Turkey's tech visa scales

Turkey says nearly 5,000 software developers have moved under its tech visa program as Ankara expands a fast-track route for foreign engineers and startup founders. (dailysabah.com) Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır gave the figure on April 14, 2026, about seven months after Turkey formally launched the program in September 2024. The launch was presented by Kacır and Labor Minister Vedat Işıkhan at Istanbul Airport. (dailysabah.com) (invest.gov.tr) The program offers a three-year work permit, simplified family residence procedures, access to free healthcare coverage, tax exemptions in technology development zones and office space in technoparks and incubation centers. The official site also lists venture capital support, mentoring and legal and financial guidance for participants. (turkiyetechvisa.gov.tr) (invest.gov.tr) Turkey is using the visa to pull in two groups at once: individual specialists with what it calls critical technology expertise, and startups with technology-based business models. Labor officials said the goal was to speed up work permits for founders and cut bureaucracy for a sector that moves faster than normal immigration processing. (turkiyetechvisa.gov.tr) (csgb.gov.tr) The pitch lands as Turkey tries to deepen its startup market beyond e-commerce and delivery. The government’s investment office says artificial intelligence, biotechnology, health technology, software as a service and financial technology led deal activity in 2024, while 136 new venture capital funds raised $515 million that year. (invest.gov.tr) Officials are also selling scale. Turkey’s investment office says the country has 85.7 million people, nearly 1 million university graduates a year and more than 72,000 engineering and engineering-related graduates annually. (invest.gov.tr) The tech visa sits alongside an older immigration tool, the Turquoise Card, which can give highly qualified foreign workers and investors an indefinite work right after a three-year transition period. The Labor Ministry says spouses and dependent children of Turquoise Card holders receive residence documents tied to that status. (csgb.gov.tr) Turkey’s government says the new visa is meant to feed local hiring markets as well as bring in founders. Kacır said the program was designed to help startups find stronger talent pools and build technical communities around areas such as artificial intelligence and deep technology. (dailysabah.com) For now, the clearest measure is the relocation count: nearly 5,000 developers in under a year. The next test is whether those arrivals turn into companies, hires and long-term residence permits inside Turkey’s startup system. (dailysabah.com) (csgb.gov.tr)