Military Service Under Special Status
1. Who is eligible to do military service under special status (paid military service due to living abroad)?
a. The citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus who were born of a Turkish Cypriot mother or father in a foreign country and have been residing in that country or in another where he moved to until the draft age [excluding those residing in Turkey with a dual citizenship (Republic of Turkey – Turkish republic of Northern Cyprus)].
b. The citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus who left Cyprus with their parents before the age of 12 and have been residing abroad in the foreign country they settled until the draft age [excluding those residing in Turkey with a dual citizenship (Republic of Turkey – Turkish republic of Northern Cyprus)].
c. In any case, those who moved away from TRNC and settled in another country before 1st January 2009 and those who have been hidden, a roll call evader, a deserter or a fugitive on 1st January 2009 can complete their military service in the context of special status. They cannot be blamed with any of these crimes which are stated above.
2. How is the application of those who are under this status made?
Those who are under this status;
a. Can apply to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus foreign representation offices.
b. Those who have not applied must apply to the Military Recruitment and Mobilization Office Directorate within 120 days following the date they entered the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus for the first time.
c. Those who have records in the Military Recruitment and Mobilization Office Directorate because they have registered to the Ministry of Interior, must apply until the end of January of the draft age year or else they will be considered as roll call evaders and will be fined with ¼ of the minimum wage.
Required Documents:
(1) Passport Photocopy
(2) Entry-Exit records from the Immigration Department of the Police. (Parents of those who were born in the TRNC must also bring theirs)
(3) If there is one, TRNC ID card photocopy and an original TRNC birth certificate
(4) Those who are citizens of Turkey, must bring Turkish ID photocopy, TRNC citizenship processed certificate of identity register copy, entry-exit records to Turkey obtained from Turkish Security General Directorate.
3. What is the military obligation of those who are under this status?
a. Those who are younger than 31 being discharged by paying 3,000 GBP, those who are older than 31 being discharged by paying 2,000 GBP.
b. Serving for 1 month by paying 1,500 GBP.
c. Serving for 4 months for those who were younger than 31 on the date of their entry to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus for returnees (who do not want to pay)
d. Serving for 2 months for those who were older than 31 on the date of their entry to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus for returnees (who do not want to pay)
e. Serving for 1 month for those who are under the old law status and have the right to stay in the TRNC for 60 days and have entered the 41st age.
f. Those who have completed their 49th age and still keep their special status right will be given an exemption document on their application to the Military Recruitment and Mobilization Office Directorate on their first entry to the TRNC.
Required Documents:
(1) 4 photo (small size 2.5x 3.2 cm)
(2) Photocopy of the TRNC ID Card Card
(3) TRNC Birth Certificate (original)
(4) Exit- Entry document from the TRNC Immigration Department of the Police
4. How is the postponements done of those who will carry out special status (paid) military service and how long can those who are under this status reside in the TRNC?
a. Military service of citizens who are under special status and declare that they will continue to live abroad permanently are postponed until the date that they decide to move back and live in the TRNC.
b. Those have to apply to the Security Forces Command Military Recruitment and Mobilization Office Directorate and carry out their processes and get a “military service has been postponed until permanent return to the country” document for once.
- who are under this status can reside in the TRNC for a total 120 days in one calendar year. Those who exceed this time period without any legitimate excuse and stay more than 120 days in TRNC are forbidden to leave the TRNC and they are deemed as TRNC residents.(for those who have applied under the short term military law can apply to get a document and stay 60 days).
d. Citizens who exceed this time period and stay more than 120 days in TRNC have to apply to the Military Recruitment and Mobilization Office Directorate within 12 months from the last entry to the TRNC in order to fulfill their military obligation under special status according to the 1st clause of the 17th article of this law. Those who do not apply in this time period or have applied but did not complete their obligations in this time period lose their special status rights.
5. Do those to whom the provisions of the first article apply, lose their rights if they are in the TRNC for educational purposes until the draft age and stay more than 120 days?
Those who have special status rights and are in the TRNC for educational purposes until the draft age and who stay more than 120 days do not lose their rights if:
a. They reside abroad for a total of seven years, and
b. Their mother and father (if divorced, the one who have the parental rights) do(es) not reside in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus for more than a total of 120 days in a year within the period until the draft age of their child.
6. What is paid military service due to completion of higher education?
Those who were citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on the date they reached the draft age, and have completed a minimum 3 years long higher education faculty and continued onto postgraduate studies can complete their military service under the paid military service status after completing PhD studies.
Those who were citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on the date they reached the draft age and completed a minimum 3 years long higher education faculty, can apply to the Military Recruitment and Mobilization Office Directorate to postpone their military service for 4 years to benefit from the paid military service by providing proof of lawfully working in another country and appropriate to the TRNC Military Law and can stay in the TRNC for a maximum of 120 days in a calendar year. Those citizens’ any overseas postgraduate masters’ studies will be counted towards the 4 years’ period as long as it does not overlap with the working dates and not exceeding the 120 days of residency in the TRNC. After the completion of 4 years, they are obliged to apply within 12 months and complete their military service in 12 months after the application. Those who do not apply within 12 months without a legitimate excuse and the ones who do not fulfil their military services in 12 months no longer have the rights to benefit from the paid military service.
7. How do citizens lose their rights to do paid military service that they gained by being professional sportsmen?
Those who cannot gain right to do paid military service by being graduated from higher education can apply to the Military Recruitment and Mobilization Office Directorate for a professional sportsmen status after their draft age, as long as they postpone their obligations every year and reside overseas for 9 years to benefit from paid military service, regardless of their educational background.
8. What is the obligation of those who are under the paid military service status due to completion of higher education and their professional sports career?
They can fulfill their obligation by paying 4000 GBP and serving for 1 month or by paying 2000 GBP and serving for 15 days initially and the rest 15 days in the next 15 months which will be planned by the Security Forces Command.
9. How can the entitlement to the paid military service status due to completion of higher education be lost?
The entitlement to the paid military service status due to completion of higher education can be lost if:
a. Those who graduated from an academic institution approved by the TRNC Ministry of Education and failed to apply for reserve officer pre-candidacy within one year following their graduation date,
b. One fails to have the necessary registrations made by applying to the Military Recruitment and Mobilization Office Directorate within three months following the date higher education postponement ends and becomes a roll-call evader,,
c. One fails to attend the reserve officer roll-call and becomes a pre-registration draft evader or attends a roll-call but becomes an absentee thereafter by not joining the Training Centre.,
d. One stays more than 90 days in TRNC while working in another country.
10. How do paid military service roll calls take place?
a. Last poll – Polls of applicants occurs every year (two times in a year in February and July), according to dates that are set by Security Forces Command.
b. Poll dates announced by using press and publication channels.
c. Those who will attend to poll must be at the announced place at the announced date with the required documents and carry out their processes. Those who do not attend will count as roll-call evaders and lose their paid military service rights.
11. How citizens can apply for paid military service?
Those who graduate from a school which gives applicants rights to become reserve officer can apply for paid military service if they obey the rules of the Military Law. They can apply in person or via TRNC embassy, consulate, representative offices.
12. How many ways are there of doing paid military service?
a. In special status, those who went abroad to live before 12 years old and citizens that born abroad and lived abroad until the draft age,
b. Those who worked abroad for 4 years after graduating from university,
c. Those who completed a PhD after university,
d. Those who are professional sportsmen and lived abroad for 9 years.
13. When citizens can get their military completion document?
Citizens that complete their paid military service can get their military completion documents after 15 months (liable military period).
