Military Status of Foreigners Who Have Newly Acquired Turkish Citizenship
In the Recruitment Law No. 7179 and the Recruitment Regulation, the military service of foreign nationals accepted to the citizenship of the Republic of Turkey are explained. In the legislation, there is the following statement regarding the examinations of those who subsequently became citizens of the Republic of Turkey:
“(1) Except for those who were acquired later on the basis of lineage, those who were granted Turkish citizenship later on, perform their military service as the obliged parties who entered the military age in that year, according to their age and educational status at the time of naturalization. According to the year they were naturalized, those whose peers have not yet been surveyed or whose attendance is still continuing are processed with their own-born, and those whose peers’ survey period has expired are processed with those who entered the military age in the year they were naturalized.
As we understand here, there are separate cases for those who are not yet 20 years old when they are naturalized, those who are older than 20 and those who are 20 years old: 1. If you are less than 20 years old; then you will wait for attendance and examination time to come. 2. Those who are 20 years old at the time of naturalization; will have attendance and inspection procedures done within that year. 3. Those over 20 years of age at naturalization; also have to have attendance and examination in the year of naturalization.
a)Those Who Have Performed Military Service in the Country of Origin
(2) Except for those who were acquired later on the basis of lineage, those who document their military service in the countries in which they came before they came to Turkish citizenship or that they are deemed to have fulfilled their military service, and those who are twenty-two years old and older, regardless of the year, month and day of their naturalization, are considered to have served in the military. Exemption procedures are carried out without waiting for these obliged parties to personally apply to the military branches.
As we understand here, if the person is over the age of 22 or if he has done his military service in the country of which he was a citizen before he became a Turkish citizen, then he will not have to do his military service in the state of the Republic of Turkey.
b)Postponing Military Service after Obtaining Turkish Citizenship
(3) The military service of those who were born at the age of 21 or younger, is postponed for two years, upon their request, from the date of their naturalization, without any examinations. Those born in the military age in that year are processed by taking the roll call in the year when their postponement will end. In case of mobilization, they can be sent to the military according to need.
The military service of those who are under the age of 22 when they become Turkish Citizens can be postponed for 2 years upon their request. In addition, delays other than this are mostly due to education, health and political reasons. If the individual has a health condition that has treatment but prevents him from fulfilling his military service, his military service is postponed until the treatment is completed. Weight-related problems are also one of the important reasons for delay. If the person who has to fulfill his military service is much weaker or much heavier than the determined weight, his military service will be postponed. These individuals, who are subject to weight control every year, will be exempted from military service if they cannot reach the targeted body mass index after three years. Individuals who continue their university or graduate education are also exempted from military service until they complete their education.
c)Documents to be Submitted to Competent Authorities
(4) The documents submitted by the obliged parties must be original copies, translated by a sworn translator and certified by a notary public. Otherwise, the submitted documents will not be processed. The documents listed must be submitted to the competent authority in full. Photocopies are strictly not accepted. It is not accepted that it is the same as the original.Documents must be original documents.
d)Paid Military Service
For individuals who have to fulfill their military service, the Turkish government also offers a paid military service program. Paid soldiers and individuals can fulfill their military duties in just one month by paying a fee to the Turkish state in varying amounts every year. Paid military service is also valid for men who subsequently acquire Turkish citizenship and are obliged to fulfill their military service. However, they must have lived in Turkey for at least three years before doing military service in Turkey. The paid military service fee, which is updated every year, has been determined as 80,064,72 Turkish Liras in 2022.
