Being a partner (shareholder) in a company does not, by itself, grant the right to work in Türkiye. A foreigner who will actually work in the company (as manager/director) must, as a rule, obtain a work permit. A partner who is the director of a limited company must get a work permit; a partner who is a board member of a joint-stock company is exempt only if not resident in Türkiye (a certificate is still obtained from the Ministry even for the exemption). Criteria such as the share ratio, employment and the company's financial capacity are also examined; current thresholds should be confirmed before applying.
Being a Partner Is Not a Right to Work
One of the most common misconceptions among foreigners is: “I became a partner in the company, so I can work here now.” In fact, in Türkiye being a partner (shareholder) and actually working are legally two separate things. Putting capital into a company and becoming a shareholder does not automatically grant the person the right to work in that company.
The decisive question is: will the foreigner actually work in the company? That is, will they act as manager/director, transact on behalf of the workplace, and draw a salary? If the answer is yes, a work permit is, as a rule, required. A person who remains only a shareholder and does not hold a managerial title is assessed differently. This distinction is the first switch that determines the whole process.
Ltd. Director or Joint-Stock Board Member?
The type of company and the foreigner’s title within it directly change whether a work permit is required. Two basic situations can be summarised as follows:
| Title | Work permit |
|---|---|
| Pure shareholder partner without a managerial title | Not required as a rule (assessed under the exemption) |
| Partner who is a director of a limited company | Required as a rule |
| Partner who is a board member of a joint-stock company (not resident in Türkiye) | May be exempt (with an exemption certificate) |
As can be seen, the same investor must obtain a work permit when they are a director of a limited company, while they may benefit from the exemption as a non-resident board member of a joint-stock company. For this reason, the decision of “which type of company to set up and with what title” determines the permit burden from the outset. For the types of work permit and the general framework: Work Permit Types.
Even an Exemption Requires Paperwork
An important misunderstanding: the word “exemption” does not mean “doing nothing.” Even a foreigner covered by the exemption is expected to obtain a work permit exemption certificate from the Ministry to document this status. In other words, the exemption is not an automatic right without any application; it is a separate type of procedure.
For this reason, skipping the process by saying “I’m exempt” can cause problems later at the stage of the workplace licence, insurance or an inspection. Documenting the exemption correctly is at least as important as a work permit application itself.
Share, Employment and Financial-Capacity Criteria
In a shareholder’s work permit, the permit depends not only on the person but also on the state of the company. The following headings are typically examined in the assessment (current thresholds can change with the criteria document, so confirmation before applying is required):
- Partnership share: the foreign partner is expected to hold a certain share ratio and a minimum share amount.
- Employment condition: employing a certain number of Turkish citizens at the workplace is required; for a foreign shareholder, a transition allowance is granted for when and how this condition applies, with the details assessed according to the specifics of the case.
- The company’s financial capacity: meeting at least one of the criteria such as paid-in capital, gross sales or exports.
- Wage level: the wage to be paid to the foreigner should be commensurate with the role and position.
The numerical values of these criteria are administrative in nature and are updated from time to time. For this reason, one should act according to the current official criterion at the time of application, not a figure in a blog post — a plan built on an outdated figure can lead to a surprise rejection at application.
Who Makes the Application?
In a work permit — unlike a residence or citizenship application — the applying party is legally the employer, that is, the company. The application is made through the Ministry’s online system by an authorised user acting on the company’s behalf; a complete application is generally concluded within a certain period. This employer-side structure of the process requires, for a foreign shareholder, not a “I’ll make my own application myself” approach but employer-company coordination. For the general flow of the process: Work Permit Application.
Work Permit ≠ Insured Status
One last critical distinction: a work permit and insured status are not the same thing. For example, limited company directors may be counted as insured under social-security legislation independently of their work-permit status. In other words, saying “I have an exemption” does not mean “I have no insurance obligation.” The permit side and the insurance side must each be correctly set up separately.
As can be seen, a shareholder’s work permit is shaped not by a single rule but by interconnected decisions such as the company type, the partnership title, the share structure, employment and insurance. Getting these decisions right at the start of the process — limited or joint-stock, permit or exemption — protects against mistakes that are hard to correct later. Planning the company side and the permit side together, and taking on the document-process coordination, is our job. Details: Work Permit Consultancy.