Guide overview
A practical distinction between a work-permit exemption and an exemption from work-permit evaluation criteria, with the current application route and compliance limits.
A work-permit exemption is an official Ministry document that allows a qualifying foreigner to work—and generally reside—during its validity without obtaining a standard work permit. It is different from an exemption from the employment, financial-eligibility or salary criteria used to assess an ordinary work-permit application. A foreigner may be exempt from those evaluation criteria and still need a work permit.
Article 48 of the Implementing Regulation covers specific activities and durations, including certain scientific, cultural and artistic work; training connected with imported or exported goods and equipment; cross-border service provision; compulsory internships; specified seasonal agricultural and livestock work; and other listed cases. The exact category controls the evidence and maximum period. If the work will continue beyond that period, a standard work permit is generally required.
The Ministry states that exemption documents are issued for the requested period within the legal maximum and for a period sixty days shorter than the passport’s validity. Repeat applications in the same category can be restricted by six- or twelve-month waiting periods, depending on the category. Employers and exemption holders must also meet applicable social-security obligations.
For applications submitted from 17 September 2026 onward, the Ministry directs users to calismaizni.csgb.gov.tr; pre-17 September exemption applications remain trackable in the former e-Muafiyet system. Applicants should choose the category matching the real activity, upload the required evidence and obtain approval before starting work. Similarity to a listed activity does not create an automatic exemption.
- Article 48 categories have activity-specific time limits
- New applications use calismaizni.csgb.gov.tr
- Social-security duties can still apply