Germany is moving to speed up visa processing for Turkish business travellers. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told MPs on 4 November that the relevant departments had been tasked with implementing the measures quickly. Berlin is also considering an additional office in Türkiye that could receive visa applications, hold preliminary consultations and provide some consular services. No location or opening date has been announced.
The exchange followed a question from CDU lawmaker Tijen Ataoglu, who referred to an announcement by North Rhine-Westphalia Premier Hendrik Wüst during his September visit to Türkiye. Wüst had said the government wanted to make travel easier for Turkish business visitors and support commercial links between the two countries.
Wadephul said faster processing would require additional staffing as well as administrative changes. The Foreign Office is examining digital procedures, the regional distribution of workloads and more flexible staff deployment. MPs also raised cases in which applicants for family visits and family reunification have waited for more than a year. Wadephul acknowledged that Türkiye remains among the countries with longer waiting periods, while saying most applications are processed without exceptional delays.
The plans do not amount to a general visa waiver or a blanket relaxation for all Turkish citizens. The immediate focus is business travel; no timetable was given for reducing waiting times for family reunification or visitor visas. For Turkish-origin communities in Germany, that distinction matters: business links may benefit, but family travel backlogs are not yet resolved.
