FOREIGN business owners face being kicked out of Turkey if they fail to obtain a work permit – after a law change TWO years ago left several people in Didim with deportation threats hanging over them.

Voices has been told that a law change made back in 2014 is now being actively carried out.

It appears that legal foreign business owners who fail to obtain a work permit could face the threat of deportation.

One business owner, speaking to Voices on condition of anonymity, said they had been called in by the Aydin immigration authorities and had been advised they needed to leave the country within 30 days. They were fined 765TL, and the business was fined 7,500TL.

Sami Isik, a Didim-based translator and legal worker for the foreign community, confirmed that he was aware of at least THREE people since the beginning of 2016 who had been kicked out the country.

He said: “Yes, it is true that if you open a business in Turkey, you have to obtain a work permit for yourself, otherwise you’ll be seen by the authorities as working illegally.

“To be able to qualify for a work permit, your business must employ five Turkish people and have a minimum of 100,000 TL registered capital.

“Failure to do so could leave the foreign business owner with deportation and a hefty fine against the business and themselves.”

He declined to name the three foreign businesspeople affected due to data protection.