Work permits under temporary protection

Who can apply?

Foreigners holding a temporary protection identity document, with a foreigner ID number beginning with ninety-nine, can apply. The application is filed through the e-İzin system by the employer, not by the foreigner.

The six-month rule

A work permit application can be made once six months have passed since registration for temporary protection. Applications made before that are not assessed.

The temporary protection ID alone does not grant the right to work. Holding it lets you apply; it does not let you work — a permit or exemption must come first.

Provincial limits and quota

The province of registration

As a rule the permit is granted in the province where the foreigner's temporary protection registration is held. Anyone wanting to work elsewhere must first change province through the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management.

Where a permit is granted outside the province of registration, a travel permit document may be required.

The quota

The number of foreigners under temporary protection at a workplace cannot exceed ten per cent of the Turkish citizens employed there. Where fewer than ten Turkish citizens work at the place, at most one foreigner may be employed.

The quota may be exceeded if the provincial employment agency cannot find a Turkish citizen with the same qualifications within four weeks. Seasonal agriculture and livestock work fall outside the quota.

Seasonal agriculture and livestock exemption

Foreigners under temporary protection working in seasonal agriculture and livestock fall under a work permit exemption and do not need a separate permit.

The exemption application goes to the Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Services in the province of registration. If approved, an information form is issued. That document does not replace a residence permit either.

The exemption may be applied with numerical limits by province. Check the position in the province where the work will take place before applying.

Salary and social security

The salary paid to a foreigner under temporary protection cannot fall below the minimum wage. The employer must register them with social security and pay the contributions.

Declaring a salary below the minimum wage, or employing without insurance, brings administrative fines for the employer and leads to cancellation of the permit.

Undeclared work is the most widespread problem in this group. A foreigner found working without a permit is reported for deportation, and their protection status is put at risk too.

The permit does not replace residence

A work permit issued to someone under temporary protection does not serve in place of a residence permit. This is stated plainly on the back of the document in Turkish and Arabic.

If the Ministry of Interior ends the temporary protection status, the work permit loses validity as well. Keeping the status means keeping the right to work.

The permit's duration is tied to the validity of the temporary protection identity document and cannot exceed it.

On documents issued under temporary protection, the fact that the permit does not replace a residence permit is stated in Turkish and Arabic — specimen image published by the Ministry.