Bedelli Askerlik 2026: Fees, Rules and Dövizle Askerlik for Turks Abroad

Bedelli askerlik is Turkey's paid form of military service: a man who is fit to serve pays a fixed fee and completes a short basic training instead of the regular conscript term. Its legal basis is Article 9 of Law No. 7179, the Askeralma Kanunu of 2019. From July 1 to December 31, 2026 the fee is 472,653.60 lira, the Ministry of National Defence (MSB) announced on July 9. A separate scheme, dövizle askerlik (foreign-currency service), lets Turkish citizens who have lived abroad for at least three years, including German-Turkish dual nationals, pay the same lira amount in euros through a consulate after an online course, with no barracks training. At the central bank's rate of October 19, 2026 that is about €8,521. Both amounts follow the civil-servant salary coefficient, so they change every January and July.

What is bedelli askerlik, and who can apply?

Law No. 7179 was adopted on June 25, 2019 and published in the Resmî Gazete the next day. It applies to every male Turkish citizen from January 1 of the year he turns 20 to January 1 of the year he turns 41. Under Article 9, the ministry sets how many conscripts may use bedelli; if there are more applicants than places, a lottery decides. Applicants must be fit for service and must not have started active service. Draft evaders (yoklama kaçağı), saklı and bakaya status holders can apply but lose the right if they withdraw before selection or do not pay within two months. Anyone selected who then fails to report is moved back to ordinary service. Ayboğa, an Istanbul law firm, notes there is no separate upper age limit and that the fee is generally not refunded, so fitness should be settled first.

How much is bedelli askerlik in 2026 (bedelli askerlik ücreti 2026)?

The fee is an index figure (gösterge) times the civil-servant monthly coefficient (memur aylık katsayısı) valid on the payment day. Law No. 7577 of April 2, 2026 raised the index from 240,000 to 300,000, according to the consolidated law on mevzuat.gov.tr. The resulting amounts, as listed by Ayboğa and matching MSB figures: January 1 – April 1, 2026: 333,089.04 lira; April 2 – June 30, 2026: 416,361.30 lira; July 1 – December 31, 2026: 472,653.60 lira (300,000 × 1.575512). That is a rise of about 42% within the year. Applications at the July rate opened on July 7, the MSB spokesperson said. Former evaders also pay 3,500 × the coefficient for each month in that status, 5,514.29 lira per month since July.

How many days is bedelli training (kaç gün), and when are bedelli askerlik yerleri announced?

The law says one month of basic military training. In practice it is 28 days, the figure the government's Center for Countering Disinformation (DMM) used on October 16, 2026, when it denied reports that the training would be scrapped. The rules continue unchanged and no new decision has been taken, the DMM said, as reported by Anadolu Agency via TRT Haber. Ayboğa puts the whole process, including discharge, at about 32 days.

Applications run through e-Devlet's Askerliğim service or an askerlik şubesi: the conscript completes his yoklama and health declaration, chooses bedelli, ranks preferred call-up periods and pays the full amount at an authorised bank. The MSB then runs the lottery and assigns units. In January 2026 it said call-up periods and unit locations could be checked on e-Devlet, at recruitment offices or in the MSB app, with the first 2026 group dispatched on February 5, Ekonomist reported. Ayboğa lists November 5 as the year's last call-up.

Who qualifies for dövizle askerlik, and what does it cost in euros (dövizle askerlik ücreti 2026)?

Article 39 of Law No. 7179 covers citizens in countries Turkey recognises who hold a residence permit that includes work authorisation, or a work permit, as workers, employers or self-employed people, and who have actually worked abroad for at least three years, excluding time in Turkey. Dual citizens living abroad, and people born abroad with permanent residence, qualify after three years abroad without the work condition. All must complete the ministry's online course at dovizle.msb.gov.tr. Permits obtained through asylum do not count, nor do salaries paid from Turkey or official postings abroad.

Article 39 uses the same index as bedelli, so the lira base from July to December 2026 is also 472,653.60 lira, payable upfront in euros at the central bank's buying rate on the payment day. At the TCMB rate of 55.4677 lira per euro on October 19, 2026 that is about €8,521; at July's rate of about 53.57, Camia Haber put it near €8,822. The euro price falls as the lira weakens and jumps when the coefficient rises. The Turkish Consulate General in Cologne says instalments are not possible; payment is in cash at the consulate, plus a bank transfer fee (given as both €39.73 and €36.73) and €5 postage. Its notice still shows the April–June base of 416,361.30 lira and points to the MSB website for current figures.

For residents of Germany, the Cologne consulate asks for a Turkish ID and residence title (Aufenthaltstitel), passport, two photos and, for employees, an employer letter and a pension statement (Renteverlauf) showing at least 1,095 days of contributions; the unemployed bring a letter from the employment agency. Dual citizens add their German ID card and citizenship certificate and must first register their second citizenship with Turkey. Appointments are booked at konsolosluk.gov.tr.

What about deferral, and moving back to Turkey?

Under Article 38, citizens abroad with a work-inclusive permit, seafarers on foreign ships and resident dual citizens can defer all military procedures via their consulate until the end of the year they turn 35. The deferral is cancelled for anyone who spends more than half of a calendar year in Turkey or whose grounds lapse. Men past 35 can still apply for dövizle askerlik; the Cologne consulate's guide is written for them. Once payment and application are complete, the law rules out leaving the scheme or getting a refund.

How does this relate to Germany's new military service?

Cupure's explainer on Germany's Wehrdienst law covers the German side. Since January 1, 2026, every German man born in 2008 or later must fill in a Bundeswehr questionnaire and attend a medical screening (Musterung), while service itself stays voluntary unless the Bundestag passes a further law. German-Turkish dual nationals are covered like any other German man; Turkish citizens without a German passport are not. Under current rules, German voluntary service does not count in Turkey. A proposal to exempt dual citizens who served in their country of residence was read out at a Turkish parliamentary subcommittee in July 2026, Cumhuriyet reported, but it had not been submitted to parliament by October 13, according to Borsanın Gündemi.

Will the fee change in January 2027, and what are the criticisms?

Almost certainly: the amount is recalculated each January and July with the coefficient, Ekonomist noted on July 9, but no January 2027 figure has been announced. The main objections concern cost and fairness. The 2026 fee rose about 42%, partly through a legislated increase: under amended Article 9, the part above 240,000 times the coefficient now goes to the Defence Industry Support Fund, which AK Parti's Abdullah Güler said on March 2 would channel money to the defence industry, BloombergHT reported. The fee cannot be paid in instalments. For the diaspora, the open issue is 'double service': dual nationals face Germany's screening and still owe Turkey service or payment.