Is telc still accepted for a German visa from Turkey?
telc has not been cancelled and its certificates have not been declared invalid. The dispute concerns visa applications at the German missions in Turkey only. Below: what was announced, what the official pages say today, and what to do in your case.
By Olcay Sari, founder of Level Exams
Last updated: 2026-11-11
In June 2026 the news spread that the German consulates in Turkey had suspended telc certificates. Since then 'is telc still valid' and 'is telc cancelled' have been among the most asked questions, and most answers are social media posts. This guide lists only sources we read ourselves: what was announced, what the official pages say today, and what is not known.
The short answer: telc still runs exams and issues certificates, and the notice was not about procedures inside Germany (residence, citizenship, professional recognition). For visa applications from Turkey it depends on the visa type. The official info sheets we read on 11 November 2026 list telc among the accepted providers, but a telc certificate obtained in Turkey must be at least A2. For a spouse visa (A1) only Goethe-Institut and ÖSD count.
The short answer, by situation
The table summarises what the pages of the German missions in Turkey said on 11 November 2026. These pages change without notice, and a visa section may ask for further proof in an individual case. What binds is the mission's own page and its written reply to you; this guide is not legal advice.
| Your situation | What the official page says | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Residence, citizenship or professional recognition inside Germany | The consular notice did not concern these procedures. | Nothing has changed; check the requirement of the office that asks for the certificate. |
| Spouse visa from Turkey (family reunification, A1) | Among A1 certificates issued in Turkey only Goethe-Institut and ÖSD are accepted. | Sit the exam at Goethe-Institut or ÖSD. |
| Visa from Turkey as care assistant, for vocational training in health professions, as religious personnel or au pair | The info sheets list telc; a certificate obtained in Turkey must be at least A2. | Read the info sheet for your visa type and ask the visa section in writing before your appointment. |
| Another national visa from Turkey | Each visa type has its own info sheet. | Check which providers your info sheet names; if it is silent, ask. |
| A tight schedule and no appetite for risk | Goethe-Institut and ÖSD appear on every list without a restriction. | Sit the exam with one of those two. |
What was announced in June 2026?
When we opened the page that had carried the notice on 11 November 2026, the text was no longer there. That is why we summarise the notice instead of quoting it. We found no separate official statement saying that it was withdrawn or that the practice has ended.
In early June 2026 a notice about telc appeared on the visa pages of the German missions in Turkey. According to sources that reported it at the time, it said this: the visa sections had seen a marked rise in applications where the level stated on a telc certificate did not match the applicant's actual German, and so they could not rely on telc gGmbH certificates when establishing language proficiency in visa procedures. The notice added that the practice was under continuous review.
In a statement dated 12 June 2026, telc gGmbH confirmed that telc certificates were being questioned and restricted in visa applications in Turkey. It said it was in close contact with the German authorities, that it had no concrete indication of widespread faulty certificates, and that it rejected that claim. Candidates were to be informed through their exam centres.
The notice did not name any exam centre, and it did not say that telc was cancelled or that all telc certificates were invalid. It was about how the visa sections in Turkey assess a language certificate.
What do the official pages say today?
On 11 November 2026 we read four info sheets of the German missions in Turkey: care assistants (31F), vocational training in health professions (51F), religious personnel (54F) and au pair (57). All four describe the language certificate in the same words.
- Only certificates based on an exam run to ALTE standards are accepted.
- The providers named are Goethe-Institut, telc, ÖSD, TestDaF (from B2) and ECL.
- telc carries a note: a telc certificate obtained in Turkey must be at least level A2. If the exam was taken in Germany, the visa section also accepts a telc certificate at A1.
- The family reunification page sets a separate rule: among A1 certificates issued in Turkey only Goethe-Institut 'Start Deutsch 1' and ÖSD 'Grundstufe Deutsch 1' are accepted; other providers in Turkey are not recognised.
- The original certificate must be presented. Missions usually want a certificate issued no more than a year before the application.
Is telc cancelled? Have the exams stopped?
No. telc continues to run exams and issue certificates, and exam centres in Turkey continue to publish dates. We have seen no notice restricting telc exams taken in Germany.
The confusion comes from two different things: a certificate being valid, and an authority accepting it. A telc certificate carries no expiry date and is not revoked because of this dispute. But every authority decides which certificate it accepts and on what terms, and that is what the visa sections in Turkey did.
One more caution: according to telc's own page, certificates from its at-home exams (telc REMOTE) are currently not recognised for visa or residence permit applications. If you need the certificate for a visa, sit the exam in person at an exam centre.
I already hold a telc certificate. What now?
- Open the current info sheet for your visa type and read the section on language certificates. The pages are updated; do not rely on what you read months ago.
- Check the level. A telc A1 obtained in Turkey is not enough under the note in the info sheets.
- Check the date. A certificate older than one year causes problems in most applications.
- If your appointment is close, ask the visa section in writing and keep the reply. Do not plan on what a forum or an agency website says.
- Look at Goethe-Institut and ÖSD exam dates now, in case you are asked for further proof; places can fill early.
- Verify your certificate at results.telc.net. Offers of a certificate without an exam are fraud.
Not yet registered: telc, Goethe or ÖSD?
If you need the certificate for a procedure inside Germany, the choice is free: for residence, citizenship and professional recognition the three carry the same weight.
If you need it for a visa application from Turkey, Goethe-Institut or ÖSD is the lowest-risk route. Both appear without a restriction on every info sheet we read, and for a spouse visa they are the only two that count.
Switching is easier than it sounds. At A1 Goethe and telc are the same exam (Start Deutsch 1). At B1 Goethe and ÖSD run the same exam (Zertifikat B1). Level Exams has mock exams in each provider's own format: if you prepared for telc, sit the Goethe or ÖSD mock at the same level and you will see the difference in one session.
Frequently asked questions
›Is a telc certificate invalid now?
No. Issued telc certificates were not revoked, and the notice did not concern procedures inside Germany. The dispute is about how the German missions in Turkey assess the certificate in visa applications.
›Has telc been cancelled?
No. telc continues to run exams. The June 2026 notice did not abolish the exam; it said that the visa sections in Turkey were not relying on telc certificates to establish language proficiency.
›Do the German consulates in Turkey accept telc?
The four info sheets we read on 11 November 2026 (31F, 51F, 54F, 57) list telc among the accepted providers, provided a certificate obtained in Turkey is at least A2. Read the info sheet for your own visa type and ask the visa section before your appointment.
›Can I get a spouse visa with telc A1?
Not with a telc A1 obtained in Turkey. According to the family reunification page, among A1 certificates issued in Turkey only Goethe-Institut and ÖSD are accepted.
›I took telc in Germany. Does it count for an application from Turkey?
According to the note in the info sheets, the visa section also accepts a telc certificate at A1 if the exam was taken in Germany. Still, get confirmation for your own visa type before applying.
›When will the restriction end?
No date has been announced. The June notice said the practice was under continuous review; its text is no longer on the page and the info sheets list telc. We found no separate statement that it was lifted.
›Which exam should I prepare for?
For a visa application from Turkey, Goethe-Institut or ÖSD is the lowest-risk choice. For a procedure inside Germany any of the three will do. Preparation is largely shared; the difference is the format.
Whichever exam you sit, see the format first
Sign up and sit the free mock exam at your level. telc, Goethe and ÖSD mocks each follow the provider's own format and are scored by its own pass rule.
Sources
- German missions in Turkey — Merkblatt 31F: care assistants (language certificates; in German)
- German missions in Turkey — info sheet 51F: vocational training in health professions (in Turkish)
- German missions in Turkey — info sheet 54F: religious personnel (in Turkish)
- German missions in Turkey — info sheet 57: au pair (in Turkish)
- German missions in Turkey — Familiennachzug (accepted A1 certificates; in German)
- telc gGmbH — statement on telc certificates in Turkey (12.06.2026; published by its distributor in Turkey, in Turkish)
- telc — telc Remote Tests (note on recognition for visa and residence applications)
- telc — results verification portal (results.telc.net)