Buying Back Insurance Periods Spent Abroad

Turkish citizens residing or working abroad are entitled, pursuant to Law No. 3201, to buy back their periods spent abroad so that such periods may be evaluated as qualifying insurance periods for the purposes of Turkish retirement and social security rights. This article addresses the scope of the buy-back mechanism, its eligibility requirements, the calculation of the buy-back fee, the application procedure and the conditions for the granting of a pension on the basis of bought-back periods, as set out in the legislation in force as of 2026, in a question-and-answer format.

Table of contents

1. What is Law No. 3201?
2. Who is eligible to buy back periods spent abroad?
3. Which periods spent abroad may be bought back, and is buying back of the entire period mandatory?
4. What are the requirements for buying back insurance periods, and how is the application submitted?
5. How is the buy-back fee calculated, and within what period must it be paid?
6. Under which insurance status are the bought-back periods evaluated, and is it possible to withdraw from the buy-back?
7. What conditions apply to the granting of a pension based on bought-back periods, and which documents must be submitted?
8. What does "definitive return to Türkiye" mean, and at which stage is this condition examined?

1. What is Law No. 3201?

Law No. 3201, entitled Law on the Evaluation of Periods Spent Abroad by Turkish Citizens for Social Security Purposes(Yurtdışında Bulunan Türk Vatandaşlarının Yurtdışında Geçen Sürelerinin Sosyal Güvenlikleri Bakımından Değerlendirilmesi Hakkında Kanun), was adopted on 8 May 1985 and entered into force upon its publication in the Official Gazette No. 18761 dated 22 May 1985. The Law enables Turkish citizens, subject to certain conditions, to buy back periods spent abroad as qualifying insurance periods for social security purposes, treating such periods as if they had been completed in Türkiye.

2. Who is eligible to buy back periods spent abroad?

The following persons are entitled to benefit from the buy-back scheme:

• Persons who acquired Turkish citizenship by birth,
• Dual nationals holding both Turkish and foreign citizenship,
• Persons who were Turkish citizens by birth but have subsequently lost their Turkish citizenship by way of release (holders of the Mavi Kart – Blue Card), as well as their entitled heirs who are Turkish citizens,
• Persons who have been granted Turkish citizenship on account of forced migration.

3. Which periods spent abroad may be bought back, and is buying back of the entire period mandatory?

The following periods may be bought back: insurance periods spent abroad as a Turkish citizen after the age of 18, provided that they are duly documented; periods of unemployment of up to one year each, falling between or following such insurance periods; and periods spent abroad as a housewife.

There is no obligation to buy back all such periods. The applicant may elect to buy back the entire period, any portion thereof, or solely the amount sufficient to qualify for a pension. Such election must, however, be expressly declared at the time of application.

4. What are the requirements for buying back insurance periods, and how is the application submitted?

Buying back insurance periods requires the cumulative fulfilment of the following four conditions:

• Turkish citizenship,
• Existence of qualifying periods spent abroad,
• Documentation of such periods,
• Submission of a written application.

The written application requirement is satisfied by completing and signing the Yurt Dışı Süreleri Borçlanma Talep Dilekçesi (Application for the Buy-Back of Periods Spent Abroad) or the Zorunlu Göç Kapsamında Gelenlerin Borçlanma Talep Dilekçesi (Application for Persons within the Scope of Forced Migration) and submitting it, in person or by post, to the competent unit of the Turkish Social Security Institution (SGK).

5. How is the buy-back fee calculated, and within what period must it be paid?

The fee payable for each day to be bought back corresponds to 45% of the daily earnings elected by the applicant within the range of the minimum and maximum daily earnings thresholds laid down in Article 82 of Law No. 5510, as in force on the date of application.

For the period from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026, the applicable amounts are as follows:

• Daily fee based on the minimum threshold: TRY 1,101.00 × 45% = TRY 495.45
• Daily fee based on the maximum threshold: TRY 9,909.00 × 45% = TRY 4,459.05

By way of illustration, if on 13 May 2026 an applicant seeks to buy back 5,000 days on the basis of the minimum threshold, the total fee payable amounts to 5,000 × TRY 495.45 = TRY 2,477,250.

The assessed buy-back fee must be credited to the SGK account within three months of the notification date. In the event of partial payment, the periods corresponding to the amount paid shall be deemed valid, whereas a new buy-back application must be submitted in respect of the periods corresponding to the unpaid portion.

6. Under which insurance status are the bought-back periods evaluated, and is it possible to withdraw from the buy-back?

For applications submitted on or after 1 August 2019, bought-back periods are deemed to constitute qualifying insurance periods under the status set out in Article 4/1-(b) of Law No. 5510 (Bağ-Kur – self-employed status), irrespective of the applicant's most recent insurance status as at the date of application. This classification has significant implications for retirement planning and pension calculation.

Withdrawal from the buy-back is permissible. Upon written application for cancellation, the buy-back fee previously paid is refunded in full in Turkish lira, without interest. No partial refund of the paid amount is available; however, where multiple separate buy-back applications have been made, the applicant may withdraw from one or more of those applications. Persons to whom a pension has already been granted on the basis of bought-back periods are, by contrast, precluded from withdrawing from the buy-back.

7. What conditions apply to the granting of a pension based on bought-back periods, and which documents must be submitted?

The granting of a pension based on bought-back periods spent abroad requires the cumulative fulfilment of the following conditions:

• Definitive return to Türkiye,
• Payment of that portion of the buy-back fee which is sufficient to qualify for a pension,
• Entitlement to a pension under the applicable social security legislation,
• Submission of a written application.

From applicants who, following the buy-back, apply for the grant of an invalidity, old-age or retirement pension, the following documents are collected at the time of application: the Gelir/Aylık/Ödenek Talep Belgesi(Income/Pension/Benefit Application Form) and the 3201 Sayılı Kanuna Göre Aylık Talebinde Bulunanlara Mahsus Beyan ve Taahhüt Belgesi (Special Declaration and Undertaking for Pension Applicants under Law No. 3201). Applicants resident abroad must additionally submit, for the purpose of verifying compliance with the definitive return requirement, an employment or residency certificate issued within the three months preceding the pension application.

8. What does "definitive return to Türkiye" mean, and at which stage is this condition examined?

The notion of definitive return does not imply that the country of previous residence must be irrevocably and permanently abandoned. Rather, for applicants seeking a pension on the basis of bought-back periods spent abroad, a definitive return is deemed to exist where employment activities abroad have come to an end – with the exception of minor employment relationships (Mini Jobs) – and no residence-based social insurance or social assistance benefit is being received.

The definitive return requirement is not examined at the application stage for the buy-back; it is assessed solely in the context of the pension application procedure. Accordingly, the buy-back application may also be submitted while employment activities abroad are still ongoing.