Working in Turkey: a job, your own company or remote work by the sea

Working in Turkey: the four paths

As a foreigner you cannot simply work in Turkey just because you have a residence permit. You need a work permit, your own company, an employer abroad or the Mavi Kart. Each path has its own papers and its own office. We know all four, because every week we accompany people who do not just holiday here but want to live and work here.

This is what it looks like: at nine in the morning you sit with your laptop on the balcony in Konyaaltı, the sea in front of you, the video call with London running. At lunchtime you walk to the market, in the evening to the beach. Your colleagues only notice that you have a tan. This is not a dream; hundreds do it, and the paperwork is manageable.

1. Employed in Turkey: the work permit

The work permit is not applied for by you but by your Turkish employer at the Ministry of Labour. The employer has to meet certain requirements, such as a minimum number of Turkish employees and a minimum salary for you that depends on your qualification. The work permit also counts as a residence permit. In Antalya, Alanya and Side people with foreign languages are in demand above all in tourism, real estate, private hospitals and customer service. We help with the documents you have to provide and check the contract before you sign.

2. Setting up your own company

As a foreigner you can set up a company in Turkey, usually a Limited Şirketi, the equivalent of a private limited company. You need a tax number, a notary, the trade registry, an accountant and a company account. Through your own company you can then obtain a work permit for yourself if the company meets the requirements. This pays off for anyone who really wants to build a business here: holiday letting, trade, consulting, crafts, online business. We connect you with an accountant and a company lawyer who speak English, and we are there at the notary and the office.

3. Remote work for your employer back home

The most common path for people under 50. You stay employed by your company at home or work freelance for foreign clients, and live in Turkey. Since 2024 Turkey has had its own digital nomad visa with an age limit and minimum income, and alongside it there is the classic route via a residence permit with a property or rental contract. What applies tax-wise if you spend more than half the year here, you clarify with your tax adviser at home. We take care of the Turkish side: an apartment with good internet, tax number, bank account, residence permit, registration.

4. Former Turkish citizens with the Mavi Kart

Anyone who gave up Turkish citizenship receives the Mavi Kart, the blue card. With it you can work in Turkey without a work permit, set up a company and buy property like a Turkish citizen. Many people do not know how valuable the card is. If you do not have it yet, we show you where to apply.

What we do for you

We are property advisers, not lawyers, and we tell you honestly where our work ends. What we do: choose the right path with you, tax number and bank account, the home through buying or renting, residence permit, registration, and for a company or work permit the people at your side who do this every day: accountant, lawyer, translator, all English-speaking. You have one contact person who knows where you stand. We take care of everything from A to Z, together with our help with moving to Turkey.

Where work and life come together

Antalya with airport, university, hospitals, co-working and the widest choice of jobs in tourism. Alanya for anyone working with European clients; that is where they are. Izmir as a business city on the Aegean with industry, port and start-ups. Istanbul when it comes to corporations, trade and big companies.