Military service: residence abroad and military service by foreign currency payment

This page is for Turkish citizens of military service age who work or study in Russia or Ukraine, or who also hold Russian or Ukrainian citizenship. While living abroad, you may defer your military service or benefit from military service by foreign currency payment. Below you will find the requirements, the 2026 fee, and the circumstances in which deferment is cancelled.

• Military service age begins on January 1 of the year in which you turn 20. The year of birth, not the date of birth, is used to calculate age.
• Those reaching military service age in 2026 are those born in 2007. Those without a legal right to deferment must complete their registration between January 1 and December 31, 2026.
• If you are abroad, you complete your registration at the Turkish mission in the country where you are located or at the nearest military recruitment office in Türkiye.
• Those who do not complete registration by December 31, 2026, will be subject to the sanction under Article 24 of Military Service Law No. 7179.
• Announcements by the Ministry of National Defense (MSB) constitute official notification; no separate notification will be sent to your address.

• The military service of those in Russia or Ukraine under one of the following statuses may be deferred:
  • workers, employers, members of a profession or artists with a residence permit that includes a work permit or with a direct work permit
  • seafarers on a foreign-flagged vessel
  • dual or multiple citizens who also hold that country's citizenship and live there
• Deferral may be granted until the end of the year in which you complete the age of 35. Those who previously received deferral until age 38 may continue their deferral until the end of the year they turn 38, as long as the conditions continue.
• Applications not accepted:
  • permits obtained through an asylum application
  • those present as illegal workers or asylum seekers (until this status ends)
  • those with a residence permit based solely on student status (student deferment is available for them)
• Required: a residence permit containing a work permit or a work permit document, and an ordinary passport.
• Deferral period:
  • those with indefinite permits and multiple citizens: until December 31 of the year in which they complete age 35
  • those with fixed-term permits: until December 31 of the year following the date the permit expires
• Application: you must apply in person for the first deferral. For renewals, you may apply in person or by mail.
• Apply for renewal in the year your deferral ends. To avoid becoming subject to penalties, MSB recommends applying at least 20 business days before the end date.
• A medical examination is not required for deferral.

• If you stay in Türkiye for a total of 184 days or more in a calendar year during the deferral period, your deferral will be cancelled. Your subsequent deferral request will also not be accepted.
• The deferral of those returning to Türkiye for compelling reasons such as war, civil unrest, natural disaster or epidemic will not be cancelled until the end of the year following the year of their return, even if they exceed 184 days.
• Other circumstances that terminate deferral:
  • cancellation or non-renewal of the residence or work permit
  • permanent return to the country or deportation
  • renunciation of Turkish citizenship
  • fraudulent documents or false statements
• If your deferral has been cancelled, you may in some cases obtain a new deferral when you meet the conditions again, such as when your permit is renewed.

• For those who went abroad for higher education, their student status must first be recognized by the Education Consultancy of the mission or by the mission.
• Military service is not deferred on the basis of student status for those studying at schools not recognized by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK). Check whether your school is recognized before starting (see R5.3 and U4.3).
• Age limits:
  • high school and equivalent school: end of the year in which you turn 22 (vocational and technical high school: 25)
  • faculty, college and vocational college: end of the year in which you turn 28
  • master's degree: maximum 3 years, until the end of the year you turn 32
  • doctorate: maximum 6 years, until the end of the year you turn 35
• Additional deferment after graduation: 2 years for graduates of programs lasting 4 years or longer; 1 additional year from the date of the equivalency application if the equivalency process has not been completed. The deferment of graduates of undergraduate programs abroad can never exceed 3 years from graduation.
• The application is made to the mission responsible for the region where the authority issuing the student residence permit is located.
• Required: passport, document proving recognition of student status, student certificate from the school, diploma from the last school you graduated from, residence permit for educational purposes, and 2 passport photos.

• Have completed MSB's online training (dovizle.msb.gov.tr).
• Have actually worked abroad as a worker, employer, professional or artist with a residence or work permit for a total of at least 3 years (1,095 days), excluding periods spent in Türkiye.
• The work requirement does not apply to multiple citizens; it is sufficient for them to have stayed in the country of which they are citizens for at least 3 years (1,095 days).
• Have not started another form of military service.
• Pay the fee in advance. Installments are not available.
• There is no age limit. There is also no obligation to come to Türkiye and complete basic training.
• Periods not counted: periods when the salary was paid from Türkiye, when present in a foreign country on official duty, spent without a valid residence or work permit, when permission was obtained because of asylum, and periods spent in Türkiye.
• Those with a residence permit based solely on student status cannot benefit.
• Under military service legislation, the provisions on military service by foreign currency payment do not apply in the event of mobilization or war.

• Fee from July 1 to December 31, 2026: TRY 472,653.60. The amount is calculated by multiplying the indicator figure of 300,000 by the civil servant monthly coefficient (1.575512).
• Payment is not made in Turkish lira. Euros or an equivalent amount in convertible foreign currency is paid according to the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye exchange rate on the application date.
• The fee is recalculated twice a year, on January 1 and July 1. Applications may be suspended briefly until the new fee is announced. For example, the Consulate General of Odesa suspended applications as of January 1, 2026, and resumed accepting them on March 4, 2026.
• Complete the online training at dovizle.msb.gov.tr.
• Apply to the mission to which you are affiliated with your documents (yourself, your representative or your guardian).
• The mission examines whether you meet the requirements; if you qualify, you pay the foreign currency amount in advance.
• Sign the “Military Service by Foreign Currency Payment Application Certificate” issued by the mission.
• Once the application information reaches the military recruitment office, you are deemed to have completed military service. Completing the training or making the payment alone is not sufficient.
• Discharge certificate: if you request it from the military recruitment office, one copy is sent to the mission and one copy to your address abroad.
• Refund: if your application is rejected or cancelled, any foreign currency overpayment will be refunded upon request. You write the IBAN of your TRY account in Türkiye in the petition.

• Military service performed in Russia or Ukraine does not count in Türkiye. Türkiye has a bilateral agreement on this matter only with Tunisia and the TRNC. Russia and Ukraine are also not included in the former list recognizing military service performed in certain countries before specified dates.
• Multiple citizens may also benefit from deferment abroad and military service by foreign currency payment, subject to the conditions above.
• For the consequences of Russian citizenship for military service in Russia, see R4.6.
• Those who later acquired Turkish citizenship, except those who acquired it based on descent, are subject to separate exemption rules. For example, those who were 22 or older in the year they were naturalized are deemed to have completed military service.

• Forgetting to renew in the year your deferral ends.
• Staying in Türkiye for 184 days or more in a year while your deferral is still valid.
• Assuming that completing the online training finishes the process. You are not deemed to have completed military service until you apply to the mission and make the payment.
• Counting periods spent in a job whose salary was paid from Türkiye toward the 1,095 days.
• Requesting military service by foreign currency payment or worker deferment with a student residence permit.
• Enrolling in a school not recognized by YÖK and expecting student deferment.

• Can I pay for military service by foreign currency payment in installments? No. The fee must be paid in advance.
• Is there an age limit for military service by foreign currency payment? No. The age limit of 38 has been abolished.
• Do I have to come to Türkiye and attend training after completing military service by foreign currency payment? No. Online training is sufficient.
• I served in the Russian army in Russia. Does it count in Türkiye? No. Türkiye has no agreement with Russia or Ukraine on this matter.
• I returned to Türkiye because of the war in Ukraine. Will my deferral be cancelled? The deferral of those returning for compelling reasons such as war is not cancelled until the end of the year following the year of their return.
• Is a medical examination required for deferral? No.
• Where can I obtain a document showing my military service status? You can obtain a barcode-enabled military status certificate from e-Government.

• MSB – Online training portal for military service by foreign currency payment
• MSB – General Directorate of Recruitment
• MSB – Worker deferment abroad, frequently asked questions
• MSB – Military service by foreign currency payment, frequently asked questions
• MSB – Multiple citizenship procedures, frequently asked questions
• Notification document and undertaking, Annex 12 (Word)
• e-Government – Military status certificate verification
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye – Consular appointment system