Türkiye–U.S. social security relationship

For those who have worked in both Türkiye and the United States, the two countries' social security systems operate separately. There is no social security agreement between the United States and Türkiye. This page explains the consequences of this, how periods spent in the United States can be assessed in Türkiye through "foreign service borrowing," the required documents, 2026 borrowing amounts, and application procedures.

• U.S. side: The list dated September 17, 2026, published by the SSA, identifies the countries with which the United States has social security (totalization) agreements. Türkiye is not on the list.
• Turkish side: Türkiye has social security agreements with 35 countries. The United States is not included in the SGK's list of countries with agreements.
• Totalization agreements normally do three things: prevent paying contributions to both countries, combine periods in both countries, and facilitate pension payments abroad. None of these operates through an agreement between Türkiye and the United States.

• Periods are not combined. Your contribution days in Türkiye are not added to the United States' 40-credit requirement through an agreement, nor are your U.S. credits added to Türkiye's required number of days. Each country decides separately according to its own rules.
• There is a risk of double contributions. A Turkish citizen working in the United States pays FICA there unless they have an exempt status (see 17.2). Turkish workers sent to the United States by a Turkish employer are also considered insured in Türkiye under Article 5/1-(g) of Law No. 5510.
• It is possible to receive U.S. benefits in Türkiye. Turkish citizens can continue receiving their U.S. retirement benefits in Türkiye through the SSA's "social insurance exception." There are additional requirements for spouses and children (see 17.5).
• A pension from Türkiye does not reduce U.S. benefits through WEP. The WEP rule was repealed in 2025 and does not apply to months after December 2023 (see 17.1).
• The way to have periods in the United States recognized in Türkiye is through borrowing. This is explained below.

• Under Law No. 3201, Turkish citizens who worked abroad may borrow those periods so that they are counted in Türkiye as if they had been completed there. Whether the country has an agreement with Türkiye makes no difference.
• Those who may borrow:
  • Turkish citizens
  • Dual citizens who also hold U.S. citizenship in addition to Turkish citizenship
  • Those who were Turkish citizens by birth and relinquished citizenship with permission (Blue Card holders)
  • Turkish citizen beneficiaries of a deceased insured person (Blue Card beneficiaries cannot borrow)
• Periods that may be borrowed (after age 18 and completed while a Turkish citizen):
  • periods of insured employment abroad
  • periods of unemployment between or at the end of these periods, each no longer than one year (excluding days spent in Türkiye)
  • periods women spent abroad as "housewives"
• Those who cannot borrow: people who have been granted a pension in Türkiye for themselves or their beneficiaries, and those who have applied as having become entitled to a pension.
• You may borrow all or part of the periods. There is no limit on the number of borrowing applications.
• Since August 1, 2019, borrowed periods are counted as 4/1-(b) (Bağ-Kur) insurance regardless of your status on the application date.

• For each day, the debt is 45% of the daily earnings subject to premiums on the application date—the amount you choose between the lower and upper limits.
• For applications submitted between January 1 and December 31, 2026, the debt for one day is:
  • lower limit: TRY 1,101.00 × 45% = TRY 495.45
  • upper limit: TRY 9,909.00 × 45% = TRY 4,459.05
• According to the SGK's example, a person borrowing 5,000 days at the lower limit pays TRY 2,477,250.00.
• If you do not select an earnings option on the petition, the lower limit applies.
• The debt must be paid within 3 months from notification so that it reaches the SGK account within that period. If it is not paid, the application becomes invalid.
• If you pay part of the debt, the number of days corresponding to the amount paid is considered valid.
• The SGK does not have a bank account abroad. You may pay the debt from abroad through correspondent banks, using foreign currency deemed convertible by the Central Bank.
• If you withdraw, the amount you paid is refunded in Turkish lira without interest. There is no refund if a pension was granted based on the periods borrowed.

• For periods completed in countries without an agreement, such as the United States, the SGK requires a certificate of service obtained from the Turkish embassy, consulate general, or labor and social security consultancy.
• The consulate general issues this document based on your SSA records. For example, the documents requested in the 2026 information notice of the Turkish Consulate General in Boston are:
  • Turkish identity card and 2 photocopies (a notarized photocopy is accepted for applications by mail)
  • A "Social Security Statement" obtained from your ssa.gov account showing the years you worked, and a "Benefit Verification Letter" showing that you did not receive benefits from the United States (two copies of each). For in-person applications, you must log in to your ssa.gov account on your phone to verify the documents.
  • For applications by mail or if you do not have an ssa.gov account: an apostilled "Yearly Totals of Earnings" or "Certified Yearly Totals of Earnings" obtained from the SSA, together with an apostilled "Benefit Verification Letter"
  • An apostilled W-2 or IRS tax transcript (Tax Transcript) for years missing from the documents
  • Fee: $18.70 (cash only in person; by mail, a money order payable only to "Turkish Consulate General")
  • A stamped, trackable return envelope bearing your address for applications by mail
  • A separate appointment for each application; applications without an appointment are not accepted, and appointments are not given by phone or email
• After receiving the document, you are required to apply to the SGK in person or through an authorized representative within 30 days.
• The required documents and fee may vary by consulate general. Check the current announcement of the consulate general to which you are affiliated.
• According to the U.S. Embassy, you may also request your SSA earnings record using Form SSA-7050. Before submitting this document to the SGK, it must be certified by a Turkish representative office in the United States or apostilled.

1. Obtain your SSA record. Obtain a "Social Security Statement" and "Benefit Verification Letter" from your my Social Security account, or request an earnings record from the SSA.
2. Obtain a certificate of service. Make an appointment through konsolosluk.gov.tr with the consulate general to which you are affiliated and obtain the document.
3. Complete the petition. Complete the SGK's "Foreign Periods Borrowing Request Petition" (SGK-065) in full and sign it with a wet signature. Do not check more than one box in the sections concerning the period you wish to borrow.
4. Find the correct provincial directorate. The petition is sent to the provincial social security directorate or center (SGİM/SGM):
   • the province where your address in MERNİS is located
   • the province you choose if you have multiple address records
   • the province where you are registered in the population registry if you have no address in MERNİS
   • the province where your activity is located if you have ongoing Bağ-Kur activity in Türkiye
5. Mail it. Send the original petition and documents by mail.
   • For registered, return-receipt, or express mail (with RA–RZ or EA–EZ codes), the date of mailing is considered the application date.
   • For private courier services, the date of receipt by the SGK is used.
   • Applications by email or fax, and petitions without a wet signature, are not accepted.
6. e-Government option: If the documents forming the basis of your borrowing application are registered in the SGK's Foreign Service Borrowing Document System (YBBS), you may apply through e-Government. In this case, the transaction date is considered the application date.
7. Pay. Wait for the debt notification and pay within 3 months.
8. If you apply through a representative, the power of attorney must include the phrase "borrowing" or "foreign service borrowing."

• SGK — borrowing applications (provincial social security directorate/center), petition forms
  • Web: sgk.gov.tr
• Consulate appointment — for a certificate of service and certificate of residence
  • Web: konsolosluk.gov.tr
• Example: Turkish Consulate General in Boston
  • Address: 31 St. James Ave., Suite 840, Boston, MA 02116
  • Telephone: +1 857 250 4700
  • Email: consulate.boston@mfa.gov.tr
• Social Security Administration (SSA) — earnings record, documents
  • Telephone: +1 800 772 1213 (TTY: +1 800 325 0778)

• Assuming that periods in the United States and Türkiye will automatically be combined.
• Sending the petition by email or failing to sign it with a wet signature.
• Missing the 3-month payment deadline after the debt notification.
• Failing to apply to the SGK within 30 days with the certificate of service obtained from the consulate general.
• Failing to obtain an apostille for documents submitted by mail.
• Trying to borrow foreign periods after a pension has been granted in Türkiye.

• I worked 6 years in the United States and 20 years in Türkiye. Can I combine the periods? Because there is no agreement, there is no combination on the U.S. side. On the Turkish side, you can borrow the 6 years in the United States so that they count as if they had been completed in Türkiye.
• I became a U.S. citizen. Can I borrow the periods? Yes, if your Turkish citizenship continues. You may also borrow them if you relinquished Turkish citizenship with permission (Blue Card).
• Do the years I spent in the United States as a housewife count? Periods women spent abroad as housewives may be borrowed. A certificate of residence and entry-exit records are required.
• Can I pay the debt in dollars? You may pay the equivalent of the amount stated in Turkish lira in foreign currency deemed convertible by the Central Bank, through correspondent banks.
• I borrowed the periods but changed my mind. Can I get my money back? Upon a written application, the amount you paid is refunded in Turkish lira without interest. Partial refunds are not available. It is not refunded if a pension was granted based on these periods.
• I am retired in Türkiye. Can I borrow my U.S. periods? No. Those who have been granted a pension cannot borrow foreign periods.

• SGK – Foreign service borrowing procedures
• SGK-065 Foreign Periods Borrowing Request Petition (Word, SGK)
• SGK – Forms and petitions
• SGK – Countries with signed social security agreements
• Turkish Consulate General in Boston – Certificate of service information notice 2026 (PDF)
• SSA-7050 – earnings record request
• SSA – List of totalization agreements (POMS)