Turkish rules you should know

Military service and the foreign-currency option, dual citizenship and the Mavi Kart, social security between Türkiye and Germany.

This page summarises Turkish rules that matter when you move to Berlin. The Turkish authorities decide on them, not German ones; what the Turkish consulates tell you prevails over this page.

Military service: paying in foreign currency (dövizle askerlik)

• Under Law No. 7179, Turkish men who live abroad can fulfil their military service by paying in foreign currency and completing a short basic training.
• Condition: at least 3 years (1,095 days) of residence abroad with a residence or work permit as an employee or employer; days spent in Türkiye do not count. Dual nationals need only 3 years of actual residence abroad, without the work condition (notice of a Turkish Consulate General, 2019).
• Amount for 1 July to 31 December 2026: 472,653.60 TL, paid in foreign currency at the Central Bank buying rate on the day of payment (notice of a Turkish Consulate General, 2026). The amount is adjusted every six months.
• Before paying, the online distance training of the Ministry of National Defence must be completed. Questions: asal.msb.gov.tr and the Turkish Consulate General in Berlin.
• Age limits, deferral while studying abroad and whether periods as a student count towards the 3 years are described differently in different sources. Ask the consulate before you plan around them.

Citizenship: dual nationality and the Mavi Kart

• Germany has allowed multiple citizenship since 27 June 2024: you no longer have to give up Turkish citizenship to become German (§ 10 StAG, after 5 years).
• Türkiye also allows it: a Turkish citizen who acquires another citizenship reports it with the documents and is recorded as a multiple national (Law No. 5901, Art. 44).
• Anyone who gave up Turkish citizenship with permission (çıkma izni, Art. 25) and was Turkish by birth keeps most rights in Türkiye and can get a Mavi Kart (Art. 28). Exceptions include voting and standing for election and permanent civil-service posts. Text: Law No. 5901.
• For people who left Turkish citizenship in the past, the Turkish Consulate General in Berlin explains how it can be re-acquired now that Germany allows dual citizenship.

Social security between Türkiye and Germany

• The two countries have a social security agreement of 30 April 1964, in force since 1 November 1965. Insurance periods in both countries can be added together for pension entitlement.
• Contact for pensions: the German Pension Insurance liaison office for Türkiye.
• Buying back periods abroad in the Turkish system (yurt dışı borçlanma) exists, but its conditions and costs were not checked for this site; ask SGK.

Consular matters in Germany

Passports, Turkish civil-register entries and military-service matters while you live in Berlin are handled by the Turkish Consulate General in Berlin.