When a company hires new employees in Turkey, a probation period is designated to ensure a good fit and evaluate the suitability before a long-term commitment is finalized to avoid costly hiring mistakes.

For the employer, this is the time for a practical evaluation of the employee’s skills, work ethic, and cultural fit within the company’s team and goals. At the same time, the employee uses this period to assess the job responsibilities, the work environment, and how well the role aligns with their career aspirations.

Turkey’s Labor Law No. 4857 establishes clear legal parameters for probationary employment. These regulations address duration limits, termination procedures, and benefit accruals during trial periods. In this guide, we will discuss the rules around probation periods in Turkey, according to the country’s labor laws and regulations, to ensure full compliance during this initial phase.

Definition of a Probation Period in Turkey

Turkey’s labor system introduces a trial period for new hires, formally recognized under Article 60 of the Labor Law No. 4857. This initial evaluation phase serves as a practical mechanism for mutual assessment between employers and employees before establishing permanent or long-term work relationships.

The probation framework operates under specific legal parameters in Turkey. Employers must clearly outline all probation terms in written contracts, with exact duration and evaluation criteria. Otherwise, Turkish courts can remove any trial period privileges and penalise companies for labor law violations.

Employers gain protected time to assess technical skills and the workplace, while employees experience actual job conditions. Turkish law mandates that all probationary workers receive full labor protections from their first day. When probation concludes without termination, the permanent transition occurs by law.

Lengths of Probationary Periods in Turkey

In Turkey, probationary periods are a legally recognized practice, explicitly defined by the Turkish Labour Law No. 4857. The maximum length of the probation period is set by law. The Labour Law states that the probationary period cannot exceed two months.

As an exception, a probationary period can be extended up to four months if it is stipulated in a collective labor agreement by the employer. But it must be in writing within the individual employment contract from day one. There are no statutory provisions for extending the probationary period other than what is initially agreed upon or the legal maximum.

Permanent or Indefinite Contracts

In Turkey, the most common form of employment is the indefinite-term contract. It signifies a long-term, ongoing employment relationship with no fixed end date. The probationary period is the initial assessment phase for such long-term employment relationships. 

In Istanbul’s corporate sector, most professional roles follow the standard two-month probation model. The automatic conversion to permanent status occurs without intervention, though some multinational firms add formal confirmation letters as internal practice.

Anatolian manufacturing plants operate under sector-specific collective agreements. These sometimes extend probation to four months for technical positions that require extensive skills verification. The automatic permanent status conversion still applies, just with longer evaluation windows. 

Smaller enterprises in Turkey’s Aegean region frequently blend formal contracts with the two-month probation maximum. Many family-run businesses add informal mentoring periods that extend more than the legal probation timeframe.

Fixed-term or Definite Contracts

The Turkish Labour Law also recognizes fixed-term employment contracts, which are for a specific period with a clear start and end date. These contracts are limited to particular circumstances. Temporary replacements for employees on approved leaves also qualify for fixed-term arrangements.

Turkish law mandates that all such contracts state their exact start and end dates, with total duration not exceeding one year unless justified by exceptional circumstances. 

Probationary periods within fixed-term contracts follow proportional guidelines. A six-month project contract might include a one-month probation phase, and a two-year contract could have the standard two-month window. The probation duration must always remain shorter than the overall contract term.

Legal Considerations of Probation Periods in Turkey

The legal framework governing probation periods in Turkey is primarily established by the Turkish Labour Law No. 4857. This code outlines the rights and obligations of employers and employees during this initial phase of employment to ensure a good fit for everyone. 

Pay and Working Conditions

All employees, including those on probation, must be paid at least the minimum wage. The gross monthly minimum wage for 2026 is TRY 33,030.00, which amounts to a monthly net wage of TRY 28,075.50. This wage is typically reviewed and adjusted annually by the government.

The standard working week in Turkey is 45 hours, spread over six days. A working day is generally 7.5 hours. The total working hours should not exceed 45 per week. Work performed other than standard working hours is considered overtime, and it must be paid at a rate of at least 150% of the employee’s usual hourly wage. If the work is done on public holidays or weekly rest days, the rate increases to 200%.

Both employers and employees must contribute to the Turkish Social Security Institution (SSI). The employer contribution is currently around 20.5% of the employee’s gross salary, which includes social insurance and unemployment insurance, and the employee contribution is around 14%.

Termination and Notice

The Turkish Labour Law provides rules for terminating an employment contract during the probationary period to grant both parties more flexibility than after the probation has concluded. Either the employer or the employee may terminate the employment agreement at any time and without notice.

The law also states that no severance pay is required for terminations during this period. If termination occurs during a probation period, the employee is not entitled to statutory severance pay. Severance pay in Turkey is an entitlement for employees who have worked for at least one full year.

This simplified termination process during probation contrasts sharply with termination after the probationary period. For employees who have worked for less than six months, the statutory notice period is two weeks. After six months of service, the notice period increases. For indefinite contracts that have passed probation, a valid reason for dismissal must be provided.

Vacation / Holidays

Turkey has 16 holidays each year, including New Year’s Day, National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, and Republic Day. If any falls occur during an employee’s probationary period, the worker is entitled to a day off with full pay, or they must be paid at 200% of their standard rate if they work on a public holiday.

Employees in Turkey are entitled to a minimum of 14 working days of paid annual leave per year after completing one year of continuous service with a company. The entitlement increases with length of service. Since a probationary period lasts two months, employees are not eligible to take annual leave.

Employees are entitled to paid sick leave, subject to a medical certificate. The social security institution pays sick leave benefits after the third day of absence, but the employer may be required to pay for the first two days, depending on the collective agreement.

Benefits of Probation Periods in Turkey

Probation periods in Turkey allow employers to test new hires and new employees to assess their role with multiple other benefits, including:

  • For Employees

Receive full legal protections, including minimum wage and workplace safety, from day one.

Experience actual job requirements and company culture before long-term commitment.

Can resign without standard notice requirements during probation.

  • For Employers

Test candidates’ practical and problem-solving abilities in complex situations.

Terminate unsuitable hires without complex severance costs or legal penalties.

Assess professional personality and cultural fit within company workgroups.

Conclusion

Probation periods in Turkey offer employers and new employees an opportunity to make sure the job is right for everyone before the employment turns into a long-term commitment. The employer should follow the regulations set in Article 60 of Turkey’s Labor Law No. 4857; or, they can face legal consequences.

The Turkish Labour Law provides a clear framework for these trial periods with a maximum duration of two to four months. But to easily implement these precise regulations, companies partner up with Remote People. We know the local rules and regulations, so you can rest assured that your business will always be compliant as per Turkish legal requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

The maximum legal duration for a probation period in Turkey is two months, and it can be extended to four months if a collective labor agreement exists.

No, a probation period is not mandatory for all employment contracts in Turkey. If an employer wishes to implement one, it must be explicitly agreed upon in writing within the employment contract.

Yes. Probationary employees are entitled to most fundamental statutory rights and benefits from their first day of work, including minimum wage, social security contributions, and paid sick leave.

No, employees terminated during the probationary period in Turkey are not entitled to statutory severance pay.

No. The law strictly limits the maximum probation period to two months, or four months under a collective labor agreement, and it cannot be extended further.