11.06.2026 17:02
The bill amending the Specialist Non-Commissioned Officer Law and certain other laws, which regulates the personal rights of Turkish Armed Forces personnel and the provision of public employment to contracted non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel, was accepted in the Turkish Grand National Assembly's National Defense Committee. According to the bill, non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel who have not turned 41 may serve as correctional and protection officers, neighborhood and market guards, forest protection officers, administrative detention personnel, security personnel, police officers, and firefighters.
The TBMM National Defense Committee convened under the chairmanship of AK Party Kayseri Deputy Hulusi Akar. During the meeting, the 17-article Draft Law on the Specialist Non-Commissioned Officer Law and Amendments to Certain Laws was discussed and adopted.
NEW EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY FOR NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND ENLISTED PERSONNEL
With the draft, the personal rights of Turkish Armed Forces personnel will be regulated, and employment in the public sector will be provided for contracted non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel. In this context, non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel who have served at least 7 years and have not reached the age of 41 as of the application date may become enforcement and protection officers, market and neighborhood watchmen, forest conservation officers, administrative supervision personnel, security and protection personnel, municipal police officers, and firefighters in public institutions and organizations.
According to the amendment made to the Travel Allowance Law, within the scope of the provision regarding "travel allowance in military units during operations," those who are paid daily allowances, except for personnel on submarine vessels who cannot be provided accommodation on board at domestic ports, will not receive additional accommodation expenses in accordance with the regulation on "daily allowances to be paid domestically."
With the regulation made in the Turkish Armed Forces Internal Service Law, officers' clubs, military casinos, barracks casinos, shift dormitories, veteran adaptation houses, and private, local, and winter training centers will also have the quality and nature of military premises as they are military buildings.
In the Turkish Armed Forces Personnel Law, while there is an explicit provision stating that non-commissioned officers who leave the Armed Forces for any reason cannot be re-recruited as regular officers, there is no such provision for officers, necessitating an amendment. Accordingly, except for those performing military service under the Military Service Law, officers who leave the Armed Forces for any reason cannot be re-recruited as regular officers, except for the exceptions specified in the Law.
THE HEADING "RECORD" WILL BE ADDED TO THE SPECIALIST NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER LAW
In the educational and training institutions under the Ministry of National Defense and its affiliated bodies, the additional course fee paid to individuals who meet the necessary conditions and are determined by the administration in the topics and fields specified by the administration, within the conditions stipulated in the relevant legislation, for teaching until the end of the 2024-2025 academic year, will be extended until the end of the 2029-2030 academic year.
Regarding immovable properties deemed expropriated, claims made after January 12, 1963, including price claims, will not be accepted. This provision will also apply to cases filed after January 12, 1963, including those under judicial review.
In cases filed and ongoing under this provision, court and enforcement fees and all types of attorney fees will be determined as fixed amounts.
Immovable properties deemed expropriated, if registered in the land registry, will be registered in the name of the relevant administration upon the request of the relevant public institution or organization through a lawsuit. Immovable properties without a title deed will be registered in the name of the relevant administration if they are subject to registration due to the nature of the allocation. These transactions will not be subject to fees.
The draft amends the Specialist Non-Commissioned Officer Law. Due to the reduction of military service duration on June 26, 2019, the condition of "not having reached the age of 27 as of the first day of January of the application year" is sufficient for sergeants, corporals, and privates who have completed their active service to become specialist non-commissioned officers. A regulation is being made regarding this matter, as well as enabling those exempted from military service, primarily relatives of martyrs, to apply to become specialist non-commissioned officers.
The heading "Record" is added to the Specialist Non-Commissioned Officer Law. With the regulation, the record year for specialist non-commissioned officers will cover the period starting from May 2 of the relevant year until May 2 of the following year.
The record document for specialist non-commissioned officers will be prepared as of the first May 2 following their recruitment after signing the contract. However, if the period between the recruitment date and the following May 2 is shorter than 3 months, the first record documents will be prepared on the date when the three months are completed. Subsequent records will be prepared on time. The full record score will be 100. The average of the scores given by the record superiors will constitute the record score for that year. For the record to be positive, the record score must be 60% or more of the full record score. Matters regarding record superiors authorized to write records for specialist non-commissioned officers, procedures for preparing a separation record if the record superior or the personnel subject to the record leaves their duty during the record period, and the format and procedures for the record to be given will be regulated by regulation.
CONDITIONS FOR TRANSITION OF SPECIALIST NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS TO NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER STATUS ARE CHANGING
The draft regulates the procedures, principles, and conditions for the transition of specialist non-commissioned officers to non-commissioned officer status under the Specialist Non-Commissioned Officer Law.
Accordingly, the record score condition will not be required for the transition of specialist non-commissioned officers to non-commissioned officer status. Among specialist non-commissioned officers who, as of the application date for the non-commissioned officer exam, have received records for at least 4 years from the date of recruitment as specialist non-commissioned officers and whose average of existing record scores is 90% or more of the full record score, as many as needed by the force commands, the General Command of the Gendarmerie, or the Coast Guard Command will be appointed as non-commissioned officer sergeants.
Among specialist non-commissioned officers who, as of the application date for the non-commissioned officer vocational school entrance exam, have an average of existing record scores from the date of recruitment as specialist non-commissioned officers that is 90% or more of the full record score, as many as needed by the force commands, the General Command of the Gendarmerie, or the Coast Guard Command will be assigned as non-commissioned officer sergeants following education and training provided at non-commissioned officer vocational schools.
The qualifications required for personnel, application form and time, acceptance of applications, reasons for making and terminating contracts, format and procedures for the record to be given, actions to be taken in cases of failure in duty, inability to adapt, and inability to benefit from personnel, principles applied for contract extension, conditions for specialist corporals to become specialist sergeants, principles applied for those to be transferred to the non-commissioned officer class, superior-subordinate relationships, and the procedure for these matters and other related issues will be regulated by a regulation to be jointly prepared by the Ministries of National Defense and Interior.
REGULATIONS WILL BE MADE IN THE "PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT" PROVISION
An amendment is being made to the "Public Employment" provision of the Contracted Non-Commissioned Officer and Enlisted Personnel Law. Accordingly, except for compulsory situations arising from mobilization, war, or counter-terrorism, those who leave as contracted non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel after completing at least 7 years of service and have a positive qualification certificate, provided they meet the other conditions except for the exam conditions in their relevant legislation and have not reached the age of 41 as of the application date, may be appointed to the positions of enforcement and protection officer, market and neighborhood watchman, forest conservation officer, administrative supervision personnel, security and protection officer, municipal police officer, firefighter, driver, and support personnel in public institutions and organizations, within the quotas and assignment permits and within the framework of the procedures and principles in this article.
Applications from those wishing to benefit from this provision will be collected annually, and their personal data regarding eligibility conditions will be communicated by the Ministry of Interior or the Ministry of National Defense to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security by the last day of October. Applications must be renewed each year. The submission of personnel information will not alone constitute a right for appointment.
Public institutions and organizations, for positions such as enforcement and protection officers, market and neighborhood watchmen, forest protection officers, administrative supervision personnel, protection and security guards, municipal police officers, firefighters, drivers, and support staff, must set aside 10% of the total quota and appointment permits for personnel recruitment in that year under this provision and notify the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, along with the recruitment conditions, by the end of December. The 10% of quotas or appointment permits from the previous year reported to the Ministry, to be used in the new year, will not be subject to the new year's open or transfer appointment numbers.
For those included in the list submitted by the Ministry of Interior or the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security will, by March 1 of each year, place or cause to be placed candidates into the quotas notified by public institutions or organizations, in a single session, to determine those who will undergo an oral exam. From among those meeting the conditions specified in the published guide, four times the quota number of candidates will be determined by lottery, taking their preferences into account. Information on those appointed from among those successful in the oral exam, which will be conducted within three months by commissions established by the relevant institution, will be communicated by the relevant public institution or organization to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, the institution hosting the public personnel information system, and, as applicable, the Ministry of Interior or the Ministry of National Defense, within one month of their appointment.
In the oral exam conducted by the commission established by the relevant institution, candidates will be evaluated based on their "general culture and general ability," "ability to comprehend and summarize a subject, expression skills, and reasoning power," "merit, representational ability, suitability of attitude and behavior for the duty," "self-confidence, persuasion ability, and credibility," and "openness to scientific and technological developments." Each member of the exam board will evaluate candidates for each of the specified characteristics out of 20 points, and the scores given will be recorded separately in the minutes. The total score each member gives to a candidate out of 100 full points will be calculated. Finally, the arithmetic average of these scores given by all members out of 100 full points will be taken to determine the candidate's oral exam score.
For contracted non-commissioned officers and privates who complete 7 years of service and leave, the requirement for private security basic training, consisting of at least 120 class hours of theoretical, practical, and weapons training as per the Law on Private Security Services, and the requirement of being at least an elementary or middle school graduate for unarmed duties, or at least a high school or equivalent graduate for armed duties, will not be required.
REQUIREMENT OF SUCCESS IN INTERVIEW FOR TRANSITIONING TO EXPERT NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER STATUS
According to the amendment regarding the procedures, principles, and conditions for transitioning contracted non-commissioned officers and privates to expert non-commissioned officer status, the condition of being successful in the physical fitness and assessment test and written and/or interview exams will be required.
The regulation also determines the evaluation criteria for the physical fitness and assessment test and written and interview exams. Accordingly, if a written exam is conducted, it will include topics on general culture and professional knowledge. A minimum score of 50 out of 100 full points will be required in the written exam. The written exam may be conducted by the Ministry of Interior or the Ministry of National Defense, as applicable, or may be outsourced to other public institutions or organizations or universities.
To be considered successful in the physical fitness and assessment test, a candidate must achieve at least 50 points out of 100 in each administered test, and the arithmetic average of the scores from these tests must be at least 60 points.
If an interview exam is conducted, the chairperson and members of the interview panel will be determined by the Ministry of Interior or the Ministry of National Defense, as applicable. Depending on the number of candidates, multiple panels may be established. In the interview, candidates will be evaluated out of 100 full points based on their general appearance, ability to comprehend what is asked, self-confidence, background, personality, psychological structure, ability to express themselves, body language skills, emotional balance, extroversion, compliance, responsibility, openness, suitability for the profession, and willingness. The average of the scores independently assigned by each member will be taken to determine the candidate's interview exam score. Candidates participating in the interview exam will be required to achieve at least 70 points.
The ratios of the physical fitness and assessment test and written and/or interview exams within the evaluation score determining the success ranking will be established by the Ministry of Interior or the Ministry of National Defense, as applicable.
In the event of ties in the evaluation scores determining the success ranking, priority will be given first to the candidate with the higher physical fitness and assessment test score; if the tie persists, to the one with longer actual service duration; and if still tied, priority will be given based on, respectively, education level, rank status, and award or penalty point status.
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