Labor market
An application for a work permit must be submitted to the Turkish consulates general in Germany. If the German citizen has a work permit, no additional residence permit has to be applied for! The application will be forwarded to the Turkish Ministry of Labor and Social Security (Çalışma ve Sosyal Güvenlik Bakanlığı). The permit is issued by the Turkish diplomatic mission in Germany.
First of all, the work permit is given for 1 year. After that, it can be extended by 3 years if you can prove that the profession is still being pursued at the same job. After 3 years of employment, the employee can do the same job with another employer. In this case, the work permit is extended to up to 6 years.
If you, as a German citizen, have either resided legally in the country for 8 years without interruption or legally worked in Turkey for 8 years, you have the option of receiving a permanent work permit.
According to countryvv, certain professions such as lawyer, notary, pharmacist, judge are only assigned to Turkish citizens. Since the end of 2011, foreign doctors and nurses have been able to practice their medical activities in private clinics. There are special provisions for professions in engineering, architecture and tourism.
Documents to be submitted for the application:
- passport
- Visa application form
- Letter from the employer
Other documents should be submitted by the employer within 10 working days of your application to the Turkish Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MLSS).
Exceptions to obtaining a work permit: Foreign wives are allowed to work in the family business without a work permit – even as the sole manager. To start work in Turkey you should have at least a basic knowledge of the Turkish language. Test here for free how well you speak and understand Turkish now (takes about 3 minutes).
Gross or net? In the past, salaries in Turkey were almost exclusively agreed on a net basis. This has the advantage that the employer transfers the same amount to the employee’s account every month. Today, however, the gross salary is agreed more and more frequently. Due to the Turkish tax model, less and less net monthly income remains towards the end of the year with the same gross salary. How much tax do I have to pay? What other prints are there? How much net do I have?
Real estate – buy or rent
Foreigners from the EU can easily buy or rent real estate in Turkey because the legislation is aligned with European law. However, you should be careful when choosing a lawyer because they are usually not insured and sometimes work hand in hand with sellers or even some brokers on site. It could therefore be advantageous to obtain recommendations from a Turkish lawyer or notary based in Germany or to consult a broker who is also active in Germany.
Average rental prices / purchase and salaries of Ankara (from 08/2020 – 07/2021)
| Monthly rental price | Ø € Price | € Price from / to |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in the city center | 187.77 | 147.51-283.22 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) outside the center | 120.00 | 88.51-147.51 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in the city center | 301.96 | 245.85-442.53 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) outside the center | 190.63 | 127.84 – 245.85 |
| Purchase price of apartments | Ø € Price | € Price from / to |
| Price per square meter for an apartment in the city – purchase | 614.63 | 491.70-835.89 |
| Price per square meter – apartment outside the center – purchase | 432.70 | 344.19-511.37 |
| wages | Ø € Price | € Price from / to |
| Average monthly salary (after taxes) | 390.74 | – |
Average rental prices / purchase from Istanbul (from 08/2020 – 07/2021)
| Monthly rental price | Ø € Price | € Price from / to |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in the city center | 270.53 | 196.68-393.36 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) outside the center | 161.25 | 100.74 – 245.85 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in the city center | 541.70 | 344.19-786.72 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) outside the center | 308.86 | 186.68-491.70 |
| Purchase price of apartments | Ø € Price | € Price from / to |
| Price per square meter for an apartment in the city – purchase | 1,091.41 | 885.06-1,543.94 |
| Price per square meter – apartment outside the center – purchase | 745.68 | 491.70-983.40 |
Cost of living
You need around € 1,372.60 in Ankara to maintain the same standard of living that you could have in Berlin with € 3,800.00 (assuming you rent in the cities).
- Consumer prices in Ankara are 54.80% lower than in Berlin (without rent)
- Consumer prices in Ankara are 63.88% lower than in Berlin (including rent)
- The rental prices in Ankara are 83.39% lower than in Berlin
- The restaurant prices in Ankara are 66.50% lower than in Berlin
- Food prices in Ankara are 52.52% lower than in Berlin
- The local purchasing power in Ankara is 58.59% lower than in Berlin
Average cost of living in Ankara (from 08/2020 – 07/2021)
| Restaurant | Ø € Price | € Price from / to |
| Food, price w. restaurant | 3.44 | 1.97-4.92 |
| Middle class, 3 courses for 2 people. | 12.78 | 7.87-19.67 |
| Local beer, 0.5 l | 1.97 | 1.28-2.75 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 l | 1.97 | 1.48-3.44 |
| cappuccino | 1.51 | 0.98 – 1.97 |
| Coca / Pepsi (0.33 l) | 0.58 | 0.39-0.85 |
| Water (0.33 l) | 0.19 | 0.10-0.49 |
| Food | Ø € Price | € Price from / to |
| Milk (1 L) | 0.59 | 0.47-0.84 |
| White bread (500g) | 0.26 | 0.15-0.98 |
| Rice (white), (1kg) | 1.42 | 0.98 – 1.97 |
| Eggs (12) | 1.50 | 0.79 – 2.01 |
| Local cheese (1kg) | 5.25 | 3.15-5.90 |
| Chicken breast fillet (1kg) | 2.59 | 1.97-3.34 |
| Beef (1kg) | 7.68 | 5.90-8.06 |
| Apples (1kg) | 0.73 | 0.44-0.79 |
| Bananas (1kg) | 1.46 | 1.18-1.87 |
| Oranges (1kg) | 0.82 | 0.49-0.98 |
| Tomatoes (1kg) | 0.60 | 0.39-0.84 |
| Potatoes (1kg) | 0.29 | 0.15-0.39 |
| Onions (1kg) | 0.19 | 0.14-0.39 |
| Lettuce (1 head) | 0.39 | 0.20-0.59 |
| Water (1.5 l) | 0.18 | 0.12-0.30 |
| Bottle of wine (middle class) | 6.39 | 3.93-11.80 |
| Local beer (0.5 l) | 1.45 | 1.18 – 1.77 |
| Imported beer (0.33 l) | 1.98 | 1.48 – 1.97 |
Average costs for local transport, utilities, clothing, leisure, education of Ankara (from 08/2020 – 07/2021)
| Mode of Transport | Ø € Price | € Price from / to |
| One-time ticket | 0.34 | 0.32-0.49 |
| Monthly pass | 15.73 | 9.83-25.57 |
| Taxi base amount | 0.49 | 0.49-0.59 |
| Taxi 1 km | 0.38 | 0.30-0.49 |
| Ancillary housing costs | Ø € Price | € Price from / to |
| for 85 sqm apartment (electricity, water, garbage, etc. | 62.70 | 38.00-98.34 |
| 1 minute prepaid mobile tariff | 0.06 | 0.01-0.07 |
| Internet (60 Mbps or more, unlimited data, cable / ADSL) | 12.52 | 8.85-18.68 |
| Clothes, shoes | Ø € Price | € Price from / to |
| Jeans (Levis 501 or similar) | 29.35 | 8.85-49.17 |
| Summer dress (Zara, H&M,… | 24.53 | 7.87-44.25 |
| Nike sports shoes, middle class | 54.68 | 29.50-98.34 |
| Leather business shoes | 39.96 | 15.73-73.76 |
| leisure time | Ø € Price | € Price from / to |
| Fitness center, month / adult | 17.74 | 11.80-34.42 |
| Tennis, 1 hour on weekends | 11.47 | 4.92-24.59 |
| a movie ticket | 2.95 | 2.46-3.93 |
| training | Ø € Price | € Price from / to |
| Preschool / Kindergarten, private, whole day, monthly per child | 203.94 | 147.51-295.02 |
| International primary school per year and child | 5,834.80 | 3,146.89-10,161.41 |
Driving a car is significantly more expensive than in Germany, but driving a bus is cheaper. The additional costs for living are cheaper.
Emigration and living in Turkey
Although there is a shortage of skilled workers in some areas, it is often very difficult to obtain a work permit. For retirees, Turkey’s smaller vacation spots are a good choice as the cost of living (LHK-I 46.3) and property prices are low here. In the current politically tense situation, one should consider very carefully whether one should emigrate to Turkey or rather wait for the outcome of the developments.
