11.07.2026 14:20
A civil service door has been opened for contracted non-commissioned officers and privates who have served for at least 7 years within the Turkish Armed Forces. According to the new regulation published in the Official Gazette, the positions they can be appointed to in the public sector have been specified, an age requirement has been introduced, and the draw and oral exam procedure has been determined.
With the new regulation in the Law on Contracted Non-Commissioned Officers and Enlisted Personnel, a path has been opened for personnel who have completed a certain service period within the Turkish Armed Forces to be employed in public institutions and organizations. According to the new decision, public institutions must allocate 10 percent of their total quotas for personnel recruitment in designated titles to those who have left contracted non-commissioned officer and enlisted service.
HERE ARE THE CONDITIONS FOR TRANSITION TO PUBLIC SERVICE
Candidates wishing to transition to civil servant positions by benefiting from this regulation must have completed at least seven years of service as contracted non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel and have left their positions. Additionally, candidates must have a positive qualification certificate, must not have reached the age of forty-one as of the application date, and must meet the general appointment conditions except for the exam requirement specified in the institutions' own legislation.
Personnel who successfully meet the conditions may be employed in public institutions and organizations as prison and guard officers, street and neighborhood watchmen, forest protection officers, administrative supervision personnel, protection and security officers, municipal police officers, firefighters, drivers, and support personnel.
HOW WILL THE CALENDAR AND LOTTERY PROCESS WORK?
Applications from those wishing to benefit from this right will be accepted annually on a regular basis. The Ministry of Interior or the Ministry of National Defense will submit the list of applying personnel to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security no later than the end of October. Public institutions, in turn, will be obliged to submit the ten percent quota they have allocated for this purpose and the recruitment conditions by the end of December.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Security will coordinate placement procedures by March 1 each year in line with the reported quotas. Among those meeting the conditions specified in the published guide, four times the number of candidates for the allocated quota will be determined by lottery and proceed to the interview stage.
AN ORAL EXAM WILL BE HELD
In the oral exams to be conducted by relevant institution committees within three months after the lottery, candidates will be evaluated based on five different criteria: general culture, expression skills, merit, self-confidence, and openness to technological developments. The arithmetic average of these criteria, each worth twenty points, will be calculated to determine the candidate's success score out of a total of one hundred points.
On the other hand, an important convenience has been provided for candidates applying for protection and security officer positions. For these positions, the normally required 120-hour basic training requirement and education conditions such as high school or middle school graduation will not be sought for personnel who have left contracted non-commissioned officer and enlisted service.
SERVICE PERIODS WILL BE ADDED AS DEGREES AND STEPS
The past service periods of appointed personnel in contracted non-commissioned officer and enlisted service will not go to waste; these periods will be directly added to their initial degrees and steps in civil service. Each year will be calculated as one step, and each three years as one degree increase, reflecting on the personnel's salary and personal rights.
However, those appointed to civil servant positions by benefiting from this right will not be able to transition to another title for at least four years. Additionally, those who receive an appointment approval but do not start the job, or who resign for any reason after starting, will not be able to benefit from this right again and will be considered to have used the one-time right granted to them.