✅ Submit the memorandum and articles of association online to MERSIS
✅ Execute and notarize company documents
✅ Obtain potential tax identity number
✅ Deposit a percentage of capital to the account of the Competition Authority
✅ Deposit at least 25 percent of the startup capital in a bank and obtain proof thereof
✅ Apply for registration at the Trade Registry Directorate
✅ Certify the legal books
✅ Follow up with the tax office on the Trade
✅ Registry Directorate’s company establishment notification
✅ Issuance of signature circular
✅ Move certain documents to electronic format / E-TUYS system
✅ Documents required from the employer at the time of the initial application
✅ Documents required from the foreigner at the time of the initial application
2. Application for Extension
Applications for extension of the work permit must be filed by the foreigner or the employer directly with the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services, by submitting the original copy of the previous work permit, along with the application form and the documents specified in the appendix of the implementation regulation.
The work permit and term extension applications must be first submitted online. In order for the work permit or term extension applications filed online and pre-approved by the system to be valid, the application form print-out with barcode, generated online, must be signed by the foreigner and the employer, and submitted, along with the other documents specified in the appendix to the regulation, to the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services within a maximum of six business days following the pre-approval of the online application, either in person or via mail.
Term extension applications should be filed at most two months in advance of the expiration date of the permit. Extension applications filed within a maximum of fifteen days following the expiration of the work permit will also be processed. The term extension applications filed thereafter are subject to the principles applicable to foreigners who file an application for the first time. In the case of work permit term extension applications filed with a valid residence permit (as with first-time applications filed while in Türkiye), the required documents must be submitted to the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services within six business days following the online application.
Term extensions for a period of two years may be filed for an existing work permit following the statutory one-year work permit term provided they are for employment with the same entity or enterprise and for the same profession. At the end of the statutory three-year work permit term, the existing work permit may be extended for a further three years, for employment with any employer, for the same profession. Foreigners who have resided in Türkiye for at least eight uninterrupted years on a legal basis, or foreigners who have a total of eight years of employment with a work permit, may file applications for indefinite work permits.
✅ Documents required from the employer at the time of extension applications
✅ Documents required from the foreigner at the time of extension applications
*Special Foreign Direct Investments
The "Regulation on the Employment of Foreign Nationals Within the Framework of Foreign Direct Investments" introduced special provisions regarding work permits in order to facilitate work permits. Work permit applications required for personnel to be employed within the framework of foreign direct investments to which these provisions are not applicable are subject to the abovementioned general provisions.
The scope of the Regulation on the Employment of Foreign Nationals Within the Framework of Foreign Direct Investments is defined on the basis of two fundamental criteria:
The term “Special Foreign Direct Investment” refers to a company or branch subject to Foreign Direct Investments Law no. 4875, and meeting at least one of the following criteria (figures applicable for year 2019):
“Key personnel” refers to personnel who meet at least one of the following criteria, at the legal entity located in Türkiye:
a) Persons serving as a company shareholder, chairman of the board of directors, member of the board of directors, chief executive, vice president, executive, assistant executive or similar positions, with authority or a role in at least one of the following:
b) Holding key knowledge regarding the services, research devices, techniques, or management of the company
c) At liaison offices, a maximum of one person in whose name the authorization certificate is issued by the overseas parent company
Charges Applicable to Work Permits for Foreigners: According to the Act of Fees no. 492, work permits to be issued to foreigners are subject to charges. In cases where the work permit application is approved by the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services, the applicable charge must be deposited with reference to the term of the permit.
Valuable papers fee is collected for work permits issued for foreigners further to the provisions of Valuable Papers Law No. 210. The applicable charge figures and valuable papers fee are set each year on the basis of the revaluation rate, and announced in the Official Gazette.