German social assistance office requests e-government documents from Turkish citizens

Today, many Turkish citizens continue their lives abroad. Millions of Turkish citizens live in many European countries, especially in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. As a result, the number of expatriates benefiting from social assistance opportunities in Europe is quite large. Recently, a very interesting event took place in this regard! Having discovered the e-government application in our country, the social assistance office in Germany requested e-government documents from a Turkish citizen receiving social assistance! Let’s look at the details together…

E-government, which was launched in 2008, is widely used to serve government services.

Thanks to the e-Government application, millions of citizens can access most government services electronically. Most public transactions or judicial and administrative transactions that may be necessary from time to time in daily life can be carried out through e-government.

Public authorities in Europe, especially social services, have recently discovered the e-government application!

Among Turkish citizens living in Europe, there are many people receiving social assistance. However, there are some criteria required to benefit from these benefits. For example, people who want to receive social assistance must have a financial income below a set limit.

On the other hand, in Germany, for example, the assets and income of people who want to take advantage of social assistance opportunities outside of Germany can also be checked. In this regard, an unprecedented practice was implemented in Germany. The social assistance office in Germany asked a Turkish citizen receiving social assistance to submit e-government documents.

The Wuppertal Employment Agency sent a letter to a Turkish citizen receiving social assistance in Germany asking for some documents that can be accessed through e-government.

A letter from a related person requested printouts in PDF format regarding the certificate of inheritance, information on ownership, information on the contribution – the participation fund, pension payments and wages. On the other hand, the corresponding letter was written in both German and Turkish, which is rare in Germany.

Social Security Suspended Financial Assistance Pending Submission of Appropriate Documents

Faced with this interesting request, the Turkish citizen said: “According to them, someone complained about me. They asked for my information about e-government, they paid me partial money until I gave it. My rent wasn’t even paid!” made a statement. After checking the documents, no illegal stop was found, and the relevant department began to pay benefits again.

Germany’s social security ‘e-government request’ sparks mixed controversy

Lawyer Muhammet Altunkaya, whose opinion we have heard on this matter, said that European business agencies and tax authorities can make such requests in case of specific doubts, but he considers the request for information other than information on ownership to be an excess of authority.

On the other hand, Altunkaya said that this interesting development can be assessed within the framework of the “duty of a citizen to help the administration”, which in Germany is called Mitwirkungspflicht. However, he added that at this point the question “What is the limit of a citizen’s obligation to assist the administration?” comes to mind. Explaining that such documents can also be requested on specific and valid notices, Altunkaya asked the question “Can’t a Turkish citizen also own property in the US” and stated that the requirement of e-government documents is a highly contentious issue.

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