Updated January 2026 · Reviewed by the JobsAdmire permit team
Everything an employer needs to know under Law No. 6735 — the standard work permit, the e-Muafiyet exemption, the rules and the penalties. We file every permit under our İŞKUR licence — for workers we place, or permit-only for workers you already have.The permit, the e-Muafiyet exemption and the rules under Law No. 6735 — and we file it all under our İŞKUR licence.
General information, not legal advice — criteria, fees and thresholds are updated regularly by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.General information, not legal advice — Ministry criteria and fees change regularly.
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Law No. 6735 gives foreigners two doors: the standard work permit for real employment, and the e-Muafiyet exemption for short, specific assignments. Choosing the wrong one is the most common — and most expensive — mistake.
Route 1 · Çalışma İzni
Standard work permit
For hired workersRoute 2 · e-Muafiyet
Work permit exemption
For short assignmentsBest for
Duration
Who applies
Conditions
Residence
Ongoing job on your payroll? This is your route.
Short, one-off assignment? Check the categories below.
Important: if the work will run past the exemption period, a full work permit is mandatory from the start — and the same exemption category cannot be re-used for 6–12 months after it ends. For ongoing employment, the standard permit is the only legal route.
Sample document
A credit-card-sized document issued by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security — it carries the worker's photo, the employer, the validity dates and a foreigner ID number starting with 99. This card is what the worker shows at the airport, the bank and SGK.
Every worker we place receives this card before their first working day — a copy stays on your portal.
Law No. 6735 defines several types — but for hired workers, only one matters.
The one that matters
Tied to one employer and workplace — this is the permit every hired worker gets, including every worker we place.
Not sure which applies?
Tell us the role and the worker's situation — we'll tell you the route in one message.
Ask on WhatsApp →Rules & regulations
Most rejections are not about missing documents — they are about employer criteria. These are the rules under Law No. 6735 and its implementing regulation, checked on every application. When you hire through us, we pre-check all of them before anything is filed.Most rejections are not about documents — they are about employer criteria. We pre-check all six before filing.
Working without a permit costs
At least five Turkish citizens on SGK payroll for each foreign worker, per workplace. Monitored monthly from the 7th month of the first permit — so a new employer has time to build up.
The company must show paid-in capital or gross sales above the Ministry's thresholds — proof that the business can genuinely carry a foreign employee.
Each role has a minimum gross salary set as a multiple of the Turkish minimum wage — higher for specialists and managers. Updated every January; underpaying is an automatic rejection.
Overdue tax or social security premiums suspend the application. Ministry, SGK and Revenue Administration databases are linked — discrepancies are flagged instantly.
Once the permit is approved, the worker must be registered with social security immediately and paid the declared salary through the books.
Health roles need Ministry of Health pre-authorisation; tourism and advanced-technology investments enjoy exemptions from some employment criteria; public projects are exempt from financial criteria.
e-Muafiyet
Article 48 of the implementing regulation lists exact categories. If the assignment fits one, the foreigner applies online — no employer criteria, no 1:5 ratio.
For the standard permit, eligibility depends on the employer instead — see what the Ministry checks or take the 60-second check above.
Installation, maintenance, repair or user training for imported machinery.
Foreigners delivering a service into Türkiye without local employment.
Seasonal work within the provinces and quotas set by the Ministry.
Researchers, performers and athletes for the length of the activity.
Training on goods and services exported from or imported into Türkiye.
More categories exist
The full Article 48 list also covers diplomatic staff, exchange programmes, ship crews and others — ask us about your case.
Ask on WhatsApp →You confirm the role and the candidate — we run the whole file under our İŞKUR licence.
We audit your company against the criteria — ratio, capital, salary threshold, debts — before anything is filed. No surprises later.
For workers abroad: work visa application at the Turkish consulate in their country, referenced to the Ministry application. Skipped for workers already in Türkiye with 6+ months residence.
We file the joint application on the Ministry of Labour's online system within the legal window and answer every information request — typical decision in ~30 days.
Fees paid, permit issued, worker registered with SGK and legally on your payroll — with the permit doubling as their residence permit.
Already found your worker yourself? No problem — we also run permit-only files. You bring the employee, we handle the whole work permit process under our İŞKUR licence.
Permit-only enquiry →It depends on one thing: where the worker is right now.
Fastest route — worth checking before sourcing abroad whether a suitable candidate is already in Türkiye.
Three cost lines — two go to the state, one to us. All quoted in writing before we start; the worker never pays anything.
State fee 1
Charged per permit year by the Ministry (çalışma izni harcı) — the amount is set every January.
State fee 2
A small fixed fee for printing the permit card (değerli kağıt bedeli). If the worker is abroad, the consular visa fee is added.
Our side
Pre-check, filing, follow-up and SGK registration — one fixed amount, quoted upfront in writing. If a permit is rejected, we re-file at our own cost.
Get an exact quote on WhatsApp →We collect, check and upload everything — this is what each side prepares.
Exact requirements vary by sector and case — we send you a tailored checklist after the pre-check.
Don't forget renewals
Renewal must be filed within the 60 days before expiry — miss the window and the worker falls out of legal status. For every permit we file, we track the expiry date and start the renewal on time, automatically.Miss the window and the worker falls out of legal status. For every permit we file, we track the expiry and start the renewal on time.
Filing window opens 60 days before expiry — and closes on the expiry date.
FAQ
What Turkish employers ask us before their first foreign hire.
Around 30 days of Ministry processing once the file is complete. If the worker is abroad, add the consular work visa stage before that. With our pre-check, most files pass on the first submission — rejected files that need re-filing take far longer, which is why the pre-check matters.
No. Under Law No. 6735, a valid work permit counts as a residence permit for its whole validity. The worker can live in Türkiye and re-enter the country on the permit alone.
For each foreign worker, the workplace must employ at least five Turkish citizens registered with SGK. It is monitored monthly starting from the 7th month of the first permit, so new employers have a build-up window. Some sectors and situations are exempt — tourism specialists, advanced-technology investments and public projects among them.
e-Muafiyet is the Ministry's online work permit exemption system (emuafiyet.csgb.gov.tr). Foreigners whose work fits an Article 48 category — machinery installation and training, cross-border services, seasonal agriculture, scientific or sporting activities and others — can work without a full permit for a limited period, typically up to 3 months. Domestic applications must be filed within 30 days of entering Türkiye.
Administrative fines of over ₺100,000 per unauthorised worker in 2026 (updated every year), deportation of the worker at the employer's expense, a block on the employer's future applications, and possible criminal liability for directors. It is never worth it.
Yes — each role has a minimum gross salary defined as a multiple of the Turkish minimum wage, higher for specialists and managers. The multiples are updated every January, and offering less is an automatic rejection.
Yes — that is exactly our HR agency partnership: you keep the client, we supply verified workers and file every permit under our İŞKUR licence. See the Partner With Us page for how the cooperation works, or message us on WhatsApp.
Yes. Permit-only files are a normal part of our work: you bring the employee, we run the pre-check, the consular stage if needed, the Ministry filing and SGK registration under our İŞKUR licence. You don't have to hire through us to use our permit service.
We do — every stage, under our İŞKUR licence (Permit No. 1730): the company pre-check, the consular stage, the Ministry filing and SGK registration. You track the status live on your portal, and if a permit is rejected we re-file at our own cost.
Need workers? We source them and file the permits. Already have your own? We run the permit file alone. Either way: pre-check, consulate stage, Ministry filing and SGK registration under our İŞKUR licence — and if a permit is rejected, we re-file at our own cost.Pre-check, consulate stage, Ministry filing and SGK — all under our İŞKUR licence. Rejected permit? We re-file at our own cost.
JobsAdmire · İŞKUR Private Employment Agency Permit No. 1730 · Antalya, Türkiye · info@jobsadmire.com
