In our country, there are several different ways to be insured by the state for employed people. One of these insurance types is Bağ-Kur. Bağ-Kur was developed for citizens who cannot find employment in the public or private sectors. Under this Bağ-Kur insurance, participants can qualify for retirement benefits and access state-provided services such as subsidized healthcare. However, certain debts accumulated by some citizens have caused difficulties for Bağ-Kur members. To address this, the government introduced a Bağ-Kur amnesty, enabling agricultural Bağ-Kur members to have debts written off or suspended.
What Is Agricultural (Farmer) Bağ-Kur?
First, let’s explain what agricultural Bağ-Kur is and who is eligible. Farmers who carry out agricultural activities and are registered with the local Chambers of Agriculture, or—where no Chamber exists—with the provincial or district Agriculture Directorates, can benefit from this insurance. Those who notify the relevant institution within one year from their registration date are eligible for agricultural Bağ-Kur.
Individuals registering for agricultural Bağ-Kur must not be employed under any other insurance coverage and must not receive a salary. If a person has a salary or is insured elsewhere, they are not eligible for agricultural Bağ-Kur benefits.
Bağ-Kur Amnesty Introduced by the Omnibus Law
The omnibus law’s Bağ-Kur amnesty also covers agricultural and farmer Bağ-Kur members. Under this law, outstanding debts of agricultural Bağ-Kur members will be restructured and allowed to be paid in installments, providing relief to those facing payment difficulties. Options will be available for installment payments or one-time lump-sum settlements.
Beyond agricultural Bağ-Kur members, this debt relief also applies to those with premium debts for 12 months or longer, tradespeople and artisans, individuals who previously restructured their premium debts, and those who applied to cancel a prior restructuring.
Those who wish to apply for this right can submit the Restructuring Application Form along with a copy of their ID to the local Social Security Centers. Applications can be delivered in person or sent by cargo or post.
As is known, agricultural Bağ-Kur members with outstanding premium debts were previously unable to access healthcare services. To resolve this, these members were given the right to have their premium debts suspended, restoring access to health services. In practice, debts older than 12 months are suspended, making it easier for affected individuals to receive medical assistance. If the agricultural Bağ-Kur member later wishes to resume payments, they can continue their contributions from where they left off.
This is how the suspension or write-off of agricultural Bağ-Kur premium debts works. Thanks to this measure, people in financial hardship can freeze their premium debts temporarily. During the suspension period—when debts are considered written off—insured individuals can use services such as hospitals. Dependents who are covered alongside the insured person can also benefit from healthcare services.
Farmers who later need to pay these debts to qualify for retirement can restore their contributions by applying to the local Social Security Institution. Agricultural Bağ-Kur members may reactivate the entire suspended period or only the portions they need.
In addition to debt suspension and write-off procedures, debt inquiry is an important process for agricultural Bağ-Kur members. Through this application, they can check how much debt remains or how much they have already paid. Debt inquiries can now be done online via the e-Government portal. To access the system, you need your e-Government password and your national ID number. If you do not have an e-Government password, you can obtain one from the nearest PTT branch.