What are the administrative fines for working without a permit in Türkiye?
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.
The base fines are written into Law 6735, but every year they're revalued upward by the yeniden değerleme rate (inflation indexation). The numbers below are the law's base values — actual fines today are several multiples higher.
Failure to make required notifications (bildirim yükümlülüğü):
- Bağımsız or Süresiz permit-holder foreigner: 400 TL (base)
- Employer of foreign workers: 400 TL per foreign worker (base)
Working without a permit (çalışma izni olmaksızın):
- Foreigner working under an employer: 2,400 TL (base)
- Foreigner working as independent: 4,800 TL (base)
- Employer or employer's representative: 6,000 TL per foreign worker employed (base)
Repeat offences double the fine. A second instance of the same violation pays twice the indexed rate.
Watch-outs
- These are the law's base values, not what you'd actually pay today. Annual inflation revaluation has pushed each line item significantly higher — by mid-2026 the operative numbers can be several multiples of the base. Always cite the latest CSGB Tebliğ for current figures.
- Fines are on top of deportation referral, not instead of it. The financial fine is one consequence; the right to be in Türkiye is the other.
- Employer fines are per foreign worker. An employer caught with three undocumented foreign workers pays three times the per-worker fine, not one combined fine.
Next step
For current-year figures, check the latest Çalışma ve Sosyal Güvenlik Bakanlığı tebliğ before quoting specific amounts. The base numbers in this fact are reference values, not operational figures.
All sources (1)
- Resmî Gazete — Law 6735, Art. 23(5)-(6) ↗
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