Germany’s missions in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir are experiencing an unprecedented surge in visa demand, with press reports citing up to 100,000 pending applications and interview slots now stretching “almost 12 months” into the future. According to BILD, more than 5,000 Turkish citizens attempted to register for appointments during the week of 22–26 June alone. Embassy insiders blame staffing shortages and heightened security checks since the 2025 coup attempt; Turkish business associations accuse Berlin of “deliberate slow-rolling” that hurts trade ties and family visits. The German-Turkish Chamber of Commerce warns that firms cannot get technicians and sales staff to German clients in time, breaching service-level agreements. Under the Skilled Immigration Act, Turkish nationals account for roughly 9 percent of German Blue Card holders, but recruiters say engineers are turning to the Netherlands and Canada rather than wait a year. Legal advisers note that the visa code allows outsourcing to external service providers—a fix the Foreign Office has so far rejected. Global-mobility teams with Turkish talent should explore remote-first onboarding or EU-intra-company transfer routes via other Schengen states. They should also budget for contingency flights to consulates with shorter queues (e.g., Athens or Tbilisi) if appointment-shopping becomes politically acceptable again.
Source: BILD
