Technology Sector Work Permit

Eligibility

• Employer side: technopark tenant company under Law 4691 or certified R&D centre under Law 5746 — both regimes relax the 5:1 rule for designated roles.
• Standard Law 6735 employer eligibility otherwise — registered entity, no tax / SGK debt, current registration.
• Foreigner side: technical credentials appropriate to the role (degree, prior employment in equivalent technology roles, portfolio).
• Salary at or above the technology-role multiplier of minimum wage published by MoLSS.
• Standard public-order, public-security and public-health clearance.
• For Turquaz Card cases (Article 13): extraordinary-qualification evidence — sector references, citations, awards or comparable.

Documents required

• Standard e-İzin document set (passport, photograph, employment contract).
• Employer's technopark tenancy or R&D centre certification.
• Standard employer registration package (trade registry, SGK, financials, 5:1 staff list or sector-exemption justification).
• Foreigner's CV, technical portfolio and prior-employment evidence.
• Apostilled diplomas where the role requires a specific qualification.
• For Turquaz Card cases: extraordinary-qualification dossier (publications, sector references, awards, prior senior-role evidence).

Application process

1. 1

   Confirm employer regime — Law 4691 or Law 5746 — or standard Law 6735

   Run the employer regime first. Technopark tenants and certified R&D centres flag the regime in the e-İzin file and the 5:1 rule is relaxed automatically. Standard Law 6735 employers operate without the easement.

2. 2

   For Turquaz Card cases: parallel Article 13 filing

   Top-tier hires can be filed under the Turquaz Card track instead of Article 10 — the dossier evidences extraordinary qualifications. The Article 13 process is parallel to e-İzin and runs through the same MoLSS evaluation team.

3. 3

   Sign the employment contract

   Contract specifies role, salary and duration. Technopark tenant companies often add tax-incentive language reflecting the Law 4691 income-tax exemption on the technopark portion of the salary.

4. 4

   Employer files the work permit in e-İzin

   The employer files the standard Law 6735 application in e-İzin, attaching the regime certification, the contract and any qualification dossier.

5. 5

   MoLSS evaluation

   Technology-sector files often run faster than commercial files because the 5:1 rule is relaxed. Typical processing time runs 4–8 weeks; verify on the e-İzin portal.

6. 6

   Approval, harç, card and SGK enrolment

   On approval, pay the harç and kart bedeli. The employer enrols the foreigner on SGK; technopark and R&D-centre roles attract the relevant tax incentives during payroll processing.

Validity and renewal

Standard Law 6735 1+2+3 progression for Article 10 cases. Turquaz Card holders under Article 13 get a transitional two-year permit followed by an open-ended grant on successful evaluation. Renewals require continued regime certification (technopark, R&D centre) and continued role.

Salary thresholds and fees

Technology-sector roles face elevated multipliers — historically around 1.5× minimum wage for line developers and engineers, higher for senior specialists and architects, and around 6.5× minimum wage for senior technology managers under the FDI / key-personnel framing. Multipliers are set by MoLSS regulation; verify the current numbers on the e-İzin portal. Technopark and R&D-centre tax incentives apply to net pay rather than the regulatory floor.

Common rejection reasons

• Employer claims technopark / R&D-centre regime without current certification.
• Salary offered below the technology-role multiplier.
• Foreigner's credentials inconsistent with the role grade declared.
• Outstanding tax / SGK debt at the employer level.
• Turquaz Card dossier insufficient on extraordinary-qualification evidence (Article 13 cases).
• Role description outside the scope covered by the employer's regime certification (e.g. R&D-centre certification only covers a specific R&D project).

Recommended tools

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Deep dives

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