President Erdoğan ratifies law on military exemption fee


President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday ratified the law reducing the fee that Turkish expats are required to pay for exemption from military service.Accordingly, Turkish citizens who have been living outside of Turkey for at least three years or have worked for at least three consecutive years outside of the country will have the option to pay 1,000 euros instead of the current 6,000 euro fee to be exempt from mandatory military service. The citizens however need to be at least 38 years old to benefit from the new law. Turkey's military service law defines military service as an obligation for all male citizens who turn twenty years old. Exemptions from conscription are allowed only for medical reasons, in accordance with the health regulations of the Turkish Armed Forces.