Rule
For the standard Time-limited Work Permit (Süreli Çalışma İzni) route, an employer wishing to employ a foreign worker who is currently abroad must first obtain a Preliminary Permit (Ön İzin) from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security for that named worker; this must be completed before the worker enters the TRNC. Once the worker has entered the TRNC on the Ön İzin, the employer must apply to the Ministry to complete the full Süreli Çalışma İzni registration within 15 days of the worker's entry, and complete that registration within 30 days.[1][2]
Exceptions
- This rule describes the standard employer-sponsored route for a foreign worker who is currently abroad only. It does not cover, and must not be read to exclude, other possible routes into a work permit for someone already in another TRNC status (a visitor permit, a residence permit, residence status obtained on turning 18 in the TRNC, or property ownership with a valid visa) — official guidance describes such routes but their legal basis has not yet been located.
Practical implication
For the standard route, the Regulation requires the employer to arrange the Ön İzin before the worker travels; it does not provide for an employer to apply on behalf of a worker who has already arrived without that preliminary step. This does not address whether someone already present in the TRNC in a different status has another route in.