In 2026, the official document charge for a one-year fixed-term work permit is 12.574,90 TL + a valuable-paper (card) fee of 964 TL = a total of 13.538,90 TL; the charge for an indefinite and an independent work permit is 125.802,20 TL (Law on Fees General Communiqué Series No. 98). These are official state charges; the applying party in a work permit is legally the employer, and the charges are paid after approval.
A Work Permit Fee Is Not a Single Figure
The amount to be paid for a foreign work permit in Türkiye does not consist of a single item. Most people, when they say “work permit fee,” think only of the state charge; yet the total cost consists of three main layers: the official charge (the document charge set by law by the state), the valuable-paper fee (the printing cost of the permit card) and the non-charge process costs (such as translation, notary, insurance). These three layers are independent of one another and are paid by different parties at different times.
Another critical point: work permit charges differ very significantly by permit type. There is a difference of dozens of times between the charge for a one-year fixed-term permit and that for an indefinite permit. For this reason the correct answer to “how much does it cost?” begins with determining which type of work permit is being applied for. (For the differences between types: Work Permit Types.)
2026 Official Charge Amounts
The 2026 work permit charges were set by the Law on Fees General Communiqué (Series No. 98) published in the Official Gazette dated 31 December 2025, and are valid from 1 January 2026. The current official amounts are as follows:
| Permit type / duration | Official document charge (2026) |
|---|---|
| Fixed-term — up to 1 year (1 year included) | 12.574,90 TL |
| Fixed-term — more than 1 year, up to 2 years | 25.149,80 TL |
| Fixed-term — more than 2 years, up to 3 years | 37.724,70 TL |
| Fixed-term — more than 3 years, up to 4 years | 50.299,60 TL |
| Fixed-term — more than 4 years, up to 5 years | 62.874,50 TL |
| Indefinite work permit | 125.802,20 TL |
| Independent work permit | 125.802,20 TL |
| Temporary Protection work permit (1 year, standard) | 4.677,90 TL |
To each of the charges above, a 964 TL valuable-paper (card) fee is added separately — for example, for a one-year fixed-term permit the total ≈ 13.538,90 TL. The fixed-term permit charge is proportional to the duration (the tiers in the table). The card fee for loss or renewal is about half of the relevant document charge; the charge amount is paid to account code 9130 and the valuable-paper fee to account code 9267, separately.
These amounts are official state charges and are updated each year by the revaluation rate (basis: Official Gazette dated 31 December 2025, Law on Fees General Communiqué Series No. 98; for the valuable paper, Public Accounting General Communiqué Sequence No. 97) — they must be confirmed against the current communiqué before applying. Official source: Ministry of Labour and Social Security — Directorate General of International Labour Force.
Who Pays the Charge — Employer or Employee?
This is one of the most confused topics. In a work permit — unlike a residence permit or citizenship application — the applying party is legally the employer. The first application from abroad is made by the employer through the Turkish representation in the foreigner’s country; the application of a foreigner with valid residence in Türkiye is likewise initiated by the employer via e-Government (e-Devlet).
The practical consequence: the official charge and the valuable-paper fee are in practice most often paid by the employer, because the obligation toward the Ministry rests on the employer making the application. The arrangement between employer and employee may differ (who bears how much), but this is a private agreement and does not change the relationship with the state. In an independent work permit and the Turquoise Card, since the foreigner applies on their own behalf, the obligation rests directly with them.
Non-Charge Costs
The official charge is only one part of the total cost. Depending on the nature of the file, the main items that may be added to the budget are:
- Sworn translation: sworn translation of diplomas, contracts and official documents arriving from abroad.
- Notary and apostille procedures: notary approval of certain documents or apostille/consular certification.
- Health insurance: valid insurance covering the permit period (may change once SGK coverage begins).
- Employer-side obligations: SGK notifications for the foreigner with a work permit and the related financial obligations.
The amount of these items varies from file to file; for this reason it would not be correct to give a single “total cost” figure. Which documents require translation/certification and which insurance is sufficient differ according to the person’s nationality and position — a missing or wrong item is one of the most frequent causes of the process being prolonged and of additional cost.
How and When Is Payment Made?
The charge is paid not at the moment of application, but after the application is found suitable by the Ministry. The process works like this: the application is evaluated, if it concludes positively a notification is sent, and from that notification the charge and the valuable-paper fee are paid within 30 days.
The two amounts are paid separately: the work permit charge and the valuable-paper fee are paid to different accounting codes, with separate receipts. The most critical warning is this: if payment is not made within the 30-day period, the application is removed from process (rejected) even if it had been found suitable. In other words, delaying the charge payment can cost even a positively concluded application. Tracking the schedule at this final step of the process is at least as important as the application itself.
Official Charge ≠ Consultancy Fee
A final and most important distinction: all the amounts in this article are official state charges — they are set by law, are the same for everyone and are paid directly to the state. A consultancy office’s service fee is entirely separate from this and is the consideration for running the process, document preparation and coordination.
Because we work without intermediaries and directly with the founder, our pricing is transparent; the specific clear service fee for you is shared after your file is evaluated, in a free initial consultation. We pass on the official charges as they are and clarify from the outset which item belongs to the state and which to the service — so that no surprise item arises. In the work permit process we take on the document and process coordination on the employer and employee side; you wait. Details: Work Permit Consultancy.