In the globalizing business world, companies integrating cross-border talents into their structures has become a fundamental part of international competition and growth. The legal status of foreign nationals who wish to be employed in Türkiye is meticulously protected within the framework of the law on work permits for foreigners. It is of great importance for employers to possess up-to-date information regarding work permit conditions in order to maintain their operations on a legal basis and bring global talents to Türkiye.
A work permit is an official right that enables foreign employees to legally operate within the borders of Türkiye. However, work permit evaluation criteria represent a highly dynamic process that examines not only a single application but also the financial strength of the employer, the employment balance, and the foreigner’s area of expertise. With the regulations implemented recently, the conditions for employing foreign workers have been updated; both the financial adequacy limits of companies have been revised and strategic conveniences have been introduced for specific sectors, especially technology-focused investments. In this article, we will thoroughly examine the current foreign work permit application conditions, transition period rules, and sector-based special exemptions.
Criteria Sought for Employer Companies and Employment Conditions
The new application includes significant changes regarding the financial adequacies of employers and the numbers of Turkish citizens they employ.
1. Employment Criterion and New Exceptions
As a general rule, the employment of 5 Turkish citizens for each foreigner continues to form the basis. However, an “Employment Criterion Exception” has been introduced for large-scale investors:
50 Million TL Criterion: In workplaces whose net sales amount for the last year is at least 50,000,000 Turkish Liras, the Turkish employment condition will not be sought for up to the first five foreigners to be employed.
Gradual Implementation: In every work permit application to be made after the fifth foreigner, the general rule of employing 5 Turkish citizens will begin to be sought.
Non-Excepted Workplaces: For companies that do not meet this turnover criterion, the rule of employing 5 Turkish citizens per foreigner will continue to be applied strictly.
- New Era in Financial Adequacy (Transition as of 01.01.2025)
Financial adequacy criteria will be applied with higher thresholds as of January 1, 2025. However, flexibility has been provided during the transition period:
| Criterion | Old Practice | New Practice (As of 01.01.2025) |
| Paid-in Capital | 100,000 TL | 500,000 TL |
| Net Sales Amount | 800,000 TL | 8,000,000 TL |
| Export | 250,000 USD | 150,000 USD |
Note: For applications to be made until January 1, 2025, the export limit will be applied directly as 150,000 USD instead of 250,000 USD in the old legislation.
3. Revisions in Wage Criteria
Foreign national employee salaries have been updated over the gross minimum wage in effect as of the date of the work permit application as follows:
Senior Executives and Pilots: Reduced from 6.5 times the minimum wage to 5 times.
Other Executives: Reduced from 4 times the minimum wage to 3 times.
Specialists: Reduced from 3 times the minimum wage to 2 times.
Engineers and Architects: Maintained at 4 times the minimum wage.
Other Professions: Reduced from 1.5 times the minimum wage to the minimum wage itself.
Domestic Servants: Maintained as the minimum wage.
4. Foreigners Who Are Company Partners
For foreigners who newly establish a business or become partners:
The paid-in capital must be at least 500,000 TL.
It is required that the foreigner’s capital share is at least 500,000 TL and the partnership share is at least 20%.
Exception: Foreign partners whose capital share is 100,000 USD and above are completely exempt from financial and employment criteria.
How Do Work Permit Criteria Change on a Sectoral Basis?
Within the scope of permit visa requirements and employment conditions in Türkiye, general evaluation criteria have been relaxed due to the strategic importance of certain sectors:
Informatics Sector: In areas such as software development, database, and mobile software expertise, employment and financial adequacy criteria are not applied, limited to a maximum of 2 foreigners.
R&D and Advanced Technology: Companies holding an R&D, design center, or Technology Development Zone certificate are exempted from general criteria with the positive opinion of the Ministry of Industry and Technology.
Domestic Services: A foreigner coming from abroad with a permit for working cannot transfer to another employer for the first 6 months.
Türkiye Tech Visa Program: Comprehensive incentives have been introduced for technology entrepreneurs, such as a 3-year work permit, office opportunities in technoparks, the Türkiye Tech Visa Fund, tax exemptions, and the coverage of employees’ premiums by the state (free healthcare facility).
Seniority Exception: Individuals who have stayed in Türkiye with a residence or work permit for a total of 3 years, excluding the student residence type, have been exempted from employment and financial adequacy criteria for up to 3 foreigners.
Meeting every single standard is crucial since work permit qualification criteria possess a highly technical and variable structure. Particularly, mistakes made during the transition period of new financial limits (before/after January 1, 2025) may cause your application to be rejected during the permitted work tracking process.
As the Istanbul Law Office family, with our expertise in current legislation and legal changes, we stand by you at all times during your Work Permit and Residence Permit processes. You can benefit from our professional consultancy service to bring the qualified foreign human resources your business needs into Türkiye in compliance with legal procedures and to execute your strategic planning flawlessly.