Already in Berlin?

Changing your status, staying long term, citizenship, association-law rights and free help in Turkish.

According to the Berlin statistics office, 108,077 people with Turkish citizenship were registered in Berlin on 31 December 2025, and 202,279 residents had a migration background from Türkiye. Many offices, doctors and advice centres work in Turkish.

If you are here and something changed

• Studies finished: § 20 AufenthG gives you up to 18 months to look for a job matching your degree. You may work without restriction during that time.
• Job lost: talk to LEA before your permit expires, not after. After longer legal work, rights under Decision 1/80 may matter, see Association law.
• Training place lost through no fault of your own: up to 6 months to find a new one, see Ausbildung.
• Switching route – for example from Opportunity Card to a skilled-worker permit: normally done at LEA from inside Germany.

Staying long term

• Settlement permit: § 9 after 5 years; skilled workers (§§ 18a, 18b) after 3 years with German at B1 and 36 months of pension contributions, or after 2 years and 24 months of contributions if you completed training or studies in Germany (§ 18c (1)); Blue Card holders after 27 months with German at A1, or 21 months with B1 (§ 18c (2)).
• German citizenship: § 10 StAG after 5 years. The 3-year fast track was abolished on 30 October 2025. Germany and Türkiye both allow dual citizenship; see Turkish rules for the Turkish side and the Mavi Kart.

Free help in Berlin

• Türkischer Bund in Berlin-Brandenburg (TBB) – advice on residence, visa and citizenship law, social and labour law, in Turkish and German; also the anti-discrimination network ADNB. Whether every service is free of charge is not stated on the page; ask when you book.
• Willkommenszentrum Berlin – general orientation, several languages.
• MBE – free advice for adult migrants.
• BEMA (Beratungsstelle für Migration und Gute Arbeit) – free advice on employment rights. Go here if you are paid less than agreed, work unpaid hours, or your employer keeps your passport.
• Turkish Consulate General in Berlin – passports, Turkish documents, military service, consular help.