During a one-day visit to Istanbul on 30 September 2026, North-Rhine Westphalia’s Minister-President Hendrik Wüst announced that Germany will significantly expand its fast-track visa programme for employees of Turkish companies that maintain long-standing commercial links with the German market. Under the existing 2014 arrangement, around 1,500 firms that could demonstrate a record of regular travel and investment were able to obtain Schengen business visas for their staff in as little as three days. Turkish business associations have long argued that the quota has become far too small for an export-oriented economy in which Germany has been the largest trading partner for more than a decade. According to Wüst, the Federal Foreign Office and the German missions in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir will over the coming months more than double the number of pre-vetted companies that benefit from the accelerated procedure. While the precise eligibility criteria are still being finalised, officials indicated that audited turnover with Germany, compliance with EU product-safety rules and proof of return travel for at least five previous trips will form the core of the risk-analysis. The consulates will also introduce a dedicated appointment lane and accept group applications that bundle up to ten passports, a change that should prove particularly helpful for medium-sized suppliers in the automotive and machinery sectors who frequently need to dispatch whole engineering teams at short notice. German employers have welcomed the move, noting that Turkish suppliers play an increasingly strategic role in keeping production lines running amidst global supply-chain disruptions. From a policy perspective, the initiative dovetails with Berlin’s Skilled Immigration Strategy, which explicitly encourages business travel and temporary assignments as a pathway to longer-term talent recruitment. Visa lawyers caution, however, that the fast-track does not waive the underlying legal requirements of Regulation (EC) 810/2009 (Visa Code); applicants must still show travel health insurance, sufficient funds and an invitation letter. If the pilot proves successful, the Federal Foreign Office could replicate the model with other key trading partners. For now, the expanded Turkish fast-track sends a positive signal to companies across Anatolia and Germany alike that bilateral economic integration remains a political priority despite broader geopolitical tensions.
Source: BR24
