Can Turkish Citizens Study at Foreign Schools? School Types and the 2026 Regulation

The official type of the school must be determined first

That a school employs foreign teachers, teaches in a foreign language or offers an international diploma programme does not automatically make it an international school. Likewise, using the brand name of a foreign organisation does not, on its own, confer authority to open a school or admit students in Türkiye. The first review should rest not on the promotional brochure but on the institution opening permit, the business opening and operating licence, the institution code and the stage of education the school is authorised to provide. The Ministry’s statements on programmes also show that the type of institution and its field of activity are decisive. [16]

The difference between a foreign private school and an international school

Law No. 5580 regulates, under separate definitions, private schools opened by foreigners and international private educational institutions that only students of foreign nationality may attend. This distinction directly affects the enrolment conditions to which the parent will be subject. The existence of foreign private high schools that can enrol Turkish students does not remove the citizenship restriction laid down for international schools; nor can the restriction concerning international schools be extended to all foreign private high schools. [1]

The table is not suitable for classifying a school merely by its name. Different campuses, different stages or different legal entities of the same group may be involved. A permit granted to one campus should not be treated as sufficient for every educational activity at another address.

Teaching in a foreign language is not the same as a foreign-country programme

Teaching in English, German or French does not necessarily mean that the student is enrolled in a foreign country’s education system. There is a difference between a school that applies the Turkish curriculum with an emphasis on a foreign language and one that runs a foreign-country programme with the permission of the competent authorities. According to the explanation of the Ministry of National Education (Millî Eğitim Bakanlığı, MEB), the application of another country’s programme in an international school is linked to a permit document, bearing the required authentication formalities, to be obtained from the competent education authority of the country concerned, and to the Ministry’s approval process. [17]

The question the parent should ask is not merely “In which language will my child study?”. The school type, the programme, the official student registration and the graduation document the child will obtain must be explained together. A positive answer to one of these questions does not replace the others.

Why are minority schools and embassy schools addressed separately?

Minority schools cannot be treated as a general school category open to all foreign students or to all Turkish citizens seeking education in a foreign language. A link with an embassy likewise does not create the same enrolment regime for all institutions. The school’s founding basis, its permit status in Türkiye and any relevant international arrangement must be determined concretely. The Law and the Constitution provide for regulation of private education and of education in a foreign language; the provisions of international treaties are also taken into account. [1] [14]

Which schools and which acts does the 2026 regulation affect?

Law No. 7590 was adopted on 24 July 2026 and published in the Official Gazette No. 33326 of 31 July 2026. The provision added to Article 7 of Law No. 5580 by Article 18 of that Law attaches a sanction to three situations concerning international schools: enrolling a Turkish-citizen student, providing education to that student, and keeping a student who acquires Turkish citizenship while at the school enrolled beyond the statutory period of attendance. [2] [3]

The sanction extends to the school’s operating permit

For the acts concerned, an administrative fine of twenty times the gross minimum wage and cancellation of the institution opening permit and of the business opening and operating licence have been provided. This special sanction should not be confused with the graduated system tied to the number of repetitions for certain other violations. Without determining the subject matter and the date of entry into force of the provision, the same consequence cannot be asserted for every past enrolment; the date of the act, whether the practice is continuing and the legal basis of the sanction must be examined separately. [2]

A sanction of this weight is capable of leading school administrations to re-examine their records. However, a school’s fear of sanctions is no ground for disregarding the student’s right of attendance, which the Law expressly protects. Even if the lawfulness of an enrolment and the conditions of the sanction the administration will impose on the school are assessed in separate files, they should be examined on the same material records.

How are student records protected if the school closes?

Action taken concerning a school’s licence does not remove the need to preserve the student’s past education file. Article 23/2 of the Private Educational Institutions Regulation provides that a closing institution must deliver its registers and files concerning students to the provincial or district directorate of national education within one month at the latest. Article 23/3 provides that the provincial directorate of national education is to take the necessary measures so that students can obtain their documents. Instead of waiting to reach only the school administration because of the closure, it should be asked in writing to which unit the archive has been transferred. [19]

The file should contain together the school’s institution code, the student’s identity numbers, the years of study, the enrolment and class-passing documents, and the date of the closure or licence action. It should not be assumed that the sanction applied to the institution automatically invalidates every document issued in the past, or that it validates every period spent without registration. The authority at the date on which the document was issued, the education actually received and the concrete administrative act are examined separately. Obtaining archive documents, moving to another school and fee claims should be planned together. The details of archive transfer, evidence preservation and fee applications are explained in the article on the MEB permit and the validity of the programme.

Continuing lessons without official enrolment is not a solution

The letter of 3 September 2026 from the Ministry of National Education’s General Directorate of Private Educational Institutions explains that the prohibition is not limited to official student enrolment but also covers providing education without enrolment. The approach of “let’s not register in the system, let the student keep attending lessons” is therefore not a safe way of managing the transition. [4]

For the student, the problem is being unable to prove later that he or she has passed a class, which programme he or she attended and from which institution a study certificate can be obtained. While wishing the de facto attendance to continue, the family should also see the risk that the official education history will be incomplete. A fee contract, a school-bus record or correspondence with the school may be important evidence; but none of them, on its own, serves as a class-passing or diploma document. These documents may be used in investigating the school’s responsibility and the education actually provided; academic recognition is assessed separately.

Applying a programme inconsistent with the type of institution is a separate violation

The 2026 amendment concerns not only the school’s admission of students but also its application of a programme consistent with the type of institution stated in its licence. The Ministry’s statement of October 2026 distinguishes between adding an unauthorised programme within the same type of institution and applying a programme that falls within the field of another type of institution. Not every programme irregularity should be treated with the same explanation of sanctions. [16]

The consequence for the parent is as follows: the fact that an institution operates in the field of education does not mean it can carry out every teaching activity accepted as schooling. Alongside the existence of the licence, the scope of the licence and its conformity with the education actually provided are also important.

Can a single answer be given for German, Italian and French schools?

Examples of the Private German High School and the Private Italian High School

The 2026–2027 student admission document of the Private German High School (Özel Alman Lisesi) links enrolment in the preparatory class to the score in the central examination administered by the Ministry of National Education (MEB), the ranking, the quota and the enrolment calendar. The presence of “German” in the school’s name therefore does not show that the rule on international schools applies to this school as it stands. [5]

The 2026 enrolment guide of the Private Italian High School (Özel İtalyan Lisesi) is likewise based on an institution regulation approved by the Ministry of National Education and on the central examination score. That T.C. identity and population registry documents of the student and of the parents are requested at final enrolment illustrates why the claim that “Turkish students are not admitted to all foreign high schools” is not correct. These documents are an example of the admission regime published by the school; they do not produce an individual result that a particular student satisfies the score, quota, time-limit or other conditions. [6]

In both examples, being able to apply, acquiring the right to final enrolment and completing the enrolment procedure are separate stages. That a school admits Turkish students in general does not give a right to demand that all applications to that school be accepted. Conversely, consistent application of the conditions announced to the student and an understandable reason for any refusal are necessary for the dispute to be assessed correctly.

The German embassy school is not in the same category

The enrolment page of the German Embassy School in Istanbul states that, because of the legal provisions currently in force, it cannot admit Turkish citizens or dual nationals who hold Turkish citizenship, and that the parents’ citizenship does not change this rule. This statement shows why two educational institutions linked to the same country may be subject to different outcomes. [7]

A school’s own statement on admission is a practical starting source. When a dispute arises, however, the acts of the Turkish authorities concerning the institution in question and the school’s concrete legal status must also be examined. An enrolment made at another school does not by itself impose an obligation on this institution to make the same enrolment.

The limits of the statement on Charles de Gaulle and Pierre Loti

The Ministry of National Education’s statement of 10 August 2024 concerns a specific process relating to the Charles de Gaulle and Pierre Loti schools. In it, restrictions apply to new Turkish student enrolments and to new transfers into intermediate classes until an agreement providing legal status is concluded; for current Turkish students, listing and inspection procedures are mentioned. It would be wrong to relay this text as a regulation concerning all French high schools in Türkiye, or as one under which all current students are to be disenrolled on the same day. [8]

For a particular application, whether a new agreement or an act of the competent authority has followed the 2024 statement should be verified in writing with the school and the Ministry. A change in the current enrolment brochure does not, by itself, prove that the intergovernmental arrangement has changed. Likewise, an old news item does not explain every detail of an application in the new period. First enrolment, transfer to an intermediate class and continuation of an existing enrolment in particular are separate questions.

How does citizenship status change the assessment?

A child with Turkish citizenship who holds another passport

That the child is also a citizen of another country does not remove Turkish citizenship. In an international school’s assessment, which concerns only the admission of foreign students, one should not act as if Turkish citizenship did not exist merely because a foreign passport is presented. Acquisition of Turkish citizenship by descent is also examined separately: that the child was born abroad or was registered in the population records later does not necessarily mean that citizenship was acquired later. The statements of the General Directorate of Civil Registration and Citizenship (Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü) state that acquisition by birth is effective from the moment of birth. [10]

This distinction matters: the date of an identity card issued later may differ from the date on which citizenship was acquired. Whether the special provision on continued attendance, which applies where citizenship is acquired while at school, is to be applied cannot be decided by looking only at the date on which the card was delivered.

The Blue Card is not the same status as dual citizenship

The Blue Card (Mavi Kart) practice depends on the scope and conditions in Article 28 of Law No. 5901. A special status applies primarily to persons who were Turkish citizens by birth and left citizenship with permission, and to descendants within the scope. The position of a dual national whose Turkish citizenship continues is not identical to that of a holder of Blue Card rights. In addition, a parent’s card does not make it unnecessary to investigate the child’s own status. [9]

For this reason, the explanation requested from the family cannot be limited to the question “Are you a foreigner?”. The child’s current citizenship, any act of acquiring or losing citizenship and the type of school applied to must be stated together. Missing documents or contradictions between systems should not turn into a hasty refusal made before the correct status has been determined.

Acquiring Turkish citizenship while at school

Completing the current stage of education

The statutory exception concerns the completion of the current stage, at the same institution or at another international institution applying the same programme, by a student who acquires Turkish citizenship while attending an international school. The right cannot be regarded as a facility left solely to the school’s discretion. For it to apply, the records of first enrolment, acquisition of citizenship and the stage of education must be consistent with one another. [4]

This protection should not be interpreted to mean that the student is wholly exempt from attendance, achievement or other applicable school rules. If a move to another institution is intended, the same-programme condition and the enrolment and transfer conditions of the target school must be determined separately. A refusal of an application solely on grounds of citizenship must be distinguished from the existence of another, legally valid obstacle to enrolment.

New enrolment in the next stage

The right to continue in the current stage does not mean an automatic right to study in all subsequent stages. The same letter of the Ministry explains that re-enrolment in the next stage cannot be made. The move to high school should therefore be planned before the student finishes middle school; the enrolment certificate, the transcript and, where necessary, the preparation for equivalence should not be left to the last week. [4]

Related article: Rights of a Student Who Acquires Turkish Citizenship While Attending an International School.

Why is the distinction between primary school, middle school and high school decisive?

In Türkiye, primary education (ilköğretim) comprises the primary school and middle school stages. Grade 8 is the last year of middle school; high school is the secondary education stage. The provision of Law No. 222 on the primary education of Turkish citizens and the special provision on continued attendance concerning the acquisition of citizenship at an international school must be assessed together, having regard to the stage in the specific case. An explanation of enrolment given for high school cannot automatically be applied to the lower stages. [11]

The names of classes and the boundaries of stages in foreign programmes do not always coincide with the names in the Turkish system. A school’s use of the term “secondary” or “college” does not alone prove that the student is a high school student in terms of the Turkish system. The approved structure of the programme concerned, the school year the student has completed and the right to move to the next class must be investigated.

These distinctions are the starting point of work to prevent the student from losing a school year. A general application for “equivalence to be granted”, made without determining which legal problem is to be resolved, may remain incomplete.

When one has to leave the school, does equivalence solve every problem?

The MEB Equivalence Regulation (Denklik Yönetmeliği) governs the evaluation of documents obtained from international primary and secondary private institutions in Türkiye and from schools abroad. For students who acquire citizenship, it refers to the provisions on attendance in the Law. There is also, however, a provision under which equivalence is not granted for documents obtained from private schools or institutions outside the scope of Law No. 5580. An equivalence application is not a procedure that automatically cures all deficiencies relating to the school’s legal status. [12]

The following distinctions should be made first: Did the student study at a recognised school but the records do not match because of a change of identity? Do the education documents exist but have not been transferred between institutions? Have the documents been lost? Or did an institution operating without authority never register the student in the official system at all? These possibilities cannot be resolved by the same procedure.

Where documents are not available, routes related to level assessment may be examined separately. However, deleting the student’s old e-Okul record, creating a record that did not exist in the past or presenting education actually received as having been received abroad contrary to the facts is not a method of solution. The application should set out clearly the true sequence of events, the documents in hand and the loss of education that is sought to be remedied.

The class level in an equivalence document likewise does not mean automatic admission to a particular selective high school. The examination, age, transfer, enrolment and, where applicable, quota conditions that apply to the school applied to and to the student’s status are assessed separately. The nature of a foreign-language or international diploma programme and the high school admission conditions answer different questions. Since Article 29/4 of the Secondary Education Institutions Regulation provides for placement without a quota requirement for foreign students coming from abroad who have a central examination score, the provision specific to the student must be determined separately. [18] [12]

How should one act in case of a refusal of enrolment or termination of education?

First, the act and its reasons must be identified

The school’s oral explanation, the school’s written decision and the administrative act of the provincial or district directorate of national education are not the same thing. The family should first determine who performed the act, and which rule was applied in respect of which student and which stage. A general statement such as “Turkish students cannot be admitted” may not explain why an existing enrolment was terminated or why the right to complete the stage was not applied.

The application must clearly contain the following information and requests:

• The school’s official name, institution code, campus and authorised stage.
• The student’s date of first enrolment, his or her citizenship on that date and any change in citizenship.
• The classes completed and attended; the student certificate, report cards and transcript.
• The date and reasons of the notification of refusal, non-renewal of enrolment or disenrolment.
• A request for a reasoned written answer on the assessment of the statutory right of attendance, the review of the records and the outcome.
• A request that the necessary transition and educational continuity measures be explained in view of the approaching examination or enrolment date.

The record that the application was received should be kept; the different citizenship or stage situations of children in the same family should not be confused with one another. If the documents reveal a problem concerning the school’s legal status, concrete questions should also be addressed to the competent national education unit, rather than corresponding only with the school administration.

The time limit for an administrative action and school correspondence are tracked separately

Where there is an administrative refusal or disenrolment act, the general period for filing an action before the administrative courts is 60 days, unless a special period applies. For applications within the scope of Article 10 of the Administrative Procedure Law (İYUK), the general period for implied rejection is 30 days; the effect of an application to a superior authority under Article 11 on the period depends on its own conditions. Not every e-mail, CİMER application or petition submitted to the school administration automatically stops the time limit for filing an action. Since special and much shorter periods may apply in disputes over central examinations, these general periods should not be applied automatically to an examination act. [13]

Filing an annulment action does not, by itself, stop the application of the act either. Where concrete harm will arise to the school year or the right to sit an examination, a stay of execution may be requested by explaining together the conditions of manifest unlawfulness and of damage that is difficult or impossible to remedy. The outcome depends on the court’s assessment of the specific case and documents. [13]

For fee and damage claims arising from a private school contract, other applications and judicial routes may arise depending on the nature of the dispute. Correction of the academic record, removal of the administrative act and compensation of contractual loss should not be treated as the same claim. For each of them, the proper counterparty, the competent authority and the subject of the claim must be determined.

How is the child’s right to education made concrete?

Article 42 of the Constitution guarantees the right to education and also provides that education is conducted under the supervision and control of the State. The provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the best interests of the child and access to education must be taken into account when the student’s situation is assessed. This framework does not have the result that every school preference must be accepted unconditionally; it forms the basis for a legal assessment that requires the decision to be made with regard to the student’s real education history and the effects that will follow. [14] [15]

For this reason, the application should not be content with an abstract statement of grievance. It should show which courses have been completed, which enrolment date is to be taken into account, which class the student is requested to be placed in and how the school’s missing documents can be remedied. The child’s proficiency in Turkish or in another language of instruction, adaptation needs and any special education needs may also be documented as relevant to the feasibility of the education plan.

Can the TİHEK be approached for every citizenship-based distinction?

Law No. 6701 provides a separate route of application for discrimination in the field of education based on language, race, ethnic origin, disability and the other listed grounds. However, citizenship is not listed in Article 3 of the Law as an independent ground of discrimination; Article 7/1-g, concerning different treatment arising from the legal status of foreigners, must also be taken into account. The Human Rights and Equality Institution of Türkiye (TİHEK) should not be presented as an authority that would remove the statutory admission condition of an international school in every application. If there is a concrete discriminatory practice within the Institution’s field of duty, the request for correction and the conditions of application are assessed separately. [20]

The specific effect of a TİHEK application on the time limit for filing an action differs from that of ordinary correspondence with a school. The ground of discrimination, the preliminary application and the calculation of time limits should therefore be examined together. A detailed roadmap is provided in the article on school enrolment and education rights of foreign students.

What should the family clarify in writing before enrolment?

In a sound choice of school, the only aim is not to be able to enter a class that year. The family should also be able to foresee the student’s transition a few years later. In particular, it is not appropriate for families with a pending citizenship application to base their plans on the assumption that the current foreign student status will continue indefinitely.

The answer obtained from the school and, where necessary, from the competent administration should explain this chain: On what status is today’s enrolment based; if citizenship changes, until the end of which stage can attendance continue; to which system will the student move in the next stage; which documents will be issued in that transition? The questions should be put with the student’s own information. A general brochure, an advertisement or an answer given to another parent must not be used in place of a written assessment concerning the specific student.

Investigating the legal status after payment has been made may narrow the family’s options. By contrast, determining the licence, the programme and the enrolment conditions early strengthens both the education plan and the evidential basis of any application that may arise later. A good review shows not only whether there is a prohibition but also how the student can continue his or her education officially and without interruption.

Related article: How to Check the MEB Permit and the Validity of the Programme Before Enrolling in a Foreign School.

Conclusion

Whether Turkish citizens may study at foreign schools cannot be answered by looking at the school’s name or language of instruction. The official school type, the student’s citizenship history and the stage of education must be determined together. While the 2026 sanctions have serious consequences for international schools, the right of a student who acquires citizenship while at school to complete the current stage must also be taken into account.

When a refusal of enrolment or a compulsory transition arises, the education documents should be preserved, the reasons for the act obtained in writing, the possibilities of equivalence and record correction kept distinct, and the application and action periods assessed without delay. What the family wants to achieve is not merely to keep the door of one school open, but to ensure that the education the child receives is recognised and that his or her subsequent education continues with a legally valid enrolment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Have Turkish students been prohibited from attending all foreign high schools?

No. School types differ. It is not correct to apply the sanction for international schools in the 2026 regulation to all foreign private high schools. The 2026–2027 enrolment documents of the Private German and Private Italian high schools contain admission processes based on the central examination and the institution regulation. [5] [6]

Is it enough for a school’s name to include “international”?

No. The official institution type, the licence, the institution code and the authorised programme must be determined. A trade name, the language of instruction or a link to an international brand does not replace this review. In particular, the scope of the permit must be checked separately for different campuses and stages. [16]

If a child holds both a Turkish and a German passport, can only the German passport be used?

The existence of a foreign passport does not remove continuing Turkish citizenship. The student’s actual citizenship status must be taken as the basis in the application. The German Embassy School in Istanbul, too, mentions Turkish dual nationals separately in its own enrolment statement. [7]

Must a student who acquires Turkish citizenship leave the school immediately?

For those who acquire citizenship while attending an international school, there is a provision for completing the current stage of education. The dates of first enrolment and of acquiring citizenship and the student’s stage on those dates must be documented. Moving to the next stage is assessed separately. [4]

Does obtaining a new Turkish identity card show that citizenship has also been newly acquired?

Not always. Turkish citizenship may have been acquired by birth, with the population notification or the identity registration made later. The decisive matter is not the delivery of the card but the legal manner and date of the acquisition of citizenship. [10]

Does being a Blue Card holder give the right to be admitted to every foreign school?

It does not produce such a result on its own. The child’s own status, the type of school and the special admission conditions must be examined together. The Blue Card and dual citizenship with continuing Turkish citizenship are not the same legal situation. [9]

What should be done if a school offers to provide education without official enrolment?

The offer should not be accepted as a solution to the problem of official enrolment and academic certification. A written explanation and the legal basis should be requested; the situation should be assessed before the competent national education unit. The contract and records concerning the actual education already provided should also be preserved. [4]

Does finishing grade 8 at an international school give a right to attend the same school’s high school?

If the student moves to Turkish citizenship, the right to complete the current stage does not give an automatic right of enrolment in the next stage. The move between stages should be planned in advance on the basis of the student’s status and the structure of the programme concerned. [4]

Is an equivalence document sufficient for final enrolment in the desired high school?

No. Equivalence determines the level of education. The examination, age, transfer, enrolment and, where applicable, quota conditions that apply to the school applied to and to the student’s status are assessed separately. That a student is accepted as equivalent to a class does not mean that every school must admit that student. [18] [12]

Does the time limit for an action wait while discussions with the school continue?

It does not wait automatically. Whether there is an administrative act, the date of notification and the legal nature of the application made must be examined separately. One should not act on the assumption that general correspondence stops the time limit. [13]

From whom are the report cards and the student file requested if the school closes?

Information on the transfer of the archive is requested from the school, and the documents in the file taken over are requested from the relevant provincial or district directorate of national education. Article 23/2 of the Regulation provides for a one-month delivery obligation, and Article 23/3 for an administrative measure so that students can reach their documents. The institution code, the years of study and the old and new identity numbers should be added to the application. [19]

Does a sanction applied to the school invalidate all of the student’s old documents?

The same result cannot be established for every document. The authority of the institution and programme at the date the document was issued, the genuineness of the records, the completion of the education and the scope of the administrative act are examined. The sanction decision does not, on its own, replace the decisions required for record correction, equivalence and the student’s transfer to another school.

Sources and legal bases

1. Private Educational Institutions Law No. 5580, in particular the school definitions in Article 2; text published by the Ministry of National Education (MEB). This version of the text must be read together with sources 2 and 4 below for the 2026 sanction amendments.
2. Law No. 7590, in particular Article 18; text of the Law from the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM), adopted 24.07.2026.
3. TBMM, information page on Law No. 7590; Official Gazette 31.07.2026, No. 33326.
4. Ministry of National Education (MEB), General Directorate of Private Educational Institutions, letter dated 03.09.2026, No. E-16915068-010.99-167785270.
5. Private German High School (Özel Alman Lisesi), Student Admission Conditions for the 2026–2027 School Year.
6. Private Italian High School (Özel İtalyan Lisesi), 2026 Enrolment Calendar and Guide, in particular pp. 3 and 7.
7. German Embassy School Istanbul, Schule Anmeldung, enrolment conditions page.
8. MEB, statement of 10.08.2024 on the Charles de Gaulle and Pierre Loti schools; official publication of the Paris Education Attaché’s Office.
9. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, explanations on the Blue Card practice and Article 28 of Law No. 5901.
10. General Directorate of Civil Registration and Citizenship (Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü), Explanation on the Implementation of Law No. 5901; section on acquisition by birth and by descent.
11. Primary Education and Education Law No. 222, in particular Articles 4 and 7; MEB text.
12. Ministry of National Education Equivalence Regulation, Official Gazette 09.07.2024/32597, in particular Articles 1, 8 and 11–13; official provincial directorate copy.
13. Administrative Procedure Law No. 2577, Articles 7, 10, 11, 20/B and 27; Ministry of Justice legislation system.
14. Constitution of the Republic of Türkiye, Article 42; Constitutional Court.
15. Convention on the Rights of the Child, in particular Articles 3 and 28; UNICEF Türkiye.
16. Bursa Provincial Directorate of National Education, Strict Inspection of Programmes Applied in Private Educational Institutions, 08.10.2026.
17. MEB Frequently Asked Questions, explanation on the application of another country’s programme in international schools.
18. MEB Secondary Education Institutions Regulation, in particular Articles 28–29; legislation publication of the Ministry of Family and Social Services.
19. MEB Private Educational Institutions Regulation, in particular Article 23; transfer of the records of a closed institution and obtaining of documents by students.
20. Law No. 6701 on the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Türkiye, in particular Articles 3, 5, 7 and 17; official legislation publication.