Tech Visa, Turquoise Card or work permit: which one is right for you?

The Tech Visa

Türkiye's Tech Visa started on 16 September 2024 for people working in technology. It is a work permit of up to three years, applied for through the Ministry of Labour's work-permit system, and it is not the same as the Turquoise Card. There are two routes:

• The professional route: you have, or are getting, a job offer from a technology company in Türkiye.
• The founder route: you have your own tech idea or startup and set it up in Türkiye.

On the startup route you don't need to hire any Turkish employees. Instead you need approvals from the Ministry of Industry and Technology, and the project has to be shown to be innovative and viable for Türkiye. We handle it end to end: company registration and residence, writing the project, and preparing you for the interview. It costs USD 3,000 in total and takes about four months; a standard company registration is much faster (USD 1,200–1,500).

The Turquoise Card

The Turquoise Card gives unlimited rights to work and live in Türkiye and brings residence for your spouse and dependent children. Unlike a work permit, it isn't tied to one employer. It is issued first with a three-year transition period and becomes permanent if your situation holds during that time.

It is for five groups: highly skilled professionals, investors, scientists and researchers, prominent athletes and artists, and specialists in Turkish culture. Assessment is points-based: for a professional, the level of education, the university's standing, salary, languages and work experience; for an investor, the amount invested, the number of jobs created and how important the activity is for Türkiye. Registering a company is not always required: investors usually need a company structure, but professionals and researchers are judged on their education, expertise and position.

The ordinary work permit

A standard work permit comes through an employer or through your own company, depends on that employer or company, and is renewed periodically. Through your own company it needs Turkish employees: five per foreign partner if you have never held Turkish residence, one if you have. It is the most common route and the fastest to set up.

How to choose

• You work in tech and have your own startup idea: the Tech Visa founder route, with no Turkish hires.
• You have a job offer from a Turkish tech company: the Tech Visa professional route.
• You are a highly qualified professional, investor or researcher and want rights not tied to one employer: check the Turquoise Card, knowing the bar is higher.
• You want to run an ordinary business or have an ordinary job offer: the standard work permit, through your own company or the employer.

If you already hold a work permit through your own company

That permit depends on that company. Closing the company before your new status is issued can end your current residence, so the order and timing of the steps matter. Talk to us before you change anything.