Remote Work As A Visitor In Turkey During Covid 19

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, many employees have been forced to work remotely from their home and in some circumstances from another country. A common question regarding Turkish Immigration is whether Turkey allows foreigners to work remotely for their employer abroad while residing in Turkey under visitor status.

When a foreigner engages in “remote work” in Turkey, regardless of whether there is no sponsoring entity in Turkey, or the foreigner is not doing any productive work that benefits a local entity, ideally the foreigner would be able to obtain an independent work permit in Turkey. Turkish regulations do have a category of “independent work permit” however this category requires 5 years lawful residence in Turkey.