Contents (7 sections)
A large share of requests for a work permit in Balıkesir comes not from a factory but from a home: a reliable, legal foreign caregiver for an elderly mother or father living on the Gulf of Edremit or in Ayvalık. Alongside this need, Fast Danışmanlık has prepared, end to end since 2010, the foreign work permit files of tourism and industrial employers and the residence permit files of foreigners and retirees who want to live in the province.
What makes work permit and residence requests in Balıkesir different?
Balıkesir is one of the few provinces of Turkey (officially Türkiye) with coastlines on both the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean. In the north lie Bandırma's port and industry and the tourism and marble quarries of Erdek and Marmara Island; in the south, the olive groves, olive oil businesses and coastal tourism of Ayvalık, Edremit, Burhaniye and Gömeç. Inland, agriculture, livestock farming and dairy products form the basis of the economy.
The Aegean coast is a region favored by retirees coming both from Turkey's big cities and from abroad in search of a quieter life. This brings two particular needs to the fore in Balıkesir: a legal foreign caregiver for elderly care, and a residence permit for foreigners who want to spend their retirement here. On top of these come the foreign staff needs of hotels in the summer season and of olive oil businesses during the harvest.
Foreign caregiver work permit in Balıkesir
Many families whose parents live in Akçay, Altınoluk or Cunda, while they themselves work in Istanbul, Bursa or abroad, need someone to keep an eye on their parent every day. Employing a caregiver informally exposes both the family and the caregiver to the risk of heavy administrative fines. The legal route is the foreign caregiver work permit.
| Type of care | Who can be the applicant? |
|---|---|
| Elderly care | The person in need of care, their first- or second-degree relatives, or a legal guardian |
| Patient companionship | The patient or their first- or second-degree relatives |
| Disability care | The person with a disability, their relatives or their legal guardian |
| Childcare | The mother or father; if divorced, the parent with custody |
The permit is granted only for these four types of care; it cannot be obtained for cleaning or housework alone. The Ministry assesses the age and health of the person to be cared for; the caregiver's experience, Turkish and age; and the family's socio-economic situation and regular income. There is no fixed minimum income figure. A retired parent can apply on the strength of their own pension; if the income is insufficient, a supporting family member documents their own income and provides a notarized letter of undertaking.
The caregiver is employed at least at the minimum wage and registered with the Social Security Institution (SGK); the monthly cost to the employer without incentives is 40,874.63 TL. These amounts apply to 2026 and are updated whenever the legislation changes. You can see your annual budget, including the fee and card fee, with our foreign caregiver cost calculator. Our step-by-step guide to the elderly and patient caregiver work permit will make your decision easier.
Foreign work permit in Balıkesir: tourism, agriculture and industry
When boutique hotels in Ayvalık and Edremit, holiday resorts in Erdek, olive oil and food businesses in Gönen and Havran, or port and industrial companies in Bandırma want to employ foreign staff, it is the employer who files the application. The application is made online via e-Devlet (Turkey's e-Government portal) to the e-İzin system of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MoLSS), and the permit is issued for a specific workplace. For the document list and criteria, take a look at our hiring foreign staff page.
- At least 5 Turkish employees for each foreigner (exemption for up to 5 foreigners at workplaces with net sales of 50,000,000 TL or more in the last year)
- Paid-in capital of at least 500,000 TL, or net sales of at least 8,000,000 TL, or exports of at least 150,000 USD
- A salary suited to the position: 2 times the gross minimum wage for jobs requiring skilled craftsmanship, 4 times for engineers, and no less than the minimum wage for other jobs
For tourism and olive oil businesses, the most important issue is timing. Complete applications are usually concluded within 30 days, so applications made after the season or the harvest has started often come too late for the business's needs. Employing foreigners without permits, even briefly, brings heavy administrative fines imposed separately on the employer and on the foreigner. For the full set of rules, read our Turkey work permit guide.
The marble quarries and processing plants on Marmara Island and the port and logistics companies in Bandırma sometimes fill operator and technical staff needs from abroad. In these positions, the certificate of mastery and the experience letters can be the weakest link in the file. Applying with documents whose translation and certification are already complete reduces the likelihood of the Ministry requesting additional documents and keeps the process from dragging on.
Residence permit in Balıkesir for retired foreigners
Most foreigners who want to spend their retirement in Ayvalık, Cunda, Burhaniye or Akçay first come as tourists and then apply for a short-term residence permit to extend their stay. The application is made through the e-İkamet online residence permit system, followed by an appointment at the Balıkesir Provincial Directorate of Migration Management. A short-term residence permit is granted for a maximum of 2 years at a time.
Two documents are especially important in a retired foreigner's file: valid health insurance appropriate to their age, and proof of financial means showing a regular pension. The address is documented with a lease agreement or title deed; the card fee is 964 TL and the permit fee varies by nationality. The current tariff of the Presidency of Migration Management (PMM) is the reference for the exact amount.
Foreigners who have resided in Turkey continuously for 8 years, have not received social assistance in the last 3 years, and have sufficient income and health insurance can apply for a long-term residence permit. Days spent abroad affect this calculation; you can check your own period with the tool below.
For foreigners who stay on without realizing that their visa or residence permit has expired, the overstay fine is calculated at twice the residence fee for the country concerned. You can see the estimated amount and any possible entry ban with our overstay fine calculator.
Free calculatorTurkey Residence Duration for Citizenship Calculator 2026Enter your first residence permit and work permit dates and your trips to see days spent in Turkey, your time abroad…Balıkesir districts we serve
All 20 districts of Balıkesir are within our service area: Altıeylül and Karesi in the center; Ayvalık, Edremit, Burhaniye, Gömeç and Havran on the Aegean coast; Bandırma, Erdek, Gönen and Marmara Island on the Marmara coast; and inland, Balya, Bigadiç, Dursunbey, İvrindi, Kepsut, Manyas, Savaştepe, Sındırgı and Susurluk.
How we work: Balıkesir work permit and caregiver files
Because most families live in a different city from their parents, we run Balıkesir files remotely from start to finish. In the first meeting we determine together the care need, who the applicant will be and which income documents will be used. We then collect the documents digitally, check them and prepare the application via e-Devlet.
For residence files, we make the e-İkamet application and tell you in advance the appointment date and the documents to bring with you. We track the Ministry's additional document requests, the fee payment period and the renewal dates on your behalf. We handle requests from every province of Turkey in the same way.
Why Fast Danışmanlık?
With 16 years of experience, we prepare sensitive family files with care and business files in line with their timelines. We never promise approval; what we do is maximize your chances of approval with a complete file. For procedures in neighboring provinces, see our Çanakkale residence permit and our services in Bursa pages, and for other provinces on the Marmara and Aegean coasts, our region pages.
Districts we serve in Balıkesir
Balıkesir: frequently asked questions
Yes. The application can be made by your mother herself or by you as a first- or second-degree relative; living in another city is not an obstacle. The address where the caregiver will work is shown as your mother's home in Edremit.
A short-term residence permit is usually the right choice. You apply through e-İkamet with valid health insurance, proof of financial means showing your pension, and a lease agreement or title deed.
Yes. The work permit is filed by the employer via e-Devlet regardless of the district, so a hotel in Ayvalık and a factory in Bandırma use the same system. The place and date of the residence permit appointment, on the other hand, are given by the system at the end of the e-İkamet application.
Yes, but as a rule a work permit is required even if the job is short. Since complete files are usually concluded within 30 days, we recommend applying before the season starts.
At least 4 times the gross minimum wage must be declared for engineers, which for 2026 is 132,120.00 TL gross. These amounts apply to 2026 and are updated whenever the legislation changes. For other positions, you can use our foreign employee salary calculator.