Turkey-Syria Earthquakes
Essential information on visa for relatives, donation, psychological help and more
The horrific earthquakes on February 6th, 2023, destroyed large parts of southeastern Turkey and northern Syria. Millions of people are affected in those regions, and many have lost their homes. So far, 60000 have been reported dead.
Many in Germany have been trying to support their affected relatives. Here you can learn about the ways your loved ones might be able to come to Germany and other relevant topics.
As soon as there are any developments, we will inform you here on our website. All information is also available in German, Turkish and Arabic.
Main source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Where can I get help?
If that is the case, you must directly contact the German Embassy in Ankara using their contact form. In the contact form, enter "Passbeantragung Erdbebenopfer" as subject. If you no longer have any documents to prove your identity due to the earthquake, you must indicate the following personal data in the contact form:
Full name, date of birth, place of birth, place of residence in Germany or (if you do not have a specific place of residence in Germany) name of the office which issued your last passport
Also enter an email address under which you can be reached. They will get back to you as soon as possible.
Please note: Affected persons in Syria should contact the German Embassy in Beirut or Amman. You can, of course, also fill out the contact form of the German Embassy in Ankara.
Follow the travel and safety information and the messages of the German Embassy Ankara on social media. To seek aid on the ground, contact the Turkish Disaster Management Agency 'Afad' helpers and other authorities first.
First, make sure that your relatives have been in the affected regions.
- In Turkey, the provinces of Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep, Hatay, Adana, Şanlıurfa, Osmaniye Adıyaman, Kilis, Malatya, and Diyarbakır have been particularly affected,
- and the provinces of Idlib, Aleppo, Latakia, Tartus, and Hama have seen most of the damage in Syria.
If your relatives were last in the affected regions, provide the German Embassy in Ankara with all the information about the missing person using the embassy's contact form. The German Embassy will then contact the Turkish authorities. Provide the following information in the contact form: Information about the missing persons:
What are your relatives' names? What nationalities do they have? When were the missing persons born?
Where were they at the time of the earthquake? Ensure you provide your contact information so the German Embassy in Ankara can get back to you. Alternatively, you can also reach the embassy in Ankara by phone at 0090-312-4555100. They are available on the phone Monday to Friday, 08:00-19:00, and Saturday and Sunday, 12:00-17:00. Have all the necessary information ready at hand when you call.
Important: Due to the political situation in Syria, there is no cooperation between Syrian authorities and the German Embassy. Affected persons in Syria can also contact the embassy in Ankara.
