Unofficial English translation for information only. In case of discrepancy, the Turkish text prevails. This translation is not legal advice.
Turkish source: Law No. 6735, Official Gazette 13/08/2016, No. 29800. Turkish text as published on mevzuat.gov.tr, checked on 26 October 2026: https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuat?MevzuatNo=6735&MevzuatTur=1&MevzuatTertip=5
CHAPTER FOUR – Exceptions
Article 16 – Foreigners to whom a work permit may be granted exceptionally
(1) In accordance with the international labour force policy determined by the Ministry, exceptions to the application of Articles 7, 9 and 10 of this Law may be granted to foreigners who:
a) Are considered qualified labour on account of their education level, wage, professional experience, contribution to science and technology and similar characteristics,
b) Are considered qualified investors on account of their contribution to science and technology, level of investment or exports, the size of the employment they will provide and similar characteristics,
c) Are employed for a specified period by their employer on a project carried out in Türkiye,
ç) Are reported by the Ministry of Interior or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be of Turkish descent,
d) Are citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,
e) Are citizens of a Member State of the European Union,
f) Are applicants for international protection, conditional refugees, foreigners provided with temporary protection, or stateless persons under Law No. 6458, or victims of human trafficking benefiting from the victim support process,
g) Are married to a Turkish citizen and live with their spouse in Türkiye as a married couple,
ğ) Work without diplomatic immunity at the representative offices of foreign states and international organisations in Türkiye,
h) Come to Türkiye for scientific, cultural, artistic or sporting purposes and have achieved international distinction through their success in their field,
ı) Are cross-border service providers.
Article 17 – Foreigners within the scope of international protection
(1) Foreigners who have applied for international protection under Law No. 6458 and whose applications have not yet been finally decided, or who are conditional refugees, may apply for a work permit or an exemption from a work permit six months after the date of their international protection application; foreigners provided with temporary protection may apply six months after the date on which their temporary protection identity document is issued.
(2) The positive opinion of the Ministry of Interior shall be required for the granting of a work permit or an exemption from a work permit to foreigners entitled to apply under paragraph one.
(3) Holding a valid work permit or an exemption from a work permit does not grant these foreigners an absolute right to stay in Türkiye.
(4) A work permit may be granted for the periods specified in Article 10.
(5) The work permits or exemptions from work permits granted shall be cancelled by the Ministry:
a) Upon notification by the Ministry of Interior, where the international protection application is withdrawn or deemed withdrawn pursuant to Article 77 of Law No. 6458, or the international protection status ends pursuant to Article 85 or is cancelled pursuant to Article 86,
b) Upon a Presidential decision or notification by the Ministry of Interior, where the temporary protection granted pursuant to Article 91 is terminated by a Presidential decision or ends or is cancelled individually,[1]
(6) The procedures and principles concerning the application and restriction, by province, period, sector, branch of activity, work and profession, of the right of applicants for international protection, holders of international protection status and foreigners provided with temporary protection to work and to apply for a work permit or an exemption from a work permit shall be determined by the Ministry, taking into account the decisions of the Migration Policies Board and the Ministry’s international labour force policy and obtaining the opinion of the Ministry of Interior.
Article 18 – Foreigners to work in free zones
(1) Applications for work permits for foreigners to work within the scope of the Free Zones Law No. 3218 dated 6/6/1985 shall be made to the Ministry of Economy. Foreigners deemed eligible for a work permit following the assessment conducted by the Ministry of Economy shall be notified to the Ministry.
(2) The Ministry shall issue work permits to foreigners notified by the Ministry of Economy under this Article, without prejudice to the provisions of subparagraphs (f), (g) and (ğ) of the first paragraph of Article 9 of this Law.
(3) Articles 21, 22 and 23 of this Law shall not apply in free zones within the scope of Law No. 3218. The provisions of Law No. 3218 shall apply to the matters regulated in those Articles.
Article 19 – Foreign students
(1) Foreign students enrolled in formal education programmes at a higher education institution in Türkiye may work subject to obtaining a work permit.
(2) Foreign students studying at associate or undergraduate level may apply for a work permit after completing the first year of their studies and may work part-time pursuant to the Labour Law No. 4857 dated 22/5/2003. These restrictions shall not apply to postgraduate students enrolled in formal education programmes.
(3) Work permits granted to foreign students shall not terminate their valid student residence permits or the rights conferred by those residence permits.
(4) The procedures and principles concerning the employment of foreign students shall be determined by the Ministry, taking into account the principles determined by the Migration Policies Board and obtaining the opinion of the Ministry of Interior.
(5) Where a foreigner who has completed higher education in Türkiye submits a work permit application within one year from the date of graduation, the application shall be assessed in accordance with the principles determined by the International Labour Force Policy Advisory Board.
Article 20 – Foreign engineers and architects
(1) Foreigners who have completed their studies at the engineering or architecture faculties of a higher education institution in Türkiye, or at a higher education institution abroad recognised by the authorities of the relevant country and the Council of Higher Education, and have obtained the titles of engineer or architect may practise the professions of engineering and architecture under this Law after obtaining a project-based work permit for a temporary period.
CHAPTER FIVE – Objection, Obligations, Inspection and Penalties
Article 21 – Administrative objection and judicial remedy
(1) Decisions rejecting an application for a work permit or an exemption from a work permit, and decisions cancelling issued documents, shall be served on the employer employing the foreigner or on the foreigner holding an independent work permit, an indefinite-term work permit or a Turquoise Card in accordance with the provisions of the Notification Law No. 7201 dated 11/2/1959.
(2) The persons concerned may object to decisions made by the Ministry under this Law by applying to the Ministry within thirty days from the date of service. If the objection is rejected, an application may be made to the administrative courts.
Article 22 – Notification and social security obligation
(1) Employers employing foreigners and foreigners holding an indefinite-term or independent work permit shall notify the Ministry within fifteen days of the commencement and termination of work under a work permit or an exemption from a work permit, and of circumstances requiring cancellation of the work permit or exemption from a work permit.
(2) Foreigners who have obtained a work permit or an exemption from a work permit, and employers employing foreigners, shall fulfil their obligations arising from social security legislation within the statutory period in accordance with the provisions of the Social Insurance and General Health Insurance Law No. 5510 dated 31/5/2006.
(3) The provisions of social security agreements to which Türkiye is a party are reserved.
Article 23 – Authority to inspect
(1) Whether foreigners and employers within the scope of this Law fulfil their obligations arising from this Law shall be inspected by Ministry labour inspectors, Social Security Institution inspectors and social security auditors. Inspections, audits and investigations to be conducted under this Law shall be carried out in accordance with the inspection, audit and investigation provisions of the legislation required to be applied, and the relevant sanctions shall be applied in accordance with those provisions.
(2) Where supervisory personnel of public administrations or law enforcement officers, during any inspection, examination or control they conduct at workplaces pursuant to their own legislation, determine that employers employing foreigners or foreigners have failed to fulfil their obligations arising from this Law, the matter shall be notified to the Ministry.
(3) On the basis of the records and inspection reports submitted following inspections conducted under paragraph one and notifications made under paragraph two, the administrative sanctions set out in this Law shall be imposed by the provincial director of the Labour and Employment Agency.
(4) Administrative fines imposed under this Law shall be paid within one month from service.
(5) Under this Law, the following administrative fines shall be imposed:
a) For failure to fulfil the notification obligation:
1) Four hundred Turkish liras on a foreigner working under an independent or indefinite-term work permit,
2) Four hundred Turkish liras for each foreigner on an employer employing foreigners,
b) For working without a work permit:
1) Two thousand four hundred Turkish liras on a foreigner working for an employer,
2) Four thousand eight hundred Turkish liras on an independently working foreigner,
3) Six thousand Turkish liras for each foreigner on an employer employing foreigners or the employer’s representative.
(6) In the event of repetition of the acts listed in paragraph five, the administrative fines shall be doubled.
(7) Administrative fines imposed under this Law shall be recorded as revenue in the general budget.
(8) Foreigners determined to have worked without a work permit shall be notified to the Ministry of Interior for deportation.
(9) The employer or the employer’s representative must cover the accommodation expenses of the foreigner without a work permit and, where applicable, their spouse and children, the expenses required for their return to their countries, and health expenses when necessary. If these expenses, costs and outlays are covered from the budget of the Directorate General of Migration Management, the amounts paid pursuant to this Article shall be collected from the employer or the employer’s representative under the Law on the Procedure for the Collection of Public Receivables No. 6183 dated 21/7/1953. The procedures and principles for the implementation of this paragraph shall be determined jointly by the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry.
CHAPTER SIX – Miscellaneous Provisions
Article 24 – Issuance and form of work permits and work permit exemptions
(1) A work permit or an exemption from a work permit shall be issued separately for each foreigner and for a period sixty days shorter than the validity period of the foreigner’s passport or documents replacing a passport.
(2) The form and content of work permit and work permit exemption documents shall be determined by the Ministry. The printing and distribution of these documents shall be carried out by the Ministry. The procedures and principles concerning the collection of fees for valuable papers shall be determined jointly by the Ministry and the Ministry of Finance.
Article 25 – Regulation
(1) The following matters relating to this Law shall be regulated by a regulation issued by the Ministry:
a) Conditions and procedures for applying for work permits and exemptions from work permits, and their scope, types and periods,
b) Foreigners and fields of work to be assessed within the scope of work permit exemptions,
c) Information and documents to be requested from the foreigner and the employer,
ç) Period, scope, content, notification and similar matters relating to obtaining opinions from the relevant institutions and organisations,
d) Exceptional application of work permit provisions and the characteristics that may qualify for such treatment, including the education level, wage, professional experience and contribution to science and technology of foreign natural persons, the capital shares of company shareholders, and the investment or export level, the size of the employment to be provided and similar characteristics of legal persons,
e) Matters relating to the different application of the provisions of Articles 7, 9 and 10 of this Law to foreigners to whom work permits are exceptionally applied pursuant to Article 16 of this Law,
f) Criteria to be taken as a basis in assessing and rejecting work permit applications and establishing the work permit scoring system,
g) Matters relating to the issuance and delivery of documents,
ğ) Matters relating to the cancellation of a work permit and its ceasing to be valid,
h) The definition and types of cross-border service providers and other matters relating to those included in this scope,
ı) Matters relating to foreigners to whom work permits are exceptionally granted pursuant to Article 16 of this Law on condition that they are employed in a project, and the characteristics of such projects,
i) Qualifications, scope of duties and procedures and principles concerning the authorisation of the authorised intermediary institution,
j) Matters that may require similar special regulation and notifications relating to those matters,
k) Other matters relating to implementation.
(2) The following shall be regulated by a joint regulation issued by the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry:
a) Matters relating to applications for work permits for foreigners to work in free zones pursuant to Law No. 3218 and the issuance of work permit documents,
b) The definition of personnel to be granted work permits in foreign-capital companies and organisations within the scope of the Foreign Direct Investment Law No. 4875 dated 5/6/2003, and other special procedures and principles concerning work permits.
Article 26 – Provisions referred to
(1) References in other legislation to Law No. 4817 dated 27/2/2003 on Work Permits for Foreign Nationals shall be deemed to have been made to this Law.
(2) In other legislation, the expressions “work permit exemption confirmation document” or “work permit exemption document” shall be understood as “work permit exemption” as used in this Law, and the expression “work permit document” shall be understood as “work permit” as used in this Law.
Article 27 – Provisions repealed and amended
(1) (Relates to Law No. 6235 of 27/1/1954 on the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects and has been incorporated into that Law.)
(2) (Relates to Law No. 210 of 21/2/1963 on Valuable Papers and has been incorporated into that Law.)
(3) (Relates to Law No. 492 of 2/7/1964 on Fees and has been incorporated into that Law.)
(4) (Relates to Law No. 2547 of 4/11/1981 on Higher Education and has been incorporated into that Law.)
(5) (Relates to Law No. 3146 of 9/1/1985 on the Organization and Duties of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and has been incorporated into that Law.)
(6) (Relates to Law No. 3218 of 6/6/1985 on Free Zones and has been incorporated into that Law.)
(7) Law No. 4817 of 27/2/2003 on Work Permits for Foreign Nationals is repealed.
(8) (Relates to Law No. 4875 of 5/6/2003 on Foreign Direct Investment and has been incorporated into that Law.)
(9) (Relates to Law No. 5901 of 29/5/2009 on Turkish Citizenship and has been incorporated into that Law.)
(10) (Relates to Law No. 6458 of 4/4/2013 on Foreign Nationals and International Protection and has been incorporated into that Law.)
(11) The positions listed in the annex to this Law have been established and added to the section pertaining to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security in Table (I), annexed to Decree Law No. 190 of 13/12/1983 on General Staffing and Procedures.[2]
Additional Article 1
(Added: 2/7/2018-Decree Law No. 703/212 art.)
(1) References in legislation to the International Labour Force Policy Advisory Board shall be deemed to have been made to the board or authority designated by the President of the Republic.
Provisional Article 1 – Transitional provisions
(1) Work permits issued by the Ministry, or by other public institutions and organisations under the authority conferred by other laws, in accordance with the provisions of legislation in force before the date this Law entered into force shall remain valid until their expiry. These work permits shall cease to be valid if they expire or are cancelled pursuant to Article 15.
(2) Indefinite work permits issued by the Ministry in accordance with the provisions of legislation in force before the date this Article entered into force and which remain valid shall remain valid unless cancelled.
(3) In applications for work permits made before the date this Article entered into force, where processing is ongoing, the provisions of the legislation in force before the amendments made by this Law that are favourable to the applicant shall be taken into consideration.
(4) Until the regulations concerning the implementation of this Law enter into force, the provisions of existing regulations that are not contrary to this Law shall continue to be applied.
(5) For a period of six months from the date this Article enters into force, the Minister of Labour and Social Security is authorised, without any further action being required, to redistribute among units the existing positions of deputy director general and department head in the Ministry.
Article 28 – Entry into force
(1) This Law shall enter into force on the date of its publication.
Article 29 – Execution
(1) The Council of Ministers shall execute the provisions of this Law.
²
Notes
[1] The wording “Council of Ministers” in this subparagraph was changed to “President of the Republic” pursuant to Article 212 of Decree-Law No. 703 dated 2/7/2018.
[2] See the Official Gazette dated 13/8/2016 and numbered 29800 with regard to the positions referred to in this paragraph.