Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 January 2026
744. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if aTurkish national residing inTurkey can apply directly toIrish authorities under theTURA tomove toIreland and establish aservice provision business, without first holding employment here [4218/26]
View answerI can advise the Deputy that a person can only apply for the Turkish Association Agreement (TURA) from within the State, once they have met the eligibility requirements as outlined on my Department's Immigration Service website.
To be eligible for this agreement an applicant must satisfy all of the following criteria:
• They must be a Turkish national, and
• They must have been working legally in the State for a minimum period of one year, with the same employer, and that they have held a valid Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card for this time period, and
• They have not been convicted of any serious crimes in the State.
If an application is successful, and the applicant has been working for the same employer for one year, they will be given permission to continue to work for that employer. This will be a stamp 1 permission allowing the applicant to work for their current employer without the need for an employment permit. It should also be noted that Stamp 1 holders are generally not permitted to establish their own business, nor are those who have Stamp 1 under TURA permitted to work for anyone except the employer named on their permission.
Full details of this agreement is available at the following link:
www.irishimmigration.ie/my-situation-has-changed-since-i-arrived-in-ireland/turkish-association-agreement/.
