Turquoise Card:
The special path to indefinite work rights.

What Is the Turquoise Card?

The Turquoise Card is a special work and residence status Türkiye has defined to bring highly qualified foreigners into the country. Its legal basis is International Labor Force Law No. 6735; the law describes this status separately from the classical employer-bound work permit. In short, it is more accurate to call it a framework that operates on a different logic rather than “just another type of permit.”

In a classical fixed-term work permit, the application is tied to a specific employer and a specific workplace; the permit holder remains bound as long as that employer does not change. Under the Turquoise Card, the assessment instead rests on the person’s profile — their investment, expertise, academic career or international recognition. This is why a Turquoise Card holder is positioned less as an employer-dependent employee and more as a professional recognized as valuable in Türkiye on the strength of their own qualifications.

Another distinguishing feature of the status is that under certain conditions it can become indefinite. In general, the Turquoise Card is first issued with a 3-year transition period; during this period the relevant authority may request information or documents about the holder’s activity. At the end of the transition period, upon the holder’s application this record can be removed and the status becomes indefinite — this is not automatic; it requires a separate application and assessment. This is an important difference from standard work permits, which need to be renewed periodically, and it is the core element that makes the Turquoise Card attractive for highly qualified profiles doing long-term planning. These periods and conditions can change according to current regulations. (For a comparison with other work permit types, see: Work Permit Types.)

Who Can Apply for the Turquoise Card?

The Turquoise Card is not a status open to everyone; it is a framework for specific profiles. In broad terms, the profile groups considered are as follows:

• Senior experts and executives — professionals recognized in international companies, experienced in their field
• Scientists and academics — people recognized in academia, engaged in research or teaching activity
• Investors — foreigners carrying out economic investment at a defined level in Türkiye
• Professionals of strategic importance — people with international-level success in fields such as art, sport, or culture

These four groups offer a general framework; however, every application is assessed within its own file. Which criterion a person will be considered “qualified” under, which documents will demonstrate this qualification, and how the assessment criteria will be applied can change according to current regulations — for this reason, concluding “I fit too” from a single template can be misleading.

One more important point: the Turquoise Card is not “a higher version” of the classical work permit. For a foreigner whose profile does not fall into one of these four categories, the correct path is usually a fixed-term, indefinite or independent work permit. Determining which category the profile fits best is the first step to take before applying.

What Rights Does the Turquoise Card Provide?

The Turquoise Card grants its holder a broader framework of rights than a classical work permit. At a high level, the core opportunities it provides are as follows:

• No employer dependence — the status is not tied to a specific employer or workplace; it rests on the recognition of the profile
• Ability to become indefinite — in general, after the initial 3-year transition period, upon application the status can gain indefinite character
• Merger of work and residence rights — the ability to live and work in Türkiye without needing a separate residence permit process
• Effect on close relatives — the spouse and dependent children can also be granted access to certain rights

Compared to a classical fixed-term work permit, these rights make the Turquoise Card especially meaningful for highly qualified profiles planning to stay in Türkiye long-term and settle with their family. But the same caveat applies here too: the exact scope and conditions of the rights granted to close relatives can differ by file; these details should be assessed separately against current regulations.

The Turquoise Card is not “a stronger work permit” — it is a separate status resting on a different evaluation logic. An application made without understanding this distinction is one of the most common reasons for proceeding in the wrong category.

General Flow of the Application Process

A Turquoise Card application follows a different evaluation logic from a classical work permit application; still, a general flow can be described at a high level:

• Profile assessment — determining which category the applicant falls into (expert, scientist, investor, strategic professional) and the qualifications required for that category
• File preparation — gathering the documents supporting the profile; these documents vary by category
• Submitting the application to the relevant authority — the application is made through the relevant channel depending on domestic or overseas conditions
• Assessment process — the profile and documents are reviewed by the relevant units
• Outcome and establishment of the status — if the result is positive, the Turquoise Card is issued

This flow is a general framework; the timeframes, required documents and assessment criteria can change according to current regulations and vary by the nature of the file. For the official and current framework, please refer to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security; for the legal basis of the regulation, you can review International Labor Force Law No. 6735 on mevzuat.gov.tr.

The Turquoise Card Is Not the Blue Card

Because of the name similarity and the shared use of the word “card,” the Turquoise Card is often confused with the Blue Card. Yet the basis, target audience and rights of these two statuses are entirely different:

• Turquoise Card: a status that grants a highly qualified foreigner with no prior connection to Turkish citizenship the right to work and reside in Türkiye. Its basis is International Labor Force Law No. 6735.
• Blue Card: a bridge status granted to people who were Turkish citizens by birth and later gave up citizenship with permission. Its basis is the Turkish Citizenship Law, and it has no connection to a work permit.

In other words, the Turquoise Card targets “a qualified foreigner newly joining Türkiye,” while the Blue Card targets “a person who once left Türkiye as a citizen.” These two profiles do not overlap; a person cannot apply for both statuses at the same time on the same grounds. For detailed information on who the Blue Card applies to and what rights it provides, you can see our Blue Card article.

Why Is Profile Assessment Critical?

The Turquoise Card looks attractive because it offers broader rights than classical work permits; but this breadth also means the assessment is carried out just as rigorously. Misidentifying which category a profile falls into, or proceeding with incomplete or incorrect documents, can extend the process and in some cases require a fresh application.

Regulations in this area are updated frequently; the assessment framework valid for a category today can change further down the line. For this reason, approaching the Turquoise Card with a “I’ll research it myself and apply” mindset, instead of clarifying in advance where the profile fits against current criteria, makes a real difference in both time and effort.

At JS Vural Danışmanlık we have been handling work permit and status processes for foreigners in Türkiye since 2003. Our approach to Turquoise Card files is concentrated on the following points:

• More than 6,500 completed immigration and work permit files in 22 years
• Pre-application profile–category fit assessment
• Experience with files of investors, experts, academics and strategic professionals
• Document and process coordination on the profile holder’s side — coordination is on us, you wait
• Support in 4 languages — Turkish, Russian, English and German

The strength of the Turquoise Card emerges when the right profile applies under the right category. Even the best set of documents can be rejected if it proceeds in the wrong category.

You can request a free initial consultation to assess together whether your profile fits the Turquoise Card. In the meeting, your professional situation, your investment or academic background, and your long-term plans are addressed. Whether to proceed or not — that decision is yours.