Do Foreign Company Owners Need a Work Permit in Turkey?

Owning a company in Turkey (Türkiye) does not, by itself, give a foreigner the right to work in it or to live in the country. A foreign partner who manages the company — the manager-partner of a limited company or a shareholder who sits on the board of a joint stock company — needs a work permit (Law No. 6735, Art. 10(5)). A partner who does not manage, and a board member who does not live in Turkey, fall under the work permit exemption instead (Art. 13(7)). A pure investor who neither manages nor resides needs nothing more than the visa rules require.

The right answer therefore depends on what you actually do in the company and where you live. This guide walks through the three positions, the criteria applied to partners' work permit applications, the residence side, and the mistakes that lead to fines and deportation orders for people who thought that being the owner was enough.

• Managing partners need a work permit: LLC manager-partners, JSC board-member shareholders, managing general partners of partnerships limited by shares (Art. 10(5)).
• Exemption: non-resident JSC board members and non-managing partners of other companies (Art. 13(7)) — an exemption document must still be obtained (Art. 13(1)).
• Residence permit ≠ right to work (Art. 12(1)).
• Short visits: a cross-border service provider active in Turkey for no more than 90 days in 180 is within the exemption (Art. 13(7)).
• Company-formation residence permit: a short-term permit is available to those who will establish a business or commercial connections (Law No. 6458, Art. 31(1)(c)).
• Working without a permit: fines for the foreigner and the company, and a deportation ground.

Legal status of this guide. It reflects Law No. 6735 and Law No. 6458 as currently in force. The financial and shareholding criteria applied to partners' work permit applications are set by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and are revised; verify the current thresholds. Last updated: October 2026.

In this guide

• Three positions: manager, passive partner, visitor
• Who needs a work permit
• Who falls under the exemption
• What counts as working in your own company
• Criteria for a partner's work permit
• How the application is made
• The residence permit side
• Risks of getting it wrong
• Choosing a structure that fits
• Common mistakes
• Frequently asked questions

Three positions: manager, passive partner, visitor

Foreigners can establish and own companies in Turkey on the same footing as Turkish citizens; foreign ownership of up to 100 per cent is permitted in most sectors. Company law decides who may own; labour and migration law decide who may work and stay. The second question has three possible answers:

Your role	Authorisation	Basis
You manage the company: LLC manager who is a partner; JSC board member who is a shareholder; managing general partner of a partnership limited by shares	Work permit	Law No. 6735, Art. 10(5)
You are a JSC board member who does not reside in Turkey, or a partner in another type of company without the title of manager	Work permit exemption	Art. 13(7)
You only hold shares and visit occasionally for meetings	No work authorisation; visa or visa-free entry within the 90/180-day limit	Law No. 6458, Art. 11

Who needs a work permit

Article 10(5) of Law No. 6735 provides that the following foreigners, in companies established under the Turkish Commercial Code, may work by obtaining a work permit:

• the manager of a limited company who is also a partner;
• the board member of a joint stock company who is also a shareholder;
• the managing general partner (komandite partner) of a partnership limited by shares.

The provision removes any doubt that these people are "working" within the meaning of the law even though they are owners rather than employees. A foreigner who signs for the company, directs its staff, deals with banks and customers and runs its day-to-day business as its registered manager is working in Turkey and needs a permit.

The same applies, under the general rule, to a foreign partner or non-partner who is employed by the company in any other capacity — as general manager, sales director, engineer or chef. That person is an employee and needs an ordinary work permit applied for by the company (Art. 6(2), Art. 10(1)).

Who falls under the exemption

Article 13(7) places three groups within the work permit exemption:

• the board member of a joint stock company who does not reside in Turkey;
• the partner of other companies who does not have the title of manager;
• the cross-border service provider whose activities in Turkey do not exceed 90 days within 180 days.

Three points about the exemption are regularly missed:

1. An exemption is a document, not the absence of one. Foreigners within the scope of the exemption "may work provided they obtain a work permit exemption" (Art. 13(1)). The exemption is applied for and issued by the Ministry (Art. 13(2)–(5)).
2. It is defined by what you do not do. The non-managing partner is exempt because they do not manage. If in reality that partner runs the business, the exemption does not cover the activity.
3. Exemption time does not accumulate. Periods spent under an exemption are not counted in calculating lawful work-permit time or residence permit periods (Art. 13(6)) — relevant for anyone who later wants an indefinite work permit or a long-term residence permit.

What counts as working in your own company

The line between owning and working is drawn by conduct. As a guide:

Generally consistent with being a passive investor or visitor	Generally treated as working
Attending general assembly and board meetings	Being registered as manager and signing on the company's behalf day to day
Negotiating the investment, visiting premises, meeting advisers	Serving customers, taking orders, operating the till
Receiving dividends	Supervising staff and running operations on site
Signing founding documents and powers of attorney	Regular presence at the workplace performing a function

Inspectors do not look at the share register; they look at who is behind the counter. Owners of restaurants, shops, salons and agencies who are found working on the premises without a permit are fined in the same way as any other unpermitted worker — and the company is fined as the employer. See working without a work permit in Turkey.

Criteria for a partner's work permit

A work permit application by a foreign partner is assessed like any other against the international labour force policy and the Ministry's evaluation criteria (Art. 7(4)–(6)), and can be refused on the grounds in Article 9. The criteria relevant to partners concern, in broad terms:

• The partner's share in the capital — a minimum percentage and a minimum value of the share are required; a nominal shareholding does not qualify. The law itself lists the capital share as a factor (Art. 10(7)).
• The company's capital, turnover or exports — the workplace must reach at least one of the financial thresholds.
• The ratio of Turkish employees — as a rule, a set number of Turkish citizens must be employed for each foreigner for whom a permit is requested. For the foreign partner's own permit this requirement has, under the implementing rules, been applied with a grace period after establishment; confirm the current position before relying on it.
• Remuneration — the salary declared for the partner-manager must be at least the multiple of the minimum wage required for a manager's position.
• Genuine activity — tax registration, premises, social security registration and evidence that the company is actually trading.

The law allows these ordinary criteria to be relaxed for foreigners assessed as qualified investors on the basis of the level of investment or exports, the employment to be created and their contribution to science and technology (Art. 16(1)(b)).

A first permit is granted for one year at most; the first renewal for up to two years; later renewals for up to three (Art. 10(1)–(2)). Renewal must be requested within the 60 days before expiry — late applications are rejected (Art. 7(3)).

How the application is made

1. Establish the company and complete trade registry, tax and social security registrations.
2. Decide the foreign partner's role and reflect it accurately in the articles and in the registry: manager-partner, or partner without management authority with a separately appointed manager.
3. Status of the foreign partner at the time of application. Applications inside Turkey are made directly to the Ministry (Art. 7(1)) and in practice require a valid residence permit with sufficient time remaining; otherwise the application starts at a Turkish consulate abroad and the company completes it online.
4. File online through the Ministry's system in the company's name, with the trade registry gazette showing capital and shareholding, the balance sheet, the passport, diploma and the employment or service contract.
5. Decision. Complete applications are to be assessed within 30 days (Art. 7(8)); missing documents must be supplied within 30 days or the application is rejected (Art. 7(7)).
6. After approval. Pay the fees, register with social security within the statutory period, and observe the 15-day notification duties (Art. 22).

If the application is refused, the decision is notified to the company as employer and can be objected to within 30 days; see Work Permit Rejected in Turkey.

The residence permit side

• A work permit is a residence permit. A partner who holds a work permit needs no separate residence permit (Law No. 6458, Art. 27).
• Short-term residence permit for establishing a business. Foreigners who will establish commercial connections or a business are among those to whom a short-term residence permit may be granted (Law No. 6458, Art. 31(1)(c)). It allows the founder to live in Turkey while setting up, or as a non-managing partner. It gives no right to work (Law No. 6735, Art. 12(1)), and like all short-term permits it is refused or cancelled if used for a purpose other than the one for which it was granted (Law No. 6458, Art. 33).
• A company is not a guarantee of residence. A dormant company with no real activity does not, in current practice, support repeated residence permits. The administration looks at tax declarations, turnover, premises and staff.
• Family. A partner holding a work or residence permit can sponsor a spouse and children for family residence permits, subject to the income, housing and insurance conditions (Law No. 6458, Art. 34–35).
• Long-term perspective. Years on a work permit count towards the eight years required for a long-term residence permit and for an indefinite work permit; years on an exemption do not. See independent and indefinite work permits in Turkey.

Risks of getting it wrong

• Administrative fines for the foreigner — at the higher rate for those working on their own account — and for the company for each unpermitted foreigner, doubled on repetition (Law No. 6735, Art. 23(5)–(6)).
• Deportation. A foreigner found working without a permit is reported for deportation (Art. 23(8); Law No. 6458, Art. 54(1)(ğ)), which is followed by an entry ban — separating the owner from the business.
• Loss of the residence permit for use outside its purpose.
• Costs. The employer bears accommodation, return and health costs of an unpermitted foreign worker (Art. 23(9)).
• Refusal of later applications. A record of unpermitted work, and any false or misleading information in an application, weigh against future permits (Art. 9(1)(b)).

Setting up or already running a company in Turkey? Tell us the company type, your shareholding, your role and your current residence status. Message Yayla Law on WhatsApp or use the contact form. It is much easier to structure the role correctly before registration than to regularise it after an inspection.

Choosing a structure that fits

Your plan	Structure to consider	Authorisation
Live in Turkey and run the business yourself	LLC or JSC with you as manager-partner or board-member shareholder; company meets the criteria	Work permit
Invest, live in Turkey, leave management to someone else	You as partner without management authority; Turkish or permitted foreign manager appointed	Work permit exemption; residence permit on a suitable basis
Invest and stay abroad	JSC with you as non-resident board member, or LLC partner without management title	Exemption for non-resident board members; visits within 90/180 days
Company not yet able to meet the criteria	Start as a non-managing partner; apply for a work permit when the company qualifies	Exemption first, work permit later
Large investment or export operation	Application as qualified investor on relaxed criteria; consider the Turquoise Card	Work permit or Turquoise Card

Whatever is chosen must match reality. A registry entry naming a local manager does not protect a foreign partner who is in fact found running the shop.

Common mistakes

1. "It is my company, I do not need a permit."
2. Working on a company-formation residence permit.
3. Registering as manager-partner without applying for a work permit.
4. Assuming the exemption needs no document.
5. A shareholding too small to meet the partner criteria, or a capital figure below the threshold.
6. Buying a shell company "with residence". Companies sold as a way to obtain residence without real activity lead to refusals.
7. Late renewal of the work permit.
8. Relying on exemption years towards an indefinite work permit or long-term residence.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a work permit to run my own company in Turkey?

Yes, if you manage it. Manager-partners of limited companies, shareholders on the board of joint stock companies and managing general partners of partnerships limited by shares work on the basis of a work permit under Article 10(5) of Law No. 6735.

Can I own a company in Turkey without a work permit?

Yes. Owning shares requires no work permit. A partner who has no management title, and a joint stock company board member who does not reside in Turkey, fall under the work permit exemption, for which an exemption document is obtained from the Ministry.

Does opening a company give me a residence permit in Turkey?

Not automatically. A short-term residence permit may be granted to those who will establish a business or commercial connections, and a work permit obtained through the company also serves as a residence permit. A company without real activity does not secure residence in practice.

Can I work in my company with a residence permit?

No. The law states that holding a residence permit for any reason does not give the right to work. Working in the business on a residence permit alone is work without a permit.

What are the requirements for a foreign partner's work permit?

The application is assessed against the Ministry's criteria, which concern the partner's capital share, the company's capital or turnover, the ratio of Turkish employees and the salary declared, together with evidence of genuine activity. The thresholds are revised periodically.

What happens if I work in my own business without a permit?

You are fined, the company is fined for employing you, and you are reported for deportation, which brings an entry ban. Any residence permit you hold may be cancelled for use outside its purpose.

Can I attend meetings in Turkey without a work permit?

Attending general assembly or board meetings and business negotiations as a visitor is generally not treated as working, provided you stay within your visa or visa-exempt period and the 90/180-day limit.

Does time as a company partner count towards permanent residence?

Time on a work permit counts as residence. Time under a work permit exemption is not counted in calculating work-permit or residence permit periods.

Can my family join me?

Yes. A partner holding a work permit or residence permit can sponsor a spouse and children for family residence permits if the income, housing and health insurance conditions are met.

Legal basis and sources

• International Labour Force Law No. 6735, Articles 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 16 and 21–23 — official consolidated text at mevzuat.gov.tr.
• Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection, Articles 11, 27, 31, 33–35 and 54.
• Turkish Commercial Code No. 6102.
• Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Directorate General of International Labour Force — csgb.gov.tr/uigm.

This article provides general legal information on Turkish law as of October 2026. It is not legal or tax advice. Work permit criteria for company partners change; verify the current thresholds before structuring your company.