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Turkey: Whether a Turkish citizen who is the subject of an arrest warrant can obtain a passport legitimately or through bribery or any other fraudulent means; documentation required to obtain a Turkish passport (December 1999 – September 2004)

This Response incorporates relevant sections of TUR33487.E of 7 January 2000.

An official of the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, in Ottawa, stated on 21 December 1999 that if a Turkish citizen is the subject of an arrest warrant, he or she must resolve any outstanding legal cases with the justice system before he or she will be given a passport. If the applicant for a Turkish passport submits his or her application at a Turkish consulate outside Turkey, the consular authorities will need to see the applicant's old passport, or they will require a letter from the local police to account for the passport if it is missing (Embassy of Turkey 21 Dec. 1999).

According to an April 2002 report by The Netherlands delegation of the Council of the European Union (CEU), before a Turkish passport is issued by the authorities to any Turkish citizen, "[p]olice clearance is required" (15 Apr. 2002, 101). More recent information on whether a Turkish citizen who is the subject of an arrest warrant can obtain a passport legitimately could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Regarding the acquisition of a Turkish passport through bribery or any other fraudulent means by an individual who has an arrest warrant against him or her, during the period February 2001 through August 2004, there were various reports of persons who were in possession of fraudulent Turkish passports when they were arrested by Turkish authorities (AP 20 Feb. 2002; Economic Times 12 Aug. 2002; Turkish Daily News 13 Mar. 2002; Anatolia 7 Apr. 2003; Turkish Daily News 8 Apr. 2003; Charleston Daily Mail 29 Nov. 2003; Halifax Daily News 30 Nov. 2003; Chicago Sun Times 1 Dec. 2003; Anatolia 7 Apr. 2003; InfoProd 19 July 2004; Nation 2 Aug. 2004), as well as reports of persons who were arrested by the Turkish authorities for their involvement in the distribution of fraudulent passports (Turkish Daily News 3 Feb. 2001; AFP 19 July 2001; Anatolia 13 Sept. 2002; Turkish Daily News 25 Feb. 2003; WNC 2 Aug. 2004). Additional information on whether a Turkish citizen who is the subject of an arrest warrant can obtain a passport through bribery or any other fraudulent means could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

In December 1999, the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, in Ottawa, indicated that in Turkey, passport applications are normally submitted to the local provincial government, and the applicant must submit three passport-sized photographs and his or her personal identity document (nüfus hüviyet cüzdani, nufus huviyet cuzdani), to prove Turkish citizenship (21 Dec. 1999). In addition, the applicant must fill out and sign a standard application form and pay a fee (Embassy of Turkey 21 Dec. 1999). As at December 1999, passports were normally issued two to three days after the submission of the application (ibid.). If an applicant is unable to appear in person before the relevant authorities in order to obtain his or her passport, another person can pick up the passport, if that person is in possession of a properly notarized power of attorney (ibid.). More recent information on the process involved in, and the documentation required for, acquiring a Turkish passport could not be obtained from the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, in Ottawa, within time constraints.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Agence France Presse (AFP). 19 July 2001. "Iran Puts Human Trafficking Ring Leaders on Trial." (Dialog)

Anatolia. 7 April 2003. "Turkey: Police Catch KADEK Member Trying to Leave with Fake Member." (Dialog)
_____. 13 September 2002. "Turkey: 11 Captured in Connection with KADEK." (Dialog)

Associated Press (AP). 20 February 2002. "Al-Qaida Militants Use Turkey Route to Escape Afghanistan." (Dialog)

Charleston Daily Mail. 29 November 2003. "Man Who Allegedly Ordered Suicide Bombing Arrested, Turkish Officials Say Man was Trying to Enter Iran." (Dialog)

Chicago Sun Times. 1 December 2003. Zaman Amberin. "Syria Hands Over 22 Suspects in Turkish Suicide Bombings." (Dialog)

Council of the European Union (CEU). 15 April 2002. The Netherlands delegation. Official General Report on Turkey (January 2002)." (7838/02) <http://register.consilium.eu.int/pdf/en/02/st07/07838en2.pdf> [Accessed 29 Sept. 2004]

Economic Times [India]. 12 August 2002. "Device Sought to Detect Fake Passports." (Dialog)

Embassy of the Republic of Turkey. 21 December 1999. Telephone interview with an official.

Halifax Daily News. 30 November 2003. "Bombing Suspect in Custody." (Dialog)

InfoProd. 19 July 2004. "Turkey: Wanted Mafia Kingpin Arrested in Austria." (Dialog)

The Nation [Thailand]. 2 August 2004. "'FBI Agent' Refuses to Pay Bill." (Dialog)

Turkish Daily News [Ankara]. 8 April 2003. "Arrest: Edirne Security Forces Arrested Member of KADEK." <http://www.turkishdailynews.com/old_editions/04_08_03/dom2.htm> [Accessed 29 Sept. 2004]
_____. 25 February 2003. "Operation: Fake Passport Operation in Istanbul." <http://www.turkishdailynews.com/old_editions/02_25_03/dom2.htm> [Accessed 29 Sept. 2004]
_____. 13 March 2002. "Three Turkish Citizens Arrested With Fake Passports in Romania." (Dialog)
_____. 3 February 2001. "Fake Passport Operation." <http://www.turkishdailynews.com/old_editions/02_03_01/dom2.htm> [Accessed 29 Sept. 2004]

World News Connection (WNC). 2 August 2004. "Turkey: 'Terrorists' Killed, Captured in Operations; Soldiers Wounded in Land Mine." (Dialog)

Sources Consulted

The Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, in Ottawa, did not respond to a letter requesting information.

Internet sites, including: BBC, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2003, Embassy of the Republic of Turkey – Ottawa, Embassy of the Republic of Turkey – Washington, European Country of Origin Information Network (ECOI), Freedom in the World 2004, Human Rights Watch (HRW), IND Country Report: Turkey (April 2004), International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF), Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turkish Ministry of Interior (in Turkish).