Employers who wish to employ foreign nationals in Türkiye should assess both the employer and the foreign national before submitting a work permit application.
In work permit applications, the assessment is not based solely on the foreign national’s occupation or the number of Turkish employees working for the company. The company’s paid-up capital, net sales, export figures, sector of activity, the foreign national’s previous legal status in Türkiye and the nature of the position may also be taken into consideration.
With the new regulations that entered into force on 3 August 2026, significant changes have been introduced to the work permit assessment criteria for certain foreign nationals and sectors. These changes are particularly important for foreign nationals who have previously stayed legally in Türkiye and employers operating in the manufacturing, poultry farming and recycling sectors.
What Are the Work Permit Assessment Criteria in Türkiye?
There are three main criteria in the general work permit assessment:
- Employment criteria
- Financial adequacy criteria
- Salary criteria
However, some or all of these criteria may not apply to certain sectors, occupations and groups of foreign nationals.
For this reason, rather than applying the general rules to every work permit application, it is important to determine which specific regulation applies to the foreign national and the employer.
1. The Requirement to Employ 5 Turkish Employees
As a general rule, for workplaces subject to balance-sheet accounting, at least 5 Turkish citizens must be employed for each foreign national for whom a work permit application is submitted.
For example, if a work permit application is submitted for one foreign employee at a workplace subject to the general criteria, the company should generally have at least 5 Turkish employees. For two foreign employees, this figure is generally 10 Turkish employees.
However, this requirement does not apply in the same way to all work permit applications.
For workplaces with annual net sales of TRY 50 million or more, the employment criterion does not apply to the first 5 foreign employees to be employed.
There are also special work permit assessment criteria for certain sectors, including IT, tourism, manufacturing and livestock farming.
2. Financial Adequacy Criteria for Work Permit Applications
The employer may also be required to meet certain financial adequacy criteria when applying for a work permit.
Newly Established Workplaces
For workplaces established during the current year that have not yet prepared a year-end balance sheet and annual income statement, the paid-up capital must be at least TRY 500,000 for a work permit application submitted on behalf of a foreign national.
Existing Workplaces
For workplaces that have at least one year-end balance sheet and annual income statement, at least one of the following criteria must generally be met:
- Paid-up capital of at least TRY 500,000
- Annual net sales of at least TRY 8,000,000
- Annual exports of at least USD 150,000
These criteria apply to workplaces subject to the general assessment rules. Applications that qualify for an exemption from financial adequacy requirements under specific sectoral or occupational criteria are assessed separately.
3. Salary to Be Paid to the Foreign Employee
The salary offered to the foreign employee must be appropriate for the nature and level of the position.
Based on the gross minimum wage applicable on the date of the application, the minimum salary levels are generally as follows:
- Senior executives and pilots: at least 5 times the minimum wage
- Engineers and architects: at least 4 times the minimum wage
- Other managers: at least 3 times the minimum wage
- Jobs requiring expertise or professional skills: at least 2 times the minimum wage
- Domestic services and other occupations: at least the minimum wage
Therefore, when preparing a work permit application, employers should consider not only the number of employees and the company’s financial position, but also whether the proposed salary is appropriate for the foreign employee’s position.
4. New Regulation for Foreign Nationals Who Have Previously Stayed in Türkiye
One of the important changes that entered into force on 3 August 2026 concerns foreign nationals who have previously stayed legally in Türkiye.
For foreign nationals who, within the 3 years preceding the work permit application, have legally stayed in Türkiye for at least 1 year under a work permit, residence permit or international protection status, the employment and financial adequacy criteria may not apply to in-country work permit applications, subject to certain conditions.
This exemption is limited to a maximum of 3 foreign nationals.
However, the number of foreign employees working under this provision must not exceed the number of Turkish citizen employees at the same workplace.
If an employer wishes to employ more than 3 foreign nationals under this provision, the general requirements will generally apply to the fourth and subsequent foreign employees, including the requirement for 5 Turkish employees and the applicable financial adequacy criteria for each foreign national.
This regulation is particularly important for employers seeking to re-employ foreign nationals who have previously lived or worked in Türkiye.
5. Work Permit Requirements for the IT Sector
Different work permit assessment criteria may apply to certain specialist positions in the IT sector.
For foreign nationals working in specific specialist fields such as software development, database management, mobile software, system networks and security, and enterprise architecture, the employment and financial adequacy criteria do not apply when the employer operates in the IT sector.
For companies operating outside the IT sector, exemptions from the employment and financial adequacy criteria may also apply to certain specialist positions of the same nature, subject to a maximum of 2 foreign employees.
6. Special Work Permit Criteria for the Tourism Sector
Special work permit assessment criteria apply to certain businesses operating in the tourism sector.
Specific provisions are available for certain tourism businesses certified by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, certain restaurants and facilities operating within tourism establishments, businesses associated with certain travel agencies and certain thermal hotels, particularly for foreign nationals employed in positions requiring expertise or professional skills.
Where certain conditions are met, the employment criterion does not apply to certain specialist or skilled positions in businesses employing at least 10 Turkish employees.
In addition, a special regulation concerning additional foreign employment in certain non-accommodation positions in tourism businesses entered into force on 11 March 2026. Under certain conditions, an exemption from the employment criterion may be applied for 1 additional foreign employee for every 5 Turkish employees.
7. Work Permit Requirements in the Livestock Sector
Special criteria apply to foreign nationals employed as shepherds and animal keepers in the livestock sector.
The business must be registered in the Animal Information System and must meet certain requirements regarding its livestock numbers.
For example:
- Small livestock farming businesses must have at least 200 small livestock animals.
- Fattening livestock businesses must have at least 100 cattle.
- Dairy farming businesses must have at least 50 cattle.
- Mixed livestock businesses must have at least 75 cattle.
Depending on the number of animals owned by the business, work permits may be issued for up to 3 foreign employees without applying the employment criterion.
In addition, as of 11 March 2026, the financial adequacy criterion generally does not apply to businesses that meet the required livestock thresholds.
8. Changes to the Manufacturing Sector in 2026
An important regulation concerning the employment of foreign workers in the manufacturing sector entered into force on 3 August 2026.
Where there is a need for additional foreign employees in the manufacturing sector, until 31 December 2027, work permit applications for 1 foreign employee for every 5 Turkish employees may be assessed without applying the employment criterion.
An important point is that this provision is assessed based on the number of Turkish employees working at the relevant branch of the workplace.
This regulation is particularly relevant for manufacturing facilities planning to employ foreign technical personnel, specialists or other foreign workers.
9. New Regulations for Poultry Farming and Recycling Sectors
Special work permit assessment criteria for the poultry farming and recycling sectors also entered into force on 3 August 2026.
For certain positions in poultry farming, such as animal care and poultry house workers, where there is a need for additional foreign employees, an exemption from the employment criterion may be applied until 31 December 2027 for 1 foreign employee for every 5 Turkish employees.
For certain workplaces employing fewer than 5 Turkish employees, employment and financial adequacy criteria generally do not apply to up to 2 foreign employees for in-country applications, provided that the number of foreign employees does not exceed the number of Turkish employees.
A similar regulation applies to certain workplaces engaged in waste collection, recycling and waste disposal activities.
10. Work Permits for Foreign Company Shareholders
There are also specific work permit assessment criteria for foreign nationals who establish or become shareholders of a company in Türkiye.
As a general rule, the following criteria may apply to a foreign national who establishes a new workplace or becomes a shareholder in a company:
- The workplace must have paid-up capital of at least TRY 500,000.
- The foreign national’s capital contribution must be at least TRY 500,000.
- The foreign national must hold at least a 20% share in the company.
- At least 5 Turkish citizens must be employed at the workplace.
There is a specific application regarding the requirement to employ 5 Turkish employees for the first work permit issued to a foreign company shareholder or workplace owner. From the beginning of the seventh month of the first work permit, at least 5 Turkish citizens must generally be employed at the workplace each month.
However, for foreign shareholders holding a capital share of USD 100,000 or more, the above capital and employment criteria do not apply.
For this reason, the foreign shareholder’s shareholding percentage and capital contribution should be carefully reviewed before submitting a work permit application.
11. Foreign Nationals Exempt from Work Permit Criteria
For certain foreign nationals, the employment, financial adequacy and salary criteria do not apply when assessing a work permit application.
These groups include:
- Foreign nationals whose mother, father or child is a Turkish citizen
- Foreign nationals holding a humanitarian residence permit
- Foreign nationals recognised as victims of human trafficking
- Foreign nationals holding a Stateless Person Identity Document
- Foreign nationals holding a long-term residence permit
- Foreign nationals who have been married to a Turkish citizen for at least 3 years
- Foreign nationals who have legally stayed in Türkiye for at least 8 years under certain types of permits
- Certain foreign nationals of Turkish descent who meet the relevant conditions
- Citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
With the amendment dated 3 August 2026, foreign nationals who have held a work permit or certain types of residence permits in Türkiye for at least 8 years have also been included within this scope.
This status must be demonstrated with documents obtained from the relevant public authorities. Furthermore, being exempt from the assessment criteria does not automatically mean that a work permit will be granted. The application is still assessed under other applicable legislation and international labour policy requirements.
Why Should a Preliminary Assessment Be Made Before Applying for a Work Permit?
The same work permit requirements do not apply to every employer and every foreign national.
For example, an application submitted by a company employing 6 Turkish employees will not necessarily be assessed in the same way as an application submitted by a manufacturing company employing 60 Turkish employees.
Similarly, the following factors may affect the outcome of a work permit application:
- The foreign national’s previous legal status in Türkiye
- The company’s sector of activity
- The number of employees
- The company’s paid-up capital
- Net sales and export figures
- The foreign national’s shareholding percentage
- The level of expertise required for the position
- Whether the workplace is subject to special sector-specific regulations
For this reason, a work permit application should not be viewed simply as a document preparation process. Before applying, it is important to determine which criteria apply to the employer and the foreign national and to establish an appropriate application strategy.
Work Permit Consultancy in Türkiye with RL Danışmanlık
RL Danışmanlık provides work permit consultancy and application follow-up services to companies and foreign employees seeking to employ or work in Türkiye.
Before submitting an application, we assess the current circumstances of both the employer and the foreign national and review:
- Employment criteria
- Financial adequacy requirements
- Salary criteria
- Requirements applicable to foreign company shareholders
- Sector-specific and occupational exemptions
- Exemptions based on the foreign national’s previous legal status in Türkiye
We support international companies, foreign company shareholders, manufacturing and production companies, and employers seeking to employ foreign personnel in Türkiye in planning their work permit applications according to the applicable criteria.
As work permit assessment criteria may change depending on the legislation in force on the date of application and the specific circumstances of the application, it is important to check the current requirements before submitting a work permit application.
For information about work permit applications in Türkiye or to have your current situation assessed, please contact RL Danışmanlık.
