Frequently Asked Questions

The employer who will employ the foreign national applies through e-Devlet, Turkey's e-government portal, using the e-İzin system of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MoLSS), and the permit is tied to a specific employer and workplace. For an application from within Turkey, the foreign national must hold a residence permit valid for at least 6 months; a foreign national who is abroad applies to a Turkish consulate for a work visa. Details are on our work permit page.

Complete applications are, as a rule, concluded within 30 days. If documents are missing or additional information is requested, it takes longer; that is why it matters to prepare the file completely the first time.

As a rule, at least 5 Turkish citizens must work at the workplace for each foreign national; workplaces with net sales of 50,000,000 TL or more in the last year are exempt from this criterion for up to 5 foreign nationals. Since 3 August 2026, for foreign nationals who have held a work or residence permit in Turkey for at least 1 year in the last 3 years, the employment and financial criteria are not applied for up to 3 foreign nationals per workplace. Details are on our company work permit page.

The wage is set as a multiple of the gross minimum wage on the application date: 5 times for senior executives and pilots, 4 times for engineers and architects, 3 times for other managers, and 2 times for jobs requiring expertise or mastery of a craft. In domestic services and other jobs, the wage cannot be lower than the minimum wage.

You can apply for an extension from 60 days before the permit expires, and the application must be filed before the permit ends. A permit granted for a maximum of 1 year on the first application can be extended for up to 2 years at the first extension and for up to 3 years at later extensions.

Heavy administrative fines are imposed separately on the employer and on the foreign national, and the amounts increase every year by the revaluation rate. The foreign national faces the risk of removal and an entry ban, and the employer may also have to cover the foreign national's return costs.

In domestic services, a permit is granted only for childcare, elderly care, disability care and patient companionship. No work permit is granted to a foreign national for cleaning or housework alone; details are on our caregiver work permit page.

If the parents are married, the mother or the father can apply; if they are divorced, the parent with custody. An adoptive parent, a guardian, a foster family, and the mother or the legally acknowledged father of a child born outside marriage can also be the applicant.

The person in need of care, their first- or second-degree relatives, their guardian, or relatives with the guardian's consent can apply. In the assessment, the age and health condition of the person to be cared for are decisive.

There is no fixed minimum income figure; the Ministry assesses the family's socio-economic situation, assets and regular monthly income. If the income of the person in need of care or of their relatives is insufficient, a supporting family member can document their own income and provide a notarized letter of undertaking.

The caregiver's wage cannot be lower than the minimum wage; in 2026 the gross minimum wage is 33,030.00 TL, the monthly employer cost without incentives is 40,874.63 TL, and the work permit fee and the card fee are added to this. You can see the total with our foreign caregiver cost calculator. Amounts apply to 2026 and are updated when the legislation changes.

If a caregiver who came to Turkey through an application made from abroad applies to move to another employer within 6 months of their start date, the application is usually rejected unless there is force majeure. For this reason, both the family and the caregiver should consider the choice and the fit carefully from the start.

Yes. "Oturma izni" is the colloquial Turkish term; the official name in Law No. 6458 is "ikamet izni", and in English both mean residence permit. We have explained the application steps on our how to get a residence permit page.

There are six types: short-term, family, student, long-term and humanitarian residence permits, and the residence permit for victims of human trafficking. A short-term residence permit is granted for a maximum of 2 years at a time and a family residence permit for a maximum of 3 years; a comparison of the types is on our residence permit page.

Applications are made through e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr, the e-İkamet online residence permit system, followed by an appointment with your documents at the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management. Typical documents are a passport, 4 biometric photos, health insurance, proof of address, proof of financial means, and the fee and card fee payment receipts.

In 2026 everyone pays a 964 TL card fee; the fee itself varies by nationality (e.g. the 1-year fee for Group A countries is $80), and citizens of some countries are exempt from the fee. You can see your amount with the residence permit fee calculator; for the exact amount, the current tariff of the Presidency of Migration Management (PMM) prevails. Amounts apply to 2026 and are updated when the legislation changes.

An extension application can be filed from 60 days before the permit expires and must be completed before the permit ends. Applications made after the deadline may lead to an overstay fine and the risk of an entry ban; for the steps, see our residence permit extension guide.

You need 8 years of uninterrupted residence in Turkey, no social assistance received in the last 3 years, sufficient income, health insurance and no public order obstacle. Half of the time spent on a student residence permit is counted.

Depending on the reason for the refusal, the options are to remedy the deficiencies and reapply, to file an administrative objection, or to file a lawsuit, each within the legal deadline from notification. Since failing to leave the country within the period granted after a refusal can result in an overstay, it is important to act quickly; you can use our support for an appeal against a refusal decision.

To apply by the general route, you must be of legal age, have 5 years on an uninterrupted work permit counting back from the application date (with no gap between permits; time on a residence permit does not count), show through your conduct that you intend to settle in Turkey, speak sufficient Turkish, have an income to support yourself, be of good moral character, be in good general health and have no public order obstacle. We have compared all routes in our Turkish citizenship guide.

The total time spent abroad during the 5-year period must not exceed 12 months. Staying abroad for more than 6 months at a time can also cause problems with the continuity requirement.

A foreign national who has been married to a Turkish citizen for at least 3 years, lives in family unity and has no public order obstacle can apply through marriage. Marriage does not confer citizenship automatically; for the process, see our marriage in Turkey page.

Yes; foreign nationals who buy real estate worth at least 400,000 USD, either with condominium title or with a building on it, and have a 3-year no-sale annotation placed on the title deed can apply through the exceptional route. Undeveloped land and fields are not accepted; details are on our citizenship through real estate page.

Applications are made to the Provincial Directorate of Civil Registration and Citizenship (the civil registry office), or to a consulate if you are abroad. The assessment takes a long time and varies from person to person, so it would not be right to give a definite timeframe.

By answering a few questions in the Turkish citizenship eligibility test, you can quickly see which route you can apply through. To confirm the result, we can review your file together in a free preliminary assessment.

The fine is calculated at twice the residence permit fee set for your nationality; for example, for Group A countries it is $50 for the first month and $10 for each following month. You can see your own amount with the overstay fine calculator; for the exact amount, the current tariff of the Presidency of Migration Management prevails. Amounts apply to 2026 and are updated when the legislation changes.

For those who pay the fine and leave voluntarily, there is generally no ban for an overstay of up to 3 months; the ban is 1 month for 3–6 months, 3 months for 6 months–1 year, 1 year for 1–2 years, 2 years for 2–3 years and 5 years for more than 3 years. Where there are public order or security grounds, the period may be longer.

Longer bans are imposed on foreign nationals who leave without paying the fine or who are deported: 3 months for an overstay of up to 3 months, 6 months for 3–6 months, 1 year for 6 months–1 year, 2 years for 1–2 years and 5 years for more than 2 years. That is why, if you have overstayed, paying the fine before you leave is usually the right step.

The Presidency of Migration Management can cancel an entry ban or allow entry for a specific period; to request this, a petition is submitted directly or through a consulate, based on documented reasons such as family, health or work. For the process, see our entry ban removal page.

A restriction code (tahdit kodu) is an administrative record showing the type of and reason for a restriction on a foreign national's entry into or exit from Turkey. Since each code has a different meaning and a different removal route, you need to find out the official record and the reasoning behind the decision rather than guessing the code; details are in our restriction code removal guide.

Yes; a lawsuit can be filed at the administrative court against the decision within the legal deadline from notification, and this deadline is much shorter than the general deadline for administrative lawsuits. Court proceedings are handled through our partner attorneys; details are on our immigration legal support page.

The fixed-term work permit fee is 12,574.90 TL per year and the card fee is 964.00 TL, so a total of 13,538.90 TL is paid for a 1-year permit; if the fee is not paid within 30 days of the approval notification, the application is rejected. The indefinite and independent work permit fee is 125,802.20 TL; you can use our work permit fee calculator to work out your amount. Amounts apply to 2026 and are updated when the legislation changes.

In 2026, the monthly cost to the employer of a foreign national earning the gross minimum wage of 33,030.00 TL is 40,874.63 TL without incentives; this falls to 40,214.03 TL with a 2-point discount and to 39,223.13 TL with a 5-point discount. You can see the employer cost with our foreign employee salary calculator and the fees with our work permit fee calculator. Amounts apply to 2026 and are updated when the legislation changes.

Our fee depends on the type of application and the scope of the file; we give you clear information after the free preliminary assessment. Official fees and card fees are separate from the consultancy fee and are paid directly to the relevant authority.

Yes, the preliminary assessment is free of charge. We listen to your situation by phone or WhatsApp and assess which permit or application type suits you and whether you meet the requirements.

No; decisions on work permits, residence permits and citizenship are made by the competent authorities, and no consultant can guarantee approval. We maximize your chance of approval with a complete and correctly prepared file.

Since 2010, we have provided services in the areas of work permits for foreign staff, company work permits, caregiver work permits, residence permits, Turkish citizenship, deportation and entry ban removal, marriage procedures with a foreign national, investment consultancy and legal support. Where a lawsuit is required, the process is handled through our partner attorneys.

Our priority is Istanbul, Kocaeli, Bursa, Tekirdağ, Sakarya, Balıkesir, Çanakkale, Edirne, Kırklareli, Yalova and Bilecik. Since most of the process can be carried out remotely, we accept applications from every province in Turkey.

We determine who the applicant will be, prepare the documents on family income and, if necessary, the letter of undertaking, and follow up on the work permit application and the SGK (Social Security Institution) registration. We manage the process from start to finish for working mothers and dual-career families; details are on our caregiver work permit page.