment.
The financial position of the Turkish entity should therefore be reviewed before applications are submitted, particularly where several foreign employees are expected to be transferred to Turkey.
How many foreign employees can a Chinese company employ in Turkey?
There is no single fixed number of foreign employees that every Chinese company can employ in Turkey.
The answer depends on the circumstances of the Turkish employer and the employees concerned.
For an ordinary business subject to the general criteria, the number of Turkish employees will often be one of the main factors because of the 5:1 employment rule.
However, the TRY 50 million net sales exemption, specific exemptions applicable to certain foreign nationals, and sector- or occupation-specific rules can produce a different result.
Therefore, a company planning to transfer several employees to Turkey should assess the entire proposed workforce rather than evaluating each application in isolation.
For example, if a company expects to employ ten local employees and four foreign employees, it is useful to determine in advance which applications can satisfy the general employment criteria and whether any applicable exemption could change the result.
This can avoid situations where employees are selected for relocation and employment terms are agreed before the employer discovers that the proposed structure does not meet the applicable work permit criteria.
Salary requirements also apply to foreign employees
Headcount and financial eligibility are not the only considerations.
The salary to be paid to the foreign employee must also satisfy the applicable work permit criteria.
The required minimum salary is determined by reference to the Turkish gross minimum wage in force on the application date and the position of the foreign employee.
The general salary multiples are:
| Position | Minimum salary requirement |
|---|---|
| Senior executives and pilots | 5 × gross minimum wage |
| Engineers and architects | 4 × gross minimum wage |
| Other managers | 3 × gross minimum wage |
| Jobs requiring expertise or craftsmanship | 2 × gross minimum wage |
| Other occupations | At least the gross minimum wage |
The job title used in the application should therefore reflect the employee’s actual role.
For companies transferring personnel from China, salary planning should be reviewed before the application rather than after the employee’s compensation package has already been finalized.
Foreign-currency compensation arrangements may also need to be translated into a compliant Turkish payroll structure.
What about Chinese shareholders and company managers?
A distinction should be made between an ordinary foreign employee and a foreign national who establishes or becomes a shareholder of a Turkish business.
Separate work permit evaluation criteria apply to foreign shareholders.
Under the general rules, where a foreign national establishes a new business or becomes a shareholder of an existing business, the company must have at least TRY 500,000 in paid-in capital, the foreign shareholder’s capital contribution must generally be at least TRY 500,000, and the foreign shareholder must hold at least 20% of the company.
The local employment requirement is also applied differently in this situation. The first work permit may be issued subject to a condition requiring the business to employ at least five Turkish citizens from the beginning of the seventh month of the permit.
There is also an important exception: where the foreign shareholder’s capital contribution is USD 100,000 or more, these specific capital, shareholding and employment criteria do not apply.
A Chinese shareholder who will actively work in or manage the Turkish company should therefore not automatically be treated in the same way as an ordinary employee.
The ownership and management structure should be reviewed together with the immigration plan.
Should work permits be considered before establishing the Turkish company?
Where a Chinese company already knows that foreign employees will be part of its initial Turkish team, the answer is generally yes.
Work permit planning can influence several decisions made during incorporation.
For example:
- How much paid-in capital should the Turkish company have?
- How many Turkish employees will initially be hired?
- Which foreign employees need to relocate to Turkey?
- What positions will they hold?
- What salary levels will apply?
- Will a foreign shareholder or manager actively work in Turkey?
These questions are much easier to address before the structure is finalized.
A common mistake is to treat company establishment and foreign employment as two completely separate projects: first establish the company and then consider work permits.
For foreign-owned businesses, it is often more efficient to design the initial company, employment and immigration structure together.
Applying from China or from within Turkey
The application route depends partly on the foreign employee’s status in Turkey.
Where the foreign national does not have an eligible residence permit in Turkey, the process will generally begin through a Turkish diplomatic mission abroad. The employee receives a reference number following the work visa application, which is then used by the Turkish employer or its authorized representative to complete the work permit application through the Ministry’s electronic system.
For qualifying applicants already legally residing in Turkey with the required residence status, an in-country application may be possible.
The correct route should be determined before the application starts, particularly when companies are coordinating relocation dates, employment commencement and travel arrangements for employees coming from China.
For a detailed explanation of application procedures, documents, work permit types and other requirements, see our Work Permit in Turkey Guide.
Obtaining the permit is not the end of the employer’s obligations
A work permit allows the foreign national to work legally for the relevant employer and position, but it is only one part of the employment process.
Once the employee starts working in Turkey, the employer must also address the normal Turkish employment and payroll requirements.
Depending on the circumstances, these may include the employment contract, payroll registration and processing, social security obligations, monthly salary calculations, tax withholding and ongoing employment compliance.
Chinese companies managing payroll centrally from China should therefore be careful not to treat the Turkish employee simply as an extension of the home-country payroll.
The Turkish employment relationship needs to operate within the local payroll, tax and employment framework.
This is also relevant for international EOR, payroll and HR providers supporting Chinese clients. Where the provider does not maintain its own infrastructure in Turkey, work permits, local employment administration and payroll may require coordination with a Turkish delivery partner.
Planning foreign employment in Turkey
Chinese companies can employ foreign workers in Turkey, including personnel transferred from China. The key issue is not the nationality of the shareholder, but whether the Turkish employer and the proposed foreign employee meet the applicable work permit criteria.
For companies entering Turkey, the main points should be reviewed early: local employee headcount, paid-in capital, financial thresholds, the positions and salaries of foreign employees, and the status of any foreign shareholders who will actively work in the business.
This becomes particularly important when several foreign employees are expected to relocate as part of the initial Turkish operation.
Chinese companies, as well as EOR, payroll, HR, accounting and other professional services firms supporting clients in Turkey, may also need local coordination across company establishment, work permits, employment, payroll, accounting and ongoing compliance.
Planning these areas together can make the Turkish operation considerably easier to establish and manage.
When planning a work permit for Chinese companies, the local workforce, paid-in capital, financial criteria, employee position and salary should be reviewed together. This becomes particularly important when several foreign employees are expected to relocate as part of the initial Turkish operation.