A work visa is mandatory for foreign employees as a work permit in Türkiye.
Foreign companies usually hire local employees, but sometimes they face additional hiring challenges when the best candidate for the role is non-Turkish.
So, as an overseas company, understanding local rules and sponsoring a work visa isn’t straightforward. This is why most companies outsource it. But in this post, we’ll cover how you can sponsor work visas in Türkiye yourself.
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A work visa is mandatory for foreign employees as a work permit in Türkiye.
Foreign companies usually hire local employees, but sometimes they face additional hiring challenges when the best candidate for the role is non-Turkish.
So, as an overseas company, understanding local rules and sponsoring a work visa isn’t straightforward. This is why most companies outsource it. But in this post, we’ll cover how you can sponsor work visas in Türkiye yourself.
Author
Co-author
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Alp Atasoy
Sales and Business Development Consultant
Getting a work visa in Türkiye is done through a two-step system. Foreign employees enter the country with a work visa and receive the actual legal authorization to work through a work permit.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Security issues the work permit. It is mandatory for all foreign hires and is also employer-specific. This means the employee can work only for the sponsoring company.
The good thing is that once a work permit is approved, it also serves as a residence permit. Therefore, you don’t need to apply for a separate residence permit for your employees.
There are strict legal and financial criteria for foreign companies to hire international employees in Türkiye. The application is always initiated by the employer, not the employee.
To sponsor a work visa, the employer must:
Please note that these rules may change in accordance with applicable laws at any time. For the latest updates, please contact us.
The foreign employee must provide:
Certain jobs in Türkiye are restricted to Turkish citizens, especially in:
In addition to all this, salaries must meet minimum thresholds based on role level.
The standard processing time for work permit approval is 30 to 60 days. An additional 5 to 15 days are required for visa issuance.
Overall, the full process typically takes 4 to 8 weeks. This duration depends on document completeness, industry, role, and government workload.
The total cost of getting a work visa includes the following:
The average total cost ranges between $250 and $800 per employee. The cost varies based on permit type and services used. Note that additional costs may arise if companies use legal consultants or employers of record.
Below are the ten most common and must-follow rules when obtaining a work visa for your foreign employees:
You have gained all the important information about sponsoring a work visa in Türkiye. This is the core section to guide you on how you can sponsor it in a few easy steps:
Before starting any visa process, the employer must clearly define the job role:
The employment contract must include the following key elements:
Employee’s Place of Work:
This refers to the workplace address declared by the employer to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security during the work permit application. The foreign employee is legally permitted to work only at this specified workplace address and cannot be employed or assigned to any other location. For example, if the company is registered and approved for Istanbul, the employer cannot legally hire or assign a foreign employee to work outside Istanbul or any other declared city/worksite.
Duration of the Contract:
This employment contract is concluded for a fixed term of 2 years (or as applicable in years/months), starting from the date specified in the work permit issued by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. The contract automatically terminates upon its expiry date without the need for any prior notice.
If the employee is to continue working in the same workplace after the contract period ends, it is mandatory to renew the employment contract and submit an application for a work permit extension to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to obtain a renewed work permit. Indefinite-term contracts are not applicable in this context.
There are two ways to apply for a work visa as an employee. They can either apply at the Turkish embassy or consulate in their home country. Additionally, the employee must have a residence visa with a minimum validity of six months.
This step is most important for foreign employees before they enter Türkiye.
The employer must apply in Türkiye, while the employee applies at the consulate.
Both applications (employee + employer) must match and be linked.
Below is the list of documents that an employee and employer are required to obtain a work visa and work permit:
After submission, the ministry reviews the application. This process can take 2 to 6 weeks. During this time, the authorities evaluate:
If it get approved then:
Once the work permit is approved:
If the application is rejected, under Article 23/9 of Law No. 6735, the employer or employer’s representative is responsible for covering the foreign employee’s accommodation costs, the return travel expenses to their home country (including dependents, if any), and any necessary medical expenses.
Factor | Work Visa (Foreign Hire) | Direct Hiring (Local Entity) | EOR (Employer of Record) | Freelancers |
Legal Employer | Your company | Your company (local entity) | EOR provider | Self-employed individual |
Local Entity Required | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Setup Time | Medium (4–8 weeks) | Slow (6–12+ weeks) | Fast (5–10 days) | Very fast |
Compliance Responsibility | Employer | Employer | EOR handles compliance | Limited (risk of misclassification) |
Work Permit Handling | Required | Not required for locals | EOR manages permits | Not applicable |
Cost Structure | Moderate (visa + legal) | High (setup + operations) | Monthly fee per employee | Low upfront |
Payroll & Taxes | Employer-managed | Employer-managed | Fully managed by EOR | Managed by freelancer |
Flexibility | Low | Low | High | Very high |
Risk Level | Medium (compliance errors) | High (legal + tax risks) | Low (outsourced compliance) | High (misclassification risk) |
Best For | Hiring foreign talent | Long-term expansion | Fast, compliant market entry | Short-term or project work |
When hiring international employees, a foreign employer must go through:
This process can take weeks to months, and you may incur extra costs and face legal penalties.
The best approach is to partner with FMC Group and let them handle all of this. We offer employer of record services (where you don’t need a legal entity), recruitment services, and finance services (where we handle payroll and monthly submissions). You can schedule a consultation call free of cost and start hiring immediately.
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