MENU
Not sure which visa your employee needs?
Tell us nationality, work location, role, and timeline.
Get a preliminary assessment →Turkey’s eVisa is mainly for eligible tourism or trade visitors. It is not a work visa and cannot be used for ordinary local employment.
Foreign employees working in Turkey generally need an employer-sponsored fixed-term work permit and must meet employer workforce and financial requirements, role salary, and professional qualification conditions.
Work permit exemptions apply only to legally specified activities and periods. A short stay, short contract, or overseas salary alone does not prove eligibility.
Visa Decision Tips
Turkey has different routes for short tourism and trade visits, local employment, specified short-term or special work, and family residence. The appropriate route should consider nationality, travel document, purpose, actual activities, employer conditions, role, salary, qualifications, and expected work period.
This guide summarizes common Turkish visa, work permit, and residence routes. A regular work permit provides corresponding work and residence rights while valid, but remains limited to the approved employer, role, and conditions. Final requirements and decisions are subject to the competent authorities’ rules at submission.
1. Main Visa and Work Permit Types
Type | Who It Is For | Key Conditions |
Short-Term Visits and eVisa | Short-term visitors traveling for tourism, trade negotiations, meetings, and exhibitions | Must meet nationality, travel-document, and eVisa conditions and must not undertake local work in Turkey |
Employer-Sponsored Fixed-Term Work Permit | Foreign employees hired by a Turkish employer | Requires genuine employment and compliance with employer workforce and financial conditions, salary, and professional qualifications |
Work Permit Exemption | People carrying out legally specified short-term or special activities | The actual activity must meet an exemption provision and the required exemption document must be obtained |
1. Short-Term Visits and eVisa
Depending on nationality and travel document, short entry may be visa-free or require an eVisa or consular visa. The eVisa is mainly for tourism or trade. Any requirement for a valid third-country visa or supporting document depends on the applicant’s nationality and conditions.
Visitor status does not cover ordinary local employment, continuing services, or long-term on-site projects. The visa usage period, entries, and cumulative stay are separate concepts; long visa validity does not allow continuous residence for the same period.
2. Employer-Sponsored Fixed-Term Work Permit
Turkish employers must meet applicable assessment criteria. Generally, each foreign employee requires at least five Turkish citizen employees. Employer financial capacity may be assessed from paid-in capital, net sales, or exports, with exceptions for some sectors or entities.
Education, qualifications, and the actual role must align, and regulated professions may require prior authorization. Salary is generally assessed as a multiple of the gross minimum wage: five times for senior executives and pilots, four for engineers and architects, three for other managers, two for professional or skilled roles, and one for other eligible roles. Sector-specific standards may also apply.
The first fixed-term permit is valid for up to one year and cannot exceed the contract term. With the same employer, the first extension may be up to two years and later extensions up to three years. The permit provides work and residence rights only within the approved employer, role, and scope.
3. Work Permit Exemption
Exemptions apply to legally specified activities, not simply because a contract or stay is short or salary is paid overseas. Installation, technical service, research, and similar work must match the relevant exemption provision, period, and evidence requirements.
An exemption does not automatically remove visa, lawful-entry, residence, or registration duties. The actual work period follows the exemption approval. Changes to the task, client, or project period require reassessment and possibly a new exemption or permit.
2. Entry, Family Members, and Other Arrangements
1. Entry and Stay
Eligibility to apply inside Turkey depends on the residence category already held and statutory conditions. Tourist status or an eVisa does not itself establish eligibility for an in-country work permit application. Overseas applications must also meet work-entry requirements. Employers and employees must comply with social insurance and address registration after employment begins.
2. Family Members and Other Statuses
Eligible family members may apply under family residence rules, but do not automatically receive work rights. They need their own work permit or exemption. Long-term lawful workers may consider an indefinite permit; independent operators and high-level talent may consider an independent permit or Turquoise Card, each with separate eligibility and approval rules.
3. Extensions, Changes, Termination, and Status Maintenance
Scenario | Key Requirement |
Renewal | Apply within 60 days before expiry and before the permit expires. |
First Extension | With the same employer, up to two years. |
Later Extensions | Up to three years, subject to fresh review and not automatic renewal. |
Change of Employer | Treated as a new first application; the old permit cannot be used for the new employer. |
Role or Location Change | Check whether the approval must be updated or a new permit obtained. |
Termination | Handle permit and social-insurance termination and confirm lawful stay or departure. |
Family Status | Recheck family residence when the principal applicant’s work or residence basis changes. |
A fixed-term permit authorizes only the approved employer, role, and work scope. Pending renewal, employer change, or status adjustment does not automatically extend or transfer the original authorization.
4. How sailglobal Can Help
If a company plans business visits, local employment, short projects, or family accompaniment in Turkey, sailglobal can help explain the applicable route and requirements based on status, duties, employment arrangement, and travel plan.
Applications are independently decided by the competent authorities. sailglobal does not guarantee approval or a fixed issuance date.
Frequently Asked Questions
START HIRING GLOBALLY
Hire global talent compliantly with sailglobal
Share the employee’s nationality, role, and work location — we’ll help design a practical global employment and visa plan.
Get a global hiring plan