Hello:

I'm an 18 year old male born in the U.S. to a Turkish father and American mother. My father abandoned us when i was 2 years old and he returned to Turkey.

I have a friend a couple of years older in same situation as mine, who informed me that he tried to register his birth in Turkey for legitimacy of his birth only, but that he has been told that citizenship will be automatic upon birth registration and as such that he will have to serve the army.

I read on another forum that registration is possible without becoming citizen.

Can someone help me out here...i would like to finish my schooling in the U.S. first before deciding how I can start learning Turkish and if i want to become citizen, but in the meantime, I would like to have my birth registered while my father is still alive. I'm thinking that if I don't register and later wish to become citizen, that it will be next to impossible should my father not be alive by then, especially since he has kept me a secret from his Turkish family and never told anyone about his American wife/son he deserted 16 years ago.(he is not denying I'm his legitimate son, but is not helping me either). I have another 8 years of study and this is a long time for things to happen.

Please help....i have contacted embassy and they told me same, that i will become citizen whether i chose to or not. I need to know the legal answer to this and hope someone will answer my post...thank u.