Can a foreign company director obtain a Turkish work permit in 2026? Learn the rules for foreign directors, shareholders, limited-company managers and board members, including capital, shareholding, Turkish employee and salary requirements.

Yes. A foreign company director can obtain a work permit in Turkey in 2026, provided that the foreign national, the Turkish company and the proposed management position satisfy the requirements of Turkish commercial and international labour legislation.

However, the answer depends heavily on the person’s exact corporate status.

A foreigner who is the shareholder-manager of a Turkish limited liability company is treated differently from a professional foreign manager employed by a company without holding shares. Likewise, a foreign shareholder who sits on the board of a Turkish joint-stock company may have a different work-permit position from a non-resident board member who does not actively work in Turkey. The Ministry of Labour and Social Security expressly distinguishes these categories.

The distinction is particularly important for foreign investors establishing Turkish subsidiaries. Simply incorporating a Turkish company, becoming its shareholder or being registered as a director does not automatically give the foreign national the right to work in Turkey.

Do Foreign Company Directors Need a Work Permit in Turkey?

Generally, a foreign national who will actually work and perform management functions in Turkey must have appropriate work authorization unless a statutory exemption applies.

The Ministry expressly states that foreigners opening and operating businesses in Turkey must comply with the work-permit requirements of Law No. 6735 on International Labour Force. Foreign nationals establishing a workplace and personally working in the business must obtain the appropriate work authorization before commencing work.

This applies not only to ordinary employees but also to many company owners, partners and managers.

The corporate title itself is therefore not decisive.

The authorities examine what the foreign national will actually do in Turkey.

Can a Foreign Director of a Limited Company Obtain a Work Permit?

Yes.

A foreign national may become a manager of a Turkish limited liability company and obtain a work permit if the applicable requirements are satisfied.

The Ministry specifically confirms that a foreigner who is a shareholder-manager of a limited liability company may work by obtaining a work permit.

This structure is common where a foreign investor establishes a Turkish limited company and intends to personally manage its operations.

However, if the foreign manager is also a shareholder, special criteria for foreign company partners may apply.

Can a Foreign Board Member of a Turkish Joint-Stock Company Obtain a Work Permit?

Yes.

A foreign national who is both a shareholder and board member of a Turkish joint-stock company may obtain a work permit and actively work in Turkey.

However, not every foreign board member necessarily needs one.

The Ministry distinguishes between active foreign managers and non-resident board members of joint-stock companies. A non-resident foreign board member falling within the statutory conditions is treated within the work-permit exemption framework.

This distinction can be extremely important for international corporate groups.

Does a Non-Resident Foreign Board Member Need a Work Permit?

Not necessarily.

Under the current framework, non-resident members of the board of directors of joint-stock companies established under the Turkish Commercial Code are within the work-permit exemption regime. Non-managing partners of other companies are similarly distinguished from foreigners actively managing and working in the business.

Therefore, a foreign executive who attends occasional board meetings from abroad should not automatically be analyzed in the same manner as a foreign managing director who permanently lives in Turkey and runs the company’s daily operations.

The actual activities performed in Turkey matter.

Does Being a Company Shareholder Automatically Give a Right to Work?

No.

This is one of the most common misunderstandings among foreign investors.

Turkey permits foreigners to own shares in Turkish companies, but share ownership and work authorization are separate legal issues.

A foreign national can therefore legally own 100% of a Turkish company without automatically having permission to personally work in that company.

Where the shareholder actively manages or works in the business, a work permit may be required.

What Are the 2026 Requirements for a Foreign Shareholder-Director?

The Ministry maintains specific work-permit evaluation criteria for foreigners who establish a business or become partners in Turkish companies.

Under the current criteria, where the relevant business is subject to balance-sheet accounting, the company must generally have at least 500,000 TL paid-in capital.

The foreign partner must also generally have at least 500,000 TL of capital invested in the company and must own at least 20% of the company.

These figures are important because older online materials referring to substantially lower capital thresholds may no longer reflect the current rules.

Is a 20% Shareholding Required?

Under the specific criteria applicable to foreign company partners, yes, as a general rule.

The foreigner’s shareholding must generally be at least 20%, and the foreigner’s capital contribution must satisfy the applicable minimum threshold.

For example, suppose a Turkish company has 2,500,000 TL in paid-in capital.

A foreign investor owns 10%.

Although the company itself exceeds the minimum paid-in capital threshold, the foreigner’s 10% ownership does not satisfy the ordinary 20% foreign-partner criterion.

The corporate structure should therefore be examined before filing the application.

How Much Capital Must the Foreign Director Own?

Under the current foreign-company-partner criteria, the foreigner’s own capital share must generally be at least 500,000 TL, while the company’s total paid-in capital must also satisfy the relevant 500,000 TL threshold.

Both the percentage and monetary amount can therefore matter.

Owning 20% of a company does not necessarily solve the problem if the monetary value of that share does not meet the required threshold.

What If the Foreign Shareholder Invests $100,000 or More?

There is an important exception.

Under the current Ministry criteria, where the foreign partner’s capital share is USD 100,000 or more, the ordinary foreign-partner capital/shareholding and five-Turkish-employee criteria described above do not apply.

This can be particularly significant for substantial foreign investors establishing or acquiring Turkish companies.

However, meeting this exception should not be confused with an automatic right to a work permit.

The application remains subject to the broader work-permit assessment.

Must the Company Employ Five Turkish Citizens?

For foreign company partners, the general rule requires at least five Turkish citizens to be employed by the business.

However, the Ministry provides an important start-up mechanism.

For the initial work permit issued to the foreign company partner or business owner, the five-Turkish-employee requirement is effectively deferred. Beginning from the seventh month of the initial permit, the company must employ at least five Turkish citizens every month.

This makes it possible for qualifying foreign entrepreneurs to establish a new business without already having five employees on the first day.

Example: Foreign Investor Establishes a Turkish Limited Company

Suppose a British investor establishes a Turkish limited liability company and becomes its 100% shareholder and manager.

The investor intends to move to Turkey and personally manage the company’s operations.

Because the foreign national will actively work as the shareholder-manager, merely registering the company with the Trade Registry is insufficient.

A work permit should be obtained.

If the company and foreign investor satisfy the applicable capital criteria, the initial permit may be granted subject to the applicable conditions. The five-Turkish-employee requirement must then generally be satisfied beginning from the seventh month unless an applicable exemption applies.

What If the Director Is Not a Shareholder?

The analysis changes.

A foreign professional may be appointed as general manager, CEO, CFO, country manager or another executive without owning any shares in the company.

In that case, the application will generally be evaluated under the rules applicable to foreign employees and managers rather than the special foreign-company-partner criteria.

For workplaces subject to the ordinary balance-sheet rules, the Ministry generally requires at least five Turkish employees for each foreign employee.

The company must also satisfy the applicable financial eligibility criteria.

What Financial Requirements Apply to a Company Employing a Foreign Director?

For a newly established workplace that has not yet produced its first year-end balance sheet and income statement, the paid-in capital must generally be at least 500,000 TL.

For an existing company with at least one year-end balance sheet and income statement, the workplace generally needs to satisfy at least one of the following:

500,000 TL paid-in capital, 8,000,000 TL net sales, or USD 150,000 in exports.

These are the current Ministry financial eligibility thresholds.

The exact criteria can vary where a special sector or exemption applies.

Are Large Companies Exempt From the Five-Turkish-Employee Rule?

There is an important general exception.

For workplaces whose previous-year net sales are 50 million TL or more, the ordinary employment criterion is not applied to work permit applications for up to five foreigners.

This can significantly simplify work-permit applications for foreign senior executives appointed to established Turkish companies.

For example, a large multinational subsidiary with substantial Turkish turnover may be treated differently from a newly incorporated small consultancy company.

Is There a Minimum Salary for a Foreign Director?

Yes, where the foreign national is being employed in a salaried managerial position, the remuneration declared in the work-permit application must satisfy the applicable Ministry salary criterion.

Under the current criteria, remuneration must generally be at least:

five times the gross minimum wage for senior executives, and

three times the gross minimum wage for other managers.

The classification of the position therefore matters.

Simply describing every foreign employee as a “director” does not necessarily mean that the Ministry will treat the individual as a genuine senior executive.

What Counts as a Senior Executive?

The actual corporate position and responsibilities should support the classification.

A CEO, general manager or similarly senior executive with genuine company-wide authority may be treated differently from a department-level manager.

The applicant should therefore ensure consistency between the company’s Trade Registry records, organizational structure, employment documentation, job description and work-permit application.

Artificially inflating the title merely to support a particular immigration strategy can create problems.

Are Some Foreign Directors Exempt From the Ordinary Criteria?

Yes.

Certain categories of foreigners are exempt from the ordinary employment, financial eligibility and salary criteria.

The current Ministry criteria include, among others, foreigners with a Turkish-citizen parent or child, long-term residence permit holders, foreigners who have been married to a Turkish citizen for at least three years, and certain foreigners with substantial lawful residence history in Turkey.

However, exemption from evaluation criteria does not mean that the work permit is automatically granted.

The Ministry expressly notes that falling within an exemption category does not create an absolute entitlement to a permit.

Important 2026 Change for Foreigners Already Living in Turkey

The Ministry’s current evaluation criteria contain a particularly important rule effective from 3 August 2026.

For qualifying domestic work-permit applications made for foreigners who have been legally present in Turkey for the required period within the previous years, the ordinary employment and financial eligibility criteria may not apply for up to three foreigners within the scope of that rule, subject to its conditions.

This can materially affect applications for foreign executives who have already established a lawful immigration history in Turkey.

Because the rule is recent and fact-sensitive, the foreigner’s residence history should be checked carefully before deciding which criteria apply.

Can a Foreign Director Apply From Inside Turkey?

Potentially, yes.

The Ministry states that where a foreigner in Turkey holds a residence permit satisfying the applicable domestic-application requirements, the work permit application may be submitted domestically through the electronic work-permit system.

However, holding a residence permit does not mean that the foreign national may start working immediately.

The work authorization must first be obtained unless an exemption applies.

What If the Foreign Director Is Outside Turkey?

An overseas work-permit application can be used.

The foreign national generally initiates the procedure through the relevant Turkish diplomatic or consular mission, after which the Turkish employer completes the employer side of the application through the electronic system.

This route is commonly used where a foreign executive is being transferred from the multinational group’s headquarters to a newly established or existing Turkish subsidiary.

Can a Foreign Director Enter as a Tourist and Start Managing the Company?

This is risky.

A visa or visa exemption authorizes entry and stay within its scope. It does not automatically authorize employment.

Similarly, incorporating a company does not create work authorization.

A foreign shareholder who enters Turkey visa-free and then begins actively running daily operations should not assume that share ownership makes the activity lawful.

The work-permit position should be resolved before the foreign national starts performing activities requiring authorization.

What About Business Meetings?

Attending business meetings should be distinguished from taking up ongoing employment or operational management.

A foreign board member visiting Turkey for limited corporate meetings presents a different situation from a foreign managing director who lives in İstanbul, signs operational documents, supervises staff and manages the business every day.

The duration, frequency and substance of the activity can therefore matter when determining whether work authorization is required.

Can a Foreign CEO Obtain a Turkish Work Permit?

Yes.

Foreign CEOs are routinely capable of falling within Turkey’s work-permit framework.

The company must satisfy the applicable financial and employment criteria unless an exemption or special rule applies, and the CEO’s remuneration should comply with the senior-executive salary criterion.

For multinational businesses, special foreign-investment rules may also become relevant.

Are Foreign Direct Investment Companies Treated Differently?

Certain qualifying foreign direct investments can benefit from special treatment.

The Ministry confirms that for enterprises satisfying the criteria applicable to qualifying direct foreign investments, the employment criterion may not be applied when evaluating the work permit of the first foreign national qualifying as key personnel.

This can be highly relevant where an international group establishes a substantial Turkish subsidiary and appoints a foreign CEO, country manager or other key executive.

The investment and executive’s position must actually satisfy the applicable conditions.

Does Opening a Turkish Company Guarantee a Work Permit?

No.

A foreigner may legally establish a Turkish company but still receive a negative work-permit decision.

Company formation and work authorization are separate administrative processes.

The Ministry evaluates work permit applications according to international labour-force policy, the applicant’s qualifications, the company’s financial circumstances, employment levels, position, remuneration and applicable special criteria.

Foreign investors should therefore conduct a work-permit feasibility assessment before incorporating the company where their ability to personally work in Turkey is central to the investment.

Can a One-Person Foreign-Owned Company Obtain a Work Permit?

Potentially, but the applicable criteria must be satisfied.

A foreign investor can establish a company and become its sole shareholder and manager.

However, having a one-person corporate structure does not eliminate the work-permit requirements.

The foreign shareholder’s capital contribution, ownership percentage and the company’s employment obligations must be considered.

For new businesses, the five-Turkish-employee rule applicable to qualifying foreign partners generally becomes relevant from the beginning of the seventh month of the initial permit.

Can a Foreign Director Obtain an Independent Work Permit?

Potentially.

Turkey also has an independent work permit category allowing qualifying foreigners to work in their own name and account without being tied to a particular employer.

When evaluating an independent work permit, the authorities can consider matters such as the foreigner’s education, professional experience, contribution to science and technology, and the economic and employment impact of the person’s activity or investment in Turkey. For a foreign company partner, the capital share can also be considered.

An independent work permit is therefore not automatically available merely because someone owns a company.

Does a Work Permit Also Give the Director Residence Rights?

Generally, yes.

A valid Turkish work permit also provides the foreign national with lawful residence rights during the permit’s validity.

Therefore, a foreign executive who obtains a valid work permit ordinarily does not need a separate residence permit merely to live in Turkey during that period.

This makes the work permit particularly important for foreign directors relocating to Turkey with long-term management responsibilities.

Family members, however, require their own appropriate immigration arrangements.

Can the Foreign Director’s Family Live in Turkey?

Potentially, yes, but the director’s work permit does not automatically provide identical immigration status to every family member.

The spouse and children may need appropriate residence permits depending on their circumstances.

Foreign executives relocating with families should therefore coordinate the work-permit application with the family’s immigration planning.

This is especially important where children need to begin school shortly after relocation.

What Happens If the Company’s Financial Situation Changes?

Work-permit compliance does not necessarily end after the initial approval.

The company must continue satisfying conditions applicable during the permit period where required.

This is particularly important for foreign shareholder-managers whose initial permits contain the condition concerning employment of five Turkish citizens from the seventh month onward.

Failure to maintain required employment levels can create problems during extension proceedings.

Can the Director’s Work Permit Be Extended?

Yes, provided the relevant requirements continue to be satisfied.

The extension should be filed within the legally permitted period before the existing work permit expires.

During extension proceedings, the authorities can examine whether the company complied with the conditions underlying the previous permit.

For a foreign company partner, this may include checking employment numbers, corporate records and continuing share ownership.

What If the Foreign Director Sells Their Shares?

This can materially affect a work permit based on foreign-partner status.

If the permit was obtained because the foreign national was a qualifying shareholder-manager and the individual later disposes of the shares, the factual basis of the authorization changes.

The person’s new corporate role should therefore be evaluated immediately.

If the foreign national remains employed as a professional manager after selling the shares, a different work-permit structure may be required.

What If the Foreign Director Is Removed From Management?

Removal as director or manager can also affect the underlying work authorization.

For example, a foreign shareholder-manager may remain a shareholder but lose management authority.

Because non-managing company partners can fall within a different work-permit framework, the immigration and employment consequences should be assessed after the corporate change.

Foreign investors involved in shareholder disputes should therefore consider work-permit consequences alongside company-law remedies.

Can a Foreign Director’s Work Permit Application Be Rejected?

Yes.

Possible problems include failure to satisfy financial criteria, insufficient Turkish employment, inadequate foreign-partner capital, insufficient shareholding, salary deficiencies, inconsistencies in corporate documents or an assessment that the application does not comply with international labour-force policy.

A rejection should be examined according to the specific reasoning stated by the Ministry.

Simply filing the same application again without correcting the underlying problem may lead to another refusal.

Can a Work Permit Rejection Be Challenged?

Yes.

A foreign national or employer can pursue the administrative remedies available against an adverse work-permit decision.

If the dispute is not resolved administratively, judicial review before the competent administrative court may become available.

The notification date is important because administrative and judicial remedies are subject to procedural deadlines.

Where the director is essential to a foreign investment, the corporate and immigration strategy should be reviewed together before challenging the decision.

2026 Legal Position for Foreign Company Directors

The 2026 position can be summarized as follows.

A foreigner may own a Turkish company without automatically obtaining the right to work in it. A foreign shareholder who actively manages the business will generally need work authorization unless an exemption applies.

For foreign company partners subject to the ordinary criteria, the current framework generally requires at least 500,000 TL paid-in capital, at least 500,000 TL of the foreigner’s own capital share and at least 20% foreign shareholding. The company must generally employ five Turkish citizens beginning from the seventh month of the initial permit. Foreign partners whose capital share reaches USD 100,000 benefit from an important exception to those specific criteria.

Foreign professional managers who do not own shares are generally evaluated under the employee/manager criteria, including the applicable financial, Turkish-employment and salary requirements.

Non-resident board members of joint-stock companies and non-managing partners may fall within the work-permit exemption framework instead of requiring an ordinary permit.

The correct application therefore depends on the director’s shareholding, management authority, residence in Turkey and actual activities.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can a foreigner become a company director in Turkey?

Yes. Foreign nationals can hold management positions in Turkish companies subject to Turkish commercial law and any sector-specific restrictions. If the foreigner will actively work in Turkey, work authorization must also be considered.

2. Does a foreign shareholder need a work permit?

Not merely to own shares. However, a foreign shareholder who actively works as a manager or qualifying company partner generally needs a work permit unless an exemption applies.

3. How much of the company must a foreign shareholder own for the partner work-permit criteria?

Under the ordinary current criteria, the foreign partner generally must hold at least 20% of the company and have at least 500,000 TL as their capital share.

4. Must the Turkish company employ five Turkish citizens?

Generally, the foreign-company-partner criteria require five Turkish employees. For the initial permit, this requirement applies beginning from the seventh month.

5. What happens if the foreign partner invests at least $100,000?

Where the foreign partner’s capital share is USD 100,000 or more, the specific capital/shareholding and five-Turkish-employee criteria applicable to foreign partners do not apply.

6. Does a foreign board member always need a work permit?

No. A non-resident board member of a Turkish joint-stock company can fall within the work-permit exemption framework.

7. Can a foreign CEO who owns no shares obtain a work permit?

Yes. The application is generally assessed under the rules applicable to foreign employees and managers rather than the special company-partner criteria.

8. Can a foreigner establish a Turkish company before obtaining the work permit?

Yes, company establishment and work authorization are separate matters. However, the foreign national should obtain the required work authorization before personally commencing activities that require a permit.

9. Does the work permit allow the foreign director to live in Turkey?

A valid work permit generally provides lawful residence during its validity, so a separate residence permit is ordinarily unnecessary solely for the director’s own stay.

10. Can a rejected foreign-director work permit application be challenged?

Yes. Depending on the circumstances, administrative objection and subsequent judicial remedies may be available. The rejection grounds and notification date should be reviewed promptly.

Legal Support for Foreign Directors and Investors in Turkey

Foreign investors should structure company formation and work authorization together. Establishing a Turkish company first and investigating the director’s work-permit eligibility afterwards can create avoidable problems, particularly where the company’s capital, shareholding percentages or employment structure do not satisfy the applicable criteria.

Fırat Fesih Kaya Law Office provides legal assistance to foreign investors, company shareholders, directors, CEOs and international corporate groups concerning company establishment, foreign-director appointments, work permit applications, shareholder-manager permits, work permit extensions and rejected applications in Turkey.

Fırat Fesih Kaya can also review the proposed Turkish corporate structure before incorporation to determine whether the foreign investor will be treated as a shareholder-manager, professional foreign executive or person falling within a work-permit exemption.

This can be particularly important for foreign companies establishing Turkish subsidiaries, investors acquiring shares in existing Turkish businesses and multinational groups relocating senior executives to Turkey.

Phone: +90 312 434 22 22
Mobile Phone: +90 532 769 22 22
Email: info@firatfesihkaya.av.tr
Address: Mevlana Boulevard No: 221, Yildirim Tower, Balgat, Cankaya / Ankara, Turkey