Work Permit Evaluation Criteria 2026

Work permit evaluation criteria in 2026; are applied based on the number of Turkish citizen employees in the workplace, the financial sufficiency of the enterprise, the gross salary to be paid to the foreigner, the profession of the foreigner, and the field of activity of the workplace. As a general rule, the employment of at least five Turkish citizens is required for each foreigner. However, there are significant exceptions regarding high-turnover businesses, foreigners with a certain legal residence history, certain sectors, and individuals with special status.

This guide explains the employment, financial sufficiency, and wage criteria applicable as of 2026, alongside rules specific to foreign company partners and sectors, as well as the new exception that entered into force on August 3, 2026. For work permit types and the general application process our foreign work permit guide, and for the documents to be prepared documents required for foreign work permit you may review our article.

What Are the Work Permit Evaluation Criteria?

In short, three main criteria are evaluated for a foreigner working under a standard employer:

1. Employment criterion: The number of Turkish citizens required to be employed in the workplace.
2. Financial sufficiency criterion: The paid-in capital, net sales, or exports of the workplace.
3. Wage criterion: The minimum gross salary required to be paid based on the foreigner's duty and profession.

In addition to these three criteria, the foreigner's education, professional experience, the relationship of the position to be held with the workplace's activity, the employment contract, sectoral pre-permits, and international labor policy may also be taken into consideration. Therefore, meeting the numerical criteria does not mean that a work permit will definitely be granted.

Criterion	General rule for 2026	Main exception
Employment of Turkish citizens	At least 5 Turkish citizens for each foreigner	Net sales of 50 million TRY and above, the exception dated August 3, 2026, and sector/status exemptions
Financial adequacy in a newly established workplace	Minimum paid-in capital of 500,000 TRY	Exemption based on the special circumstances of the applicant or the sector
Financial adequacy in an active workplace	500,000 TRY capital or 8 million TRY net sales or 150,000 USD exports	Criteria may not be applied for applications meeting the conditions
Wage	1 to 5 times the gross minimum wage according to the profession	Foreigners explicitly exempt from the criteria
Foreign company partner	500,000 TL capital share, at least 20% partnership, and 5 Turkish employees starting from the seventh month	Capital share of 100,000 USD and above

Current and binding implementation text of the criteria published on the work permit evaluation criteria page of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security . This page must be re-checked prior to the application date.

Employment Criterion of Five Turkish Citizens

In workplaces subject to the balance sheet method, it is the general rule to employ at least five Turkish citizens for each foreigner requested for a work permit. If an application is made for two foreigners within the scope of the criteria in a workplace, ten Turkish employees are required as a rule; for three foreigners, fifteen Turkish employees are required.

The number of employees should not be evaluated merely as an instantaneous snapshot generated on the day of application. SGK records must reflect the actual employment relationship, employees must be registered at the relevant workplace, and consistency must be maintained throughout the application. Short-term or fictitious notifications made solely to appear to meet the criteria may pose legal and administrative risks.

Exemption for Workplaces with Net Sales of 50 Million TL

In workplaces with a net sales amount of 50,000,000 TL or more in the last year, the five Turkish employee criterion shall not apply to work permit applications made for up to the first five foreigners to be employed. Regarding the sixth and subsequent foreigners, whether the general rule or any other special regulation applies shall be evaluated separately.

The criterion here should be evaluated not based on the everyday usage of the word "turnover," but rather according to the net sales amount in the enterprise's latest fiscal tables approved by the competent authorities. It is important that the balance sheet and income statement submitted in the application pertain to the correct period.

New Employment and Financial Adequacy Exemption Dated August 3, 2026

An important exception entered into force as of August 3, 2026. In domestic work permit applicationsfiled on behalf of foreigners who have legally resided in Turkey for a total of at least one year within the last three years under a work permit, residence permit, or international protection status as of the work permit application date, employment and financial adequacy criteria shall fundamentally not be applied for a maximum of three foreigners within the same workplace under this scope.

This regulation should not be interpreted as meaning that the "five Turkish employees requirement for work permits has been completely abolished." The exception is applied within the following limits:

• The application must be made from within Turkey.
• The foreigner must prove at least one year of lawful stay within the last three-year period.
• The exception is limited to a maximum of three foreigners falling under this scope at the same workplace.
• The number of foreigners working with a work permit at the workplace cannot exceed the number of Turkish citizen employees.
• With respect to the fourth and subsequent foreigners, the criteria of employing five Turkish citizens and financial adequacy shall apply anew for each foreigner.
• Being exempt from employment and financial adequacy does not automatically grant exemption from the wage criterion or other application conditions.

Scope of application of the amendment and sample calculations amendment to employment threshold in work permits 2026 is explained in detail in our article. The residence permit requirement for making an application from within the country also continues to apply; this subject obtaining a work permit without a residence permit is addressed in our guide.

Financial Adequacy Criteria of the Workplace

The financial adequacy criterion is used to evaluate whether the employer has the economic structure to sustain the employment of foreign personnel. The same metric is not applied to newly established workplaces and active workplaces with at least one year of financial statements.

Newly Established Workplaces

In applications made on behalf of a foreigner who will work in a workplace subject to the balance sheet system that was established in the current year and for which year-end balance sheets and annual income statements have not yet been prepared, the paid-in capital of the workplace must be at least 500,000 TRY must be fulfilled.

Committed capital and actually paid-in capital are not the same. The criterion relates to the paid-in capital rather than the nominal figure written in the articles of association. Therefore, trade registry records, capital payment status, and certified public accountant documents must be checked together.

Active Workplaces

Of the workplace subject to the balance sheet system that was established prior to the current year and has at least one year-end balance sheet and annual income statement, the following three conditions at least one it is sufficient to meet:

• At least of the paid-in capital 500,000 TRY being,
• At least of net sales TRY 8,000,000 to be or
• At least of the last year's exports USD 150,000 to be.

These conditions are not required to be met concurrently. For example, an active business with a paid-in capital of less than 500,000 TL may satisfy the financial adequacy criterion if it meets the threshold of 8,000,000 TL in net sales or 150,000 USD in exports. However, meeting the financial adequacy does not imply that the employment and wage criteria are also met.

Financial Adequacy in Ordinary Partnerships

In applications filed by an ordinary partnership established by workplaces subject to the balance sheet method, at least one of the partners must meet one of the following criteria: 500,000 TL in paid-in capital, 8,000,000 TL in net sales, or 150,000 USD in exports. The partnership structure and the employer record of the applicant must be accurately represented.

Regarding the scope and uploading format of financial documents, the Ministry's required documents for work permit application page and the current fields on the electronic application screen must be reviewed together.

Wage Criteria for Foreign Employees 2026

The wage to be paid to the foreigner shall be calculated based on the valid rate as of the application date and in accordance with the duties to be performed by the foreigner. As of January 1, 2026, the gross minimum wage has been set at 33,030 TL. Accordingly, the minimum monthly gross wages to be declared in the work permit application are as follows: gross minimum wage Applicable coefficient

Duty or profession	2026 gross minimum wage	5 times the minimum wage
Senior executive and pilot	4 times the minimum wage	165,150 TL
Engineer and architect	Asgari ücretin 4 katı	132,120 TRY
Other managers	3 times the minimum wage	99,090 TRY
Jobs requiring expertise or mastery	2 times the minimum wage	66,060 TRY
Domestic services and other professions/jobs	Minimum wage level	33,030 TRY

2026 minimum wage amount calculated based on the official statement of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. The applicability of the wage criterion to a specific position should be determined not solely by the job title in the employment contract, but by jointly evaluating the foreign national's actual duties, professional qualifications, and the company's field of activity.

Wage calculation, occupational classification, and payroll practices will be discussed in detail in the next independent guide in our plan. This article focuses on explaining the general relationship among all evaluation criteria.

For compliance between the minimum wage coefficients applied according to profession and duty groups, 2026 gross amounts, payroll, and SSI declarations, wage criteria for foreign employees in 2026 you may review our guide.

Evaluation Criteria for Foreign Company Shareholders

Establishing a company or becoming a partner in a company in Turkey does not automatically grant a foreign national the right to work. If a company partner is to work actively, a work permit must be obtained, and criteria specific to partners must be met.

Capital and Partnership Share Requirement

Regarding a foreign national who opens a new workplace or becomes a partner in an existing workplace subject to the balance sheet method:

• at least of the total paid-in capital of the workplace 500,000 TRY being,
• at least of the foreign partner's capital amount 500,000 TRY and that
• at least of the foreigner's partnership share %20 must be fulfilled.

If the foreign partner's capital share is USD 100,000 or more, the special partnership criteria regarding the capital, partnership ratio, and employment of five Turkish citizens mentioned above shall not apply. Nevertheless, other legal conditions and application documents must still be provided.

Five Turkish Employees Starting from the Seventh Month

A transition period is granted regarding the requirement to employ five Turkish citizens for the initial work permit issued to a foreign workplace owner or company partner. It is essential that at least five Turkish citizens are employed at the workplace every month starting from the beginning of the seventh month of the initial permit. This condition may also be annotated on the work permit document.

The documents and application steps for company partner applications are examined in our article work permit through company establishment ; whereas the legal significance of the records on the permit document is analyzed in our work permit annotations guide. The Ministry's current annotation texts are also in the list of official work permit annotations may be observed.

Sector-Specific Special Evaluation Criteria

General criteria are not applied uniformly across all sectors. Depending on the nature of the work, preliminary permits, capacity limits, employee headcount restrictions, or specific duty limitations may be imposed; certain applications may also be exempted from employment and financial adequacy criteria.

Sector	Summary of the 2026 practice
Information Technology	Employment and financial adequacy criteria do not apply to specific specialized IT positions; in non-IT workplaces, the exemption is limited to a maximum of two foreign nationals.
Education	A preliminary permit from the Ministry of National Education (MEB) or YÖK is mandatory for positions requiring professional qualifications; general criteria do not apply to certain applications subject to preliminary permits.
Domestic services	Child, disabled, or elderly care and patient companionship serve as the basis; care needs, the qualifications of the foreign national, and the employer's income are evaluated.
Healthcare	A preliminary permit from the Ministry of Health is required for positions necessitating professional qualifications.
Tourism	The enterprise's certification, capacity, number of Turkish employees, and the duties of the foreign national are critical; special exemptions exist for certain certified enterprises.
R&D and advanced technology	Employment and financial adequacy criteria may not apply when relevant conditions are met and the institutional opinion is secured.
Public projects	Employment and financial adequacy criteria do not apply to specific projects within the scope of international agreements or public tenders.
Foreign students	Associate and undergraduate students may work part-time after their first year; restrictions specific to student status and the nature of the work apply.

It must be kept in mind that a student residence permit alone does not grant the right to work. For the student's residence status, student residence permit requirements you may refer to our article. The scope of the right to work will also be evaluated separately in our guide titled “The Right of Foreign Students to Work in Turkey” in our plan.

For the procedural steps required according to the sector, the Ministry's work permit application guides must be used. If the general criteria and private sector criteria appear to contradict, the relevant special regulation and scope conditions must be examined first.

Foreigners Exempt from Evaluation Criteria

According to the Ministry's current criteria, it is essential that employment, financial adequacy, and wage criteria are not applied to applications made on behalf of the following foreigners:

• Foreigners whose mother, father, or child is a Turkish citizen,
• Foreigners granted a humanitarian residence permit,
• Foreigners granted a residence permit as victims of human trafficking or benefiting from the victim support program,
• Holders of Stateless Person Identity Documents,
• Foreigners granted a long-term residence permit,
• Foreigners who have been married to a Turkish citizen for at least three years,
• Foreigners who have resided in Turkey under the legal statuses specified in the criteria for at least eight years,
• Foreigners of Turkish descent whose status is reported or deemed appropriate by competent authorities,
• Citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

It is mandatory to prove these statuses with documents obtained from public institutions. Furthermore, the exemption does not grant an absolute right to be issued a work permit. For instance, the restriction of a profession exclusively to Turkish citizens or the absence of sectoral pre-approval may still lead to a negative outcome.

Regarding statuses associated with exemptions, humanitarian residence permit, long-term residence permit and The residence and work rights of TRNC citizens in Turkey detailed information can be obtained from our guides.

Being exempt from employment, financial adequacy, or wage criteria is a different legal status from being exempt from the obligation to obtain a work permit. For individuals who can work with an exemption certificate instead of a general work permit and for the application procedure, work permit exemption 2026 you may review our guide.

Are Meeting the Criteria Sufficient to Obtain a Work Permit?

No. Meeting the numerical thresholds does not mean that a work permit will be granted automatically. Within the scope of the International Labour Law No. 6735, the application is evaluated within the framework of international labor policy, the qualifications of the foreigner, the nature of the job, sectoral conditions, public order, and other provisions of the relevant legislation.

To the current text of the Law From the text of Law No. 6735 in the Legislation Information System, and regarding secondary regulations from the legislation page of the Directorate General of International Labor accessible.

for re-applications, administrative appeals, and legal remedies that may be pursued in the event that evaluation criteria are not met or other statutory grounds for refusal exist rejection of the work permit application you may review our guide.

Why Is It Crucial to Meet the Criteria on the Application Date?

The wage criterion is calculated based on the gross minimum wage in effect as of the application date. The period of the financial statements to be used for financial sufficiency and whether the workplace is considered a new or active business are also determined based on the application date. Employment records must reflect the actual situation during the application and evaluation process.

During the review of the application, a decrease in the number of employees of the business, a change in the foreigner's duties, the termination of the workplace's operations, or discrepancies between declarations and documents may lead to the reassessment of the file. Even after the application is submitted, e-Permit notifications and additional document requests must be monitored.

What Criteria Apply to the Extension Application?

In extension applications, the manner in which the current work permit is utilized, whether the foreigner works alongside the notified employer, wage and SGK (Social Security Institution) records, and whether the employer fulfills its obligations are of significance. Different practices may apply to the extension of permits issued prior to the entry into force of the criteria; according to the Ministry's text, the criteria valid on the initial application date may be taken as the basis regarding financial sufficiency.

The duration of the extension, the application timeline, and the condition of the same employer are covered in our plan's "Work Permit Extension Application" article in detail. It should be noted that if the employer or the position is to change, this is not a simple extension and a new work permit process may come into question.

For detailed information regarding the period during which the extension application can be made, the same employer requirement, required documents, and the right to work while the permit is ongoing, work permit extension application 2026 you may review our article.

Pre-Application Criteria Checklist

• Is the employer subject to the balance sheet method, and is the workplace new or active?
• Is the required number of Turkish employees present for each foreigner?
• Can the 50 million TL net sales exemption be applied?
• Does the foreigner meet the conditions of the legal residence exemption dated 3 August 2026?
• Is the paid-in capital, net sales, or export volume of the workplace sufficient?
• Has the foreigner's position been matched with the correct wage coefficient?
• Are the salary in the employment contract, SGK records, and the application declaration consistent?
• If the foreigner is a company partner, are the capital amount and partnership share requirements met?
• Has the employment obligation for the company partner been planned starting from the seventh month?
• Are there any sector-specific preliminary permits or special criteria?
• Can the foreigner be exempt from general criteria due to their status?
• Are the official documents proving the exemption status ready?
• Is the profession in which the foreigner will work reserved exclusively for Turkish citizens?

Common Mistakes

• Assuming that the condition of employing five Turkish citizens applies to all applications without exception.
• Assuming that the exemption dated 3 August 2026 applies to all foreigners and applications made from abroad.
• Confusing the financial adequacy criteria of a newly established company with those of an active company.
• Presenting subscribed capital as paid-in capital.
• Assuming that all three criteria—500,000 TRY capital, 8 million TRY net sales, and 150,000 USD exports—are required simultaneously.
• Calculating the salary based on the net minimum wage.
• Showing the foreign national in a position subject to a lower wage coefficient while actually employing them as a manager or specialist.
• Assuming that company partnership replaces a work permit.
• Believing that a criteria exemption guarantees the issuance of a work permit.
• Meeting general criteria while overlooking sectoral pre-approvals and professional restrictions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Turkish employees are required to employ one foreign national?

The general rule is the employment of at least five Turkish citizens for each foreign national. However, exceptions may apply due to high net sales, legal residence history, sector, or the status of the foreign national.

Was the five Turkish employees requirement abolished in 2026?

It has not been completely abolished. As of August 3, 2026, an employment and financial adequacy exemption has been introduced for domestic applications of foreign nationals with a certain legal residence history, for a maximum of three foreign nationals in the same workplace.

What must the company capital be for a work permit?

For a newly established workplace subject to the balance sheet method, a paid-in capital of at least 500,000 TL is required. For an active workplace, meeting any one of the following conditions is sufficient: 500,000 TL in paid-in capital, 8 million TL in net sales, or 150,000 USD in exports.

What must the foreign employee's salary be in 2026?

Depending on the position, it ranges between a monthly gross of 33,030 TL and 165,150 TL. The minimum wage applies to domestic services and other jobs; two times the minimum wage applies to specialized jobs, three times for other managers, four times for engineers and architects, and five times for senior executives and pilots.

Is a 20 percent share sufficient for a foreign company partner?

It is not sufficient on its own. As a general rule, the foreign partner must hold at least a 20 percent share and a capital amount of at least 500,000 TL, and the company's paid-in capital must also be at least 500,000 TL.

Does the criteria apply to a foreign partner with a capital share of 100,000 USD?

If the foreign partner's capital share is 100,000 US Dollars or more, the capital, 20 percent partnership, and five Turkish employee criteria specific to company partners do not apply. Other work permit conditions continue to apply.

Is a foreigner with a long-term residence permit exempt from the criteria?

Yes. As a rule, employment, financial adequacy, and wage criteria are not applied to applications by foreigners granted a long-term residence permit. However, this exemption does not mean that a work permit will necessarily be granted.

Will a work permit application that does not meet the criteria be rejected?

If there is no applicable exception or special criterion for the application, failure to meet the basic employment, financial adequacy, or wage criteria may lead to a negative evaluation. The grounds for the rejection and legal remedies must be further examined based on the specific file.

Conclusion

The 2026 work permit evaluation criteria are not limited solely to the rule requiring five Turkish employees. Whether the workplace is new or active, its financial indicators, the foreigner's duties and salary, company partnership, the sector, and the foreigner's legal status must be evaluated together. In particular, the exemption that entered into force on August 3, 2026, has provided significant convenience for certain foreigners; however, it has not completely eliminated the general employment criterion.

Since criteria may be updated over time, the official text in effect on the application date must be taken as the basis, and company records and the foreigner's status must be concretely examined. Regarding our practice areas concerning the work and residence processes of foreigners immigration law on our immigration law service page.

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Author Information

Attorney Batın YILMAZ
Istanbul Bar Association Bar Registry No: 77008

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Attorney Batın YILMAZ
Istanbul Bar Association Bar Registry No: 77008

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