Definite-Period Work Permit

Eligibility

• Employer side: registered Turkish entity with an active SGK (social-security) workplace number, current tax registration, and no outstanding tax or SGK debt.
• Employer side: at least five Turkish-citizen employees on the SGK rolls per foreign employee (the 5:1 rule), with sectoral exemptions (e.g. household, education, healthcare, FDI key personnel).
• Employer side: paid-in capital and turnover thresholds appropriate to the role and sector — verified by MoLSS during evaluation.
• Employee side: passport with sufficient validity, qualifications and any sector licence required for the role (e.g. doctor licence, SHGM pilot licence).
• Employee side: salary at or above the multiplier-of-minimum-wage threshold MoLSS publishes for the role category.
• No public-order, public-security or public-health flag against the foreigner; no entry ban.

Documents required

• Employer: e-İzin application form, signed by an authorised company signatory (signature circular and authority document attached).
• Employer: trade registry gazette (Ticaret Sicil Gazetesi), tax certificate and SGK workplace registration document.
• Employer: most recent balance sheet and profit-and-loss statement (financial threshold evidence).
• Employer: list of current Turkish employees on SGK to evidence the 5:1 ratio.
• Employee: passport bio-page, photograph (50 × 60 mm biometric), CV.
• Employee: notarised and apostilled diplomas and qualification certificates relevant to the role.
• Employee: signed employment contract specifying salary, role, workplace and duration.
• Sector-specific evidence (sector licences, SHGM pilot licence, MoH licence, etc. — see the relevant profession subtype).

Application process

1. 1

   Pre-check employer eligibility

   Confirm the employer holds an active SGK workplace number, has no tax / SGK debt and meets the 5:1 Turkish-employee ratio (or qualifies for a sector exemption). Pull the trade registry gazette and SGK staff list.

2. 2

   Foreigner enters Türkiye on a work visa or applies from abroad

   If the foreigner is abroad, they apply for a work visa at a Turkish consulate using the reference number issued by the employer in e-İzin. If already in Türkiye on a valid residence permit of at least six months remaining, the application can be filed in-country.

3. 3

   Employer files in e-İzin (ecalismaizni.csgb.gov.tr)

   The employer creates the application in e-İzin, uploads the document set and pays the application fee. The foreigner countersigns digitally. Missing documents trigger a 30-day correction window — failure to respond cancels the file.

4. 4

   MoLSS evaluates the file

   The General Directorate evaluates the file against Article 7 criteria — employer financial standing, the 5:1 rule, sector quota and the foreigner's qualifications. Inter-ministry consultation (e.g. with MoH or SHGM) runs in parallel for regulated professions. Typical processing time runs 4–8 weeks but varies; verify with the e-İzin portal.

5. 5

   Decision and harç payment

   On approval, the foreigner receives an SMS / e-İzin notification and pays the work-permit harç (stamp tax) plus the kart bedeli (card fee) at any tax office or via Interaktif Vergi Dairesi. Payment must be completed within 30 days or the approval lapses.

6. 6

   Card delivery and SGK enrolment

   The work-permit card is sent by PTT to the registered address. The employer must register the foreigner on SGK within the legal window (typically the day before work starts). The card doubles as a residence permit for the same validity period.

Validity and renewal

First grant up to one year; first renewal up to two years; subsequent renewals up to three years — always tied to the same employer, workplace and job. If the employer changes, the file resets to a first-grant. Renewals must be filed within the legal window before the existing permit expires; late renewals can require a fresh application from abroad.

Salary thresholds and fees

Article 10 grants do not have a single statutory salary figure — the floor is set by MoLSS as a multiplier of the prevailing minimum wage (asgari ücret), tiered by role. As recent guidance, regular roles require approximately 1.5× minimum wage, engineering and architecture roles approximately 1.5×, certain managerial and executive roles 6.5×, doctors and teachers 4× and certain regulated specialists 3×. Always verify the current multiplier table on the e-İzin portal as of your application date — the table is updated and the absolute lira figures shift with each minimum-wage revision.

Common rejection reasons

• Employer fails the 5:1 Turkish-employee ratio and the role is not in a sector exemption.
• Salary offered below the multiplier-of-minimum-wage threshold for the role category.
• Employer has tax or SGK debt that has not been settled.
• Foreigner's qualifications insufficient for the declared role (no apostilled diploma, missing sector licence).
• Application filed while the foreigner holds insufficient remaining visa or residence-permit validity.
• Outstanding entry ban, overstay record or unresolved prior application against the foreigner.

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