Military service

Male Turkish citizens are liable for military service starting in January of the year they turn 20. Living in the United States or being a U.S. citizen does not eliminate this obligation. This page explains the options for those liable for military service in the United States: registration, deferment (employees, dual citizens, students), foreign-currency military service, paid military service, and exemption. The 2026 amounts were taken from announcements by the Ministry of National Defense (MSB) and diplomatic missions. Registration with the U.S. Selective Service is a separate obligation; see 8.5 Male children.

• Those subject to registration in 2026:
  • Persons born in 2007 who reached military age on January 1, 2026, and older persons processed together with them who have no legal right to deferment
  • those whose deferment ends in 2026
  • those who registered in 2024 or earlier and whose deferment ends in 2026
• Registration must be completed between January 1 and December 31, 2026.
• Persons liable for military service abroad complete registration by applying to the Turkish diplomatic mission in the country where they reside or to the nearest military recruitment office in Türkiye.
• It can also be initiated through e-Government: turkiye.gov.tr > e-Services > Personal Information > MSB > "My Military Service". After the forms are completed, the medical examination is conducted by a family physician in Türkiye.
• Those who do not complete registration by December 31, 2026, are subject to criminal sanctions under Article 24 of Military Recruitment Law No. 7179.
• If you have a right to deferment, you can defer your military service without completing the registration medical examination.

• Employees (workers, employers, professionals, or artists):
  • Those working in the United States with a residence or work permit, those living on unemployment benefits, and seafarers working on foreign-flagged vessels may apply.
  • At the time of application, you must be 35 years old or younger based on your birth year. According to the New York 2026 note, those born in 1991 or later may apply.
  • Deferments are granted no later than the end of the year in which you turn 35.
• For how long is deferment granted?
  • If you are a U.S. citizen or have an indefinite residence permit (green card): at one time, until December 31 of the year in which you turn 35
  • if more than one year remains before your permit expires: until December 31 of the year following the year in which the permit expires
  • if one year or less remains before your permit expires: until December 31 of the year following the application year
• Documents (New York, initial deferment):
  • application petition and 2 photographs taken within the last 3 months
  • original and photocopy of the identity card or ID card
  • all valid Turkish passports
  • original and photocopy of the U.S. residence or work permit
  • if you have foreign citizenship, your foreign passport and citizenship certificate
  • for employees, a letter of employment on letterhead, signed and stamped, together with a paycheck or bank statement showing that you receive payment from the same employer
• Applications are made in person and by appointment; applications by mail are not accepted. Deferment procedures are free of charge.
• Dual citizens (multiple nationality):
  • Those born in the United States and those who went to the United States before reaching adulthood and acquired U.S. citizenship may defer their military service in one application until the end of the year they turn 35 by documenting that they lived in the United States.
  • Example: A person born on January 1, 2006, must apply no later than December 31, 2041.
  • Those who became U.S. citizens after age 18 receive deferment under employee/employer status, not under this status.
  • If your foreign citizenship has not been entered in the Turkish population registry (multiple citizenship registration has not been completed), the military recruitment office will not accept your deferment or foreign-currency military service application. See 11.3.
• Students:
  • Students apply for deferment to the education consultancy or attaché in that country, or to the consulate if there is none.
  • According to New York's F-1 note, those who graduated in Türkiye, completed registration, and have a military status certificate can obtain overseas deferment directly from the education attaché.
  • Those who left for abroad without completing registration must first complete the "military service determination" procedure through the Consulate General.
  • For attaché contact information, see 11.1.

• Being in the United States with a residence or work permit as an employee, employer, professional, or artist (or being a seafarer on a foreign-flagged vessel). This status must continue at the time of application.
• Having worked for a total of at least 1,095 days (3 years), excluding days spent in Türkiye.
• Dual citizens are not subject to the work requirement. Having actually been abroad for at least 3 years is sufficient. According to New York, this period is counted from the date you acquired foreign citizenship.
• For those born abroad and living abroad with an indefinite residence permit, actually being abroad for 3 years is also sufficient.
• There is no age limit. The former age limit of 38 has been abolished.
• You must not previously have been inducted into military service under another form of service.
• Distance training: before applying, you complete the training on the dovizle.msb.gov.tr portal ("Getting to Know Our Country," "Getting to Know the Turkish Armed Forces," and "Basic Military Training"). You do not need to come to Türkiye for basic training. If you completed the training years ago, you do not need to renew it.
• Those whose salaries are transferred from Türkiye cannot benefit.
• Status types accepted in the United States (New York 2026 note):
  • U.S. birth certificate or certificate of citizenship (certificate of naturalization)
  • green card or employment authorization card (EAD), including EAD under OPT
  • I-20 and W-2 for F-1 students working as paid assistants during a master's or doctoral program
  • H-1 approval notice or visa, and J-1 visa
  • O-1, L-1, P-1, H-2, H-3, E-1, and E-2 visas
• Periods worked under CPT (Curricular Practical Training) are not counted.
• Scholarship students: according to the MSB, being an officially sponsored scholarship student is not by itself an obstacle; the determining factor is whether your residence and work permits provide employee/employer status. New York, however, states that J-1 holders receiving scholarships from Türkiye cannot benefit during the scholarship period. Ask your diplomatic mission about your situation before applying.

• Documents (New York):
  • foreign-currency military service application petition and 2 photographs taken within the last 3 months
  • original and photocopy of the identity card, and valid passport
  • photocopies of all old and new Turkish and foreign passports and the pages containing transaction records
  • original and photocopy of the U.S. residence or work permit
  • tax forms showing at least 4 years of employment (W-2, 1099, 1040); the company you worked for must be clearly identified
  • letters from employers, on letterhead, signed and stamped, showing at least 4 years of employment; they must state your position and employment start date. If you worked at more than one place, a letter is required from each.
  • if you are a U.S. citizen, the original and two photocopies of your U.S. passport and citizenship certificate
• New York explains why it requires 4 years as follows: if your net period falls to 1,094 days after days spent in Türkiye are deducted, your application will not be accepted.
• Amount (July 1–December 31, 2026): According to the MSB, 300,000 indicator points × 1.575512 civil servant monthly coefficient = TRY 472,653.60. This is the same amount as paid military service.
• The euro amounts and age limit of 38 stated in older FAQs on consulate websites are not current. Always check the current amount on the MSB website.
• The amount is converted into U.S. dollars at the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye's foreign-exchange buying rate on the application date and is paid in full at the time of application. Installments are not available.
• Payment methods (New York):
  • online using a bank or credit card enabled for transactions in Türkiye (the $10 transfer fee is not charged, but the bank transfer fee is paid)
  • cashier's check or money order; you learn the amount from the Consulate General and apply the same day, and an additional $10 transfer fee is collected in cash
• The amount is recalculated every year on January 1 and July 1 according to the civil servant coefficient. Applications are temporarily suspended until the new amount is announced. In 2026, Chicago suspended procedures on July 1 and resumed them on July 6.
• You will not receive a separate written notification after applying. Track the result through e-Government and direct your questions to the military recruitment office responsible for you.
• If a discharge certificate is requested, the military recruitment office sends one copy to the consulate where you applied and one copy to your overseas address.

• Consulates do not accept paid military service applications. Applications are made through e-Government or at military recruitment offices in Türkiye.
• Foreign-currency military service and paid military service fees have been equal since 2019 under Military Recruitment Law No. 7179.
• Amount for July 1–December 31, 2026: TRY 472,653.60. Those who failed to register or failed to report for service also pay an additional monthly amount of TRY 5,514.29.
• Who applies, and where?
  • those with no record of failure to register, concealment, or failure to report: through e-Government or at a military recruitment office
  • those with such a record: only at a military recruitment office
  • the application may be made by the person, their spouse, a first- or second-degree relative, attorney, or guardian
• Payment: paid in full, without installments, to Vakıfbank, Ziraat Bank, Halkbank, Vakıf Katılım, Ziraat Katılım, or Emlak Katılım using the Turkish ID number, or to tax offices and local treasury offices.
• Those performing paid military service undergo one month of basic military training. Unlike the distance training for foreign-currency military service, this training is conducted in person.
• There is no age limit. Those with a report stating "unfit for military service" cannot benefit.
• The amount paid by those who withdraw before joining the basic training unit is refunded if they apply to the military recruitment office. No refund is made to those who complete basic training.

• Medical exemption:
  • If you have a health condition that prevents military service, you undergo the examination at official health institutions in the United States.
  • The reports are sent to the MSB through the consulate together with Turkish translations.
  • The decision will be one of the following: fit for military service, unfit, deferred to the following year, postponement of dispatch, or examination at an authorized hospital in Türkiye.
  • You submit an appeal petition through the consulate as well.
• Military service performed in the United States: military service performed abroad is not recognized in Türkiye unless there is a bilateral agreement. According to konsolosluk.gov.tr, this recognition currently applies only to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Tunisia.
• Those who later become Turkish citizens:
  • those who are 22 or older in the year they acquire citizenship are deemed to have completed military service
  • for younger persons, the liability age is 20; if requested, a two-year deferment is granted after citizenship
  • this rule does not apply to those who acquire citizenship by descent
• Failure to report and failure to register: those who do not report for service during the period in which they are called or do not obtain deferment may face administrative fines. A defense against failure to report is submitted through the consulate. New York charges a $31 mailing fee for sending documents to the military recruitment office.
• If you have no deferment, learn your status from the military recruitment office responsible for you before traveling to Türkiye. You can obtain your military status certificate through e-Government.

• Assuming that military service liability ends after acquiring U.S. citizenship.
• Staying in Türkiye for 184 days or more in a calendar year while overseas deferment is in effect.
• Applying for foreign-currency military service with exactly three years of documentation; the period may be insufficient after days in Türkiye are deducted.
• Employer information on tax forms not matching employment letters; counting the CPT period as employment.
• Applying for deferment or foreign-currency military service without registering multiple citizenship.
• Trying to make a consulate appointment for paid military service.

• I was born in the United States and am both a U.S. and Turkish citizen. Do I have to perform military service? As a male Turkish citizen, you are liable. By documenting that you live in the United States, you can obtain a one-time deferment until the end of the year you turn 35, and if you meet the requirements, you can perform foreign-currency military service.
• Do I have to go to Türkiye for foreign-currency military service? No. You complete the distance training, apply to the consulate, and pay the fee.
• Can I pay the foreign-currency military service fee in installments? No. The full amount must be paid in advance at the time of application.
• I have a green card but have not worked for 3 years. Can I perform foreign-currency military service? If you are not a dual citizen, the 1,095-day work requirement applies. There is no work requirement for those born abroad and living abroad with an indefinite residence permit. Ask your diplomatic mission about your situation.
• I am a student. Where do I obtain deferment? From the education consultancy or attaché, or from the consulate if there is none.
• Can I perform paid military service from the United States? You can apply through e-Government if you have no record of failure to register or failure to report. However, you must be in Türkiye for the one-month basic training.
• Can I obtain my military status certificate from the consulate? The military status certificate is obtained through e-Government.

• MSB General Directorate of Military Recruitment
• Foreign-currency military service distance-training portal
• e-Government – My Military Service and military status certificate
• Consular procedures – Military service
• New York – Foreign-currency military service application 2026 (PDF)
• New York – Initial deferment under employee/employer status 2026 (PDF)
• New York – Deferment under multiple-nationality status 2026 (PDF)
• New York – Military service determination (those who completed training) 2026 (PDF)
• MSB – 2026 registration announcement
• MSB – 2026 paid military service announcement