Turkey Work Permit: Requirements, Refusal and Appeal

Note on sources. The official legal texts of Türkiye are in Turkish. Each provision below is quoted verbatim in Turkish (the authoritative text) and followed by an unofficial English translation for convenience only. Where exact wording matters, the Turkish text governs.

Short Answer

Employing foreign staff in Türkiye requires a work permit, granted by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. Applications are made inside the country to the Ministry and abroad at a Turkish embassy or consulate-general, which forwards the file (Article 7); where the documents are complete the assessment is completed within thirty days. The employer has three core obligations: not to employ without a permit, to notify changes in the permit situation within fifteen days (Article 22), and to observe the thirty-day appeal period in the event of refusal (Article 21). Employing without a permit gives rise to an administrative fine on both the employer and the foreigner (Article 23). The penalty amounts in the law are 2016 base amounts and are increased each year by the revaluation rate (Article 17 of Law No. 5326).

Is This You?

This guide is relevant if you are:

• An employer or company official wishing to employ foreign staff in Türkiye,
• An employer or foreigner whose work permit application was refused,
• An employer facing an administrative fine for employing without a permit,
• A foreigner whose permit has been cancelled,
• An HR/accounting team managing foreign staff’s permit and notification processes.

Who Grants the Permit, and the Ban on Working Without One

Two rules fix the framework before any procedural question arises: the permit comes from one authority, and working without it is prohibited outright.

“(1) Çalışma izni, 4 üncü maddeye göre belirlenen uluslararası işgücü politikası esas alınarak Bakanlıkça verilir. (2) Bu Kanun kapsamında yer alan yabancıların çalışma izni olmaksızın Türkiye’de çalışmaları veya çalıştırılmaları yasaktır.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.6)

Unofficial translation: “(1) The work permit is granted by the Ministry, taking as its basis the international labour policy determined under Article 4. (2) It is prohibited for foreigners within the scope of this Law to work or to be employed in Türkiye without a work permit.”

The prohibition is two-sided. It binds the foreigner who works and the employer who employs, which is why the penalty in Article 23 falls on both of them rather than on the employer alone. It also settles a question that is asked constantly. What the paragraph requires is a work permit, and nothing else stands in for one. A visa or a visa exemption is not a work permit, so working on one is not outside this prohibition but inside it.

The same Article then preserves two groups from the permit requirement:

“(3) Diğer kanunlarda ya da Türkiye’nin taraf olduğu ikili veya çok taraflı anlaşmalar veya uluslararası sözleşmelerde çalışma izni almadan çalışabileceği belirtilen yabancılar, bu Kanuna göre çalışma izni almadan çalışabilir veya çalıştırılabilirler. (4) 29/5/2009 tarihli ve 5901 sayılı Türk Vatandaşlığı Kanununun 28 inci maddesi kapsamında olanların çalışma hakkı saklıdır.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.6)

Unofficial translation: “(3) Foreigners who are stated, in other laws or in bilateral or multilateral agreements or international conventions to which Türkiye is a party, to be able to work without obtaining a work permit may work or be employed without obtaining a work permit under this Law. (4) The right to work of those within the scope of Article 28 of the Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901 of 29/5/2009 is reserved.”

The reservation in the fourth paragraph matters to a group that often assumes the opposite. The provision referred to is Article 28 of Law No. 5901, which is quoted in full, with what it does and does not confer, in how to get Turkish citizenship.

Work Permit or Work Visa? Where the Application Is Made

Enquiries arrive under two names, “work permit” and “work visa”, and they are not two competing labels for one document. What Law No. 6735 grants is a work permit. The consulate appears in the procedure, but as a place where the application is lodged rather than as a separate instrument:

“(1) Çalışma izni başvuruları yurt içinde doğrudan Bakanlığa, yurt dışında yabancının vatandaşı olduğu veya yasal olarak bulunduğu ülkedeki Türkiye Cumhuriyeti büyükelçilikleri veya başkonsolosluklarına yapılır. Yurt dışında yapılan çalışma izni başvuruları Türkiye Cumhuriyeti büyükelçilikleri veya başkonsolosluklarınca Bakanlığa iletilir. (2) Çalışma izni başvuruları yetkili aracı kurum tarafından da yapılabilir.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.7)

Unofficial translation: “(1) Work permit applications are made, inside the country, directly to the Ministry, and abroad, to the embassies or consulates-general of the Republic of Türkiye in the country of which the foreigner is a national or in which the foreigner is lawfully present. Work permit applications made abroad are transmitted to the Ministry by the embassies or consulates-general of the Republic of Türkiye. (2) Work permit applications may also be made by an authorised intermediary institution.”

So there are two ways in and one decision-maker. A foreigner already lawfully in Türkiye applies through the Ministry; a foreigner abroad applies at the Turkish embassy or consulate-general, which forwards the file. The mission does not decide the application, it transmits it, and the decision on the permit itself remains with the Ministry throughout.

Two deadlines then govern the timetable, and they run in opposite directions. The first binds the applicant:

“(3) Çalışma izni uzatma başvurusu, çalışma izni süresinin dolmasına altmış gün kalmasından itibaren ve her durumda çalışma izni süresi dolmadan yapılır. Bu süre dolduktan sonra yapılan uzatma başvuruları reddedilir.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.7)

Unofficial translation: “(3) An application to extend a work permit is made from the point at which sixty days remain before the expiry of the work permit period and, in every case, before the work permit period expires. Extension applications made after this period has expired are refused.”

This is a window, not a deadline in the ordinary sense. It opens at sixty days before expiry and closes at expiry, and an application filed after the permit has lapsed is refused on that ground alone, without reaching the merits.

The second deadline binds the administration, and it is the answer to how long a decision takes:

“(7) Başvuruda eksik bilgi veya belgelerin olması hâlinde, bu eksiklikler tamamlanıncaya kadar başvurunun değerlendirilmesi ertelenir. Erteleme süresi, bilgi veya belge eksikliklerinin tamamlanmasını geciktiren mücbir bir sebebin varlığının resmî bir makamdan belgelendirildiği hâller dışında otuz günü aşamaz. Erteleme süresi sonunda eksiklikleri tamamlanmayan başvurular reddedilir. (8) Usulüne uygun olarak yapılan başvuruların değerlendirilmesi, bilgi ve belgelerin tam olması kaydıyla otuz gün içinde tamamlanır.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.7)

Unofficial translation: “(7) Where there are missing information or documents in the application, assessment of the application is postponed until those deficiencies are completed. The postponement period cannot exceed thirty days, except in cases where the existence of a force majeure delaying the completion of the information or document deficiencies is documented by an official authority. Applications whose deficiencies are not completed at the end of the postponement period are refused. (8) The assessment of applications made in accordance with the procedure is completed within thirty days, provided that the information and documents are complete.”

The thirty-day assessment period in the eighth paragraph is conditional, and the condition is the part that decides how long a file actually takes. It runs only where the documents are complete. An incomplete file does not start that clock; it starts the postponement in the seventh paragraph instead, itself capped at thirty days, at the end of which an application still missing documents is refused rather than held open. Document completeness is therefore not an administrative formality but the difference between a thirty-day decision and a refusal.

The Law does not itself enumerate the documents. It sets the criteria framework and leaves the list to the Ministry:

“(4) Çalışma izni başvurusu uluslararası işgücü politikasına göre değerlendirilir. … (6) Bakanlık, Uluslararası İşgücü Politikası Danışma Kurulu kararları doğrultusunda çalışma izni başvurusunun değerlendirilmesinde ve çalışma izni puanlama sisteminin oluşturulmasında kullanılacak kriterleri belirler.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.7)

Unofficial translation: “(4) The work permit application is assessed according to the international labour policy. … (6) The Ministry determines the criteria to be used in assessing the work permit application and in establishing the work permit points system, in line with the decisions of the International Labour Force Policy Advisory Board.”

This is why no fixed statutory checklist of documents exists to be quoted. The assessment criteria and the points system are set by the Ministry and can change without an amendment to the Law, so a document list found online carries the date it was written and nothing more. The durable rule is the one above: whatever the current list requires, completeness is what starts the thirty-day clock.

Work Permit and Residence Permit

An important consequence of the work permit is that it does not require a separate residence permit:

“(1) Bu Kanuna göre verilen çalışma izni veya çalışma izni muafiyeti, 6458 sayılı Kanunun 27 nci maddesi uyarınca ikamet izni yerine geçer.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.12)

Unofficial translation: “(1) A work permit or work permit exemption granted under this Law replaces a residence permit pursuant to Article 27 of Law No. 6458.”

When Is an Application Refused?

The refusal grounds are listed in Article 9:

“(1) Bu Kanunun 7 nci maddesine göre yapılan değerlendirme neticesinde; a) Uluslararası işgücü politikasına uygun olmayan, b) Sahte veya yanıltıcı bilgi ve belgelerle yapılan, c) Yabancı istihdam edilmesine ilişkin gerekçesi yeterli görülmeyen … başvurular reddedilir.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.9)

Unofficial translation: “(1) As a result of the assessment made under Article 7 of this Law, applications that: a) are not compatible with international labour policy; b) are made with false or misleading information and documents; c) whose justification for employing a foreigner is not found sufficient … are refused.”

The refusal is a reasoned administrative act and is therefore subject to both administrative appeal and judicial review.

On Refusal or Cancellation: A Thirty-Day Appeal

“(2) Bakanlığın bu Kanun kapsamında verdiği kararlara karşı ilgililer tarafından tebliğ tarihinden itibaren otuz gün içinde Bakanlığa itiraz edilebilir. İtirazın reddedilmesi hâlinde idari yargı yoluna başvurulabilir.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.21)

Unofficial translation: “(2) An appeal may be made to the Ministry by those concerned within thirty days of notification against the decisions the Ministry gives under this Law. If the appeal is rejected, recourse to the administrative courts is possible.”

So the order is: first an appeal to the Ministry within thirty days of notification; if the appeal is rejected, an action for annulment before the administrative court.

The Employer’s Notification Obligation: Fifteen Days

“(1) Yabancı çalıştıran işverenler ile süresiz veya bağımsız çalışma izni bulunan yabancılar, çalışma izninin veya çalışma izni muafiyeti kapsamında çalışmanın başlaması ve sona ermesi durumu ile çalışma izni veya çalışma izni muafiyetinin iptalini gerektirecek hâlleri on beş gün içinde Bakanlığa bildirmekle yükümlüdür.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.22)

Unofficial translation: “(1) Employers employing foreigners, and foreigners holding an indefinite or independent work permit, are obliged to notify the Ministry within fifteen days of the start and end of work under the work permit or work permit exemption, and of circumstances requiring cancellation of the permit or exemption.”

Failure to make this notification is, as shown below, subject to an administrative fine in its own right — that is, even where the foreigner is working lawfully, a notification omission is penalised.

The Penalty for Employing Without a Permit

“(5) Bu Kanuna göre; a) Bildirim yükümlülüğünü yerine getirmeksizin, 1) Bağımsız veya süresiz çalışma izni ile çalışan yabancıya dört yüz Türk lirası, 2) Yabancı çalıştıran işverene her bir yabancı için dört yüz Türk lirası, b) Çalışma izni olmaksızın, 1) Bir işverene bağlı olarak çalışan yabancıya iki bin dört yüz Türk lirası, 2) Bağımsız çalışan yabancıya dört bin sekiz yüz Türk lirası, 3) Yabancı çalıştıran işverene veya işveren vekiline her bir yabancı için altı bin Türk lirası, tutarında idari para cezası verilir.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.23)

Unofficial translation: “(5) Under this Law: a) without fulfilling the notification obligation — 1) four hundred Turkish lira on a foreigner working with an independent or indefinite work permit, 2) four hundred Turkish lira on the employer for each foreigner; b) without a work permit — 1) two thousand four hundred Turkish lira on a foreigner working for an employer, 2) four thousand eight hundred Turkish lira on a foreigner working independently, 3) six thousand Turkish lira on the employer or employer’s representative for each foreigner — is imposed as an administrative fine.”

The penalty applies for each foreigner separately and increases on repetition:

“(6) Beşinci fıkrada sayılan fiillerin tekrarı hâlinde idari para cezaları bir kat artırılarak uygulanır.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.23)

Unofficial translation: “(6) On repetition of the acts listed in the fifth paragraph, the administrative fines are applied increased by one fold.”

Why the Amounts Are Not “Current”

The amounts above (400, 2,400, 4,800, 6,000 TL) are the 2016 base amounts in the text of the Law. Treating them as today’s amounts is a common error. Administrative fines are increased each year by the revaluation rate:

“(7) İdarî para cezaları her takvim yılı başından geçerli olmak üzere o yıl için 4.1.1961 tarihli ve 213 sayılı Vergi Usul Kanununun mükerrer 298 inci maddesi hükümleri uyarınca tespit ve ilân edilen yeniden değerleme oranında artırılarak uygulanır.”

(5326 sayılı Kabahatler Kanunu m.17)

Unofficial translation: “(7) Administrative fines are applied, from the beginning of each calendar year, increased by the revaluation rate determined and announced for that year under the provisions of the repeated Article 298 of the Tax Procedure Law No. 213 of 4 January 1961.”

The fine actually applied is therefore the current amount in force in the year of the violation, not the base amount in the law, and — after the intervening years — significantly above the base amounts.

How Long Is a Permit Granted For? The Tiered System

The duration is not negotiated; it follows a fixed ladder. The first permit is capped at one year and tied to a specific workplace and job:

6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.10 — First application: at most one year

“(1) Başvurunun olumlu değerlendirilmesi hâlinde yabancıya, iş veya hizmet sözleşmesinin süresini aşmamak koşuluyla, gerçek veya tüzel kişiye ya da kamu kurum veya kuruluşuna ait belirli bir işyerinde veya bunların aynı işkolundaki işyerlerinde belirli bir işte çalışmak şartıyla ilk başvuruda en çok bir yıl geçerli çalışma izni verilir.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.10)

Unofficial translation: “Where the application is assessed positively, a work permit valid for at most one year on first application is granted to the foreigner, on condition that it does not exceed the term of the employment or service contract and that the foreigner works in a specific job at a specific workplace belonging to a natural or legal person or to a public institution or organisation, or at their workplaces in the same branch of activity.”

Extensions climb in steps — but only with the same employer:

6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.10 — Extensions: two years, then up to three

“(2) Bu Kanunun 7 nci maddesine göre yapılacak uzatma başvurusunun olumlu değerlendirilmesi hâlinde yabancıya aynı işverene bağlı olarak ilk uzatma başvurusunda en çok iki yıl, sonraki uzatma başvurularında ise en çok üç yıla kadar çalışma izni verilir. Ancak, farklı bir işveren yanında çalışmak üzere yapılan başvurular bu maddenin birinci fıkrası kapsamında değerlendirilir.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.10)

Unofficial translation: “Where an extension application made under Article 7 of this Law is assessed positively, a work permit of at most two years on the first extension application, and of up to three years on subsequent extension applications, is granted to the foreigner while attached to the same employer. However, applications made in order to work for a different employer are assessed within the scope of the first paragraph of this Article.”

That last sentence is the one employers miss: changing employer resets the ladder. A foreigner who moves after three years does not carry the three-year entitlement across — the new application is treated as a first application, capped at one year.

The indefinite permit has its own gateway, and its own caveat:

6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.10 — Indefinite work permit

“(3) Türkiye’de uzun dönem ikamet izni veya en az sekiz yıl kanuni çalışma izni olan yabancılar süresiz çalışma iznine başvurabilir. Ancak, yabancının başvuru şartlarını taşıması yabancıya mutlak hak sağlamaz.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.10)

Unofficial translation: “Foreigners who hold a long-term residence permit in Türkiye or at least eight years of lawful work permit may apply for an indefinite work permit. However, the foreigner’s satisfying the application conditions does not grant the foreigner an absolute right.”

Two doors in, one warning out: long-term residence or eight years of lawful work permit — and, exactly as on the citizenship side, meeting the conditions confers no absolute right. The years of lawful residence a work permit supports are also what the five-year general route to citizenship is counted on, so the two calculations run together; see how to get Turkish citizenship.

The Turquoise Card

Alongside the ladder above, the Law creates a separate route that does not climb year by year at all. The Turquoise Card is granted on the applicant’s profile rather than on time served:

“(1) Uluslararası işgücü politikası doğrultusunda; eğitim düzeyi, mesleki deneyimi, bilim ve teknolojiye katkısı, Türkiye’deki faaliyetinin veya yatırımının ülke ekonomisine ve istihdama etkisi ile Uluslararası İşgücü Politikası Danışma Kurulu önerileri ve Bakanlıkça belirlenen usul ve esaslara göre başvurusu uygun görülen yabancılara Turkuaz Kart verilir.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.11)

Unofficial translation: “(1) In line with the international labour policy, a Turquoise Card is granted to foreigners whose application is found appropriate according to their level of education, professional experience, contribution to science and technology, the effect of their activity or investment in Türkiye on the country’s economy and on employment, together with the recommendations of the International Labour Force Policy Advisory Board and the procedures and principles determined by the Ministry.”

What the card is worth is stated directly, and it is the reason the route matters:

“(4) Turkuaz Kart sahibi yabancı bu Kanunda düzenlenen süresiz çalışma izninin sağladığı haklardan yararlanır.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.11)

Unofficial translation: “(4) A foreigner holding a Turquoise Card benefits from the rights provided by the indefinite work permit regulated in this Law.”

Read against the indefinite permit above, which requires long-term residence or eight years of lawful work permit, the Turquoise Card reaches the same entitlement without either prerequisite. That is the whole point of the route.

It is not granted outright, however. The first three years are a probationary transition period, and the step out of it is an application with its own window:

“(2) Turkuaz Kart, ilk üç yılı geçiş süresi olmak kaydıyla verilir. Bakanlık, geçiş süresi içinde işveren veya yabancıdan yürütülen faaliyetlere ilişkin bilgi ve belge talep edebilir. Geçiş süresi içinde 15 inci madde uyarınca iptal edilmeyen Turkuaz Kartta yer alan geçiş süresi kaydı, yabancının başvurusu hâlinde kaldırılır ve süresiz Turkuaz Kart verilir. Bu başvuru, geçiş süresinin dolmasına yüz seksen gün kalmasından itibaren, her durumda geçiş süresi dolmadan yapılır. Bu süre dolduktan sonra geçiş süresi kaydının kaldırılmasına ilişkin yapılan başvuru reddedilir ve Turkuaz Kart geçersiz hale gelir.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.11)

Unofficial translation: “(2) The Turquoise Card is granted on condition that its first three years are a transition period. The Ministry may request information and documents relating to the activities carried out from the employer or the foreigner during the transition period. The transition period annotation on a Turquoise Card that has not been cancelled under Article 15 during the transition period is removed upon the foreigner’s application, and an indefinite Turquoise Card is granted. This application is made from the point at which one hundred and eighty days remain before the expiry of the transition period and, in every case, before the transition period expires. An application made after this period has expired for removal of the transition period annotation is refused and the Turquoise Card becomes invalid.”

The consequence in the final sentence is the one to mark. Missing the window does not merely postpone the upgrade; the card becomes invalid. A transition period that runs out without a timely application destroys the card itself rather than leaving the holder where they were. The window opens one hundred and eighty days before the transition period ends, which is a different figure from the sixty days that governs an ordinary extension under Article 7.

The card also carries the family:

“(3) Turkuaz Kart sahibi yabancının, mevzuat hükümlerine göre eş ve bakmakla yükümlü olduğu çocuklarına Turkuaz Kart sahibi yakını olduğunu gösteren ve ikamet izni yerine geçen belge verilir.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.11)

Unofficial translation: “(3) A document showing that they are a relative of a Turquoise Card holder, and which replaces a residence permit, is given to the spouse and the dependent children of the foreigner holding a Turquoise Card, in accordance with the provisions of the legislation.”

One group is expressly outside the regime:

“(6) Geçici koruma sağlanan yabancılara bu madde hükümleri uygulanmaz.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.11)

Unofficial translation: “(6) The provisions of this Article are not applied to foreigners granted temporary protection.”

Work Permit Exemption: Still an Application, Not an Absence of One

The exemption is widely misread as meaning that nothing needs to be done. The Law says the opposite in its first sentence:

“(1) Çalışma izni muafiyeti kapsamında olan yabancılar, çalışma izni muafiyeti almak kaydıyla çalışabilir. (2) Çalışma izni muafiyeti başvuruları yurt içinde doğrudan Bakanlığa, yurt dışında yabancının vatandaşı olduğu veya yasal olarak bulunduğu ülkedeki Türkiye Cumhuriyeti büyükelçilikleri ya da başkonsolosluklarına yapılır. Yurt dışında yapılan bu başvurular Türkiye Cumhuriyeti büyükelçilikleri veya başkonsolosluklarınca Bakanlığa iletilir.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.13)

Unofficial translation: “(1) Foreigners within the scope of a work permit exemption may work on condition that they obtain a work permit exemption. (2) Work permit exemption applications are made, inside the country, directly to the Ministry, and abroad, to the embassies or consulates-general of the Republic of Türkiye in the country of which the foreigner is a national or in which the foreigner is lawfully present. These applications made abroad are transmitted to the Ministry by the embassies or consulates-general of the Republic of Türkiye.”

Being exempt is therefore a status that must itself be obtained. The exemption is a document issued on application, following the same two routes as a permit, and working without having obtained it is not covered by the exemption at all.

Who falls inside it is set out in the final paragraph:

“(7) 6102 sayılı Kanuna göre kurulmuş anonim şirketlerin Türkiye’de ikamet etmeyen yönetim kurulu üyesi ve diğer şirketlerin yönetici sıfatı olmayan ortağı ile Türkiye’de gerçekleştirdiği faaliyetleri yüz seksen gün içinde doksan günü geçmeyen sınırötesi hizmet sunucusu, çalışma izni muafiyeti kapsamında değerlendirilir.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.13)

Unofficial translation: “(7) A non-resident board member of joint stock companies established under Law No. 6102, a partner of other companies who does not hold the capacity of manager, and a cross-border service provider whose activities carried out in Türkiye do not exceed ninety days within one hundred and eighty days, are assessed within the scope of the work permit exemption.”

This paragraph is the one that matters to foreign founders, and it draws a line inside a company rather than around it. A non-resident board member of a joint stock company is exempt; a partner of another company type is exempt only where they do not hold the capacity of manager. The manager title therefore falls outside the exemption as the paragraph draws it. The interaction with company formation is set out in setting up a company in Türkiye as a foreigner.

There is a cost to the exemption route that is easy to miss when it is chosen for convenience:

“(6) Çalışma izni muafiyetiyle geçirilen süreler, kanuni çalışma izni veya ikamet izni sürelerinin hesabında dikkate alınmaz.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.13)

Unofficial translation: “(6) Periods spent under a work permit exemption are not taken into account in the calculation of lawful work permit or residence permit periods.”

Time spent exempt builds nothing. It does not count towards the eight years of lawful work permit that open the indefinite permit, nor towards residence permit periods. Someone who spends years in Türkiye on successive exemptions arrives at the end of them no closer to an indefinite permit than on the first day, which is a material consideration when the exemption and the permit are treated as interchangeable at the outset.

Exceptional Grants: Where the Ordinary Rules Can Be Relaxed

A further provision allows the ordinary machinery to be set aside for defined groups. It does not create a permit type; it authorises exceptions to three specific Articles:

“(1) Bakanlıkça belirlenen uluslararası işgücü politikasına uygun olarak; a) Eğitim düzeyi, ücreti, mesleki deneyimi, bilim ve teknolojiye katkısı ve benzeri özellikleri itibarıyla nitelikli işgücü olarak değerlendirilen, b) Bilim ve teknolojiye katkısı, yatırım veya ihracat düzeyi, sağlayacağı istihdamın büyüklüğü ve benzeri özellikleri itibarıyla nitelikli yatırımcı olarak değerlendirilen, … g) Bir Türk vatandaşı ile evli ve eşiyle Türkiye’de evlilik birliği içinde yaşayan, … yabancılara bu Kanunun 7 nci, 9 uncu ve 10 uncu maddelerinin uygulanmasına ilişkin istisnalar tanınabilir.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.16)

Unofficial translation: “(1) In accordance with the international labour policy determined by the Ministry, exceptions relating to the application of Articles 7, 9 and 10 of this Law may be granted to foreigners: a) who are assessed as qualified labour force by reference to their level of education, wage, professional experience, contribution to science and technology and similar characteristics; b) who are assessed as qualified investors by reference to their contribution to science and technology, level of investment or export, the size of the employment they will provide and similar characteristics; … g) who are married to a Turkish citizen and living with their spouse in Türkiye within the unity of marriage; …”

The list continues through further sub-paragraphs, covering among others those employed for a defined period on a project carried out in Türkiye by their employer, those notified as being of Turkish descent by the Ministry of Interior or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, nationals of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, nationals of European Union member states, and applicants for international protection and other categories under Law No. 6458.

Two limits are worth stating plainly, because this provision attracts more optimism than its wording supports. The Articles that can be excepted are 7, 9 and 10, that is the application procedure, the refusal grounds and the duration ladder. Nothing in the provision touches Article 6, so the requirement to hold a permit at all is not among the things that can be waived here. And the verb is tanınabilir, exceptions may be granted. This is a discretion exercised in line with international labour policy, not an entitlement that accrues on meeting a description, which puts it in the same position as the indefinite permit under Article 10, where satisfying the conditions was expressly said to confer no absolute right.

For a foreigner married to a Turkish citizen, sub-paragraph (g) carries two cumulative requirements rather than one. Marriage alone is not enough on the face of the text: the foreigner must be married to a Turkish citizen and living with the spouse in Türkiye within the unity of marriage.

When Is a Permit Cancelled?

Expiry is only one way a permit ends:

6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.15 — Validity and cancellation

“(1) Çalışma izni ve çalışma izni muafiyeti, sürenin sona ermesi veya Bakanlıkça iptal edilmesiyle geçerliliğini kaybeder.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.15)

Unofficial translation: “A work permit and a work permit exemption lose their validity upon expiry of the period or upon cancellation by the Ministry.”

Cancellation can happen without either side asking for it. The Law lists the grounds, beginning with:

“(2) Yabancının veya işverenin talebi dışında çalışma izni veya çalışma izni muafiyeti, yabancının; a) Çalışma izni veya çalışma izni muafiyetinin geçerlilik tarihinden itibaren altı ay içinde Türkiye’ye gelmemesi, b) İçişleri Bakanlığı veya Dışişleri Bakanlığının uygun görüşünün bulunması hâli hariç, pasaportunun veya pasaport yerine geçen belgesinin geçerlilik süresinin uzatılmaması, c) Bu Kanunda belirtilen hükümlere aykırı olarak çalıştığının tespiti, … durumlarında iptal edilir.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.15)

Unofficial translation: “Other than at the request of the foreigner or the employer, the work permit or work permit exemption of the foreigner is cancelled in the situations where the foreigner: a) fails to come to Türkiye within six months from the date of validity of the work permit or work permit exemption; b) except where a favourable opinion of the Ministry of Interior or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs exists, does not have the validity period of their passport or document in lieu of a passport extended; c) is determined to have worked contrary to the provisions specified in this Law … [and in the further situations listed in sub-paragraphs (ç) to (h)].”

The list continues through sub-paragraph (h) with further grounds, including termination of the work for any reason, subsequent discovery that the application was made with false or misleading information and documents, and prolonged absence from Türkiye. Two points on the wording: the closing verb is iptal edilir — cancellation is mandatory once a ground is established, not a discretion; and ground (a) means a permit can lapse before it is ever used if the holder does not arrive within six months.

Beyond the Fine: Deportation and the Employer’s Cost Liability

The administrative fine is not the end of the consequence chain for unpermitted work. For the foreigner:

6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.23 — Notification for deportation

“(8) Çalışma izni bulunmadan çalıştığı tespit edilen yabancılar sınır dışı edilmek üzere İçişleri Bakanlığına bildirilir.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.23)

Unofficial translation: “Foreigners determined to have worked without a work permit are notified to the Ministry of Interior for the purpose of deportation.”

And for the employer, a liability that is frequently overlooked when the fine is budgeted for:

6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.23 — The employer’s cost liability

“(9) İşveren veya işveren vekili, çalışma izni bulunmayan yabancının ve varsa eş ve çocuklarının konaklama giderlerini, ülkelerine dönmeleri için gerekli masrafları ve gerektiğinde sağlık harcamalarını karşılamak zorundadır. Bu gider, masraf ve harcamaların Göç İdaresi Genel Müdürlüğü bütçesinden karşılanması hâlinde, bu madde gereğince ödenen tutarlar, 21/7/1953 tarihli ve 6183 sayılı Amme Alacaklarının Tahsil Usulü Hakkında Kanun uyarınca işveren veya işveren vekilinden tahsil edilir.”

(6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu m.23)

Unofficial translation: “The employer or the employer’s representative is obliged to meet the accommodation expenses of the foreigner without a work permit and, if any, of their spouse and children, the costs necessary for their return to their countries and, where necessary, their health expenditures. Where these expenses, costs and expenditures are met from the budget of the Directorate General of Migration Management, the amounts paid under this Article are collected from the employer or the employer’s representative pursuant to Law No. 6183 on the Procedure for the Collection of Public Receivables of 21/7/1953.”

Three features make this heavier than it first reads. The liability covers the spouse and children as well as the worker; it covers accommodation, return travel and health expenditure; and if the State pays first, it recovers from the employer under the public-receivables procedure — not by ordinary civil suit.

Which Court Hears an Appeal Against the Fine?

A procedural trap, because the fine is imposed by an administrative authority and the instinct is to go to the administrative courts. The Court of Jurisdictional Disputes resolved the question:

“İncelenen uyuşmazlıkta, öngörülen idari para cezasının 5326 sayılı Kanun’un 16. maddesinde belirtilen idari yaptırım türlerinden biri olduğu, 6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu’nda idari para cezasına itiraz konusunda görevli mahkemenin gösterilmediği anlaşılmıştır. Bu durumda, Kabahatler Kanunu’nun 5560 sayılı Kanun’la değişik 3. maddesinde belirtildiği üzere, idari yaptırım kararlarına karşı kanun yoluna ilişkin hükümlerinin, diğer kanunlarda aksine hüküm bulunmaması halinde uygulanacağı nedeniyle, görevli mahkemenin belirlenmesinde 5326 sayılı Yasa hükümleri dikkate alınacağından, dava konusu idari para cezasına karşı açılan davanın görüm ve çözümünde, anılan Kanunun 27. maddesinin (1) numaralı bendi uyarınca adli yargı yerinin görevli olduğu sonucuna varılmıştır.”

(Uyuşmazlık Mahkemesi, E. 2018/309, K. 2018/321, T. 28.05.2018 — adli yargının görevli olduğuna)

Unofficial translation: “In the dispute examined, it was understood that the administrative fine in question is one of the types of administrative sanction specified in Article 16 of Law No. 5326, and that Law No. 6735 on International Labour Force does not designate the court competent for objections to an administrative fine. In this situation, since — as stated in Article 3 of the Law on Misdemeanours as amended by Law No. 5560 — the provisions on the legal remedy against administrative sanction decisions apply where there is no provision to the contrary in other laws, the provisions of Law No. 5326 are to be taken into account in determining the competent court; it was therefore concluded that the judicial branch is competent for the hearing and resolution of the action brought against the administrative fine in question, pursuant to sub-paragraph (1) of Article 27 of that Law.”

The reasoning is worth following because it is portable: Law No. 6735 does not name a competent court, so the general rule in the Law on Misdemeanours takes over, and the route runs through Article 27(1) of Law No. 5326 to the judicial branch rather than the administrative courts. The decision was taken unanimously and is final, and it set aside a declaration of lack of jurisdiction that had been given the other way.

Common Mistakes

• Working on a tourist visa or visa exemption. A visa governs entry, not work. Working without a permit is prohibited outright and the prohibition binds the employer as well as the foreigner (Article 6).
• Treating a work permit exemption as “nothing to do”. The exemption must itself be applied for and obtained; and time spent under it counts towards neither lawful work permit nor residence permit periods (Article 13).
• Missing the Turquoise Card transition window. The application to remove the transition annotation opens one hundred and eighty days before the three years expire. Made late, it is refused and the card becomes invalid (Article 11).
• Filing the extension after the permit lapses. The extension window opens sixty days before expiry and closes at expiry; an application filed afterwards is refused without reaching the merits (Article 7).
• Sending an incomplete file and waiting. The thirty-day assessment period runs only where documents are complete. An incomplete file triggers a postponement of at most thirty days, at the end of which it is refused (Article 7).
• Assuming the permit ladder follows the worker. Extensions climb to two and then three years only with the same employer; a move resets the application to first-application status, capped at one year (Article 10).
• Budgeting only for the fine. The employer also bears accommodation, return-travel and health costs for the worker and their spouse and children, recoverable under the public-receivables procedure (Article 23).
• Appealing the fine to the administrative courts. Law No. 6735 names no competent court, so the Law on Misdemeanours applies and the judicial branch is competent (Court of Jurisdictional Disputes, E. 2018/309, K. 2018/321).
• Letting a granted permit lapse unused. A permit can be cancelled if the holder does not come to Türkiye within six months of its validity date (Article 15).
• Treating the base amount as the current fine. The 2016 figures rise each year with revaluation; the current amount is much higher (Article 17 of Law No. 5326).
• Skipping the fifteen-day notification. Even where the foreigner is lawful, failure to notify start/end and cancellation events is a separate penalty (Article 22).
• Missing the thirty-day appeal. A refusal/cancellation must first be appealed to the Ministry within thirty days (Article 21).
• Thinking the penalty applies only to the employer. A foreigner working without a permit is also penalised, which may found a deportation process (Article 23; Article 54 of Law No. 6458).
• Running the work permit separately from the residence permit. A work permit replaces a residence permit as a rule (Article 12). The permit types it substitutes for are set out in residence permit types in Türkiye.

Summary

Employing foreign staff in Türkiye is subject to Law No. 6735, and working without a permit is prohibited for foreigner and employer alike (Article 6). Applications are lodged with the Ministry inside the country and at a Turkish embassy or consulate-general abroad; a complete file is assessed within thirty days, an incomplete one is postponed and then refused (Article 7). Alongside the ordinary permit sit the Turquoise Card, which confers the rights of an indefinite permit but becomes invalid if its transition window is missed (Article 11), and the work permit exemption, which must still be applied for and builds no qualifying time (Article 13). The permit is granted by the Ministry; refusal grounds are listed in the law (Article 9) and, against a refusal, an appeal to the Ministry within thirty days and then an action before the administrative court are open (Article 21). The employer must notify changes in the permit situation within fifteen days (Article 22). Employing without a permit gives rise to an administrative fine on both the employer and the foreigner (Article 23) and increases on repetition. The amounts in the law are 2016 base amounts and are updated each year by the revaluation rate (Article 17 of Law No. 5326); the current amount must therefore be calculated according to the year of the application/violation.