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Guide of the month: askerlik from the UK
Military service questions are the ones we are asked most in July and August, when men in their twenties plan a summer in Türkiye. Our two askerlik guides cover paying the fee from abroad and deferring while you are here.
Why this one, this month
Summer is when the question becomes urgent. A man who has not settled his position can face problems entering or leaving Türkiye, and the family conversation about it tends to happen at a wedding in August rather than in a quiet week in February. The two guides between them cover the choice most people face: pay, or defer.
Paying from abroad
Dövizle askerlik converts service into a fee plus remote basic training, for men who have completed 1,095 days abroad with work or residence status and who apply before turning 35. The guide sets out how the days are counted, what happens to the count if you spend more than six months of a year in Türkiye, and which UK documents evidence the period — employer letters, P60s, HMRC records, tenancy agreements, council tax bills — all of which reach the consulate in Turkish.
Deferring instead
Tecil buys time rather than settling the matter. Students defer to an age limit tied to their level of study; men in employment abroad defer in two-year blocks up to 35, applying through the consulate. The trap is that a deferment expiring while you are outside Türkiye is easy to forget until a border officer mentions it. Read dövizle askerlik step by step and askerlik deferment from the UK, and use the document checklist before you book an appointment.