Military service deferment (tecil) for students and workers abroad

What deferment does

A Turkish man becomes liable for military service at 20. Deferment (tecil, formally sevk tehiri or erteleme) postpones the call-up while he studies or lives and works abroad, and keeps his record clean so that he is neither a yoklama kaçağı nor bakaya when he next enters Türkiye. For those in the UK the deferment is applied for and renewed at the consulate general for their district, which forwards it to the recruitment directorate (ASAL). It is the companion to dövizle askerlik: deferment keeps you in good standing while you accumulate the days abroad or decide what to do, and it must stay valid until a discharge is recorded.

Students

Enrolment at a UK school, college or university on a course recognised by the Turkish authorities entitles you to deferment until the course ends, up to an age cap that depends on the level of study. As of the consulates' current notes the caps are 29 for undergraduate and lower study, 33 for a master's degree and 35 for a doctorate; a student who passes the cap for his level must move to another basis, usually worker deferment or the fee-based option. The deferment is granted for the expected length of the course and renewed on evidence that you are still enrolled.

Documents: a current student status letter or enrolment certificate from the institution, naming the course, its level, start and expected end dates; your Turkish passport and T.C. kimlik kartı; your UK immigration status document. Schools and universities in the UK issue the letter on request through the registry or student services.

Workers

A man who lives in the UK with a status permitting work or residence can defer in blocks of two years, renewed each time, until the age of 35. The basis is residence and work abroad rather than a particular job, so a change of employer does not end the deferment as long as the status continues. Documents: British passport or immigration status document (eVisa, BRP, vignette), evidence of employment or self-employment such as an employer letter, payslips or an HMRC record, and the Turkish passport and identity card. Time deferred as a worker counts towards the 1,095 days needed for dövizle askerlik.

Applying and renewing

Book a military service appointment through konsolosluk.gov.tr and bring the documents. The consulate enters the deferment and it appears on the askerlik durum belgesi in e-Devlet within weeks. Note the end date and renew before it, not after: an expired deferment on arrival at a Turkish airport can mean a fine and a summons. Many men keep the renewal date in the same calendar entry as their passport expiry.

Translation: what the consulate reads itself

The consulate's notes say that no outside sworn translation is requested for documents obtained from British authorities, and the British passport and immigration status documents fall under that rule. Whether the consulate wants a Turkish text of the student letter or employer letter varies by post and by officer; ask when you book. If it does, the translation for the consulate file must be from a translator on the consulate's register, and we are not on it.

Our translations serve the other side of the process: a recruitment branch (askerlik şubesi) in Türkiye examining the deferment record, a dispute over whether a course qualifies, or a family completing the file for a son who has returned. For those offices the UK letter is translated by a translator sworn before an Ankara notary and notarised, which is the form a Turkish domestic body accepts. An FCDO apostille is rarely demanded on a student or employer letter but, where it is, it must be attached before translation.

Documents you may need

• UK student status letter translation
• UK school reports and attendance letters translation for younger students
• UK employer letter translation
• UK immigration status documents translation

Common pitfalls

• A student letter without an expected end date, which the consulate cannot process.
• Missing the renewal date by a few weeks and flying to Türkiye.
• Assuming a language course or short course qualifies; check with the consulate first.
• Passing the age cap for your level of study without switching to another basis.
• Letting the deferment lapse while a dövizle askerlik application is pending.

Our service and prices

Where a Turkish military office asks for notarised Turkish versions of your UK student or employer documents, we translate them in Ankara: from £6.50 per page of 1,000 characters plus the notary tariff at cost (about £13.50 per page in 2026) and £5 handling per document; apostille of the translation £15 where required. A one-page student letter comes to about £25; an employer letter with payslips two to three pages, £45 to £70. PDF by e-mail first, wet-sealed original by courier for £30; no UK VAT; no collection. Our guide is on military service deferment for students and workers in the UK.