Germany to expand visa facilitation for Turkish businesspeople

During an economic conference in Istanbul, Hendrik Wüst, the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, announced plans to expand visa facilitation for Turkish businesspeople. Wüst noted that lengthy and difficult visa processes have hindered cooperation between companies for years. The expansion aims to build on the existing ‘Business Fast Track’ system, which has been in place since August 2025 for approximately 400 companies, by including more DEİK members and companies with strong commercial ties to Germany.

Separately, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar highlighted the strength of bilateral trade, noting that the volume between Turkey and Germany has exceeded $50 billion, with a target of $60 billion. Bayraktar emphasized that North Rhine-Westphalia is central to this relationship, with bilateral trade exceeding 11 billion euros. He also discussed Turkey’s energy goals, including achieving full energy independence and reaching net-zero emissions by 2053, noting that renewable energy currently accounts for over 63% of Turkey’s installed capacity.