Guides English → Turkish
Military service deferment for students and workers in the UK
A Turkish man studying or working in the UK can defer military service through the consulate, but the deferment has to be renewed and the paperwork is British. This guide covers student and worker deferment (tecil), the age ceilings, the documents, and which need Turkish translation.
Two kinds of deferment
Turkish law lets a male citizen living abroad postpone military service on two grounds. Student deferment (öğrenci tecili) runs while you are enrolled at a recognised institution, with an age ceiling that depends on the level: the consular notes give the end of the year you turn 29 for secondary and undergraduate study, 33 for a master’s and 35 for a doctorate. Worker deferment (yurt dışında çalışanlar için erteleme) is for men who hold a residence or work status abroad and are working or self-employed; it is granted in two-year blocks and can be renewed until the ceiling of 35. Both are handled by the consulate for your area, which forwards the request to the military recruitment system. Neither is automatic, and a lapsed deferment turns you into a yoklama kaçağı, a person who has missed the roll call, with a fine and a problem at the Turkish border. Worker deferment is also the period during which the days for dövizle askerlik accumulate, so the two processes are usually run together.
The sequence
Check your status on e-Devlet; collect the UK evidence for the ground you rely on; book the consulate; submit; note the expiry date; renew before it. The rhythm for a student is once per programme with a renewal if you continue to a higher degree; for a worker, once every two years.
Student deferment: documents
- A student status letter from the university, college or school on headed paper, giving the programme, level, start and expected end dates, and your mode of study. Universities issue these from the student portal in minutes.
- For school-age students, a letter from the school or school report confirming enrolment.
- Your Turkish kimlik kartı and passport, the UK visa or status evidence, and photographs.
- On completion, the degree certificate or a completion letter, which the consulate uses to close one deferment and, if you continue, open the next.
Consulates in the UK read English and have accepted English student letters from our clients to date, but some ask for a Turkish translation, particularly where the letter is unusual (a foundation year, a professional course, part-time study). Where a translation is required, it must be by a translator on the consulate’s list with the consulate’s certification, or notarised in Türkiye; we produce the notarised version in Ankara from £6.50 per page plus the notary tariff. The UK Student visa itself is not translated; the consulate reads the share code.
Worker deferment: documents
- Immigration status allowing work or residence: eVisa share code, BRP or naturalisation certificate.
- An employer letter with start date, role and hours, plus recent payslips or a P60; for the self-employed, HMRC registration or Companies House records; for company owners, the incorporation documents.
- Proof of UK address.
- Kimlik kartı, passport and photographs.
The same translation practice applies: ask the consulate at booking whether it wants any of the English documents in Turkish. Because worker deferment is renewed every two years, keep the format consistent so that each renewal is a repeat rather than a fresh argument.
Timing, ceilings and fees
Consular fees for deferment are modest and listed on the consulate’s site. The constraint is time: appointments in London can be weeks away, and a deferment that expires while you wait for one is still a lapse. Students should file as soon as the enrolment letter is available in September; workers should diarise the two-year expiry and book three months ahead. The age ceilings are counted by the ministry from your date of birth, and a student who reaches the ceiling mid-programme has to move to worker deferment or to the paid exemption. Men who have already passed 35 without either are in a different position and should speak to the consulate or a Turkish lawyer.
Mistakes that cause trouble
- Assuming the university reports your enrolment to Türkiye. It does not; you do.
- Letting a student deferment run past graduation without converting it to worker deferment or applying for dövizle askerlik.
- Travelling to Türkiye with a lapsed deferment and being stopped at the airport.
- Employer letters that give a job title but no start date.
- Ordering translations of every document before the consulate has said which it wants.
What we do
We prepare consulate-acceptable Turkish translations of student letters, employer letters and related UK documents when the consulate asks for them, and notarised translations in Ankara for anything going to a recruitment office in Türkiye. We also translate Turkish military documents into English for UK universities and employers who ask why you must travel. The tecil page keeps the current ceilings and consular contacts; eligibility questions belong to the consulate.
Step by step
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Read your status on e-Devlet
Open the askerlik durum belgesi on e-Devlet. It shows whether a deferment is in force and until when, or whether you are already recorded as having missed a roll call. Fix the date in your diary. If you are in default, tell the consulate so at booking; the application can still be made, but a penalty is likely.
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Choose the ground: student or worker
If you are enrolled full-time, use student deferment until the ceiling for your level. If you work, hold a work or residence status, or run a business, use worker deferment in two-year blocks; those years also count towards dövizle askerlik. A student with a part-time job stays on the student ground. If you are unsure, the consulate will say which applies.
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Obtain the UK document
Download a student status letter from your university portal, or ask HR for an employer letter with start date, role and hours on headed paper. Generate an eVisa share code. Scan the documents and ask the consulate whether it needs any of them in Turkish; if so, send them to us for translation acceptable to the consulate or notarised in Ankara.
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Book and attend the consulate
Book a military-service appointment at the consulate for your area, London, Manchester or Edinburgh, and attend with the kimlik kartı, Turkish passport, UK status evidence, the student or employer document, any translation, photographs and the fee. The officer enters the deferment request; confirmation appears on e-Devlet within a few weeks.
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Renew before expiry
Student deferment ends with the programme; obtain a completion letter or degree certificate and, if you continue to a higher degree, a new enrolment letter, and apply again. Worker deferment ends after two years; book the renewal three months ahead with a fresh employer letter and status evidence. Check e-Devlet after each renewal.
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Plan the endgame
Before the age ceiling, decide between returning to serve and the paid exemption. If you intend to pay, keep worker deferment unbroken and count the 1,095 days as you go; the guide to dövizle askerlik sets out the fee and the steps. Do not let the ceiling arrive without a decision.
Frequently asked questions
Does my UK university tell Türkiye that I am a student?
No. Deferment is granted only on your application through the consulate with an enrolment document; nothing happens automatically.
Does the consulate need a Turkish translation of my student letter?
Usually not for a standard UK university letter, but some officers ask, especially for unusual programmes. If asked, the translation must be consulate-certified or notarised in Türkiye; a UK agency certification is not accepted.
I finished my degree and now work. Do I have to reapply?
Yes. Student deferment ends with the programme. Apply for worker deferment with your employer letter and status evidence, and note that those two-year blocks count towards the paid exemption.
What happens if I travel to Türkiye with an expired deferment?
You may be recorded as having missed the roll call, fined and, depending on age and circumstances, required to attend a recruitment office. Renew before travelling; if it has already lapsed, contact the consulate first.