WORKING & LIVING IN TURKEY

• Work permit law in Turkey

• Residence permit law in Turkey

• Occupations prohibited to foriegners in Turkey

Foreigners in Turkey may work only at those jobs which are not prohibited to foreigners. Persons who intend to work in Turkey are required to obtain permission from the security authorities and to have this status registered in their residence permits.

Foreigners in Turkey may work only at those jobs which are not prohibited to foreigners. Persons who intend to work in Turkey are required to obtain permission from the security authorities and to have this status registered in their residence permits. In some cases a separate work permit may also he issued. Turkish organizations or private individuals employing foreigners are required to submit a written report concerning the foreign employee and his work to the nearest police or gendarme station.

Persons who wish to stay longer in Turkey are required to apply to the security authorities for a residence permit. The maximum duration of a residence permit is five years. Persons who wish to extend this period must apply again to the security authorities within fifteen days of the expiration of their residence permits. They may also apply before their residence permits expire. If a foreigner with a residence permit has children under eighteen years of age they may either be issued separate residence permits or he listed as accompanying minors in their mother's or father's residence permit. If a foreigner who has a residence permit changes his residence he must report this fact within forty-eight hours to the police or gendarme stations nearest both his old and his new residences either in person or by registered letter. Foreigners who have residence permits must report any changes in their marital status by a signed statement to the security authorities in their district within fifteen days of the change. They must also have their new status registered in their residence permits. Applications for residence permits by the following persons will be refused without consideration: a) persons coming to practice a profession prohibited to foreigners; b) persons not in a position to conform to Turkish law, customs, or political conditions, or persons engaging in activities not in conformity with these; c) persons clearly unable to secure legally the material support necessary for the duration of their desired stay in Turkey; d) persons who have entered Turkey illegally and. e) persons whose presence in Turkey is disruptive of the general peace and tranquility. Residence permits may be revoked by the Ministry of the Interior, and the Council of Ministers may make changes in the conditions and duration of residence permits both in general and in particular cases for the purpose of reciprocity with or reprisals against a certain country.

Only Turkish citizens may work as State employees in Turkey. For the sake of the general welfare, the practice of certain other professions is also prohibited to foreigners. These include law, medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, and working as a notary public. However, according to Law no.3359 of 7 May 1987, permission may he granted to foreign expert doctors to work in Turkey.

Apart from the professions listed above, some other occupations have been prohibited to foreigners according to the provisions of the "Law Regarding Trades and Services Reserved to Turkish Citizens in Turkey" no.2007 of 11 June 1932. Foreigners for example, may not work as itinerant salesmen, musicians, photographers, barbers, typesetters, middlemen, clothing and shoe manufacturers, stock brokers, sellers of State monopoly products, interpreters and tourist guides, transport workers, or construction, iron, and wood workers.

Foreigners are also prohibited from working at water, lighting and heating installations, either temporarily or permanently, and at loading and unloading sites. They may not work as drivers, day laborers, watchmen, janitors, waiters, or household help or as singers or entertainers in bars, nor as veterinarians or pharmacists.