Turkey Welcomes 22 Tech Startups Through New Visa Program

Turkey just rolled out the welcome mat for 22 foreign tech startups, and the move signals something bigger happening in the country's innovation scene.

The Turkish Tech Visa program officially approved these companies to bring their innovative projects to Turkey, according to the Industry and Technology Ministry's 2025 activity report. It's part of a nationwide transformation that's reshaping how the country approaches technology development.

The government isn't stopping at visa programs. Officials restructured the General Directorate of National Technology into the General Directorate of National Technology and Artificial Intelligence, putting AI development front and center in national priorities.

The restructuring aims to regulate AI ethically while building infrastructure, data capacity, and human resources to drive digital transformation. Turkey wants to develop its IT workforce and boost overall tech competence across the board.

By the end of 2025, 667 companies earned the official "Tech Startup Badge," a certification that opens doors to public funding and private investments. The country's badge portal has already issued 400,000 certificates to 225,000 recipients, showing serious momentum in skills development.

The Turcorn 100 program accepted 35 qualifying firms designed to help fast growing tech companies scale up and reach global markets. Meanwhile, the ministry's Technology and Innovation Fund invested $2.79 million into eight tech startups from its $10.8 million pool.

The Ripple Effect

The government's tech push is touching every corner of education and industry. A program called "the Sector is on Campus" connected 108 companies with 204 universities last year, giving 9,573 students access to 330 specialized courses taught by actual industry professionals.

The National Technology Expertise Programs accepted 2,500 students for AI training and other tech fields during the 2024-2025 academic year. These students aren't just learning theory; they're building skills that match what companies actually need.

The Deneyap tech workshops program now operates 131 facilities across all 81 of Turkey's provinces. Since 2019, it's served 9,490 students through a three year curriculum covering 11 different technology fields, spreading opportunity beyond major cities.

Turkey is also developing integrated circuit design capabilities for mobility, electronics, and defense sectors. Officials received applications for developing sector specific AI agents that run on a Turkish large language model, showing ambitions to build homegrown AI infrastructure rather than relying entirely on foreign technology.

Turkey's transformation shows how focused government support can create real momentum in the tech sector, turning vision into tangible results that touch students, startups, and established companies alike.