For software engineers, AI/ML researchers, founders and product leaders in İstanbul, Ankara and İzmir who want to live and work in the UK without being tied to a single sponsor.
Check Your Eligibility — 2 Minutes
Türkiye has built one of Europe's most active founder ecosystems and a deep bench of senior engineering talent. The Global Talent route is well-suited to operators who have already shipped at scale and want to relocate without giving up their independence.
You do not need a UK job offer to apply. Once endorsed, you can join any UK company, freelance, consult, or start your own venture — useful if you are mid-fundraise or weighing several offers.
Depending on the route, you can apply for indefinite leave to remain after 3 or 5 years of continuous residence, with a clear path from arrival to settlement and then to citizenship.
Your eş and dependent children join you on linked visas with the same rights. Spouses can work freely in the UK from day one, which matters for dual-career Turkish households.
Mid to senior engineers from product companies like Trendyol, Getir, Hepsiburada, Insider and Vivense, plus senior contributors at Turkish offices of global tech firms. We help frame technical leadership beyond your job title.
Researchers and applied scientists with backgrounds from METU (ODTÜ), Boğaziçi, Bilkent, Sabancı, Koç and İTÜ, with published work, citations or production ML systems behind them.
Founders of post-Seed and Series A companies, including the strong gaming-studio cluster around Peak Games, Dream Games and Spyke Games, with traction, funding or measurable category impact.
Senior product managers and engineering managers who have shipped flagship products, scaled teams across İstanbul/Ankara, or owned a P&L line. We position your scope and outcomes in the language assessors use.
A few steps in the application are unique to applicants based in Türkiye. Plan for these from the start so they do not delay your timeline.
Educational and personal documents are apostilled at the local Kaymakamlık (sub-province) or Valilik (province) office. Typical turnaround is 3 to 7 business days — fast compared to many other source markets.
Adli sicil belgesi (criminal record certificate) is issued instantly through e-Devlet for most applicants and accepted in English-translated form for the visa file.
Turkish-language documents — diplomas, transcripts, references, employer letters — are translated by a yeminli tercüman and notarised at a noter before submission.
UK biometrics are captured at VFS Global centres in İstanbul (Levent and Atakule), Ankara, İzmir, Bursa and Antalya, usually within 1 to 2 weeks of booking.
Türkiye runs on TRT (UTC+3), a 2-hour offset from the UK. Calls are easy to schedule across the working day, and most clients meet with us during regular business hours.
These are the official UK Home Office fees that every Global Talent Visa applicant pays directly to the government, in pounds sterling.
| Item | Home Office fee (£) |
|---|---|
| Endorsement application | £561 |
| Visa application (post-endorsement) | £766 |
| IHS surcharge (per year, per adult) | £1,035 |
| Priority service (optional) | £500 |
| Typical government total per adult, 5-year visa | £6,502 |
Each dependant (spouse, child) pays the same Home Office fees. The local-currency equivalent in TRY depends on the exchange rate at the time of payment and is reviewed in your free consultation, along with the scope and timing of agency support.
A realistic end-to-end timeline for a Turkish applicant, from kickoff to UK arrival.
Profile audit, route choice (Talent vs Promise), and evidence gap analysis. Typically 2 to 4 weeks.
Building the evidence bundle, narrative and references in parallel with apostille and sworn translations. Typically 6 to 10 weeks.
The endorsing body reviews your application. Typical wait is 5 to 8 weeks.
Online visa form, IHS payment, and biometrics at your nearest VFS centre. Typically 3 to 4 weeks, faster with priority service.
Total time from kickoff to landing in the UK is usually 5 to 7 months for Turkish applicants — faster on the document side, similar on the endorsement and visa stages.
Take the free 2-minute eligibility quiz to see whether your profile is a fit for the Global Talent route from Türkiye.
Check Your Eligibility — 2 Minutes