Who makes the work-permit application; the employee or the employer?

The employer runs the work permit application, but the route differs depending on where the foreign national is. If they already hold a residence permit in Türkiye of sufficient duration, the employer makes the application from inside the country.

If the foreign national is abroad, the process has two legs: the employee applies for a work visa at the Turkish consulate in the country where they are, and the employer completes the application from Türkiye with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security under the same reference number. The process runs under the International Labour Force Law (No. 6735), and the work permit also serves in place of a residence permit. In either scenario, running the two legs of the file — the employee’s and the employer’s — at the same time and in step markedly shortens it. We prepare the documents for both from the outset.