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| Working
in Turkey
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The
rise in popularity of Turkey as a holiday
location and a place to buy affordable and
desirable property has resulted in more
expatriates relocating and living and working in
Turkey.
There are a few fields of employment in which
foreigners are not permitted to work but
generally speaking those with a desire to work
in Turkey and who can provide a specialist skill
or talent to the labour force will find
employment opportunities particularly in the
tourism, teaching, real estate and finance
fields for example – with the most
opportunities available in Istanbul.
To enter Turkey residents of the UK and most
European countries require only a tourism visa
which is renewable and valid for three months at
a time. You will be charged around GBP 10
for the visa upon arrival at a port or airport
in Turkey and those who wish to spend longer in
the country can take a day trip to Northern
Cyprus or a short break on one of the Greek
islands and then just return and apply for a new
visa.
Such open rules can currently be exploited to
the advantage of those wishing to live and work
in Turkey but who have no desire to go through
the registration process. It could be that
there is a crackdown or tightening of the rules
in the future however, and one should always be
aware of governmental policies relating to
immigration controls when living and working in
a foreign country because ignorance of any
changes is no excuse!
Anyone planning on living and working in Turkey
for a prolonged period might be best advised to
apply for a resident’s permit from the outset
especially if they plan to import their worldly
goods from the country they herald from – only
those with a resident’s permit can get their
personal effects into Turkey and avoid paying
import taxes you see.
The process of application should begin as soon
as you enter Turkey on your latest tourism visa
because the process can take a while and anyone
who extends their stay over the period of their
visa faces heavy fines. The first thing to
do is go to the local police station and visit
the immigration officials, you’ll need to take
some or all of the following items depending on
where you herald from - a completed application
form in triplicate, a letter of application for
residency, at least 6 passport sized
photographs, passport, property deeds or rental
contract and proof of wealth.
As the Turkish rules of immigration differ on a
nation by nation basis it’s sensible to take a
translator with you to determine what
requirements you will have to fulfil. A
permit costs about GBP 200 annually although
costs can also change.
Work permits are generally applied for by the
employer and because they take ages to issue
most foreigners have been in their job for many
months before they receive their permission to
work! The majority of those who wish to
start their own business choose to incorporate a
limited company – depending on the proposed
activities that the company will engage in it is
either possible to incorporate a company alone
as a foreigner or to take a Turkish business
partner and set up the company together. |
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