Changes in Work Permit Procedures

The Regulation Amending the Regulation on the Implementation of the International Labour Force Law (“Amending Regulation”) entered into force upon its publication in the Official Gazette dated October 15, 2024, and numbered 32693.

As per the Amending Regulation,

• The assessment period for the work permit exemption, which was previously regulated as six months for foreigners who are determined by relevant public institutions and organizations to contribute significantly to Türkiye in economic, socio-cultural and technological fields, as well as education, as regulated under Article 48 of the Regulation on the Implementation of the International Labour Force Law ("Regulation"), has been extended to three years.
• The requirement for a visa with a sports annotation has been removed for professional foreign athletes, coaches, and other sports professionals (such as sports doctors, physiotherapists, mechanics, and masseurs/masseuses), provided that the Ministry of Youth and Sports or the Turkish Football Federation grants a favorable opinion, allowing them to enter the country with different types of visas.
• Foreign journalists holding a permanent-press card can now be exempted from the work permit requirement during their tenure, provided that the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications grants a favorable opinion.
• Foreigners who hold humanitarian residence permits or are under temporary protection and are reported by the Ministry of Interior through the system, have also been included in the work permit exemption based on the scope and duration specified in the notification, with the submission of the work permit exemption information form.
• The rule that domestic work permit exemption applications had to be submitted within thirty days of the foreigner's entry into Türkiye, provided that their visa or visa exemption period had not expired, has been replaced with the requirement that such applications now be made during the foreigner’s legal stay in Turkey.

The 'Work Permit Evaluation Criteria' applied under the Regulation’s additional article have been updated in accordance with Article 22 of the Regulation and came into effect on October 1, 2024. As per this amendment; employment requirements, financial capability, and salary thresholds criteria have been revised, and new regulations based on profession or job type have been introduced. According to the new regulations, the employment criteria for workplaces hiring foreign workers and the types of work that foreigners are permitted to perform vary depending on the sector. For instance, sectors such as IT, education, home services (including child, elderly, or disabled care), aviation, advanced technology (qualified investments, R&D, and design centers), public projects, health, and tourism are subject to specific rules. Additionally, workplaces with a net annual turnover of TRY 50,000,000 or more are exempted from the requirement to employ at least five Turkish citizens for each foreign worker.

The financial qualification thresholds for paid-in capital, net sales, and foreign shareholder capital have been increased. These changes will take effect on January 1, 2025, as part of a transition period. Applications for work permit extensions will be evaluated based on the financial criteria in force at the time of the initial application.

You can access the updated Work Permit Evaluation Criteria from the link (in Turkish): Uluslararası İşgücü Genel Müdürlüğü - Çalışma İzni Değerlendirme Kriterleri (csgb.gov.tr)