Every nation aims to make life easier for its citizens by improving services such as education, healthcare, and general living standards. In our country, benefits are extended to everyone—those with insurance and those without. One such benefit is voluntary insurance. With voluntary insurance, individuals can contribute premiums themselves to secure their retirement. There are several types of voluntary insurance. One of these is voluntary Bağ-Kur, and if the required documents for voluntary Bağ-Kur are completed, individuals can access this insurance right.
Some people in our country do not qualify for mandatory insurance or may have lost those qualifying conditions during their lifetime, which means they fall outside the scope of compulsory coverage. In such cases, voluntary insurance provided by the state becomes relevant. Voluntary insurance applies to people who work less than 30 days in a month or do not work full-time on those days, and who previously had no employment covered by social security laws. Through voluntary insurance, individuals pay their own contributions for disability, old-age, and survivor insurance, enabling them to benefit from subsidized health services and retirement provisions offered by the state.
Not everyone can apply for voluntary Bağ-Kur. The following categories of people are eligible to apply:
- Those who do not work in a way that would require mandatory insurance can apply for voluntary Bağ-Kur.
- Persons who, while insured employees, work fewer than 30 days in a month or do not work full-time on those days can apply for voluntary Bağ-Kur.
- Those who, due to their own insurance status, are not receiving disability or old-age pensions under Turkey’s Social Security Laws can apply for voluntary Bağ-Kur.
- Individuals who are at least 18 years old can apply for voluntary Bağ-Kur insurance.
The law also specifies which individuals may apply for voluntary Bağ-Kur when they complete the required documents. The following groups can apply to this scheme:
- Convicted or detained persons employed in the workshops, facilities, or similar units of penal institutions and detention centers.
- Apprentices, trainee workers, and students receiving vocational training in enterprises; students in vocational high schools or university students required to complete compulsory internships.
- Participants in vocational training and development courses organized by the Turkish Employment Agency (Türkiye İş Kurumu).
- Persons whose employment contracts are suspended while they remain employed in public administrations.
- Individuals receiving unemployment benefits whose employment contract has not been terminated, or those whose contract is suspended due to strike, unpaid leave, or seasonal/campaign-related pauses when the worker is expected to resume work in the next season or campaign.
- People who do not receive a personal pension from their own work but receive a survivor’s pension due to the death of an insured person may apply for voluntary insurance.
First-time applicants for voluntary Bağ-Kur should apply in person at the Social Security Provincial Directorates or Social Security Centers in their locality. The documents required for voluntary Bağ-Kur are important at these offices. Applicants must submit the Voluntary Insurance Entry Form specified in the Social Insurance Procedures Regulation and provide proof of residence when applying.
Those who previously held voluntary insurance and are reapplying generally need fewer documents than first-time applicants. For these renewal applications, a simple petition of request is usually sufficient.