You've found the right candidate to fill a vacancy within your Turkish entity, but this person is a foreign national. What needs to happen before your new employee can start? Rules have changed in recent years and it's vital to keep up to date. Here are six things you need to know about work permits in Turkey.
1. No permit, no work
A work permit must be obtained before the foreign employee is physically assigned to work in Turkey. Applications are handled by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.
2. Penalty risk
Companies detected employing foreigners without work permits are liable for a penalty of TL 8,848 per employee, and the employees themselves can be personally fined TL 881. There may also be other legal consequences.
3. 5 to 1 ratio
In order to recruit a foreign employee, a company must already employ at least five Turkish citizens. Meanwhile, paid-in capital of the company must be at least TL 100,000.
4. Special cases
The terms and conditions applicable to employers defined as Specific Direct Foreign Investments (including liaison offices) and foreign national key personnel are required to be separately evaluated. Meanwhile, different application criteria apply to foreign specialists employed to work in fields such as engineering.
5. Work permits also serve as residence permits
A foreign employee who holds a valid work permit automatically receives a residence permit that's valid until the expiry date of the work permit.
6. 30 days to register
A foreign employee with a work permit must be registered with the social security office within 30 days of the start of the work permit.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
