Turkey (TR)

Turkey is a transcontinental nation straddling Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus Strait, uniting 85 million people under a rich civilisational heritage stretching from the ancient Hittites and Romans to the Byzantine Empire and Ottoman Empire.

Capital: Ankara

Region: Europe

Language: Turkish

Currency: TRY (₺)

Cost of living: Very affordable (index 35)

Emergency: 112

Jobs & Work Permits

Everything you need to find work and get authorised to work in Turkey.

Turkish Employment Agency

Türkiye İş Kurumu (İŞKUR)

Register online at iskur.gov.tr with your VKN and YKN. For unemployed foreigners with work permits, registration with İŞKUR is required to access unemployment benefits (İşsizlik Ödeneği). Also provides vocational training programmes (mesleki eğitim kursları) and job placement services.

Services offered:

✓Job listings across Turkey
✓Unemployment benefit (İşsizlik Ödeneği) administration
✓Vocational training and skills courses (primarily in Turkish)
✓Career counselling (Turkish language)
✓Employer subsidies for hiring (some categories)
✓Online skills assessment tools

Expat eligibility: Foreigners with valid work permits can register and access İŞKUR services. Unemployment benefit access requires: 600 days of premium payment in the last 3 years, valid work permit at time of job loss, and registered unemployment status at İŞKUR. Services primarily in Turkish — limited English support.

Visit Turkish Employment Agency

💼 Work Permits

EU Citizens

EU citizens do NOT have freedom of movement or automatic work rights in Turkey — Turkey is NOT in the EU or EEA. EU citizens require the same work permit (Çalışma İzni) as all other foreigners. There is no special EU status. EU passport gives some visa-free entry benefits but no work rights. EU citizens wishing to work formally in Turkey must follow the standard work permit process through their Turkish employer.

Non-EU Citizens

All non-Turkish citizens require a work permit (Çalışma İzni) issued by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (Çalışma ve Sosyal Güvenlik Bakanlığı). The employer applies on behalf of the employee through the e-İzin system (eizin.csgb.gov.tr). Key restriction: 1 foreign worker per 5 Turkish employees (5:1 ratio). Minimum salary requirement: 6.5 times the minimum wage (approximately TRY 143,000–150,000 gross/month in 2026). Processing: 2–8 weeks. Highly qualified professionals (Turquoise Card holders) and investors are exempt from the ratio. Work permit also serves as residence permit — no separate ikamet needed. Changing employer requires a new work permit application.

EU Blue Card

Turkey has its own equivalent to the EU Blue Card: the Turkuaz Kart (Turquoise Card). Eligibility: senior managers of large companies (500+ employees), internationally recognised academics and scientists, investors creating significant employment, leading experts in digital/technology/R&D. Gives unlimited work and residence rights. Very selective — not a mainstream route. For more details see visaInfo.

Freelancer Visa

Turkey does not have a formal digital nomad or freelancer visa as of 2026 (discussions ongoing). Freelancers working for foreign clients commonly use a short-term ikamet (residence permit on grounds of property ownership, language study, etc.) and maintain foreign-source income in foreign accounts. This is a legal grey area — consult a Turkish immigration lawyer (avukat). Working for Turkish clients as a freelancer without a work permit is technically illegal.

⏱️ Work Culture

Typical hours 45 hours/week is the standard legal maximum in Turkey (Türk İş Kanunu). In practice, many white-collar and Istanbul corporate jobs expect longer hours. Government offices: 08:30–17:30, Monday–Friday. Tech and startup scene: more flexible — results-oriented culture developing especially in global-connected companies.

Annual leave Annual leave (yıllık izin) based on service length: 1–5 years: 14 days; 5–15 years: 20 days; over 15 years: 26 days minimum. Public holidays: approximately 14.5 days/year (including Bayram periods). Total: 28–40 days is common for professional roles. Unused holiday can be carried over but must ultimately be taken or paid out.

Sick leave Sick leave: employer-paid first 2 days (often); SGK pays İstirahat Raporu (sick pay) from day 3 with a doctor's report (istirahat raporu). Payment: 2/3 of average daily earnings for inpatient care; 1/2 for outpatient. No time limit for genuine illness but employer can terminate after 1.5 times the notice period + sick period in some circumstances.

Trial period Deneme süresi (probation): up to 2 months (can be extended to 4 months by collective agreement). During probation, either party can terminate without notice or severance (ihbar tazminatı/kıdem tazminatı). Check your contract carefully.

Notice period İhbar süresi (notice period) based on service length: under 6 months: 2 weeks; 6 months–1.5 years: 4 weeks; 1.5–3 years: 6 weeks; over 3 years: 8 weeks. Both employer and employee must give notice. Alternatively, can pay wages in lieu of notice (ihbar tazminatı). Severance pay (kıdem tazminatı) owed to employees with 1+ year of service if terminated without just cause: 30 days gross salary per year of service.

Salary range Turkey's rapid inflation makes salary ranges in TRY quickly outdated — think in EUR/USD equivalents. Minimum wage (asgari ücret) 2026: TRY 28,075.50 net/month (TRY 33,030 gross, effective January 1 — a 27% increase). Tech professionals (Istanbul): TRY 80,000–250,000+/month gross. Finance/banking (Istanbul): TRY 100,000–350,000+/month. English teachers: TRY 30,000–80,000/month. Senior management at multinational: TRY 250,000–600,000+/month. USD-denominated salaries offered by some companies to hedge inflation.

Pay frequency Monthly (aylık). Salary paid on a fixed date each month (typically end of month or between 15th–25th). Some companies pay 13th month (ikramiye) at certain periods — not legally required but common in some sectors. Bonus structures vary by company.

Contract types

·Belirsiz süreli iş sözleşmesi (Open-ended / permanent contract) — most common
·Belirli süreli iş sözleşmesi (Fixed-term contract) — must have objective justification; consecutive fixed-term contracts become permanent
·Part-time contract (kısmi süreli)
·Remote work contract (uzaktan çalışma sözleşmesi — regulated since 2021)
·Probationary period clause within contract (deneme süresi maddesi)

🔍 Job Boards

LinkedIn Turkey

Most widely used professional network for white-collar, tech, and international roles. Many international companies hiring in Istanbul post on LinkedIn. Essential for networking in Istanbul's corporate, tech, and startup scenes.

Kariyer.net

Turkey's largest dedicated job portal — equivalent to Indeed or StepStone. Hundreds of thousands of listings. Primarily Turkish-language roles but also international company postings. Upload your CV and apply directly.

Secretcv.com

Major Turkish job portal for white-collar and professional roles. Many reputable Turkish and multinational companies post here. CV-based application system.

Yenibiris.com

Another major Turkish employment portal with wide coverage across sectors and geographies. Good for mid-level professional roles.

Indeed Turkey

International job platform with growing Turkish content. Useful for international company roles and English-language positions.

🌍 Expat-Friendly Resources

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Expats in Istanbul — Facebook Group

Large active expat community in Istanbul with job postings, housing, and general advice. Good source for expat-targeted job openings, especially English-teaching, remote work setups, and international company roles.

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Istanbul Startups

Istanbul's thriving tech startup ecosystem — connected via AngelList, LinkedIn, and co-working spaces like Istanbul Teknopark, Kolektif House. Tech startups often open to English-speaking talent. Neighbourhoods: Maslak, Levent, Karaköy, Kadıköy.

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Remoters / Remote.co / Nomad List

For remote workers planning to use Turkey as a base while working for foreign companies — no Turkish work permit needed for foreign-employer remote work (legal grey area but widely practiced). Check for Turkey-based remote communities in Istanbul's Cihangir, Kadıköy, and Karaköy.

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Istanbul Expat Network (IEN)

Professional networking events and community for Istanbul-based expats — useful for building local professional connections across industries.

📝 Application Tips

CV format: Turkish CV (özgeçmiş) traditionally includes a photo (unusual by UK/US standards — still common in Turkey), date of birth, marital status, military service status (for men). 1–2 pages maximum. Microsoft Word (.docx) most accepted format. Chronological order (most recent first). For international companies in Istanbul, European-style CV without personal details photo is also acceptable — follow company's norm.

Cover letter: Expected

Language: Turkish language is essential for most roles in Turkey — even at multinationals, day-to-day work is often in Turkish. English-proficient roles exist in: tech startups, international finance, tourism and hospitality, higher education, and international NGOs. Most corporate job postings list "İngilizce bilen" (English-knowing) as a requirement — this rarely means "English only" but rather bilingual capability. For expats without Turkish: international tech companies, English-teaching, remote work for foreign companies, and hospitality remain the realistic paths.

Interviews: Turkish interview culture is relationship-oriented — expect initial small talk and relationship-building before technical questions. Dress smartly (more formal than Western Europe expectations). Bring printed copies of CV. Second-stage interviews often include a meeting with the team. Salary negotiation: acceptable but frame in terms of industry standards. Background checks (sabıka kaydı / criminal record, references): increasingly standard at large companies. Decision timelines can be longer than Northern Europe — patience required.

🤝 Networking Tips

→Istanbul's professional network runs on LinkedIn and personal referrals — a direct introduction from a mutual contact is worth far more than a cold application.
→Istanbul Kalkınma Ajansı (ISTKA) and various sectoral associations host networking events — attend these for sector-specific connections.
→Co-working spaces (Kolektif House, Workinton, Regus Istanbul) are networking hubs for entrepreneurs and startups.
→Turkish business culture: relationships (ilişkiler) and trust come before business — invest in coffee meetings and relationship-building before pitching.
→AngelList (now Wellfound) active for Istanbul tech startup jobs — many startups list roles here in English.
→AmCham Turkey (American Chamber of Commerce) and British Chambers of Commerce Turkey host regular events for international business community.
→Expat social events in Kadıköy, Cihangir, and Beyoğlu organically connect professionals — attend language exchanges, cultural events, and expat meetups.

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