Hiring and staffing for businesses in Istanbul

What should you know about legal hiring in Turkey?

In Turkey, no entity may act as an intermediary in recruitment or provide labor for a fee unless it is officially licensed by the Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR) as a "private employment agency" (Özel İstihdam Bürosu). This requirement is set out in Article 17 of Law No. 4904, and detailed by the "Private Employment Agencies Regulation" published in the Official Gazette in 2016. Any entity offering recruitment services or "providing labor" without this license is operating outside the legal framework, regardless of the scale of its activity or how it markets its services.

Alongside the intermediary's licensing, the employer itself bears independent registration obligations as soon as it hires anyone, whether Turkish or foreign. These obligations (such as registering with the Social Security Institution before the employee actually starts work) exist in their own right and are unrelated to whoever mediated the hiring process. Hiring a foreign worker specifically remains conditional on obtaining a proper work permit for them, regardless of the employer's nationality or the size of the company; even small businesses are required to meet the same work permit condition when employing any non-Turkish staff member.

Important points to know

• Dealing with an intermediary or "employment office" not licensed by İŞKUR exposes the employer to legal and financial risks, and provides no protection if a dispute arises over the worker or the fees paid
• Informal hiring arrangements — such as a verbal agreement or the absence of official employee registration — place the employer under full liability in the event of any inspection or labor dispute, with no regulatory cover limiting that liability
• Hiring foreign staff specifically is a more complex process than local hiring, because it requires coordination between work permit procedures and registration requirements, and any breakdown in any link of this chain exposes the contractual relationship to legal accountability

Frequently asked questions

Can any office or entity act as a recruitment intermediary for a fee? No. It is not legally permissible for any entity to provide recruitment intermediary services or supply labor for financial compensation unless it holds a "private employment agency" license from İŞKUR under Article 17 of Law No. 4904.

Are small businesses subject to lighter hiring obligations than large companies? There is no size-based exemption in principle; the registration obligations upon hiring, and the work permit requirement when employing a foreign staff member, apply to employers regardless of their size.

Is a foreign worker's residence permit enough to employ them without a work permit? No. Residence and work permit are separate matters; employing a foreign person in Turkey requires a formal work permit issued specifically for that purpose, regardless of the type of residence permit they hold.

Last updated: 2026-09-07