Resources for employers in the Republic of Türkiye
Resources for employers in the Republic of Türkiye
We use "refugees" to encompass forcibly displaced people with different legal statuses, such as asylum-seekers (international protection applicants), refugees, (including conditional refugees) subsidiary protection beneficiaries, and temporary protection beneficiaries.
In cases where differentiating information relating to each status is essential (i.e. regarding the right to work), this is clearly indicated.
Why hire refugees and stateless people in Türkiye?
Türkiye is one of the primary refugee-hosting countries in the world, and a world leader when it comes to managing large-scale programs targeting refugees’ needs. Refugees are motivated to work and contribute, but many remain outside the formal labour market. Employers can play a pivotal role by opening their doors to refugees and supporting them to secure work permits, formalize their work, and develop their careers by building on their formation, skills, and abilities.
This situation is commonly referred to as “the refugee gap." Companies are facing pressures to find talent. However, they are facing a gap in offering employment to refugees, stateless people and migrant groups. Thus, refugees remain a source of untapped potential for Türkiye. According to the World Economic Forum, streamlining their access to work can support their ambitions for self-reliance, while offering businesses a way forward by taking advantage of the diverse talent pool available.
Read more in the World Economic Forum paper “Enabling the Economic Inclusion of Refugees: Lessons on Providing Refugees with Timely Access to Labour Markets."
In 2020, H&M Türkiye launched a special program with its partners and suppliers to employ refugees. Since then, it has helped more than 400 refugees to earn a living and aims to reach 2000 by 2025. They have work permits, are socially insured, work in a safe work environment, and are paid according to Turkish law. The program also includes work mentorship to help recruits transition into the new job. Learn more about the program here.
How many refugees and stateless people are there in Türkiye?
As of January 2025, there are over 2.8 million temporary protection beneficiaries from Syria and 190 000 persons under international protection, mostly from Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran.
As of the end of 2023, there were approximately 415 recorded stateless people and people of undetermined nationality in Türkiye.
Visit the Refugee Data Finder to learn more
How many of them are working?
In 2023, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security reported that 108 520 Syrian nationals had been granted work permits. However, the legal status of these individuals was not specified, making it difficult to confirm exactly how many were refugees. The Ministry has since confirmed that in 2024 a total of 109,370 work permits were issued for Syrians holding temporary protection status (announced in February 2025).
A significant number of Syrians under temporary protection are believed to be engaged in informal employment. By 2020, approximately one million refugees were estimated to be working without official registration.
Read more from AIDA's country report for Türkiye.
What are the main challenges?
Access to employment for forcibly displaced people in Türkiye varies by city and sector. However, low wages, informal employment, bureaucratic barriers, language barriers, limited awareness of legal rights, and exclusion from the social protection system are among the most reported problems in all provinces and sectors.
Undeclared employment, exploitative working conditions, and underemployment, especially among skilled professionals, are widespread problems, although research has shown Syrians under temporary protection to be acutely impacted by these.
Employers often avoid hiring foreign workers formally due to the costs of social security contributions and taxes, pushing many refugees into the informal sector. Additionally, existing social assistance mechanisms can inadvertently encourage informal employment; when a refugee secures a formal job, they may lose financial aid immediately, leading some to prefer working informally rather than transitioning into registered employment.
Stateless people in Türkiye face significant challenges in accessing legal employment as they must first receive official confirmation of their status before being able to apply for a work permit.
Read more in the Türkiye Country Chapter 2023 – 2025 report by the Regional Refugee Response and Resilience Plan
Refugees in Türkiye are hard-working and highly entrepreneurial, having established over 6000 new businesses in Türkiye. They can also bring business connections between Turkish and Syrian businesses and help Turkish companies access Arabic-speaking markets. Learn more in the Building Markets report here.
| Status | Who it applies to | Right to work? | Process |
| International protection applicant status (asylum-seeker) | Individuals who have arrived in the country and applied for international protection, pending processing of their application. | May apply for a work permit after 6 months following the lodging date of their international protection application. | Employers apply for a work permit from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security through an online system (E-Devlet).
For independent work, the person may apply for work permit through the online system (E-Devlet). |
| Refugee status | Individuals who sought asylum in Türkiye due to the events occurred in Europe, owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion in their country of origin. | They have full access to dependent and independent employment with their International Protection status holder ID, and there are no restrictions on the types of work they can engage in, except for professions that can only be performed by Turkish citizens (see below). | The same hiring process applies to refugees as to Turkish nationals, with no other requirements. |
| Conditional refugee | Individuals who fled due to events that occurred outside of Europe (for example, Afghanistan or Iraq) and who are granted international protection in Türkiye for reasons similar to those mentioned above. | May apply for a work permit after 6 months following the lodging date of their international protection application. | Employers may apply for a work permit through an electronic system (E-Devlet) to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.
For independent work, the person may apply for work permit through the online system (E-Devlet). |
| Subsidiary protection | Individuals who face individualized risk of indiscriminate violence, death sentence or execution of the death penalty, or torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. | They have full access to dependent and independent employment with their International Protection status holder ID, without restrictions on the types of work they can engage in, except for professions that can only be performed by Turkish citizens (see below). | The same hiring process applies to subsidiary protection holders as Turkish nationals, with no other requirements. |
| Temporary protection | Currently, for citizens of the Syrian Arab Republic, stateless people and refugees who have arrived from Syria as of April 2011, Türkiye implements a temporary protection regime. | Temporary protection may apply for a work permit six months after their registration date. | Effective as of 15 October 2024, Syrian nationals under temporary protection, who are registered in the system by the Presidency of Migration Management (PMM), are exempted from the work permit requirement. They can apply independently through the official online system at https://randevu.goc.gov.tr/.
The evaluation process is completed on the same day, and successful applicants receive a work permit exemption free of charge. |
| Foreigner residence permit for Ukrainians | Individuals fleeing the war in Ukraine who enter Türkiye with a passport or their national ID may stay in the country legally with a visa exemption for up to 90 days. After that, they can apply for a residence permit for a short—or long-term stay through a simplified procedure. | May apply for a work permit for the right to work. | Applicants apply to the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services for a work permit through an online system (E-Devlet). |
| Stateless person | A person who does not hold the citizenship of any state and who is considered as foreigner. | Stateless persons with ID cards can apply for a work permit and are exempted from some conditions and bureaucratic steps required of other foreigners. Persons pending determination of their stateless status cannot apply for a work permit. | Employers apply for a work permit from the Ministry of Labour through an online system (E-Devlet). For independent work, the person may apply for work permit through the online system (E-Devlet). |
Bear in mind
The number of beneficiaries actively employed in a specific workplace may comprise at most 20% of the workforce (10% for temporary protection status holders), unless the employer can prove that Turkish nationals are unable to undertake the position. Only one temporary protection beneficiary may be recruited if the workplace employs less than ten people.
Applications for work permits must be made in the international protection applicant’s and conditional refugee's province of registration. If a refugee is registered in another province, they need to apply with their employer at the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management to change their place of registration.
An exemption from the obligation to obtain a work permit is available for seasonal agriculture and livestock works sectors in the case of international protection applicants, conditional refugees, and temporary protection holders. In these cases, however, the applicant must apply for an exemption to the relevant Provincial Directorates of Labour and Employment Agency (ISKUR)
In Türkiye, there are 28 professions/services that cannot be performed/offered by foreigners, such as dentists, chemists, veterinarians, lawyers, private guards, custom auditors, and tourist guides, among others.
People who wish to work in the health and educational sectors must obtain preliminary permission from the relevant ministry before applying for a work permit. Teachers and academic staff at primary, secondary schools must obtain approval from Provincial Directorate of the Ministry of National Education. University lecturers and professors require approval from the Higher Education Council (YOK). Once approved, the individuals can submit their work permit applications.
Foreign nationals wishing to work in the health sector must obtain preliminary approval from the Provincial Directorate of the Ministry of Health. Once approved, the individuals can submit their work permit applications.
Any sectoral or geographical restriction on access to employment cannot be imposed on refugees or beneficiaries of subsidiary protection who have resided in Türkiye for 3 years, are married to a Turkish citizen, or have a Turkish child.
Individuals who wish to work independently (self-employed), must apply for a work permit by themselves. The required documents include a completed application form, a valid Temporary Protection or International Protection ID card, a business plan outlining the planned activities, proof of financial resources to establish and sustain the business, and any relevant professional qualifications if required for the sector. Additionally, they must obtain necessary municipal licenses and sector-specific permits depending on the nature of the business.
How do I connect with refugee and stateless talent?
Many NGOs and other organizations working with refugee communities can support employers in sourcing, recruiting, and completing necessary paperwork, such as work permits and other required documents for hiring refugees. Some of these include SGDD-ASAM, Care International, and Turkish Red Crescent, , actively assist businesses in hiring refugees.
Additionally, Municipalities, Industry Associations, Chambers of Commerce, Public Education Centres, ISKUR play a crucial role in promoting employability projects, offering job-matching services, business development support, employment incentives to facilitate refugee workforce inclusion.
You can also contact the UNHCR Development Unit directly at: [email protected].
What can I do to support refugee and stateless employees?
The most beneficial measure employers can take in support of refugee and stateless employees is to ensure that the employment relationship is fully documented with the appropriate contracts and work permits. Providing clear job descriptions, fair wages, and access to social security can further enhance workplace stability and integration. While the procedures may take time, refugees benefit from this security in their employment, and while probabilities of retention for the employer are maximized.
Candidate matching:
Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR) allows employers to connect with refugees who are part of their vocational training and career counselling programs. Employers can also benefit from the agency's general incentive programs, such as subsidies for social security payments for young people, women, or the unemployed. Learn more here.
Capacity development for employers
The Facility for Refugees in Türkiye, one of the main mechanisms for EU aid, provides capacity-development activities aimed at stimulating the employment of refugees. These activities cover topics such as work permit application processes, exports to Arabic-speaking countries, and the benefits of cooperation with Syrian entrepreneurs.
Incentives for formal employment
The Transition to Formality Program (KIGEP) implemented by the International Labour Organization, aims to increase formal employment levels for refugees through incentives provided to employers. For six months, the program covers the costs of work permits and social security payments for enterprises that hire Turkish and Syrian workers in accordance with labour and social security legislation.
The AIDA Türkiye country report provides more in-depth information on the asylum and international protection regimes in Türkiye.
An FAQ document by 'Refugee Rights Turkey' about the process of acquiring a work permit for a temporary protection holder.
A report by ILO on the Transition to Formality program and the results of an employer survey conducted among participants.