Employment law · Turkey
Employment contract lawyer in Turkey
Employment contracts in Turkey are read against codified labour law, a compulsory mediation step and tight time limits. Tell us what happened and we will match you with a lawyer who handles employment contract matters in Turkey — free of charge and with no obligation.
- Compulsory mediation prepared properly
- One-month reinstatement period tracked
- Fees checked against the annual minimum tariff
Confidential, no obligation. Your enquiry is only shared with the lawyer we match you to.
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Before you act
What an employment contract dispute in Turkey involves
An employment contract sets out the terms you rely on every working day: duties, pay, hours, notice and termination. When those terms are broken, or when employer and employee read the same clause differently, the answer usually lies in Turkish labour law and in a procedure that moves faster than most people expect. An employment contract lawyer in Turkey can review the contract and the termination notice, identify which claims are still open and represent you at the mediation stage that Turkish law requires before most individual labour disputes reach a court. Because the courts work in Turkish and apply codified rules, early advice tends to shape the whole file. Describe your situation and we will match you with a lawyer who handles employment contract disputes in Turkey, at no cost to you.
Country guide
How employment contract matters work in Turkey
Employment contracts in Turkey sit inside a codified system: the Labour Code, the Code of Obligations and the rules of civil procedure together determine what a contract may provide and what happens when it is breached. Before most individual disputes can be litigated, mediation is compulsory, and several periods are counted in weeks rather than years. The blocks below summarise the framework using Turkish official sources.
Mediation comes before the labour court
Since 1 January 2018, individual labour disputes — claims for receivables, compensation and reinstatement — must be taken to a mediator before they can be litigated (Labour Courts Law No. 7036, Article 3). A claim filed without a mediation attempt is dismissed on procedural grounds, so the first step with a lawyer is usually preparing that stage rather than drafting a petition.
The short window after a dismissal
Where reinstatement is sought, the one-month period runs from the termination and is tied to the mediation application under the Labour Code (No. 4857). Letting it pass can end the claim before anyone discusses the merits, which is why an employment contract lawyer in Turkey is normally instructed as soon as a dismissal notice arrives, even where the employer promises to reconsider.
Five years for wages and other receivables
Claims for unpaid wages and other employment receivables are subject to a five-year limitation period under the Code of Obligations (No. 6098). That is longer than the reinstatement window but it still runs, and payslips, bank records and written correspondence usually decide how much of the claim survives and how it is quantified.
Proceedings are conducted in Turkish
Turkish is the official language of the State and of all judicial proceedings (Constitution of 1982, Article 3). Filings and court documents must be drafted in Turkish, foreign-language documents need a certified translation, foreign public documents generally require an apostille, and a party who does not speak Turkish needs an interpreter appointed by the court.
Court fees and lawyers’ fees
Court fees follow the Fees Law (No. 492): a proportional judgment-and-decision fee of 68.31 per thousand of the amount in dispute, one quarter of it payable on filing, plus a fixed application fee. Lawyers’ fees are agreed freely between lawyer and client but may not fall below the annual minimum tariff published by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations.
Who is entitled to act as your lawyer
Only a member of a Turkish Bar Association may practise law, and admission requires Turkish citizenship, a Turkish law degree or a recognised equivalent, a two-stage one-year internship and good standing (Attorneyship Law No. 1136, Article 3). Representation is not generally compulsory at first instance, yet professional assistance is the norm once a dispute becomes contested.
Key time limits — Employment Law
| Matter | Time limit | Practical note |
|---|---|---|
| Employment dismissal / reinstatement claim | 1 month from termination (mediation application) | Mediation must be attempted before the claim can be filed. |
| Wage and employment receivables | 5 years | Covers unpaid wages and comparable sums owed under the contract. |
All figures and periods above are taken from official Turkish legislation published on mevzuat.gov.tr, reviewed in 2025; the statutory fee rates are adjusted annually, so current values should always be confirmed with your lawyer.
Common situations
Where employees and employers get stuck
Most problems we hear about are not about the merits — they are about timing, procedure and language.
The clock is already running
A reinstatement claim must reach mediation within one month of termination under the Labour Code. Waiting to see whether the employer changes its mind can remove the remedy altogether.
Mediation is not optional
An individual labour claim filed without a mediation attempt is dismissed on procedural grounds. Many people discover this only after paying a court fee and losing months.
The file has to work in Turkish
Contracts, correspondence and pleadings must all function in Turkish, and foreign documents need certified translation. Language gaps make an otherwise strong position hard to present.
How we help
What your matched lawyer does first
We match you with a lawyer who works on employment contracts in Turkey, so the first conversation is already focused.
Employment contract review
The lawyer reads the contract, the termination notice and the payslips together, to identify which claims exist and which are already time-barred under Turkish limitation rules.
Mediation representation
The compulsory mediation stage is prepared and attended, so the file only reaches a labour court once the procedural precondition has genuinely been satisfied.
Deadline discipline
One-month, five-year and two-week periods are mapped at the outset of the matter, so nothing is lost to a date that passed while attention was elsewhere.
Clear fee structure
Fees are agreed in advance and checked against the annual minimum tariff of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations, with court fees explained separately.
Cross-border matters
Clients also contact us about
Employment relationships that cross borders often raise the same questions in several jurisdictions. We receive enquiries from clients connected to these countries as well.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an employment contract lawyer in Turkey to bring a claim?
Not strictly. Representation by a lawyer is not generally compulsory at first instance in Turkish civil proceedings, and a party may appear in person. In practice, individual labour disputes must first pass through compulsory mediation, the proceedings are conducted in Turkish, and the reinstatement period is short — so instructing an employment contract lawyer in Turkey early is usually the safer course.
Is mediation compulsory before an employment dispute goes to court in Turkey?
Yes, for individual labour disputes. Since 1 January 2018, claims for receivables, compensation and reinstatement must be taken to a mediator before litigation (Labour Courts Law No. 7036, Article 3). A claim filed without attempting mediation is dismissed on procedural grounds rather than examined on its merits.
How long do I have to claim reinstatement after a dismissal in Turkey?
The period is one month from the termination, and it is tied to the mediation application under the Labour Code (No. 4857). Because the step has to be taken quickly, a lawyer should see the termination notice and the contract as soon as possible. Separate claims for wages and other receivables follow a five-year limitation period instead.
Can an employment contract case in Turkey be conducted in English?
No. Turkish is the official language of the State and of all judicial proceedings under the Constitution of 1982. Filings and judgments are in Turkish, foreign-language documents must be accompanied by a certified translation, foreign public documents generally require an apostille, and the court appoints an interpreter where a party does not speak Turkish.
What does an employment contract lawyer in Turkey cost?
Fees are freely agreed between lawyer and client, but they cannot fall below the minimum tariff published each year by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations, which also fixes the sum a losing party may be ordered to pay towards the winner’s costs. Court fees are separate: a proportional fee of 68.31 per thousand of the amount in dispute, one quarter payable on filing, plus a fixed application fee.
Do Court of Cassation decisions bind the labour court?
Turkey is a civil-law system, and its private law is codified following the reception of the Swiss Civil Code and Code of Obligations. Court of Cassation decisions are not formally binding precedent, but they serve as a unifying guide to interpretation that lower courts follow closely in practice, which is why a lawyer will check the current case law on your specific issue.
Next step
Tell us what happened and get matched
Describe the contract, the dismissal or the unpaid sums in a few lines. We will match you with a lawyer in Turkey who handles employment contract matters, free of charge, and you decide afterwards whether to instruct them.