Turkey Exempts Foreigners Under Temporary Protection from Traditional Work Permit Requirement

The Turkish government has announced that foreigners under Temporary Protection will no longer be required to obtain a traditional work permit. Instead, they will be issued a new document that allows them to work legally through a simpler and faster process.

 According to the new system, foreigners holding a Temporary Protection ID will no longer have to wait for a traditional work permit card, a process that previously involved lengthy procedures and bureaucratic delays.

Instead, they will receive a Work Permit Exemption Certificate, which allows them to work legally. The document also enables employers to register workers directly with Turkey's social security and health insurance systems without having to complete the traditional work permit application process.

The Work Permit Exemption Certificate can be issued for up to three years and offers several important benefits, including:

• No need to wait for a traditional work permit to be issued.
• Faster registration of Syrian workers with employers.
• Easier movement between jobs without having to apply for a new work permit each time.
• Lower costs for employers, who previously had to pay around 5,600 Turkish lira in work permit fees.
• Less bureaucracy, reducing procedures that could previously take 25 days or more.

Despite these new facilitations, the exemption certificate does not allow foreigners to work freely in any province across Turkey. Holders will only be allowed to work in the province where the exemption certificate was issued.

To qualify, applicants must:

• Hold a valid Temporary Protection ID.
• Have an officially registered residential address (Adres Kayıt).
• Be able to access their e-Devlet (Turkish e-Government) account.