Working Conditions in Turkey

Permits

SUSA and UK citizens need visa ( can be obtained online ). EU citizens do not need visa for up to 90 days stay.

All projects need to get a filming permit from Ministry Of Culture. This filming permit is also considered as work permit for the visiting cast and crew up to 90 days stay. If the stay is exceeding 90 days, work permit should be obtained from the Ministry Of Internal Affairs.

Working Hours

A work day is 12 hours including 1 hour lunch break. A week is 6 days (some crew members work 5 day weeks and 10 hour days. It seems that it will be a standard in the near future).

As long as 7th day is a day off, there is no additional charge for weekend days. Night works are not considered any different than day work. Minimum turn around is 11 hours.

The 12 hours start with crew call. If the location is further than half hour travel time (from city center), additional travel time will be deducted from 12 hours work day.

6 hours of overtime is allowed per week.

Overtime rate is calculated as : salary / 5 days / 8 hours X 1.50.

7th day work is calculated as : salary / 5 days.

In case of working during a customary holiday apart from the weekend days, the crew should be informed beforehand. 2 days off might be required during religious holidays.

Allowances

The producer should provide transport from city center to the location (basically a 12-seat bus). However, before 7 A.M. or after 10 P.M., it is the producer's duty to pay the taxi fee or milage to every crew member.

Breakfast should be served on location for 30 minutes. This should be before the crew call time. Any crew member who does not want to have breakfast can come on crew call time, and others who want to have breakfast should come 30 minutes before the crew call.

In every 6 hour, the producer should provide proper meal to the crew. It is normal not to serve meal after the last 6 hours of work. In such case, it will be considered as 45 minutes overtime.

Per Diem: In case of filming in another town other than Istanbul, the producer should cover the travel expenses, breakfast, 2 meals a day, laundry and accommodation. No fixed daily rate though.

Crew Rates in January 2023

Based on 6 day week / 12 hour day. 25 % withhold tax and 18 % VAT will be applied on top of the below rates. Due to the high inflation, rates are subject to change every 6 months. All rates are in Euro. Euro rate: 1 Euro = 20 Turkish Liras.