How long is my work permit valid relative to my passport?
General information, not legal advice. For high-stakes decisions, confirm with the official institution in the next-step below, or consult a qualified Turkish lawyer.
Pending expert review. This fact is sourced but has not yet been reviewed by an independent legal expert. Treat as a starting point.
A work permit (or work permit exemption) is issued for a duration 60 days shorter than the validity of your passport (or passport-equivalent document). Each permit is issued individually per foreigner. The rule is in Law 6735 Article 24(1).
Worked example: a 1-year work permit requires at least 1 year + 60 days of remaining passport validity at application time. Less validity caps the permit shorter.
Watch-outs
- Renew your passport before applying for an extended permit. Applying with insufficient passport validity caps the permit, and a renewed passport later doesn't retroactively extend it.
- The same 60-day buffer rule applies to ikamet — see permits-12. Both rules use 60 days; both run off passport expiry.
- The buffer is calculated from the application date, not the issue date. Submission timing matters.
Next step
Calculate: (passport expiry) − 60 days = the latest end date the work permit can be issued to right now. If that's earlier than what you need, renew the passport first. This is the same calculation the passport-ikamet checker runs for you.
All sources (1)
- Resmî Gazete — Law 6735, Art. 24(1) ↗
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