A BRITISH businessman is among the first in the Aydin region to be granted a work permit after he was inspired by an article in Voices.
Steve Paul, who with his wife, Carmela, run API, a complex, property and rental management company, was issued his permit via the Turkish Ministry of Labour and Social Security.
The couple, who opened their business in 2010, now have a permanent workforce of 7 Turkish staff, and manage a portfolio of properties and complexes in Didim, Altinkum and Mavisehir.
However, an article in Voices about a government crackdown on three British people caught working illegally without the required paperwork and being told to leave Turkey spurred Steve on to get the elusive work permit.
“There has always be a grey area when you are a business owner surrounding what you can and can’t do and I am working in a sector that requires me to be hands-on, often meeting customers, tradesmen and visiting various sites,” he said. “Inevitably, I have often been asked whether I should have a work permit or not.
“Ultimately a lot of what we do is based on trust so it seemed applying for the work permit was the only responsible thing to do.”
Utilising a company in Ankara on the advice of their accountant, Steve (45) had to submit various documents, evidence of having a legitimate business for three years, employing more than five Turkish people, having a 100,000TL capital share, and also employ a chartered accountant for a full audit of the company.
As part of that process he had to grant three people power of attorney to help get the process moving and have all the paperwork translated into Turkish.
However, the process nearly came to a juddering halt as he was initially unable to locate his ‘O’ level and CSE school qualifications which the authorities wanted to see proof of.
A trip back to the UK only resulted in him being told by the local authorities that such school records of more than 20 years ago are deleted after five years and the dreaded Data Protection Act might also have prevented him getting those records.
He still retains a property in the UK and after rooting through his garage, came up with the old school certificates which then had to be translated and notarised back in Turkey.
The application was submitted in October 2 and he received his work permit 10 days ago. He is registered as an employee of the company and manager, although he had a 50 per cent share in the company.
Being granted the work permit means that he does not have to apply for a residence permit as the work permit acts as both. The whole process cost in the region of 4,000TL.
Steve said: “I am delighted to have work permit as a business owner and it now gives me complete peace of mind about our future in Turkey.
“I had to jump through a lot of bureaucratic hoops and I thought at one stage I would not be able to complete the process because of the school qualifications issue.
“But luckily I found them and was able to get the application on track. I have been told I am probably the first to get it issued in Didim, if not Aydin, but it’s just a relief to get it.”