Employers of Foreign Nationals Without a Work Permit Will Be Held Liable for the Deportation Costs of Their Employees and Their Families

The Regulation on the Recovery of Various Expenses from Employers of Foreign Nationals Subject to Deportation Due to Unauthorized Employment (“Regulation”) has been published in the Official Gazette dated 23 July 2025 and numbered 32964.

Within the scope of Law No. 6735, foreign nationals are prohibited from working or being employed in Türkiye without a valid work permit or exemption. If a foreign national is found to be working without proper authorization, the employer and the individual are reported to law enforcement authorities by the relevant provincial directorate of İŞKUR. Subsequently, law enforcement delivers the foreign national to the provincial directorate of migration management in order for the necessary deportation procedures to be carried out in accordance with applicable legislation.

Pursuant to the Regulation, where a deportation decision is issued against a foreign national, any expenses incurred by the Presidency of Migration Management from the moment of the decision until the enforcement of deportation — if not recoverable from the individual — shall be collected from the employer or their legal representative in accordance with the provisions of Law No. 6183 on the Procedure for the Collection of Public Receivables.

The Regulation provides that:

a) If deportation procedures are carried out through removal centers, the employer shall be liable for the foreign national’s accommodation expenses, repatriation costs, and, where applicable, medical expenses incurred during this period.

b) If deportation procedures are carried out outside of removal centers, only repatriation costs will be charged to the employer.

Furthermore, the provincial directorate of migration management will notify the employer or their representative in writing of the unrecovered expenses incurred on behalf of the foreign national (and their spouse and children, if applicable). These amounts must be paid to the relevant accounting office within one month from the date of notification.

Additionally, the Regulation stipulates that the employer will be held responsible for costs incurred during a maximum three-month period of administrative detention imposed by the Presidency of Migration Management.

This Regulation will enter into force on 23 January 2026.

For more information regarding work permit obligations and legal compliance, you may visit our website or contact our consultants.