Indefinite-Period Work Permit

Eligibility

• At least eight years of continuous lawful residence in Türkiye on a valid residence permit at the time of application (humanitarian and refugee time excluded).
• At least eight years of continuous valid work permits, evidenced by SGK records and prior e-İzin decisions.
• Sufficient and stable income to support the applicant and dependants without relying on social assistance.
• Valid health insurance covering the application period.
• No reliance on social assistance during the previous three years.
• No threat assessment by the Ministry of Interior on public-order or public-security grounds.

Documents required

• Application via e-İzin portal selecting 'indefinite-period work permit'.
• Certified residence-history printout (ikamet tezkeresi geçmişi) confirming the 8-year record.
• SGK service breakdown (4A hizmet dökümü) covering all years of employment in Türkiye.
• Prior work-permit cards or e-İzin decision history.
• Tax-clearance letter (vergi borcu yoktur) from the relevant tax office.
• Adli sicil (criminal-record extract) issued by the Turkish Ministry of Justice.
• Health-insurance policy or SGK confirmation valid for the application period.
• Address registration (yerleşim yeri belgesi) from NVI.

Application process

1. 1

   Audit your 8-year work and residence history

   Pull the residence-permit timeline from PMM and the SGK 4A hizmet dökümü. Confirm there are no gap days, no overstays, no unauthorised long absences and no work-permit lapses. Gaps are the most common rejection reason.

2. 2

   Gather income and tax-compliance evidence

   Indefinite-period applicants must show stable, sufficient income and zero tax debt. Pull payroll history, tax-clearance and SGK premium-payment evidence.

3. 3

   Apply via e-İzin

   Select the indefinite-period option in e-İzin. The application is filed by the foreigner directly (no employer required).

4. 4

   MoLSS and Ministry of Interior evaluate jointly

   The General Directorate evaluates work-history and integration; the Ministry of Interior runs the public-order assessment. Inter-ministry consultation extends typical processing — verify on the e-İzin portal.

5. 5

   Pay the harç and card fee

   On approval, pay the indefinite-period work-permit harç (a one-off fee under the Treasury schedule) and the kart bedeli. Both figures are set yearly — verify before paying.

6. 6

   Receive the open-ended card

   The card is delivered by PTT. It is open-ended and not tied to a specific employer — the holder may work as an employee or self-employed across most sectors.

Validity and renewal

Open-ended. The card itself is reissued every several years for biometric and address-update reasons but the underlying work-permit status does not expire. Loss of public-order standing or extended absence from Türkiye can trigger revocation under Article 11(5) — extended absences without justification typically run beyond 6 consecutive months or 365 days cumulatively.

Salary thresholds and fees

Article 11 has no separate salary multiplier — the test is the foreigner's track record, not a fresh salary check. However, the prior eight years of definite-period permits will each have been granted at multiplier-of-minimum-wage thresholds applicable to the role at the time. Verify the current rules on the e-İzin portal because the integration criteria can be tightened by MoLSS regulation without notice.

Common rejection reasons

• Gaps in the 8-year residence or work-permit timeline.
• Reliance on social assistance during the previous three years.
• Outstanding tax or SGK debt at the time of application.
• Public-order assessment fails at Ministry of Interior level (criminal record, security flag).
• Cumulative absence from Türkiye exceeding 6 consecutive months or 365 days within the 8-year window.
• Income evidence insufficient to demonstrate self-sufficiency for the foreseeable period.

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