According to the provisions of the International Labor Code No. 6735, employers who will employ foreigners to work in Turkey are required to obtain a work permit before the foreigner starts working.
Work permit is a type of permit issued by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security as an official document and gives the foreigner the right to work and reside in Turkey within its validity period.
In order for employers’ work permit applications to be answered positively, the workplace and the employee must meet the following criteria:
- It is mandatory to employ at least five citizens of the Republic of Turkey in the workplace where a work permit is requested.
- If the foreigner requesting the permit is a company partner, the five-person employment requirement is required for the last six months of the one-year work permit to be issued by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. If a work permit is requested for more than one foreigner in the same workplace, the employment of five Turkish citizens will be sought separately for each foreigner after the first foreigner granted a work permit.
- The paid-in capital of the workplace must be at least 100,000 Turkish Liras, or its gross sales must be at least 800,000 Turkish Liras, or its last year’s export amount must be at least 250,000 USD.
- The monthly wage amount declared by the employer to be paid to the foreigner must be at a level compatible with the foreigner’s duties and competence and must not be less than the determined minimum amounts.
The minimum wage amounts that must be paid to foreigners are determined by taking into account the national minimum wage amount in force as of the application date. Accordingly, the minimum wage amounts determined by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security that must be paid to foreigners who will work with a work permit, according to their profession and competence, are as follows:
- 6.5 times the minimum wage for senior managers and pilots.
- 4 times the minimum wage for unit or branch managers, engineers and architects.
- 3 times the minimum wage for teachers and those who will work in jobs requiring expertise and mastery.
- Minimum minimum wage for foreigners to be employed in domestic services
- 2 times the minimum wage for foreigners who will work as acrobats and similar titles in tourism-animation organization companies and for foreigners who will work as masseurs, masseuses and Spa therapists.
- 1.5 times the minimum wage for foreigners to be employed in other professions.
