Expanded penalties imposed for hiring unauthorized foreign labor in Turkey
New Turkish Regulation Tightens Employment of Foreign Workers
A new regulation, published in the Official Gazette, is set to take effect six months after July 23, 2025, in Turkey. The new law aims to curb illegal employment of foreign workers by imposing stricter employer liabilities and specific conditions for legal employment.
The regulation targets employers who hire undocumented foreign workers, with a significant increase in financial responsibility. Employers who breach this law will be charged for deportation-related costs, including accommodation, return travel, and medical expenses for the foreign worker and accompanying dependents. These costs, initially covered by the government migration management authority, will be billed to the employer with a one-month payment window before tax enforcement.
To legally hire foreign workers, companies must meet several requirements. They must be legally registered and actively operating, employ at least five Turkish citizens per foreign worker hired, offer positions that cannot be filled by Turkish nationals, and have minimum financial thresholds. The minimum paid-in capital for companies is set at 500,000 Turkish Liras, and gross sales must be at least 8 million Turkish Liras or have annual export revenue of $180,000.
Minimum gross salaries for foreign workers vary by role. For domestic work, the minimum wage is 26,005 Turkish Liras, while skilled labor positions start at 52,011 Turkish Liras. Managerial roles require a minimum wage of 78,016 Turkish Liras, engineers and architects earn a minimum of 104,022 Turkish Liras, and senior executives and pilots are paid a minimum of 130,027 Turkish Liras. Exceptions apply for elderly, child, or patient care roles.
Strategic sectors, such as tourism and IT, and industries like health care, aviation, and research & development may benefit from eased employment criteria. However, employers must adhere to these regulations to ensure legal employment of foreign nationals.
Unpaid debts will be pursued by tax authorities, and employers will have one month to pay the costs upon notification. The new regulation emphasizes compliance by tying both operational and financial criteria to the ability to legally employ foreign nationals, significantly raising employer risks and costs associated with undocumented workers.
In addition to the prohibition of employing foreign nationals without a work permit, the regulation outlines conditions for legal employment in Turkey, aiming to promote fair and responsible hiring practices. Employers are advised to familiarize themselves with these regulations and seek guidance from Turkish government or migration authorities for additional procedural details or sector-specific exemptions.
[1] Turkish Government Official Gazette, Regulation on Employment of Foreign Workers, July 23, 2025. [2] Turkish Government Migration Management Authority, Deportation Costs for Employers of Undocumented Foreign Workers, July 23, 2025. [3] Turkish Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Employer Eligibility Requirements for Hiring Foreign Workers, July 23, 2025. [4] Turkish Ministry of Finance, Minimum Gross Salaries for Foreign Workers by Job Type, July 23, 2025. [5] Turkish Ministry of Interior, Financial Thresholds for Companies Hiring Foreign Workers, July 23, 2025.
The new regulation, targeting several sectors such as tourism, IT, health care, aviation, and research & development, increases the financial responsibility of employers in the business industry who hire undocumented foreign workers, as they will be charged for deportation-related costs. Consequently, employers must adhere to the stringent employer eligibility requirements and specific conditions for legal employment of foreign workers, set forth by the Turkish Government, to avoid penalties and ensure compliance in the realm of politics and general news.
