Turkey, the country bridging Asia and Europe is full of wonders and opportunities. If you are considering a job and better living conditions in the country, you need a Turkey work visa to be able to work legally.
The article explains who needs a Turkey work visa, the requirements, the application process, and FAQs.
Requirements to Get a Turkey Work Visa
The requirements and documents for getting a Turkey work visa totally depend on the visa that a person applies for. Your possibilities include:
- People with employment or special employment purposes
- Assigned Lecturers or academic people
- Athletes
- Artists
- Free zone workers
- Journalists
- Repairman and montage
After determining what type of visa your employees need, they are able to apply online to answer some questions about their identity and the purpose of the visit. Applicants will receive an interview date during which they must present the following required documents:
- Valid passport
- Job offer (work contract)
- Two recent photographs that were taken in the previous six months
- Police certificate of clearance
- Contract of employment or the job offer
- Diploma that is translated or temporary (provisional) graduation certificate
- Medical insurance
- Accommodation proof in Turkey
- Proof of having about 368 TRY per day for every day spent in Turkey
Get the FREE Cheat sheet for
Turkey Work Visa
Required documents from the employer
- Work permit application letter (The letter should be scanned and submitted as a feature of the online application; it should likewise be submitted in printed version form, signed by the employer).
- Application form for foreign personnel (the form filled out online has to be printed, and the printed copies signed by the employer and the foreign person must be sent to the Ministry. If the signed form is not available, an employment contract signed by both parties must be submitted. If there is no signed form or employment (labor) contract, the application will not be processed.)
- The Trade Registry Gazette of Turkey details the entity’s current shareholding and capital structure of the entity (this document has to be scanned and submitted when applying online).
- The balance sheet and profit or loss statement of the most recent year, certified by the tax bureau or certified public accountant (documents have to be scanned and submitted when applying online).
- Information and documents indicating that the entity is subject to special foreign direct investments* (these documents have to be scanned and submitted when applying online).
- A document indicating that the entity (as well as consortiums) awarded by the government agency or organization for international tenders has signed a contract with the corresponding agency or organization for the awarded job (the document has to be scanned and submitted when applying online).
- In the event of legal entities that will hire foreign experts (specialists) in the fields of engineering, architecture, contracting, and consulting services, a salary or payroll document shall be provided stating that the Turkish engineer/architect/city planner is employed for the same occupation (this document have to be scanned and submitted when applying online).
- Notarized power of attorney is needed for the authorized person to fill out the online application as a user from the organization that wants to hire a foreigner or the entity, or a document certifying the current employment of the stated user at the applicant organization or entity (this document have to be scanned and submitted when applying online).
Video description
The links explained in the video are here:
Ikamet residence
Turkey works visa application process
Employees must apply for a Turkey work visa as soon as they receive a job offer. They can submit an application two months before they travel to Turkey, and they must submit an application one month in advance at the latest. Although most people will submit visa applications in their country of residence, others may need to use an application center operated by a third party, a visa center authorized by Turkish officials.
You must submit the employment documents to the Ministry of Family, Labor, and Social Services within ten days of applying. Once your employees attend the visa interview, they must notify you so that you can complete the application process. Within ten days of the interview with the employee, you must send all required documents to the embassy by mail or in person.
Completing the online form at the pre-requirement system
Once you have handled all the above problems, you can now continue with the following mentioned procedures to apply for a Turkey work visa. You need to complete the online visa form application, which contains some simple questions about your identity and the purpose of your visit.
After filling out the form that is required, you will receive an appointment date for the interview.
Gather required documents for applying for a Turkey Work Visa
If you plan to apply for a Turkey visa, you will need to present some documents on the interview day. See the section above to get familiar with the required supporting documents for a Turkey work visa. Bear in mind that you can start gathering them as early as possible as some of them might take a long time to receive.
You need to bring all the requirements to the Turskin embassy or consulate interview in your home country. Remember that depending on your home country, you might have to apply to a visa center.
Turkey Employment Visa Appointment
On the day of the visa appointment, please go to the embassy, consulate, or visa application center on time. Be sure you have all of the required documents with you, and that no documents are lost. The interview is a brief meeting with a consular officer who will ask you questions about new job opportunities and background.
Try to do a little bit of preparation before the interview day. Make sure you are completely relaxed and answer every question accurately.
After the interview is finished, you should inform your employer in the country. The employer is obliged to submit other documents at the Turkish Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MLSS) ten business days after submitting your application.
Read our article and learn about immigration ways to Turkey as an English teacher.
How can you apply for a Turkey work permit?
If there is no work permit application, the Turkey work visa application has no value. Although the foreign employee must submit the Turkey work visa application, the work permit application process must be completed by the Turkish employer.
A Turkish work permit is identical to a residence permit.
Turkey work permit application
Within ten days of your visa appointment at the Turkish embassy or consulate in your residing country, your employer in Turkey is obliged to fill in an online application on the Turkish Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MLSS) website.
After completing the application, the employer has to send the required documents to the embassy by mail or in person. This must be done within ten days of the interview and up to six business days after applying online. Make sure that your current employer knows about the date so as not to miss the opportunity to obtain a work visa due to the deadline.
Required Documents for a Turkey Work Permit
Turkish employers must submit the following documents as part of the Turkey work permit application:
- Letter of Work permit application.
- Application form for foreign personnel.
- The Trade Registry Gazette of Turkey, which details the entity’s current shareholding and capital structure.
- The balance sheet and profit or loss statement of the most recent year, certified by the tax bureau or certified public accountant.
- A notarized power of attorney for the individual who is authorized to fill in the online application as a user from the organization that is going to employ the foreigner or the entity.
After submitting these documents, all you and your employer have to do is wait for your application to be processed.
Extending Turkey work visa
The foreigner or employer must directly submit the application for an extension of work permit to the Ministry of Family, Labor, and Social Services. At the same time, the original work permit, the application form, and the documents specified in the appendix of the applicable regulations must be presented.
Work permit and extension applications must first be submitted online. In order for the online work permit or extension application to be pre-approved by the system, the printed application form with a barcode must be signed by the foreigner and the employer and submitted along with other designated documents. In the appendix, based on the regulation, within six working days after the online application is pre-approved, submit it in person or by mail to the Ministry of Family, Labor, and Social Services.
The application process for a Turkey work permit
Application for extension must be submitted up to two months before the permit expires. Extension applications submitted within a maximum of fifteen days after the work permit’s expiration will also be processed. Subsequent requests for an extension of the time limit shall apply to the principle that the foreigner who made the application for the first time. If you hold a valid residence permit (such as an application filed in Turkey for the first time) to submit an application for an extension of the work permit period, In that case, you must submit the required documents to the Ministry of Family, Labor, and Social Services within six days after the online application.
After the legal period of one year of the work permit, existing work permits can be extended for two years, provided they are employees of the same entity or company and are engaged in the same profession. At the end of the legal three-year work permit period, the existing work permit can be extended for another three years to work with any employer and engage in the same occupation. Foreigners who have lived in Turkey continuously for at least eight years in accordance with the law, or foreigners who have worked for a total of eight years with a work permit, can apply for an indefinite work permit.
Let’s sum up…
If you want to move to Turkey and work in the country, you need a work visa. The article who needs a work visa, requirements, the application process, and FAQs.
If you need to know about other types of Turkey visas, go through the left sidebar. In case you should find out information about other countries’ visas, look at the top menu.
Visa applicants will appreciate it if you share your knowledge or experience with visas in the comment section below.
- Published by
- Max-B.
- No Comments