Can I renounce my Turkish citizenship if I haven’t completed my compulsory military service?
If you wish to renounce your Turkish citizenship, but have not completed your compulsory military service, you are required to obtain a deferment or pay an exemption fee. Under Turkish law, Turkish men up to the age of 45 are required to perform military service even if they live outside Türkiye or have dual citizenship.
Renouncing Turkish citizenship if you are under the age of 38
If you are under the age of 38 you can renounce your Turkish citizenship without having completed your military service or paid the exemption fee, provided that you were previously granted a deferment. If you wish to renounce your Turkish citizenship, you can apply to the embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Den Haag. The embassy can also answer any questions you have about deferment or exemption fees for Turkish compulsory military service.
If you are a naturalised Dutch citizen and have renounced your Turkish citizenship, you are no longer required to perform military service under Turkish law.
Renouncing Turkish citizenship if you are 38 or older
From the age of 38 you are no longer able to apply for a deferment of your military service. At that point you can only renounce your Turkish citizenship if you have completed your military service before the age of 45 or paid the exemption fee.
If you have not completed your military service or paid the exemption fee by the age of 45, you are considered a draft evader and, as such, you are guilty of a criminal offence under Turkish law. You can then no longer renounce your Turkish citizenship. The embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Den Haag can provide information about your rights and obligations.
Declared unfit for military service
If you have been declared unfit for military service, you are no longer required to serve.