Foreign Employees in Türkiye: Employment Rights and Work-Permit Records

Identify the employer and permission

Check the employer named in your work-permit documents against the entity on your contract and payroll. A change of employer, work location or duties may require a separate authorisation assessment. Current administrative requirements and permit conditions should be checked from the official international-labour authority.

• Work-permit decision and expiry date
• Passport and relevant residence documents
• Contract and employer’s registered details

Salary, social security and termination

Foreign nationality does not by itself settle whether an employment claim exists or how it should be calculated. Actual work, contract terms, payroll, SGK records and the reason for termination must be examined. Employment-law claims do not automatically resolve residence or permit problems, and a permit issue does not answer every wage question.

• Payroll and bank payments
• SGK registration and service periods
• Termination notice and employer correspondence

Prepare records across languages

Keep originals and complete copies, including all pages and attachments. If a document is in another language, explain who issued it and why it matters. Translation, certification and any overseas power-of-attorney requirements should be determined for the actual procedure rather than assumed to be the same for every document.

• Do not submit only cropped screenshots
• Keep original filenames and dates
• List the country of issue and document language

Enquiries from outside Türkiye

If you are abroad, state your present country, employment dates, permit status and any notice or hearing date. We can first identify the Turkish employment issues and which documents are needed. Advice on another country’s law or immigration procedure requires the relevant jurisdiction to be considered separately.

• Current country and contact preference
• Employer and workplace in Türkiye
• Existing administrative, mediation or court decisions

Related guides

Official sources

The linked statutory texts and official guidance are in Turkish. The applicable regime and rules at the relevant date must be considered for an individual case.

• Ministry of Labour — employment legislation
• Labour Courts Act No. 7036
• International Labour Force Directorate — work permits