Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, in most sectors. Under the Foreign Direct Investment Law No. 4875, foreign investors are free to invest and are treated equally with domestic investors unless international agreements or special laws provide otherwise. A foreign individual or company can hold all the shares of a Turkish limited or joint stock company. A few regulated sectors, such as broadcasting, have their own ownership limits.

No. All partners and managers can be foreigners. In a limited company at least one partner must hold management and representation authority, and a foreign partner can fill that role. Residence requirements appear at specific points, for example for the representative of a foreign company's branch and for at least one liquidator when a company is closed.

The principal differences concern minimum capital, number of shareholders, management, share transfers and the liability regime for public debts. In a limited liability company, partners may be held liable for uncollectable public debts in proportion to their capital shares, whereas in a joint stock company this liability rests as a rule with the legal representatives. Shares in a limited company are transferred by a notarised agreement, usually with general assembly approval; shares in a joint stock company change hands more easily.

TRY 50,000, applied since 1 January 2024 under Presidential Decision No. 7887. The old figure of TRY 10,000 no longer applies to new companies. The cash capital of a limited company can be paid within 24 months after registration.

TRY 250,000, and TRY 500,000 as the initial capital of a non-public joint stock company in the registered capital system. At least 25% of the cash capital is paid before registration and the rest within 24 months.

Under Temporary Article 15 of the Commercial Code, joint stock and limited companies below the minimum must raise their capital by 31 December 2026, otherwise they are deemed dissolved. The general assembly for this increase needs no meeting quorum and decides by the majority of votes present. The Ministry of Trade may extend the deadline by one year at a time, at most twice; as of October 2026 the deadline in force is 31 December 2026.

Where the documentation is complete, trade registry procedures are generally concluded within a few business days. The principal factors affecting the timeline are the preparation of the articles of association, the legalisation of foreign documents, the opening of the bank account and obtaining any necessary permits. Where the field of activity requires additional authorisation, the process may take longer.

In practice, yes. A lawyer can act under a special power of attorney signed at a Turkish consulate or before a notary abroad with an apostille and sworn translation. Some banks ask partners or managers to attend in person when the company's account is opened.

An individual founder usually needs a passport with a notarised sworn translation, a Turkish tax number and address details. A foreign company acting as founder needs its certificate of registration, a board resolution and evidence of its signatories, with an apostille or consular legalisation and a sworn translation. A special power of attorney is added where a representative signs.

Many service companies use a virtual office backed by a valid contract. The address must be real, because the tax office usually inspects it when the company starts business. Businesses that receive customers, store goods or manufacture usually need physical premises and, depending on the activity, a municipal licence.

Not automatically. The Law on Foreigners and International Protection allows a short-term residence permit for foreigners who establish a business or commercial connections in Turkey (Art. 31/1-c), and the migration authority assesses the company's real activity. A partner who works in the company needs a work permit, which itself counts as a residence permit.

Yes, if you work in it. The International Labour Force Law prohibits working without a work permit and expressly allows a foreign partner who manages a limited company, or a shareholder who sits on a joint stock company's board, to work with a work permit (Law No. 6735, Arts. 6/2, 10/5). The first permit is valid for up to one year.

Not by registration alone. The citizenship regulation lists, among other routes, a fixed capital investment of at least USD 500,000 determined by the Ministry of Industry and Technology, and creating employment for at least 50 people determined by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

Yes. The Foreign Direct Investment Law allows net profits, dividends and sale or liquidation proceeds to be transferred abroad freely through banks or special finance institutions (Art. 3/c). Taxes on the distribution and any double tax treaty are assessed separately for each shareholder.

The general corporate tax rate is 25% of profit, with 30% for banks and certain financial companies (Corporate Tax Law No. 5520, Art. 32/1). The annual return is filed by the 25th day of the fourth month after the financial year ends, which is April for calendar-year companies. The general VAT rate is 20%.

Through the E-TUYS system, companies and branches covered by the Foreign Direct Investment Law submit an activity information form every year by the end of May, update the partner list within one month after capital changes or share transfers, and report capital payments within one month. Liaison offices file their own annual form by the end of May.

A subsidiary is a separate Turkish company that answers for its own debts. A branch is part of the foreign parent, which answers for the branch's obligations; it is registered at the trade registry and needs a fully authorised commercial representative resident in Turkey (Commercial Code, Art. 40/4).

No. A liaison office is permitted on condition that it carries out no commercial activity (Foreign Direct Investment Law, Art. 3/h). Its expenses are met with funds from abroad, its first permit runs for up to three years, and it files an annual information form by the end of May.

Yes, to carry on the activities in its articles of association (Land Registry Law No. 2644, Art. 36). Acquisitions in military zones need the permission of the General Staff or authorised commands, and in special security zones the governorship's permission. Governorships monitor how the property is used.

By a written agreement with notarised signatures. Unless the articles provide otherwise, the general assembly's approval is needed and can be refused without reasons; silence for three months counts as approval. The managers then apply for registration at the trade registry (Commercial Code, Arts. 595, 598).

Limited company partners are liable, in proportion to their shares, for public debts that cannot be collected from the company, and seller and buyer of shares are jointly liable for debts from before the transfer (Law No. 6183, Art. 35). Social security premium debts are collected under the same law.

Public debts that cannot be collected from a company can be collected from the personal assets of its legal representatives, such as managers and board members with representation authority (Law No. 6183, repeated Art. 35). Liquidation of the company does not remove that liability for the period before liquidation.

Under the Turkish Commercial Code the action must be brought within three months of the date of the resolution, at the commercial court at the company's seat (Art. 445). This is a forfeiture period, so allowing it to lapse extinguishes the right to sue. The action may be brought by shareholders who recorded their dissent at the meeting, by shareholders who claim the meeting was improperly called or held, by the board of directors, and, where the conditions are met, by individual board members (Art. 446).

The ordinary general assembly must be held within three months of the end of each financial year and addresses the annual activity report and balance sheet. An extraordinary general assembly may be convened at any time of year when a specific need arises, such as a capital increase or an amendment to the articles of association. In a joint stock company, holders of at least one-tenth of the capital can ask the board to call one.

A discharge covers only the facts disclosed to the general assembly. It removes the right to sue of the company, of the shareholders who voted for it and of those who acquired shares knowing of it; other shareholders can still sue within six months of the discharge (Art. 558). Creditors' claims and matters not disclosed are not covered, and liability from formation and capital increases cannot be discharged until four years after registration (Art. 559).

The dispute resolution provisions in the articles of association and any shareholders' agreement are examined first; these may provide for mediation or arbitration. If no settlement is reached, the right to information, removal of a manager for just cause, exit, expulsion or dissolution for just cause may come into consideration. Which route is appropriate depends on the company type and the circumstances of the case.

In commercial cases whose subject is a sum of money, such as claims for receivables or compensation, applying to a mediator is a condition for filing the lawsuit (Commercial Code, Art. 5/A). The mediator has six weeks, extendable by up to two weeks. Claims about exit, expulsion or dissolution are assessed separately.

The company ends, for example by a general assembly resolution, and enters liquidation. Liquidators are registered, creditors are called by three announcements one week apart, assets are not distributed until three months after the third announcement, and the company is then deleted from the register (Commercial Code, Arts. 533-545). At least one liquidator with representation authority must be a Turkish citizen resident in Turkey.

It is possible, but the obligations remain. Tax returns and penalties continue, and public debts can be pursued against managers and partners. These obligations end with completed liquidation or a formal transfer of the shares and management, not with departure.

If half of capital and statutory reserves is lost, the general assembly is called; at two-thirds the company ends unless the general assembly decides to continue with one-third of the capital or to make the capital up; over-indebtedness is reported to the commercial court (Commercial Code, Art. 376). A company in difficulty can apply for concordat, with a temporary moratorium of up to five months and a definitive moratorium of one year, extendable by six months (Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law, Arts. 287, 289).

Yes. Our office advises English-speaking foreign investors throughout company formation and ongoing corporate matters in Turkey, and documents can be explained in English as well as Turkish.

Av. Ömer Faruk Doğan holds an IELTS score of 7, pursued graduate legal studies and research in Italy and Poland, and has experience advising international companies and foreign investors on Turkish corporate matters. Clients can be advised in English as well as Turkish.

Yes. Disputes between a company and its partners are heard where the company has its registered seat (Article 14/2 of the Code of Civil Procedure), so before the Ankara courts. A lawyer registered with a Turkish bar can appear before all courts, so a company lawyer in Istanbul or a company lawyer in Ankara can follow the case. A corporate lawyer in Turkey based in Istanbul follows Ankara files through UYAP and by attending hearings where needed.

For commercial claims whose subject is a sum of money, namely receivables, compensation, actions to annul an objection, negative declaratory actions and restitution claims, applying to a mediator before suing is a condition of the action (Commercial Code, Art. 5/A). A case filed without mediation is dismissed on procedural grounds. Mandatory mediation does not apply where the parties have an arbitration agreement, and claims that are not about a sum of money are assessed separately.

The duration depends on the nature of the dispute, the evidentiary position, whether expert examination is required, and the court's caseload. The mediation stage has a legal limit of six weeks, extendable by two weeks. It would not be sound to give a definite figure for the litigation stage at the outset; a realistic range can be shared once the file has been reviewed.

As a rule ten years applies. Five years applies to periodic payments such as rent and interest and to claims under agency, commission and mandate contracts; defects in sold goods are generally time-barred two years after delivery, unfair competition claims one year after learning (three at most), and cheque claims three years after the presentation period ends. When the period begins to run varies with the dispute, so it is assessed separately in each file.

The first question is whether the contract contains a jurisdiction and governing law clause; where it does, that clause is as a rule followed. Absent such a clause, the provisions of the Act on Private International Law and Procedural Law apply, which refer to the Turkish venue rules such as the defendant's domicile and the place of performance. Enforcing a foreign court judgment in Turkey additionally requires recognition and enforcement proceedings.

A person considered a merchant becomes subject to additional obligations: registering with the trade registry, keeping commercial books, using a lawful trade name, and being subject to bankruptcy for all debts. Merchants are also held to the standard of a prudent businessperson in disputes with one another, meaning carelessness on their part can more readily be held against them.

The holder can collect from the bank the available funds plus up to a fixed amount per cheque leaf (TRY 16,350 since 30 January 2026), and fast-track enforcement can be brought against the drawer and endorsers for the rest. On the holder's complaint, the drawer also faces a judicial fine for each cheque, of up to 1,500 days and not less than the unpaid amount, and a court ban on issuing cheques and opening cheque accounts (Cheque Law No. 5941, Art. 5).

The penalty in the Cheque Law is a judicial fine, not imprisonment. However, an unpaid judicial fine for this offence is converted directly into imprisonment, and issuing a cheque while under a cheque ban is punishable by one to three years' imprisonment. Paying the unpaid amount with interest, or the holder withdrawing the complaint, ends the case or lifts the conviction (Law No. 5941, Arts. 5-7).

Ten days if it is payable in the place where it was issued, and one month if payable elsewhere. A cheque issued in another country is presented within one month if both places are on the same continent and three months if they are on different continents. The periods start on the day after the issue date written on the cheque (Commercial Code, Art. 796).

A cheque is paid by a bank from the drawer's account and is payable at sight, while a promissory note is the maker's own promise to pay on a maturity date. Only cheques carry the bank's statutory payment and a specific criminal penalty for non-payment. Both can be enforced through the fast-track proceedings for negotiable instruments.

Claims against the maker of a promissory note are time-barred three years after maturity. The holder's claims against endorsers are time-barred one year after a protest made in time, and an endorser's recourse against others six months after paying or being sued (Commercial Code, Arts. 749, 778, 779).

Usually a formal notice of default comes first, then mandatory mediation for the refund claim, and then a lawsuit or enforcement proceedings if no settlement is reached. Where there is a risk that the supplier will move its assets, a precautionary attachment can be requested from the court. The contract, payment records and correspondence decide which route fits.

Eight days from receipt. A person who does not object to the content of an invoice within eight days is deemed to have accepted that content (Commercial Code, Art. 21/2). Between merchants, the objection is usually sent in a provable way, such as through a notary or registered electronic mail.

In supply of goods and services between businesses, an agreed payment period can be at most 60 days. A longer period can be expressly agreed if it is not grossly unfair to the creditor, but never where the creditor is a small or medium-sized enterprise or an agricultural producer, or the debtor is a large enterprise. Where no date is agreed, the debtor is in default 30 days after receiving the invoice (Commercial Code, Art. 1530).

The rate agreed in the contract, which merchants can set freely. Without an agreement, default interest under Law No. 3095 applies, and in commercial matters the creditor can claim the Central Bank's short-term advance rate where it is higher. In supply transactions between businesses, a rate announced each January by the Central Bank under Article 1530 of the Commercial Code may apply.

Unless the contract says payment must be made in the foreign currency itself, the debtor can pay in lira at the exchange rate of the payment day. If the debt is paid late, the creditor can ask for payment in the currency or in lira at the rate of either the due date or the payment date (Code of Obligations, Art. 99).

Yes. Enforcement without a judgment is available to foreign creditors as well. The debtor has seven days to object, which stops the proceedings; the creditor can then sue to set aside the objection within one year, after mandatory mediation. Foreign claimants may be asked for security for costs unless reciprocity applies.

Yes, through a precautionary attachment ordered by the court for a due money debt not secured by a pledge, or for a debt not yet due if the debtor has no fixed domicile or is hiding assets. Security is generally required, and the creditor must start enforcement or sue within seven days of the attachment, a period that does not run during mandatory mediation.

Possibly. The agent can claim goodwill compensation if the principal keeps benefiting from customers the agent brought, the agent loses commission it would have earned, and payment is equitable. It is capped at the average annual commission of the last five years, cannot be waived in advance and must be claimed within one year (Commercial Code, Art. 122).

The Commercial Code applies the agent's goodwill compensation rule, unless inequitable, to the end of exclusive dealership and similar continuing relationships that grant exclusive rights (Art. 122/5). Whether a particular distributor qualifies depends on the exclusivity and the actual relationship.

An agency agreement for an indefinite term can be terminated with three months' notice, and any agency agreement can be terminated at any time for just cause. The party that terminates without just cause or without the notice compensates the other for losses from unfinished business (Commercial Code, Art. 121).

A trademark application by a commercial agent or representative in its own name, without the owner's permission and without a justified reason, is refused on the owner's opposition. If it is already registered, the owner can ask the court to prohibit its use or transfer the registration (Law No. 6769, Arts. 6/2, 10). The relationship and the brand's history in Turkey are examined first.

Ten years from the application date, renewable for further ten-year periods. Renewal is requested within six months before expiry or, with an additional fee, within six months after it. Oppositions to a published application are filed within two months of publication (Law No. 6769, Arts. 18, 23).

Turkish law allows the parties to choose the governing law of a contract (MÖHUK, Art. 24) and, for disputes with a foreign element, to agree on a foreign court if the agreement is proved in writing and the matter is not within the exclusive jurisdiction of Turkish courts (Art. 47). A later foreign judgment still needs enforcement proceedings to be executed in Turkey, so the choice is weighed against where the Turkish company's assets are.

As a rule, foreign claimants and foreign creditors starting enforcement provide security set by the court for costs and the other side's possible losses. The court exempts them on the basis of reciprocity with their country (MÖHUK, Art. 48).

Yes, if the arbitration agreement is in writing and the dispute is arbitrable. If a lawsuit is filed despite a valid agreement, the other side can raise an arbitration objection and the court dismisses the case. Disputes over rights in rem in immovable property and matters not subject to the parties' free will cannot be arbitrated.

Through an enforcement request at the competent court of first instance, with the arbitration agreement, the award and certified translations (MÖHUK, Arts. 60-61). The court refuses only on limited grounds such as no valid agreement, public policy, non-arbitrability or lack of a proper hearing. Turkey is a party to the 1958 New York Convention.

Yes, after a Turkish court grants enforcement. The court checks reciprocity, that the matter is not within the exclusive jurisdiction of Turkish courts, that the judgment is not manifestly contrary to public policy, and that the defendant was properly summoned. If the debtor has no domicile or residence in Turkey, the case can be filed in Ankara, Istanbul or Izmir (MÖHUK, Arts. 51, 54).

During the moratorium, no enforcement proceedings can be started against the debtor, existing ones stop, and precautionary attachments are not executed (Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law, Art. 294). The claim is followed within the concordat file. The temporary moratorium can last up to five months and the definitive moratorium one year, extendable by six months.

Yes, if they are kept properly, carry opening and closing certifications and their entries confirm each other. They count in their owner's favour only if the other side's proper books do not contradict them or the other side does not produce its books (Code of Civil Procedure, Art. 222).

Deceptive conduct or other conduct contrary to good faith that affects relations between competitors or with customers, such as disparagement, creating confusion, inducing breach of contract or misusing trade secrets. Claims are time-barred one year after the claimant learns that the rights have arisen and in any event three years after they arose (Commercial Code, Arts. 54-60).

Fees cannot be below the Attorneyship Minimum Fee Tariff prepared each year by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations. They depend on the value and complexity of the matter and are quoted after the file is reviewed. Court fees, enforcement fees, expert costs and any security required from foreign claimants are separate.

Yes. Our office represents English-speaking businesses throughout commercial disputes in Turkey, including mediation, litigation, and enforcement proceedings.

Av. Ömer Faruk Doğan holds an IELTS score of 7, pursued graduate legal studies and research in Italy and Poland, and has experience advising international companies on Turkish commercial matters. Clients can be advised in English as well as Turkish.

Yes. A case may be filed where the defendant is domiciled or, for contractual claims, where the contract is to be performed (Articles 6 and 10 of the Code of Civil Procedure), so it may be brought in Ankara. A lawyer registered with a Turkish bar can act before all courts and enforcement offices, so a commercial lawyer in Istanbul or in Ankara can pursue it. As a commercial lawyer in Turkey based in Istanbul, our office follows Ankara files through UYAP and by attending hearings where needed.

Where the marriage has lasted at least one year and the parties have reached full agreement on the protocol, the process is generally concluded in a single hearing. The hearing date depends on the court's caseload. Additional time is required for the reasoned judgment to be issued and to become final.

The court takes the best interests of the child as its basis, considering the child's age, familiar environment, education, each parent's capacity to care for the child, and, where the child is of sufficient understanding, the child's own views. Economic strength alone is not decisive, and contact is arranged for the parent not granted custody.

Liquidation of the matrimonial property regime is as a rule the subject of a separate action, and the divorce judgment must first become final. Under the statutory regime of participation in acquired property, a participation claim of one half generally arises over property acquired during the marriage. Property acquired by inheritance or gift falls outside this scope.

Not automatically. For a foreign judgment to take effect in Turkey, recognition (tanıma) proceedings must be brought before a Turkish court, or, where the statutory conditions are met, administrative registration through the civil registry office is possible. Supporting documents generally need an apostille and a certified Turkish translation.

Yes. Turkish courts have jurisdiction where a connecting factor exists — for example, either spouse is habitually resident in Turkey, one spouse holds Turkish citizenship, or the marriage took place in Turkey. Which country's law applies is determined separately under Article 14 of Law No. 5718 (MÖHUK).

Under MÖHUK Art. 14, the spouses' common national law applies first; if they hold different nationalities, the law of their common habitual residence applies; if neither exists, Turkish law applies. For couples living together in Turkey, this generally means Turkish law governs.

Yes. Wedding gold and jewelry given to the bride are treated as her personal property under Turkish practice, and she may claim their return or their value even if they were later used for household expenses, unless the husband proves she agreed to that use as a gift. This claim is separate from property division and alimony.

If you have stayed in Turkey on a family residence permit for at least three years, you may be granted a short-term residence permit after the divorce (Art. 34/6 Law No. 6458). If not, the basis of the family permit falls away and you need to apply for another permit type in time. Where a court decision establishes that you were a victim of domestic violence, the three-year condition is not applied.

Yes. Law No. 6284 allows a family court to issue protective and preventive measures — removing the abuser from the home, barring contact, confidential-address protection — often within hours, and these apply to foreign spouses on the same basis as Turkish citizens.

Divorce is heard exclusively by the family courts. Under Article 168 of the Civil Code, you may file at the court of either spouse's domicile, or of the place where you last lived together for six months before the action — this applies regardless of nationality.

An uncontested divorce with a properly drafted protocol is usually concluded at a single hearing. A contested divorce commonly takes well over a year, longer where witness testimony, expert reports, or an appeal are involved.

Yes; gifts exchanged during an engagement may generally be reclaimed if it is broken off. Customary, everyday gifts, however, fall outside this rule and cannot be reclaimed. A party who breaks off the engagement without just cause may also be liable for the other party's reasonable expenses incurred in preparing for the marriage.

A spouse who is less at fault, or not at fault, and whose interest is harmed by the events leading to the divorce may claim pecuniary damages; a spouse whose personality rights are seriously harmed may also claim non-pecuniary damages (Art. 174 Civil Code). The claim may be raised together with the divorce action or in a separate action within one year of the judgment becoming final.

Yes. Our office works with English-speaking clients throughout a divorce in Turkey, from the first consultation through to the final judgment and, where relevant, its recognition abroad.

Av. Ömer Faruk Doğan holds an IELTS score of 7, pursued graduate legal studies and research in Italy and Poland, and has experience advising international companies and foreign individuals. Clients can be advised in English as well as Turkish throughout a divorce case in Turkey.

Either city. Under Article 168 of the Civil Code the action may be filed at the court of either spouse's domicile, or of the place where you last lived together for six months before the action. We handle divorce cases before both the Istanbul and the Ankara family courts.

Yes. A lawyer registered with a Turkish bar may appear before every Turkish court, and we act before the Ankara family courts and in other cities, with filings made electronically through UYAP. Our office itself is in Istanbul.

If the case has not been, or cannot be, brought abroad, it is heard in Turkey at the territorially competent court; failing that, where you reside; if you do not reside in Turkey, at the court of your last domicile in Turkey; and failing that, before one of the courts of Ankara, Istanbul or Izmir (Art. 41 of Law No. 5718).

Yes. For an uncontested divorce the judge must hear both spouses in person and be satisfied that they have freely agreed (Art. 166/3 Civil Code). A contested divorce, by contrast, can proceed with each spouse represented by a lawyer.

Yes, through a contested divorce, provided a Turkish court has jurisdiction. The petition must be served on your spouse abroad through international legal-assistance channels, which can add several months, so their foreign address should be established before filing.

If one year has passed since the dismissal became final and you have not resumed living together, the marriage is deemed irretrievably broken down and the court grants a divorce at either spouse's request (Art. 166/4 Civil Code, as amended by Law No. 7532 in 2024). The period used to be three years.

Yes. The action must be filed within six months of learning of the adultery and in any case within five years of it; a spouse who has forgiven it cannot sue on that ground (Art. 161 Civil Code). The same deadlines apply to an attempt on life or gross ill-treatment (Art. 162).

Leaving the shared home, or failing to return without just cause, for at least six months. After the fourth month a judge or notary can issue a warning to return within two months, and the action can only be filed once those two months have passed without return (Art. 164 Civil Code).

Not necessarily. Periodic alimony ends automatically if the recipient remarries or either party dies, and the court lifts it if the recipient lives with a partner as if married, is no longer in poverty, or leads a dishonourable life. The amount can also be increased or reduced when circumstances change (Art. 176 Civil Code).

Yes, in suitable cases. Turkish courts accept joint custody where it serves the child's best interests, typically when both parents agree and can cooperate. Otherwise custody is given to one parent, with a contact schedule for the other.

The family court can order, as a precautionary measure, that the child may not be taken abroad. If the child has already been removed, the Hague Convention on international child abduction, to which Turkey is a party, may apply, and speed is decisive.

Not without your express consent: neither spouse may transfer the family home, terminate its lease, or limit rights over it alone (Art. 194 Civil Code). If the title is in your spouse's name, you can have a family-home annotation entered in the land registry.

Two weeks from service of the reasoned judgment for an appeal (istinaf) to the regional court (Art. 345 Code of Civil Procedure). The divorce is registered with the civil registry only once the judgment becomes final.

Claims arising from the divorce that were not decided in the divorce case itself must be brought within one year of the divorce judgment becoming final (Art. 178 Civil Code).

Lawyers' fees cannot be agreed below the minimum tariff (AAÜT) prepared each year by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (Arts. 164 and 168 Attorneyship Law). The actual fee depends on whether the case is uncontested or contested and on the ancillary claims, and is quoted after the file is reviewed.

Turkish law recognises only civil marriage, so a religious-only ceremony is not a marriage in the civil registry and is not dissolved by divorce. For children, paternity is established by the father's acknowledgment or a paternity action (Art. 295 Civil Code).

That depends on your home country's law and procedure. A Turkish divorce is a court judgment; you will usually need a certified copy of the finalised judgment with an apostille and a translation to register it abroad.

Yes. The divorce case is filed where either spouse lives or where they last lived together for six months (Article 168 of the Civil Code). A lawyer registered with a Turkish bar can appear before all family courts in Turkey, so a divorce lawyer in Istanbul or a divorce lawyer in Ankara can follow it.

As a rule, entitlement requires at least one year of service and one of the grounds of termination listed in the legislation: termination by the employer for any reason other than misconduct under Article 25/II of the Labour Act, termination by the employee for just cause, compulsory military service, retirement, a female employee leaving within one year of her marriage, or the employee's death. Resignation does not as a rule give rise to severance pay (Law No. 1475, Art. 14).

Thirty days' gross wages for each full year of service, with part-years paid proportionally, using the last gross wage plus regular benefits such as meal and transport payments. Each year is capped at TRY 73,729.87 for terminations from 1 July to 31 December 2026 (TRY 64,948.77 in the first half of the year). Only stamp tax is deducted.

TRY 64,948.77 per year of service for terminations from 1 January to 30 June 2026, and TRY 73,729.87 for terminations from 1 July to 31 December 2026. The ceiling applies only to severance pay, not to notice pay or leave pay.

Severance pay paid under Law No. 1475 is exempt from income tax (Income Tax Law Art. 25/7-a); only stamp tax at 7.59 per thousand is deducted. Notice pay, by contrast, is subject to income tax and stamp tax.

Two weeks for less than six months' service, four weeks for six months to one and a half years, six weeks for one and a half to three years, and eight weeks for more than three years (Labour Act, Art. 17). Without notice, the employer owes the wages for that period as notice pay.

An application must be made to a mediator within one month of service of the notice of termination. If mediation ends without agreement, the action must be brought within two weeks of the date of the final minutes (Labour Act, Art. 20). These are forfeiture periods, and once they lapse a reinstatement claim can no longer be advanced.

If the workplace has 30 or more workers, the employee has at least six months' service on an open-ended contract, is not a senior manager, and the dismissal has no valid reason, the dismissal can be challenged. If it is found invalid, the employer either takes the employee back within one month of the employee's application or pays four to eight months' wages, plus up to four months' wages for the time out of work (Arts. 18-21).

Not for an ordinary resignation. Severance is owed if the employee ends the contract for a just cause recognised by Article 24 of the Labour Act, for example wages not paid in accordance with the law or the contract, and has at least one year's service.

No; during the probationary period, which is at most two months (four by collective agreement), either party may terminate the contract without notice and without paying compensation (Art. 15). Wages, any overtime, and other employment entitlements for days actually worked during that period must nonetheless be paid in full.

Employment contracts of one year or more must be made in writing. The absence of a written contract does not invalidate it, but the employer is obliged to provide the employee, within two months, with a document setting out the working conditions (Labour Act, Art. 8). In a dispute, the absence of a written document generally operates against the employer.

Workplace records, timesheets, and payslips are the first evidence considered. Where such records do not exist or do not reflect reality, witness statements, entry and exit records, camera footage, and correspondence are assessed. In Court of Cassation practice, a discretionary reduction may be applied to calculations resting on witness evidence.

Each hour above 45 hours a week is paid at the hourly wage plus 50 percent, or the employee may choose one and a half hours of free time per overtime hour, used within six months. Overtime requires the employee's consent and cannot exceed 270 hours a year (Labour Act, Art. 41).

At least 14 days for one to five years of service, 20 days for more than five and less than fifteen years, and 26 days for fifteen years or more; employees aged 18 or under and 50 or over get at least 20 days (Labour Act, Art. 53). Leave can be split only by agreement, with one part of at least ten days (Art. 56).

Yes. Whenever the contract ends, for any reason, earned but unused leave is paid on the last wage (Labour Act, Art. 59). The five-year limitation period for this claim starts on the end date of the contract.

TRY 33,030.00 gross and TRY 28,075.50 net a month, in force since 1 January 2026, with no mid-year increase in July 2026. It applies to foreign and Turkish employees alike.

If wages are not paid within 20 days of the payment date for reasons other than force majeure, the employee may refuse to work, cannot be dismissed or replaced for that reason, and late wages carry the highest deposit interest rate (Labour Act, Art. 34). Unpaid wages are also a just cause for ending the contract with severance pay (Art. 24/II-e).

The law requires the employer to prevent psychological harassment (Code of Obligations, Art. 417). In court practice, systematic harassment has been accepted as a just cause for the employee to end the contract with severance pay, and non-pecuniary damages may also be claimed. Written records made at the time, messages, witnesses, complaints to the employer and medical reports are the usual evidence; a complaint can also be filed with the Ministry of Labour.

Yes. A work permit is cancelled when the foreigner's work ends for any reason (Law No. 6735, Art. 15/2-ç), and the employer notifies the Ministry within fifteen days (Art. 22). Because a fixed-term permit is tied to a specific employer, working for a new employer requires a new permit, unless the person holds an indefinite or independent work permit (Art. 10). An employment lawyer in Turkey will usually look at this immigration consequence alongside the labour claim itself.

A valid work permit counts as a residence permit (Law No. 6458, Art. 27). When it ends, the right to stay has to rest on another permit, such as a short-term or family residence permit, if its conditions are met. Staying without a valid permit can lead to fines and entry bans.

A choice of foreign law cannot take away the minimum protection of the mandatory rules of the country where the employee habitually works (Law No. 5718, Art. 27). For someone who normally works in Turkey, Turkish courts have jurisdiction, and a contract clause cannot exclude it (Arts. 44 and 47).

Yes, for claims based on the law, the contract or a collective agreement, and for reinstatement; a case filed without mediation is dismissed on procedure. Work accident and occupational disease compensation claims are the exception (Law No. 7036, Art. 3).

Yes. No lawsuit can be filed on the matters agreed (Mediation Law No. 6325, Art. 18), and an agreement signed by the parties, their lawyers and the mediator is enforceable like a judgment. For this reason, each item is usually calculated before signing.

A release is valid only if it is in writing, signed at least one month after the contract ended, states the type and amount of each claim, and the payment is complete and made through a bank (Code of Obligations, Art. 420). A document signed on the last day does not meet the one-month condition; at most it counts as a receipt for the amount actually paid through a bank.

Five years for severance, notice, bad-faith and equal-treatment compensation and annual leave pay (Labour Act, Additional Art. 3), and five years for wages, overtime and holiday pay (Art. 32). Work accident compensation is generally ten years. The reinstatement deadline is only one month.

Yes, the claims survive and the five-year limits continue to run. Mediation and lawsuits take place in Turkey, so former employees abroad usually act through a lawyer in Turkey holding a power of attorney signed at a Turkish consulate or before a notary with an apostille.

The SGK service record (SGK Tescil ve Hizmet Dökümü) on e-Devlet shows the days and earnings reported. If work was not reported, it can be proven with a service determination lawsuit filed within five years from the end of the year worked (Law No. 5510, Art. 86).

The law does not exclude insured foreign employees. The conditions are a qualifying ground for the end of the contract (not an ordinary resignation or misconduct), 600 days of unemployment premiums in the last three years, employment under a contract throughout the last 120 days, and an application within thirty days (Law No. 4447, Arts. 48, 50 and 51).

Since 1 May 2026, 24 weeks in total: eight weeks before and sixteen weeks after the birth, with two extra weeks before birth in a multiple pregnancy (Labour Act, Art. 74, as amended by Law No. 7578). Up to six months of unpaid leave may follow on request.

Ten days of paid leave when the employee's spouse gives birth, since 1 May 2026; it was previously five days (Labour Act, Additional Art. 2, as amended by Law No. 7578).

The employer reports the accident to the police at once and to SGK within three working days (Law No. 5510, Art. 13). SGK pays allowances for incapacity, and the loss not covered by SGK can be claimed from an employer at fault. These claims do not require mediation and are generally subject to a ten-year limitation period.

Only if it is in writing, the job gave access to customers or business secrets whose use could seriously harm the employer, and it is reasonable in place, time and scope; it cannot exceed two years except in special circumstances (Code of Obligations, Arts. 444-445). It ends if the employer terminates without just cause (Art. 447).

Yes. Remote work is set up in writing, and remote employees cannot be treated differently from comparable employees solely because they work remotely (Labour Act, Art. 14). Working time, overtime, leave and termination rules apply in the same way.

A substantial change binds the employee only if notified in writing and accepted in writing within six working days. If the employee refuses, the employer may terminate only with notice and by stating a valid reason in writing, and the employee may challenge that termination (Labour Act, Art. 22).

Yes. Our office advises English-speaking employees and employers throughout employment disputes in Turkey, including mediation and labour court proceedings.

Av. Ömer Faruk Doğan holds an IELTS score of 7, pursued graduate legal studies and research in Italy and Poland, and has experience advising international companies and foreign employees on Turkish employment matters. Clients can be advised in English as well as Turkish.

Fees cannot be agreed below the Attorneyship Minimum Fee Tariff prepared each year by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (Attorneyship Law, Arts. 164 and 168). In employment files, the fee depends on the value and number of claims and whether a lawsuit follows mediation, and it can only be quoted after the file has been reviewed.

Yes. The case is filed where the employer is domiciled or where the work was performed (Article 6 of Law No. 7036), so it may be brought in Ankara. A lawyer registered with a Turkish bar can act before all labour courts, so an employment lawyer in Istanbul or an employment lawyer in Ankara can follow it. Our office is in Istanbul and follows such files before the mediation offices and labour courts in Ankara.

The law gives foreigners the same core rights as Turkish citizens: to be told the accusation, to remain silent, to have a lawyer and an interpreter paid by the State, and to have a relative and the consulate informed (CMK Articles 95, 147, 149 and 202). Police custody is limited to 24 hours in principle (Article 91), after which the person is released or brought before a judge.

Up to 24 hours from the arrest, not counting up to 12 hours needed to reach the nearest judge. For collectively committed offences, the prosecutor can extend custody by written order, one day at a time, for up to three more days (CMK Article 91). The limits are the same for foreigners and Turkish citizens.

The law gives a suspect the right not to make any statement about the accusation, and the person must be told this before questioning (CMK Article 147). Questions about identity are the exception and have to be answered truthfully. A statement taken by the police without a lawyer cannot be the basis of a judgment unless it is confirmed before a judge (Article 148/4).

As a rule it is not compulsory, but the assistance of defence counsel is a constitutional right. A lawyer is mandatory where the suspect is a child or disabled to a degree that prevents self-defence, and for offences carrying a minimum sentence of more than five years (CMK Article 150). Those unable to choose a lawyer can ask the bar association to assign one.

Yes. An interpreter is appointed by the judge or prosecutor during the investigation and by the court at trial, and translates the essential points of the accusation and the defence (CMK Article 202). The costs are paid by the State and are not charged to the person (Article 324/5).

Yes, unless you object in writing: the consulate of the country of nationality is informed of the arrest or custody (CMK Article 95/2), in line with Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. This right exists alongside, not instead of, the right to a lawyer.

Yes. The spouse and first or second-degree blood relatives, as well as the person, the lawyer and the legal representative, can apply to the criminal judgeship of peace for immediate release. The judge decides on the papers before 24 hours have passed (CMK Article 91/5).

Police custody (gözaltı) is the short period after an arrest, ordered by the prosecutor and limited to 24 hours in principle. Pre-trial detention (tutuklama) is ordered by a judge where there is strong suspicion and a ground for detention, and can last much longer, subject to the maximum periods in CMK Article 102.

Yes. An objection may be lodged within two weeks of learning of the order (CMK Article 268; the period was seven days until 2024). It is filed with the judge who issued it; detention orders of a criminal judgeship of peace are then reviewed by a judge of the criminal court of first instance. Release can also be requested at any stage (Article 104).

Not in the common-law sense, but a judge can order a security deposit (güvence) as a judicial control measure instead of detention (CMK Article 109/3-f). The part covering attendance is returned when the obligations are met, and the rest is returned on non-prosecution or acquittal (Article 115).

It is the alternative to detention: obligations such as a travel ban, regular reporting to a police station, house arrest, not going to certain places or depositing a security (CMK Article 109). A deliberate breach can lead to an immediate detention order, whatever the possible sentence (Article 112).

It depends on whether a ban on leaving the country has been ordered as a judicial control measure. Without such a ban, the criminal file alone does not generally prevent travel; with one, leaving in breach of it can lead to a detention order. A ban can be challenged by objection, and a defendant abroad can in some cases be excused from attending hearings (CMK Article 196).

Buying, accepting, possessing drugs for personal use, or using them, is punishable by two to five years' imprisonment (TCK Article 191). In such investigations the prosecutor first postpones the prosecution for five years with at least one year of probation; if the person complies, the case ends with non-prosecution.

A drug case can be relied on as a public order or public health ground to cancel a residence permit or issue a deportation decision (Law No. 6458, Article 54), even where the prosecution was deferred. A lawsuit against a deportation decision can be filed with the administrative court within seven days of notification (Article 53).

If the account is used to move fraud proceeds, the account holder may be investigated for participation in fraud. Since July 2026, where participation is limited to handing over cards, account details or access information to obtain an unjust benefit, the penalty is halved (TCK Article 158/4), but it remains a criminal offence and the account is usually frozen.

A complaint can be filed with the chief public prosecutor's office or with the police or gendarmerie, in writing or orally (CMK Article 158), with transfer receipts, the receiving IBAN, messages and screenshots. For fraud committed through banks or the internet, the victim's home courts are also competent (Article 12/6), and a fast 48-hour account suspension procedure exists under Article 128/A.

It depends on the source of the block: a bank suspension of up to 48 hours under CMK Article 128/A, a seizure ordered by a criminal judgeship of peace under Article 128, or an administrative MASAK measure. The bank can usually say which authority imposed it and the file number, and the route for challenging it follows from that.

Simple theft is punishable by one to three years (TCK Article 141), and qualified theft by three to seven years or five to ten years depending on the form (Article 142). Returning the property or paying for the damage before the trial stage can reduce the penalty by up to two-thirds (Article 168).

This depends on whether prosecution of the offence is subject to complaint. For offences subject to complaint, withdrawal generally ends the investigation or the case (TCK Article 73). For offences prosecuted ex officio, such as intentional injury against a spouse, withdrawal does not end the proceedings.

For offences subject to complaint, an investigation begins only upon the victim's complaint, which must be filed within six months of learning of the act and the offender. For offences prosecuted ex officio, the prosecutor opens an investigation as soon as the offence comes to light, even without any request from the victim. Which category applies is stated in the relevant provision of the law.

Yes. Insult is punishable by three months to two years' imprisonment or a judicial fine, including through a written, voice or video message addressed to the victim (TCK Article 125). It is prosecuted on complaint, is excluded from conciliation and, in most forms, falls within advance payment (Article 75).

HAGB is the deferral of the announcement of the verdict. Where the sentence is two years' imprisonment or less, or a judicial fine, the court can defer the verdict for a five-year supervision period; if no new intentional offence is committed and the obligations are met, the case is dismissed (CMK Article 231).

As a rule, a fixed prison term allows conditional release after half has been served with good behaviour, with two-thirds for listed offences, 24 years for life imprisonment and 30 years for aggravated life imprisonment (Law No. 5275, Article 107). Time in custody and detention is deducted (TCK Article 63). The conditional release calculator gives a first estimate.

An amnesty can only be granted by Parliament with a three-fifths majority of its total members (Constitution, Article 87), and it takes effect only once the law is published in the Official Gazette. Reports on social media have no effect on hearing dates or appeal deadlines.

Two weeks from service of the judgment with its written reasoning, both for an appeal to the regional court (CMK Article 273) and for an appeal to the Court of Cassation (Article 291). Until 2024 the period was seven days from the pronouncement. A missed deadline makes the judgment final.

It can. A residence permit can be cancelled or a deportation decision taken on public order grounds (Law No. 6458, Article 54), and the ordinary naturalisation route requires good moral character and no public order or security obstacle (Law No. 5901, Article 11). The specific effect depends on the offence, the outcome and whether the matter has concluded.

Extradition is governed by Law No. 6706 and applicable treaties and is decided by an assize court, with an appeal to the Court of Cassation. It is refused on statutory grounds such as Turkish citizenship, political or military offences, a risk of persecution or torture, or the death penalty without assurances (Article 11). A person provisionally arrested on a Red Notice is brought before a judge within 24 hours.

Yes, in the situations listed in CMK Article 141, including detention followed by non-prosecution or acquittal. The claim is made within three months of notification of finality and at most one year after the decision became final (Article 142); some claims are now decided by the Compensation Commission under Law No. 6384.

Once the sentence has been executed, the conviction is moved from the criminal record to the archive record (Law No. 5352, Article 9). The archive record is deleted completely five years later for ordinary convictions, with longer periods for convictions causing a loss of rights (Article 12). HAGB decisions are kept in a special register instead.

Effective remorse allows a reduced penalty, or in some offences no penalty, where the offender takes steps set out by law after the offence, such as returning property or helping the authorities. For theft and fraud, full compensation before the trial stage reduces the penalty by up to two-thirds, and before judgment by up to one-half (TCK Article 168).

This depends on the offence charged, not on the accused's nationality or residence. The assize court (ağır ceza) hears offences punishable by more than ten years or life imprisonment and certain listed offences, sitting as a three-judge panel; most other offences go to the criminal court of first instance (asliye ceza), which has a single judge (Law No. 5235).

Yes, including fraud, breach of trust, embezzlement, bribery, forgery of documents and offences under banking, capital markets and money-laundering legislation. These cases typically turn on financial and documentary evidence.

Yes. Our office represents clients in English throughout a criminal case in Turkey, including at police custody, court hearings and any appeal. The official interpreter appointed by the authorities still translates the proceedings themselves.

Av. Ömer Faruk Doğan holds an IELTS score of 7, pursued graduate legal studies and research in Italy and Poland, and has experience advising international companies and foreign individuals. Clients can be represented in English as well as Turkish throughout a criminal case, by a criminal lawyer in Istanbul who also follows files across Turkey.

Yes. The statement and hearing take place in Ankara, where the offence is investigated (Article 12 of the Code of Criminal Procedure). A criminal lawyer in Turkey registered with a Turkish bar can act before all prosecutors' offices and courts, so the file is followed from Istanbul with attendance at the Ankara courts as needed; there is no need to find a separate lawyer in Ankara for each step.

It depends on the file. An investigation may end within weeks or take much longer where financial or digital evidence is involved, and a first-instance trial often lasts several months to over a year, with appeals adding further time. Prosecution is also subject to limitation periods, such as eight years for offences punishable by up to five years (TCK Article 66).

The grounds for eviction are exhaustively set out in the legislation. The principal ones are two justified warnings for non-payment of rent, recovery of the premises on grounds of need, the necessity of reconstruction or redevelopment, a written undertaking to vacate, and the expiry of the ten-year extension period. Different time limits and procedural rules apply to each ground.

The court first assesses whether the property can be divided in kind. Where division in kind is not possible, or the parties do not seek it, partition by sale is ordered. The property is then sold at public auction through the enforcement office and the proceeds distributed among the co-owners in proportion to their shares.

The title registry record is valid until the contrary is proved, but in certain circumstances an action may be brought against it. Claims of collusive transfer, fiduciary transactions, acquisitive prescription, and non-compliance with official form are examples. The burden of proof and the applicable periods vary with the nature of the file.

The delivery period, delay penalty, and termination provisions of the contract are examined first. Depending on the circumstances, specific performance, damages for delay, or termination of the contract may be sought. Where the landowner has already transferred title, a claim for cancellation and re-registration of title may also arise.

The manager or board of management first sends the unit owner written notice of the unpaid dues; if payment is not made, enforcement proceedings may be commenced together with default interest. The Condominium Ownership Law also allows a monthly late-payment penalty of up to 5% to be applied.

Yes, a mortgaged property can be sold; however, the mortgage follows the property, meaning it is not automatically extinguished simply because the debt remains unpaid. Unless the new owner assumes the debt, the original debtor remains liable; if the debt is not paid, the creditor may have the property sold through enforcement proceedings regardless of who holds it.

No. The reciprocity requirement was abolished in 2012. Nationals of most countries can now purchase property in Turkey, subject to the ownership limits and military-zone restrictions that apply to all foreign buyers.

Yes. A foreign natural person may acquire up to 30 hectares nationwide, and total foreign ownership in any single district may not exceed 10% of that district's private-property area. Purchases in military forbidden or security zones are also automatically blocked at the Land Registry.

A title record that doesn't match what was represented, an undisclosed mortgage on the property, a power of attorney that doesn't actually cover the sale, and payment methods that leave no clear paper trail if the deal falls through. A pre-purchase legal review of the title, the seller's authority and the payment route addresses most of these.

No. A power of attorney executed before a notary in Turkey or a Turkish consulate abroad can authorise a representative to sign the sale agreement and complete the Land Registry transfer on your behalf, provided the power of attorney's scope actually covers those steps.

Yes. DASK earthquake insurance is compulsory, and the Land Registry will not complete a title transfer without a valid policy in place.

Generally yes. Rental income from Turkish property is subject to Turkish income tax and generally must be declared even if the owner is not otherwise a tax resident of Turkey.

Yes. Where a public authority has taken de facto control of or severely restricted a property without following the formal expropriation procedure, the owner may bring a de facto expropriation (kamulaştırmasız el atma) claim for compensation.

Yes. Our office guides English-speaking clients through the entire property purchase process in Turkey, from due diligence through to the Land Registry transfer.

Av. Ömer Faruk Doğan holds an IELTS score of 7, pursued graduate legal studies and research in Italy and Poland, and has experience advising international companies and foreign individuals on Turkish real estate. Clients can be advised in English as well as Turkish.

Buyer and seller each pay 2% of the declared price, and the base cannot be lower than the property's tax value (Law No. 492, Tariff 4). A valuation report, DASK insurance and, where needed, a sworn translator are additional costs.

Yes. A report by a licensed appraiser is mandatory for sales to foreign buyers.

For property bought on or after 16 October 2023, the title-deed price must be at least the equivalent of USD 200,000 in every province, at the Central Bank rate on the purchase date, and the property must be used as a home.

The agreed period, and in any case no more than 48 months from the contract (Art. 44 Law No. 6502). Registration of the condominium easement in your name together with handover of possession counts as delivery.

Within 14 days without any penalty; within 24 months against costs and a tiered compensation of up to 2-8% of the price. If the seller has failed to perform, for example by delivering late, the seller may claim nothing, and the refund is due within 180 days of your notice (Arts. 43 and 45 Law No. 6502).

You can give a reasonable period by formal notice, then either insist on delivery with damages for delay, or rescind, recover your payments and claim damages unless the developer proves it was not at fault (Arts. 123-125 Code of Obligations).

Not if you relied on the land registry in good faith: under the Court of Cassation's unification decision of 16 May 2025 (E.2024/1, K.2025/2), such a buyer remains protected unless it is shown they knew of the problem.

For renewed periods, up to the twelve-month average change in the consumer price index for the previous rental year (Art. 344 Code of Obligations). After five years, a court can reset the rent to market level.

Yes, but they must notify you in writing within one month of buying and can only sue six months later, or sue within one month after the lease term ends (Art. 351).

It must be given after the premises are handed over to you; the landlord must then act within one month of the promised date (Art. 352/1). A commitment signed together with the lease on the same day is frequently challenged for this reason.

Without just cause, the landlord may not let it to anyone else for three years; if they do, they owe you compensation of at least one year's rent at the last year's rate (Art. 355).

For most lease disputes — rent determination, arrears and eviction actions among them — yes; mediation is a precondition for filing suit.

Actions over rights in rem, such as title cancellation, must be filed at the court where the property is located (Art. 12 Code of Civil Procedure). A dispute over property in Ankara is heard in Ankara.

Yes. A lawyer registered with a Turkish bar may appear before every Turkish court, and we act in Istanbul, Ankara and other cities through UYAP. Our office is in Istanbul.

Declaring a lower price creates tax exposure and can also defeat a property-based residence permit, which depends on the title-deed price reaching USD 200,000 for purchases since 16 October 2023.

No. An off-plan sale to consumers is not allowed before the building permit is obtained (Art. 40/3 Law No. 6502).

Yes. Ownership disputes are heard where the property is located (Article 12 of the Code of Civil Procedure), so before the Ankara courts. A lawyer registered with a Turkish bar can appear before all courts, so a property lawyer in Istanbul or a property lawyer in Ankara can follow the case.

For statutory heirs the period is three months. Unless the heir proves that they learned of their status later, it runs from the date on which they learned of the death; for heirs appointed by will it runs from the date on which the disposition was officially notified to them (Article 606 of the Civil Code). Once the period expires the inheritance is deemed accepted without reservation. Where the insolvency of the deceased was manifest or officially established at the date of death, the inheritance is deemed disclaimed (Article 605/2).

The reserved portion is the minimum share of an estate that cannot be encroached upon by law. Under Article 506 of the Civil Code it amounts to one half of the statutory share for descendants, one quarter for each of the mother and father, and for the surviving spouse the whole of the statutory share where they inherit alongside descendants or the parental class, and three quarters in other cases. The reserved portion of siblings was abolished by an amendment in 2007. An abatement action may be brought against dispositions that encroach upon the reserved portion.

It arises where the deceased, intending to keep assets from the heirs, presents as a sale or as a contract of maintenance until death an immovable that they in fact wished to donate. Under the decision of the Court of Cassation Assembly on the Unification of Case Law dated 1 April 1974, all heirs whose inheritance rights are infringed, whether or not they hold a reserved portion, may plead the invalidity of the apparent contract on grounds of collusion. This action is not subject to any time limit.

As a rule a certificate of inheritance may be obtained from a notary or from the civil court of peace (Article 598 of the Civil Code). However, where the heirs include a foreign national, where the population records are insufficient, or where the position of the heirs cannot clearly be established from the records, notaries may not issue the certificate and an application must be made to the civil court of peace.

The two most commonly used types are an official will executed before a notary and a holographic will, which the testator writes entirely in their own hand, dates, and signs. Using a typewriter, a computer, or someone else's handwriting for a holographic will renders it invalid. A will cannot override the rules on the reserved portion; any part that exceeds them is subject to abatement.

The spouse's share depends on which class they inherit alongside: one quarter together with the deceased's children, one half together with the parental class, and three quarters together with the grandparental class. Where no class of statutory heirs exists, the entire estate passes to the surviving spouse.

Under Article 20 of Law No. 5718 (MÖHUK), the deceased's national law generally governs the succession, but Turkish law always applies to any immovable property located in Turkey, regardless of the deceased's nationality. The estate can therefore be governed by two legal systems at once.

Not directly. It generally needs to be apostilled (or consular-legalised) and officially translated into Turkish, and then either recognised by a Turkish court or used as the basis for a Turkish court to issue its own certificate of inheritance covering the Turkish assets.

Yes, foreign heirs inheriting Turkish assets are subject to Turkey's inheritance and transfer tax. For 2026 the share of each descendant and of the surviving spouse is exempt up to 2,907,136 Turkish lira (5,817,845 lira for a spouse where there are no descendants); other heirs have no exemption under this rule. Above the exemption, inheritance is taxed at progressive rates from 1 to 10 per cent.

Under Article 9 of Law No. 7338, counted from the date of death: where the death occurred in Turkey, four months for heirs in Turkey and six months for heirs abroad; where the death occurred abroad, six months for heirs in Turkey, four months for heirs in the same country as the deceased and eight months for heirs in another foreign country.

No. Because the certificate only records who the heirs are believed to be rather than creating rights itself, an action to correct or annul it is not subject to any time limit, though the underlying facts still need to be proven.

Turkish law provides for a fairly wide statutory class system — descendants, then parents and their descendants, then grandparents and their descendants — before an estate is treated as having no heir. Only once that search is exhausted does the estate pass to the Turkish State.

Yes. Our office advises English-speaking heirs throughout an inheritance matter in Turkey, including cross-border estates involving foreign documents.

Av. Ömer Faruk Doğan holds an IELTS score of 7, pursued graduate legal studies and research in Italy and Poland, and has experience advising international clients and foreign heirs on Turkish inheritance matters. Clients can be advised in English as well as Turkish.

Yes. Under Article 7 of Law No. 7338 everyone who acquires assets by inheritance must file a declaration; the exemption reduces or removes the tax but not the filing obligation.

Yes. Taxpayers abroad may file their declarations at Turkish consulates, and declarations may be filed jointly or separately for each heir (Art. 8 of Law No. 7338).

Yes. Under Article 19 of Law No. 7338 the registration of inherited real estate in the heirs' names is made without waiting for the tax assessment, and the Land Registry notifies the tax office within 15 days.

No, not as a rule. Inherited real estate cannot be sold or otherwise transferred until the tax attributable to it is paid in full and a clearance certificate is produced, unless security accepted under the Collection of Public Receivables Law is provided (Art. 19).

Within three years of the assessment, in six equal instalments due in May and November of each year (Art. 19 of Law No. 7338).

No. The exemption in Article 4(b) of Law No. 7338 applies only to descendants (including adopted children) and the surviving spouse.

Yes. Since Law No. 7445 of 2023, applying to a mediator is a precondition for court actions on the division of movable and immovable property and the dissolution of co-ownership (Art. 18/B of the Law on Mediation in Civil Disputes).

No. Until division the heirs own the estate jointly and dispose of estate rights together, unless a representative or administrator has authority (Art. 640 Civil Code).

Yes, by a notarised agreement. The buyer does not take part in the division; they only acquire the right to receive the share allotted to that heir once the division is complete (Art. 677 Civil Code).

Division, abatement and annulment actions are heard by the court of the deceased's last domicile (Art. 11 Code of Civil Procedure); real-estate rights are heard where the property is located (Art. 12); for a deceased with no last domicile in Turkey, where the estate assets are located (Art. 43 of Law No. 5718).

Where the real estate was inherited outside the limits of Article 35 of the Land Registry Law (eligible nationalities and area limits), it is liquidated and the proceeds paid to the owner if the owner does not liquidate it within a period set by the Ministry, not exceeding one year.

It must be delivered immediately to the civil court of peace, which opens it within one month at the deceased's domicile and reads it to those concerned, inviting the known heirs (Arts. 595 and 596 Civil Code).

An inventory prepared by the civil court of peace at the request of an heir, made within one month (Art. 619). An heir who accepts on the basis of the inventory is liable only for the debts recorded in it, subject to the exceptions in Articles 628 and 629.

An heir who has dealt with the estate beyond its ordinary administration, or concealed or appropriated estate assets, loses the right to disclaim (Art. 610 Civil Code).

Where the deceased was insolvent, heirs who disclaim remain liable to creditors up to the value of what they received in the five years before death and would have had to bring into account; heirs in good faith are liable only to the extent of their enrichment (Art. 618).

Yes. Where paternity has been established by recognition or court judgment, they inherit on the father's side like children born within marriage (Art. 498 Civil Code).

No. The reserved portion of siblings was abolished by Law No. 5650 in 2007; reserved portions now belong to descendants, parents and the surviving spouse (Art. 506).

Article 565 of the Civil Code lists them, including certain transfers to descendants, transfers made to settle inheritance rights in advance, freely revocable gifts and other gifts made in the year before death apart from customary presents, and dispositions clearly made to evade the reserved-portion rules.

Real estate is valued at its property-tax value and movable assets at market value, as of the date the succession opened (Arts. 10 and 11 of Law No. 7338).

Yes. Inheritance cases are heard at the court of the deceased's last domicile (Article 11 of the Code of Civil Procedure), so in Ankara. A lawyer registered with a Turkish bar can appear before all courts, so an inheritance lawyer in Istanbul or an inheritance lawyer in Ankara can follow it.

An application may be made to the administrative court within seven days of notification of the deportation decision (Article 53/3 of Law No. 6458). As a rule a foreign national who applies to the courts is not deported until the proceedings are concluded; certain situations listed in the law fall outside this rule. The court concludes the application within fifteen days and its decision is final.

Foreign nationals who have been married to a Turkish citizen for at least three years and whose marriage subsists may apply (Article 16 of Law No. 5901). The application requires living together as a family, refraining from any activity incompatible with the marital union, and the absence of any impediment on grounds of national security or public order. Meeting the conditions does not confer an entitlement to citizenship; the decision lies within the discretion of the administration.

Under Article 12 of Law No. 5901, foreign nationals who meet the conditions laid down in the implementing regulation may acquire Turkish citizenship exceptionally by presidential decision. The minimum value of immovable property required, and the duration of the annotation restricting transfer to be entered in the land registry, are determined by regulation and may change over time. The current conditions should therefore be verified before applying.

For a foreign judgment to produce effects in Türkiye it must be recognised, and for it to be enforced it must be declared enforceable (Articles 50 et seq. of Law No. 5718). In the case of divorce judgments, where the conditions laid down in the law are met, administrative registration is also possible upon the joint application of the spouses to a provincial or district civil registry office or through a Turkish representation abroad.

The application is made in person to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management in the province where the applicant is located. Because Türkiye applies the 1951 Geneva Convention with a geographical limitation, refugee status is granted only to nationals of European countries; nationals of other countries may be granted conditional refugee or subsidiary protection status depending on their circumstances. An applicant is not deported while the application is under assessment.

Unlike a deportation decision, an administrative detention decision is challenged before the criminal judgeship of peace, not the administrative court. The law sets no deadline for this application, and filing it does not suspend detention (Art. 57/6 Law No. 6458). The judge decides within five days and the decision is final. A new application may be made if the grounds for detention cease or change.

A ban may not exceed five years, but it can be extended by up to ten further years where there is a serious threat to public order or security (Art. 9/3 Law No. 6458). The Directorate may lift it early or allow entry for a set period (Art. 9/6), and the ban can be challenged before the administrative court within 60 days of learning of it.

The real-estate route currently requires property with an official, government-licensed appraisal value of at least USD 400,000, funded by a documented bank transfer and free of any mortgage, generally held for a minimum of three years. More than one property can be combined to reach the threshold, and a spouse and minor children can be included without additional investment.

Yes. Our office advises English-speaking clients throughout residence permit, work permit, citizenship, and deportation-defence matters in Turkey.

Av. Ömer Faruk Doğan holds an IELTS score of 7, pursued graduate legal studies and research in Italy and Poland, and has experience advising international companies and foreign individuals on Turkish immigration matters. Clients can be advised in English as well as Turkish.

On a visa or visa exemption, at most 90 days in any 180-day period (Art. 11 Law No. 6458). To stay longer you must apply for a residence permit before that period ends.

From 60 days before it expires, and in any case before the expiry date (Art. 24/2). If you apply on time you receive a document allowing you to stay while the application is decided.

The law requires a decision within 90 days at most (Art. 21/5). You can track the status on e-İkamet with your application number.

Ten days. After that a deportation decision may be issued (Art. 54). You can challenge the refusal before the administrative court within 60 days, but the lawsuit alone does not let you stay unless the court grants a stay of execution.

For property bought on or after 16 October 2023, the sale price on the title deed must be at least the equivalent of USD 200,000 in every province, at the Central Bank rate on the date of purchase. The property must be residential and used as a home.

Yes, if you meet the sponsor conditions: income of at least one third of the minimum wage per family member (and in total not less than the minimum wage), suitable housing, family health insurance and at least one year of lawful residence (Arts. 34-35). The one-year condition does not apply to the spouse of a Turkish citizen.

Through the long-term residence permit, after eight years of uninterrupted lawful residence, with no social assistance in the last three years, sufficient income and health insurance (Art. 43).

A fine and fees for the overstay period are collected on departure, and an entry ban may be imposed. An overstay of more than ten days without an acceptable excuse is also a deportation ground. If you apply to leave before being detected and pay the fines, a ban may not be imposed (Art. 9/4).

Yes, if the administrative court upholds an action filed within seven days of notification. You are not deported while the case is pending unless you agree to leave, and the court decides within fifteen days of the file being completed; its judgment is final (Art. 53/3).

Among others, people facing the death penalty, torture or degrading treatment in the destination country, people for whom travel is dangerous because of serious illness, age or pregnancy, and victims of human trafficking (Art. 55).

The authorities do not officially publish the meanings of restriction codes. In practice V-87 is associated with departure under voluntary return, but what matters is the administrative decision behind the code, which should be checked in your file.

Restriction codes do not normally appear on e-Devlet. You can apply in writing to the migration authority, or a lawyer can request access to your administrative file.

Not normally. If you want to stay longer, apply for a residence permit before your visa or visa-free period ends. Only use the official evisa.gov.tr site for e-Visas.

Yes. A visa does not guarantee entry; border officers may refuse entry in the cases listed in Article 7, such as an existing entry ban or insufficient documents.

Five years of uninterrupted residence for the ordinary route, which also requires adequate Turkish, income and good character (Art. 11 Law No. 5901). The marriage and investment routes have different conditions.

No. The language requirement applies to the ordinary residence-based route, not to the property or other investment routes.

No. Since December 2023 the property must be an independent unit, or a building, with an occupancy permit, and shares in jointly owned property are not accepted.

An administrative action is filed where the authority that took the decision is located (Art. 32 Code of Administrative Procedure). Decisions taken centrally, such as citizenship refusals, are often challenged before the administrative courts in Ankara.

Yes. A lawyer registered with a Turkish bar may appear before every court in Turkey, and we handle cases in Istanbul, Ankara and other cities, with filings made through UYAP. Our office is in Istanbul.

No. If a lawyer represents you under a power of attorney — issued before a Turkish notary or at a Turkish consulate abroad — you need not attend in person.

It is your foreigner identification number (Yabancı Kimlik Numarası), issued with your first residence permit. It is used for e-Devlet, banks, tax and social security, and stays the same even after your card expires.

Holders of a long-term residence permit, or foreign nationals with at least eight years of lawful work permits, can apply for a permanent (indefinite) work permit (Art. 10/3 Law No. 6735).

Yes. An administrative case is filed where the authority made its decision (Article 32 of the Administrative Procedure Act), so central decisions are usually challenged in Ankara. A lawyer registered with a Turkish bar can appear before all courts, so an immigration lawyer in Istanbul or an immigration lawyer in Ankara can follow it.

Most debts are collected through enforcement proceedings without a judgment. The creditor files a request at an enforcement office, the office sends the debtor a payment order, and the debtor has seven days to pay or object (Enforcement and Bankruptcy Act, Arts. 60, 62). Without an objection, the creditor can request attachment of bank accounts, vehicles, property and part of the salary, and then their sale.

Yes. Foreign companies use the same enforcement offices and courts as Turkish creditors. A creditor living abroad states an address in Turkey in the request (Art. 58), and foreign creditors can be asked to give security for costs unless reciprocity exempts them (Law No. 5718, Art. 48).

In proceedings without a judgment, the debtor may object to the enforcement office within 7 days of service of the payment order (Article 62). For proceedings based on a negotiable instrument this period is 5 days and the objection is made directly to the enforcement court (Article 168). If no timely objection is made, the proceedings become final and attachment may follow.

The proceedings stop (Art. 66). The creditor can sue in the civil or commercial court to annul the objection within one year, or, if the claim rests on certain documents such as an acknowledgment of debt with a notarised or acknowledged signature, ask the enforcement court to remove the objection within six months (Arts. 67, 68).

Within one year from the notification of the objection (Article 67). If this period lapses, the creditor keeps the right to sue for the debt under the general rules (Article 67). For commercial money claims, mediation comes before the lawsuit (Commercial Code, Art. 5/A).

If the court finds the debtor's objection unjustified, the debtor can be ordered to pay compensation of not less than 20% of the amount. A creditor whose enforcement is found unjustified and in bad faith can face the same (Art. 67). Similar compensation applies in the enforcement court's removal procedure (Art. 68).

Not for starting enforcement proceedings. For commercial cases about a sum of money, including actions to annul an objection, negative declaratory actions and recovery actions, applying to a mediator is a condition of the lawsuit (Commercial Code, Art. 5/A). During mediation, limitation periods stop and time limits do not run (Law No. 6325, Art. 18/A).

Within seven days of service, the debtor can pay, or object at the enforcement office in writing or orally (Art. 62). An objection to part of the debt has to state the part and amount, and a denial of the signature has to be made clearly. Without payment or objection, the proceedings become final and attachment can follow.

A debtor who was prevented from objecting by an obstacle without fault can still object until the assets are sold, within three days after the obstacle ends and with evidence of the excuse; the enforcement court decides (Art. 65). Defective service of the payment order is raised by complaint to the enforcement court (Art. 16).

Through a special route: the payment order gives ten days to pay, and objections go to the enforcement court within five days (Art. 168). These objections do not stop enforcement steps other than sale unless the court decides otherwise (Arts. 169, 170). A bounced cheque can also lead to a judicial fine and a cheque ban on the holder's complaint (Cheque Act No. 5941, Art. 5).

Yes. Once the proceedings are final, the creditor can query the debtor's assets through UYAP and request attachment (Art. 78). The bank receives a garnishment notice and can then pay only the enforcement office; a notice to the head office covers all branches (Art. 89).

After deducting the amount the enforcement officer considers necessary for the debtor and family, the attached portion cannot be less than one quarter of the salary (Article 83). The law sets a minimum, not a maximum; in practice one quarter is commonly deducted. Several attachments are applied in order, one after another.

Pensions and benefits paid by the Social Security Institution cannot be attached except for the Institution's own claims and maintenance debts, and a request to attach them is rejected unless the debtor consents (Law No. 5510, Art. 93).

Among others: state property, personal belongings and household goods (except money, securities, gold, silver, precious stones, antiques and ornaments), items needed by a debtor who lives by physical work, two months' food and fuel, compensation for bodily injury, student grants and a home suitable to the debtor's situation (Art. 82). Some of these exemptions do not apply where the debt arises from the price of the item itself.

Attachment at a residence requires the approval of the enforcement court, which decides on the file within three days at the latest (Art. 79/a). This rule, introduced in 2023, does not apply to precautionary attachment.

On the creditor's request, the enforcement court can order coercive detention until the declaration is made, once only and for no more than three months (Art. 76). A false declaration is punishable with imprisonment from three months to one year on the creditor's complaint (Art. 338).

The creditor applies to the court with evidence of the claim and, where needed, of the grounds for attachment; for a debt that is due and not secured by a pledge, no further ground is needed (Arts. 257, 258). The creditor normally gives security and is liable for damage if the attachment proves unjustified; no security is required for a claim based on a court judgment (Art. 259).

Execution of the order has to be requested within ten days of the order (Art. 261). If the attachment was made before any lawsuit or enforcement, the creditor has to start enforcement or sue within seven days of the attachment or of receiving the attachment report (Art. 264). Otherwise the attachment becomes void.

Only after a Turkish court grants an enforcement order (tenfiz). The court checks reciprocity, the exclusive jurisdiction of Turkish courts, public order and whether the debtor was properly summoned and represented (Law No. 5718, Arts. 50, 54). Once granted, the judgment is enforced like a Turkish judgment (Art. 57).

Yes, if it is final and enforceable or binding on the parties (Law No. 5718, Art. 60). The court refuses enforcement only on the grounds listed in the law, such as no valid arbitration agreement, a breach of public order, or a party not properly notified or not given the opportunity to present its case (Art. 62).

By public auction on the electronic sales portal, with a seven-day bidding period (Art. 111/b). The auction is announced at least fifteen days in advance, bidders deposit 10% security, and the first and second auctions both open at 50% of the estimated value (Arts. 114, 115). Sale has to be requested within one year of the attachment (Art. 106).

A debtor whose assets have been attached in a sufficient amount can, before the sale is requested, undertake to pay in monthly instalments of at least a quarter of the debt over not more than three months, paying the first immediately; enforcement then stops (Art. 111). Longer instalment agreements can be made with the creditor at the enforcement office.

The owner can make a third-party claim within seven days of learning of the attachment (Art. 96). If the property was in the debtor's possession, the owner has to prove ownership in a third-party claim action (Arts. 97, 97/a); if it was in the owner's possession, the creditor has to sue within seven days and the property cannot be sold until the case ends (Art. 99).

Yes. For unpaid rent, the payment order carries an eviction warning; if the tenant neither objects within seven days nor pays within the warning period, the enforcement court orders eviction on the landlord's request made within six months (Arts. 269, 269/a). This route is excluded from mandatory mediation (Mediation Act, Art. 18/B).

Only merchants, persons subject to the rules for merchants and those made subject to bankruptcy by special laws, which in practice includes companies (Art. 43). Individuals who are not merchants are pursued only by attachment. Over-indebted capital companies can be declared bankrupt without prior enforcement (Art. 179).

Concordat is a court-supervised process allowing a debtor who cannot pay, or is at risk of not paying, debts as they fall due to obtain more time or a reduction (Article 285). Individuals and companies can apply, and a creditor entitled to request bankruptcy can also ask for it. The temporary moratorium lasts up to five months and the definitive moratorium one year, extendable by up to six months (Arts. 287, 289).

During the moratorium, enforcement against the debtor cannot start and existing proceedings stop (Art. 294); claims are registered and voted on under the plan. In bankruptcy, claims are paid from the assets in the order set by law, and ordinary unsecured claims come after secured, workers' and other privileged claims (Art. 206).

Two weeks from service of the decision (Art. 363). Some decisions listed in the law cannot be appealed, an appeal is available only above an annually updated monetary threshold, and an appeal does not stop enforcement steps other than the sale.

Under the 2026 figures used in our calculator, a fixed application fee of TRY 732 and an advance fee of 0.5% of the claim are paid when an enforcement request without a judgment is filed. A collection fee follows later, depending on the stage at which the debt is paid. These costs are ultimately charged to the debtor; our enforcement cost calculator gives an estimate.

The general limitation period is ten years (Code of Obligations, Art. 146). Rent, interest, wages and other periodic payments, and several other claims, have five years (Art. 147). The main claims on cheques and promissory notes have three-year periods (Commercial Code, Arts. 749, 779, 814), and enforcement of a judgment becomes time-barred ten years after the last step in the file (Enforcement and Bankruptcy Act, Art. 39).

Usually a power of attorney signed at a Turkish consulate or apostilled abroad, company documents for a corporate creditor, and the documents proving the debt, such as contracts, invoices, bank records and correspondence, with Turkish translations. A foreign judgment needs a certified copy, a certificate of finality and certified translations (Law No. 5718, Art. 53).

An unpaid loan or invoice is in itself a civil matter collected through enforcement. Sanctions apply to specific conduct, such as not declaring assets, a false declaration or a bounced cheque. The Enforcement and Bankruptcy Act does not provide for a travel ban as a means of collecting a private debt.

Yes. Our office represents English-speaking creditors and debtors throughout enforcement, attachment, and bankruptcy or concordat proceedings in Turkey, and documents can be explained in English as well as Turkish.

Av. Ömer Faruk Doğan holds an IELTS score of 7, pursued graduate legal studies and research in Italy and Poland, and has experience advising international companies on Turkish debt collection and bankruptcy matters. Clients can be advised in English as well as Turkish.

Yes. The competent enforcement office follows the jurisdiction rules of the Code of Civil Procedure, and the office where the contract was made is also competent (Article 50 of the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Act). A lawyer registered with a Turkish bar can file at enforcement offices across Turkey through UYAP, so a debt collection lawyer in Istanbul or a debt collection lawyer in Ankara can pursue the debtor. A debt collection lawyer in Turkey based in Istanbul follows Ankara files through UYAP and by attending hearings where needed.

Fees are subject to the national minimum fee tariff prepared by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations, and a fee below the tariff cannot be agreed (Attorneys Act, Arts. 164, 168). A percentage fee of up to 25% of the claim can also be agreed (Art. 164). The arrangement depends on the file and is agreed in writing after review.

As a general rule it is 60 days before the administrative courts and 30 days before the tax courts, counted from the day after written notification (Administrative Procedure Act, Art. 7). Special laws set shorter periods, for example seven days for a deportation order, 30 days for an expropriation decision and 15 days for most administrative fines, so the date of notification and the law applied in the decision are checked in each case.

Yes. Where both annulment of the act and compensation for the resulting damage are sought, both claims may be included in a single petition. A full remedy action may also be brought after the annulment action has been decided, within the time limit counted from notification of that judgment or of the judgment given on appeal (Art. 12).

It is a court order that stops a decision from being carried out until the case is decided. It requires two conditions together: carrying out the act would cause damage that is difficult or impossible to remedy, and the act is clearly unlawful (Art. 27). It is requested in the petition, is usually granted against security and can be challenged once within seven days.

Within the period for bringing an action, an application may be made to the higher authority, or to the authority that made the decision, asking it to cancel, withdraw or change the act. This stops the period. If the administration rejects the application or does not answer within 30 days, the period starts again and the days used before the application are counted (Art. 11).

Silence for 30 days is treated as a rejection, and the case can be filed within the normal time limit counted from the end of those 30 days. If the reply given within 30 days is not final, the person can sue or wait for the final reply, but not for more than four months from the application (Art. 10).

Seven days from notification of the order. The application is made to the administrative court, and the authority that made the order is informed. The court decides within 15 days of the file being completed, and its decision is final (Law No. 6458, Art. 53/3).

Under Article 53/3 of the Foreigners and International Protection Law, a foreigner is not removed during the seven-day period or, if a case is filed, until the case ends, unless the foreigner consents. Detention in a removal centre is a separate decision, challenged before the criminal judgeship of peace.

Yes. A refusal, a refusal to extend or a cancellation can be challenged by an annulment action before the administrative court of the province whose governorship made the decision, within 60 days of notification. The decision must take into account family ties, length of residence and the best interests of children (Law No. 6458, Art. 25).

Not automatically. Filing a case does not suspend the refusal; a stay of execution can be requested from the court. A foreigner whose extension is refused and who does not leave within ten days falls within the grounds for deportation (Law No. 6458, Art. 54/1-j), and a deportation order then has its own seven-day remedy.

For citizenship acquired by investment, the cancellation or withdrawal is a Presidential decision, so the case is heard by the Council of State in Ankara as a court of first instance (Council of State Act, Art. 24). The general time limit of 60 days from notification applies, and if a case is filed, the liquidation of property is postponed until the end of the case (Law No. 5901, Art. 33).

The Citizenship Law provides that a cancellation also applies to a spouse and children who acquired Turkish citizenship through the person whose citizenship is cancelled (Law No. 5901, Art. 32). Each family's position depends on how each member acquired citizenship.

An objection is made to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security within 30 days of notification. If the objection is rejected, the case goes to the administrative courts (Law No. 6735, Art. 21), as a rule in Ankara where the Ministry is located.

Unless another law provides otherwise, by applying to the criminal judgeship of peace within 15 days of notification; otherwise the fine becomes final (Law No. 5326, Art. 27). Tax penalties go to the tax courts, and data protection fines to the administrative courts.

No. Paying within one month of notification gives a 25 percent reduction, and payment does not affect the right to challenge the fine (Law No. 5326, Art. 17/6).

Law No. 7464 does not set its own objection procedure for its fines, so they are challenged before the criminal judgeship of peace within 15 days of notification under the Misdemeanours Law (Art. 27). Decisions to remove a listing or block access are also challenged before the criminal judgeship of peace.

A demolition order can be challenged by an annulment action before the administrative court where the property is located, together with a request for a stay of execution. Because a demolition exhausts its effect once carried out, the court can stop it before receiving the administration's defence (Administrative Procedure Act, Arts. 27, 34).

Yes. Zoning plans are announced for one month, during which objections can be made to the municipality (Law No. 3194, Art. 8). An annulment action can be brought against the plan, and when the plan is applied to the property, against the plan, the implementing act or both (Administrative Procedure Act, Art. 7/4). No case can be brought more than five years after the plan became final.

The administration first offers to buy by agreement. If there is no agreement, it applies to the civil court, which sets the value with experts; the owner can submit evidence on the value within ten days of notification and appeal the amount (Law No. 2942, Arts. 8, 10). The expropriation decision itself can be challenged in the administrative court within 30 days of the court's notification (Art. 14).

If nothing serving the expropriation purpose is done within five years of the price becoming final, the former owner or heirs can reclaim the property by repaying the price with statutory interest. The right lapses if not used within one year of arising (Law No. 2942, Art. 23).

Yes, through a full remedy action against the administration in the administrative courts, not against the doctor personally (Constitution, Art. 129). An application to the administration comes first, within one year of learning of the harm and at most five years; the case follows within 60 days of a rejection or of 30 days of silence (Administrative Procedure Act, Art. 13).

At the administrative court where the authority made its decision (Administrative Procedure Act, Art. 32), so decisions of ministries based in Ankara are usually challenged in Ankara, and Presidential decisions before the Council of State in Ankara. A lawyer registered with a Turkish bar can appear before all courts, so an administrative lawyer in Istanbul can follow the case through the e-filing system without a separate lawyer in Ankara.

Yes. Petitions can be handed in at a Turkish consulate abroad (Administrative Procedure Act, Art. 4). In practice, people living abroad often give a power of attorney to a lawyer in Turkey, who files and follows the case electronically.

There is no fixed duration. The law requires cases outside the priority list to be decided within six months of the file being completed (Art. 20/5), but the actual time depends on the court, expert examinations and appeals. Deportation cases and expedited cases have their own short timetables.

As a rule, yes; it can be appealed to the regional administrative court within 30 days. In cases whose value does not exceed a limit that is revalued every year, the administrative court's judgment is final (Art. 45). An appeal to the Council of State is possible in the case types listed in Article 46, and since 31 July 2026 also against new judgments given by the regional court after setting aside the first judgment, with exceptions.

As a rule, no. Cases under the Foreigners and International Protection Law are excluded from the appeal to the Council of State even where the regional court gives a new decision (Administrative Procedure Act, Art. 46/2-d), so the regional administrative court's judgment is usually the last word.

The administration is required to comply within 30 days of notification of the judgment. Sums awarded are paid to the bank account notified by the claimant and can be enforced if unpaid, and a compensation claim can be brought against the administration for non-compliance (Art. 28).

In annulment actions, and in full remedy actions above a statutory amount, a hearing is held if either party requests it in the petition or the defence; the court can also order a hearing of its own motion. Otherwise, cases are decided on the written file (Art. 17).

Where a fundamental right is claimed to have been violated, an individual application can be made within 30 days after all remedies have been exhausted (Law No. 6216, Art. 47/5). Foreigners cannot apply about rights recognised only for Turkish citizens (Art. 46/3).

A complaint is first lodged with the contracting authority within ten days (five in some procedures), then a complaint on appeal can be made to the Public Procurement Authority within ten days (Law No. 4734, Art. 55). The Authority's final decisions can be challenged in court under the expedited procedure, with a 30-day time limit (Administrative Procedure Act, Art. 20/A).

Warnings, reprimands and salary deductions can be challenged before the disciplinary board, and suspension of grade advancement before the higher disciplinary board, within seven days of notification. Disciplinary penalties can also be taken to the administrative courts (Law No. 657, Art. 135).

Fees are agreed in writing within the national minimum fee tariff prepared by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations; a fee below the tariff cannot be agreed (Attorneys Act, Arts. 164, 168). The amount depends on the decision challenged, whether a stay of execution and hearings are needed and whether appeals follow.

People who cannot pay the costs without serious hardship may receive legal aid if their claim is not clearly unfounded; for foreigners, this also depends on reciprocity (Code of Civil Procedure, Art. 334, applied through Administrative Procedure Act, Art. 31). For challenges to detention in a removal centre, a lawyer is provided on request (Law No. 6458, Art. 57/7).

Yes. Our office advises English-speaking clients on challenging Turkish administrative decisions, including deportation and residence permit cases, citizenship cancellations, fines, zoning and expropriation disputes. As an administrative lawyer in Turkey, the office follows cases before the courts in Istanbul, Ankara and other cities.

Av. Ömer Faruk Doğan holds an IELTS score of 7, pursued graduate legal studies and research in Italy and Poland, and has experience advising international clients on Turkish administrative matters. Clients can be advised in English as well as Turkish by an administrative lawyer in Istanbul who also follows files across Turkey.

For content that violates a person's privacy, an application can be made to the Cyber Security Presidency for access blocking, and the applicant takes the request to the criminal judge of peace within 24 hours (Law No. 5651, Article 9/A). For defamation and other violations of personality rights, Article 9 of Law No. 5651 has not been in force since 10 October 2024; a notice to the platform, a criminal complaint and an action under Articles 24-25 of the Civil Code with an interim injunction and compensation claims are considered instead.

Not under the old Article 9 procedure. The Constitutional Court annulled Article 9 of Law No. 5651 (decision of 11 October 2023), and the annulment took effect on 10 October 2024. The criminal judge of peace route remains only for privacy violations under Article 9/A. Defamatory content is now pursued mainly through the civil courts.

Article 9/A of Law No. 5651 allows a direct application to the Cyber Security Presidency with the URL, an explanation of the privacy violation and identity information. Access providers apply the block within four hours, the applicant submits the request to a criminal judge of peace within 24 hours, and the judge decides within 48 hours. Disclosing images of private life is also an offence punishable by two to five years (TCK Article 134/2).

Since Law No. 7590 of July 2026, Law No. 5651 refers to the Cyber Security Presidency (Siber Güvenlik Başkanlığı) as the Presidency. Applications under Article 9/A that used to be made to the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) are now made to the Presidency.

Social network providers with more than one million daily accesses from Turkey answer applications concerning content under Articles 9 and 9/A within 48 hours, giving reasons for a negative answer (Law No. 5651, Additional Article 4/3). Foreign-based providers of that size also appoint a representative in Turkey (Additional Article 4/1).

Yes. Where a judge or court has found content unlawful and the decision is notified to a social network provider, a provider that does not remove the content or block access within 24 hours is liable for the resulting damage, and the injured person does not have to pursue the content provider first (Law No. 5651, Additional Article 4/14).

Yes. Insult, including by written, voice or video message, is punishable by three months to two years' imprisonment or a judicial fine (TCK Article 125). It is prosecuted on complaint, filed within six months of learning of the act and the offender and, for insult, at most two years after the act (Article 73). Most forms fall within advance payment (Article 75).

Turkish courts' international jurisdiction follows the domestic venue rules (MÖHUK Article 40). A personality-rights action can be filed at the claimant's or the defendant's domicile (TMK Article 25), and tort claims also where the act was committed or the damage occurred (HMK Article 16). The case can be followed through a Turkish lawyer acting under a power of attorney.

At the injured person's choice: the law of his or her habitual residence or of the country where the damage occurred, if the wrongdoer could have known the damage would occur there, or the law of the wrongdoer's place of business or habitual residence (MÖHUK Article 35). The same rule applies to violations through the processing of personal data.

KVKK applies to those who process personal data of natural persons (Article 2) and has no separate territorial-scope article like the GDPR, so the answer depends on the facts, such as data collected from people in Turkey or transferred from a Turkish entity. Foreign data controllers that register with VERBİS do so through a representative in Turkey.

No. KVKK follows European principles but differs in practice: a public registry (VERBİS) with Board-set exemptions, a 30-day answer period, a prior application to the controller before a Board complaint, breach notification to individuals without a high-risk threshold in the text, its own cross-border transfer system and fines in Turkish lira ranges.

Data controllers register before processing unless exempted by the Board (KVKK Article 16). Under Board Decision No. 2018/87 as amended in 2025, controllers with fewer than 50 employees and a balance-sheet total below 100 million Turkish lira are exempt if their main activity is not processing special categories of data; if it is, the thresholds are 10 employees and 10 million Turkish lira.

Since 1 June 2024, a transfer abroad needs a processing condition plus either an adequacy decision of the Board, or an appropriate safeguard such as a standard contract, binding corporate rules or a written undertaking approved by the Board. Without either, only occasional transfers in listed cases are allowed (KVKK Article 9).

Yes. The data controller or processor notifies the standard contract to the Personal Data Protection Authority within five business days of signature (KVKK Article 9/5). Failing to do so is a separate ground for an administrative fine (Article 18/1-d).

Under Article 11 of KVKK, the data subject can apply to the data controller in writing, or by any other method determined by the Board, to request deletion of the data. The data controller concludes the request within thirty days at the latest (Article 13); if the answer is negative, insufficient or not given in time, a complaint can be filed with the Board within thirty days of the answer and at most sixty days from the application (Article 14).

If the Board does not answer within sixty days of the complaint, the request is deemed rejected (KVKK Article 15/4). Where the Board finds a violation, it orders the controller to remedy it, and the controller complies within thirty days of notification (Article 15/5).

The law requires notification to the persons concerned and to the Board as soon as possible (KVKK Article 12/5). Under the Board's Decision No. 2019/10, the Board is notified without delay and at the latest within 72 hours of learning of the breach, and affected individuals within the shortest reasonable time. Information can be completed in stages, and a late notification explains the reasons for the delay.

Article 18 sets ranges for failures to inform, data security failures, ignoring Board decisions, registry breaches and standard contract notification. The ranges are updated every year, so a fixed figure is not given here; the current ranges can be checked with the KVKK fine lookup calculator on this site.

Yes. Since 1 June 2024, KVKK fines are challenged before the administrative courts (KVKK Article 18/3), within the general sixty-day period from notification (İYUK Article 7), as a rule at the court where the Board is located in Ankara. A data protection lawyer in Istanbul or anywhere in Turkey registered with a Turkish bar can file the case through UYAP.

It can be. Unlawfully giving personal data to another person, spreading it or obtaining it is punishable by two to four years' imprisonment (TCK Article 136), and unlawfully recording personal data by one to three years (Article 135). These offences are prosecuted ex officio, without a complaint (Article 139).

Unauthorised access to a social media account may constitute unlawful access to an information system, punishable by up to one year or a judicial fine, or six months to two years where data is destroyed or altered (TCK Article 243). Where the account is then used to commit fraud, the qualified fraud provisions (Article 158/1-f) may also apply.

Fraud using information systems, banks or credit institutions is punishable by three to ten years' imprisonment and a judicial fine; the minimum prison term is four years and the fine cannot be less than twice the benefit obtained (TCK Article 158/1-f and last sentence). Theft through information systems is punishable by five to ten years (Article 142/2-e).

Yes. Damaging, deleting, altering or making data inaccessible is punishable by six months to three years (TCK Article 244/2), hindering or disrupting a system by one to five years (Article 244/1), and obtaining an unjust benefit through such acts by two to six years and a judicial fine (Article 244/4). Penalties increase by half for bank and public-body systems.

Using another person's bank or credit card without consent to obtain a benefit is punishable by three to six years' imprisonment and a judicial fine of up to 5,000 days (TCK Article 245/1). Using a fake or falsified card carries four to eight years (Article 245/3).

A bank, payment service provider or crypto-asset service provider can suspend an account used in listed fraud, theft or card offences for up to 48 hours and reports this to the prosecutor immediately. The account holder can apply to the prosecutor, who decides within 24 hours; seizure beyond that needs a judge's decision (CMK Article 128/A). MASAK suspensions (seven business days) and court seizures follow other rules.

Crypto-asset service providers need the Capital Markets Board's permission (Law No. 6362, Article 35/B). A foreign platform targeting residents of Turkey, for example with a Turkish website or local promotion, counts as unauthorised (Article 99/A), and unauthorised activity is punishable by three to five years (Article 109/A). Disputes with platforms are subject to the general provisions.

A consumer can withdraw from the contract within fourteen days, without giving any reason (Law No. 6502, Article 48/4). If the seller did not properly inform the consumer of this right, the fourteen-day period does not apply, but the right ends one year after the end of the withdrawal period. Goods made to the consumer's specifications and perishable items are among the exceptions.

Electronic data, images and recordings are documents under HMK Article 199, so screenshots can be submitted, and their weight depends on how reliably they show the content, date and account. Notarised determination (Notaries Law, Article 61) or court evidence determination (HMK Article 400) is used where the authenticity of online content may be disputed. Unlawfully obtained evidence is not taken into account (HMK Article 189/2).

Yes. A complaint can be filed with the prosecutor through a Turkish lawyer acting under a power of attorney (CMK Article 158), and for offences committed through information systems, banks or cards the courts of the victim's residence in Turkey are also competent (Article 12/6). For offences committed abroad that must be prosecuted in Turkey, Turkish consulates also accept complaints (Article 158/3).

Yes. Our office advises English-speaking individuals and businesses on KVKK compliance and represents clients in cybercrime, online content and account-freeze matters in Turkey, as an IT lawyer in Istanbul following files in other cities as well.

Av. Ömer Faruk Doğan holds an IELTS score of 7, pursued graduate legal studies and research in Italy and Poland, and has experience advising international companies on Turkish data protection and technology matters. Clients can be advised in English as well as Turkish.

No. Cybercrime cases are heard where the offence was committed, and for offences through information systems or banks also at the victim's residence (CMK Article 12). A cybercrime lawyer in Turkey registered with a Turkish bar can act before all courts; the office is in Istanbul and follows files in Ankara through UYAP, attending hearings as needed.

It depends on the work involved: court fees, expert fees, notary and translation costs and the lawyer's fee. Lawyers' fees cannot be below the minimum tariff prepared by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (Attorneyship Law, Articles 164 and 168), and the fee is agreed in writing before work starts.

Yes. A foreign national or foreign-owned company that earns income, owns property, inherits Turkish assets or operates a business in Turkey is subject to Turkish tax law on that income or activity, under the same Tax Procedure Law that applies to Turkish taxpayers. Whether worldwide income or only Turkish-source income is taxed depends on tax residence.

When the person's domicile is in Turkey, or when the person stays in Turkey continuously for more than six months in a calendar year; temporary absences do not interrupt the stay (Income Tax Law, Art. 4). Foreigners who come for a specific temporary assignment, or for study, treatment, rest or travel, do not become resident even after six months (Art. 5).

Not by itself. Tax residence follows the domicile and six-month tests of the Income Tax Law, while residence permits follow immigration law. The two are assessed separately.

Article 20/D of the Income Tax Law, added by Law No. 7582 in 2026, exempts for twenty years the income earned outside Turkey by individuals who become resident in Turkey after having no domicile and no tax liability there in the previous three calendar years. It applies to people deemed resident from 1 January 2026. Turkish-source income stays taxable.

Under Communiqué No. 333, the certificate is obtained by the end of the calendar year in which the person becomes resident; for people who become resident in the last two months of the year, by the end of February of the following year. The person has to be resident on the application date.

Yes. Rent from property in Turkey is Turkish-source income and is taxed in Turkey whatever the owner's residence or nationality. A non-resident whose Turkish income has all been taxed by withholding does not file an annual return for it; rent from a private tenant is not withheld and is usually declared by the owner.

TRY 58,000 of residential rent for 2026 (Income Tax Law, Art. 21). The exemption is lost if rent above that amount is not declared, and it is not available to people who must declare business income or whose total gross income exceeds the third income bracket for wages (TRY 1,500,000 for 2026). It does not apply to offices or shops.

From 1 to 25 March of the following year (Income Tax Law, Art. 92). The tax is paid in two equal instalments in March and July (Art. 117). A taxpayer leaving the country during the year files within the 15 days before departure.

Rent from a home in Turkey is Turkish-source income and is taxable. Short-term tourist rentals also need a permit under Law No. 7464, and permit holders have to document payment of the tourism share. Whether the income is treated as rental income or business income depends on how the rental is organised.

Only if the property is sold within five years of its acquisition (Income Tax Law, repeated Art. 80/6). Property acquired free of charge, such as by inheritance or gift, is outside this rule. After five years from acquisition the gain is not taxed under this rule.

TRY 150,000 of the value increase gains obtained in 2026 is exempt (General Communiqué No. 332). The acquisition cost is indexed for inflation when the producer price index rose by at least 10%, and the remaining gain is taxed at the progressive income tax rates.

2% of the declared price for the seller and 2% for the buyer. The declared price may not be lower than the property's value for property tax purposes (Fees Law, Art. 63 and Tariff No. 4).

If it is found that the declared price did not reflect reality, the missing fee is assessed with a tax loss penalty of one times that amount (Fees Law, Art. 63, as amended by Law No. 7566 in December 2025; it was 25% before). A low declared cost can also increase the buyer's taxable gain on a later sale within five years.

The first sale of a newly built residence or workplace to a foreign individual who is not resident in Turkey can be exempt from VAT if the price is brought into Turkey in foreign currency (VAT Law, Art. 13/i). If the unit is disposed of within three years, the VAT not collected is paid before the title deed transfer.

TRY 2,907,136 for each descendant and for the spouse; TRY 5,817,845 for the spouse where there are no descendants. Gifts are exempt up to TRY 66,935 (Inheritance and Transfer Tax Law, Art. 4, as updated by General Communiqué No. 57).

No. TRY 3,000,000 is the first rate bracket for 2026, taxed at 1% for inheritances and 10% for gifts. The tax-free amounts are the separate exemptions of TRY 2,907,136 per descendant and spouse, or TRY 5,817,845 for a spouse without descendants.

The law aims for a full inspection to end within one year, a limited inspection within six months and a VAT refund inspection within three months. An extension of up to six months (two months for VAT refunds) can be given, and the reasons are notified to the taxpayer in writing (Tax Procedure Law, Art. 140).

As a rule, one times the tax lost; three times where the loss was caused by evasion conduct such as fake documents (Tax Procedure Law, Art. 344). It is halved for late returns filed before an inspection begins and increased by 50% for unregistered business activity.

Voluntary disclosure under Article 371 removes the tax loss penalty if a written petition is filed before any inspection on that tax or any informant's report, and the return is filed or corrected and the tax paid with a surcharge within 15 days. It is not available once an invitation to explain has been served on the matter.

An action may be brought before the tax court within 30 days of service of the notice (Administrative Procedure Law, Art. 7). If settlement is requested for the penalty and not reached, the court period is not suspended; where it has ended or fewer than 15 days remain, it is extended to 15 days from service of the settlement minutes (Tax Procedure Law, Additional Art. 7).

Not since Law No. 7524 of 2024. Settlement now covers only tax loss penalties and irregularity penalties above TRY 40,000 (2026); the tax itself is not negotiated. Penalties for evasion conduct cannot be settled.

The right to litigate the settled penalty is lost and the settlement minutes are final. Settlement, however, covers only the settled matters; the ordinary routes may remain open for matters in the notice that were not part of the settlement, subject to their own time limits.

Yes. Under Article 376, a taxpayer who applies within 30 days of service of the notice and pays the tax and half of the penalty on time, or within three months with security, has the penalty reduced by half. The reduction is lost if payment is not made or the matter is taken to court, and penalties reduced this way cannot be settled.

An action against an assessed tax and its penalties stops collection of the challenged part automatically (Administrative Procedure Law, Art. 27/4). An action against a payment order or another collection step does not; a stay of execution can be requested.

A payment order may be challenged before the tax court within 15 days of service, on the grounds that no such debt exists, that it has been partly paid, or that it is time-barred (Law No. 6183, Art. 58). As a rule, the amount of a tax debt that has become final cannot be disputed again at this stage.

Yes, for an unpaid tax debt. An attachment notice served on banks means the funds can be paid only to the tax office (Law No. 6183, Art. 79). In risk situations listed in the law, a precautionary attachment can be imposed even before the debt is final (Art. 13).

Yes, on a written application where paying at once would cause serious difficulty. Since Law No. 7582 of 2026, instalments can run for up to 72 months with interest (Law No. 6183, Art. 48). Security is not required up to TRY 10 million under a June 2026 Presidential decision, and existing attachments are released only in proportion to payments.

Not under the current law. The tax-debtor wording in the Passport Law was removed in 2008, and the exit restriction rule in Law No. 6183 was repealed in 2011. A travel ban can still arise in a criminal tax evasion case as a judicial control measure ordered by a judge.

Possibly. Limited company partners are liable in proportion to their shares for public debts that cannot be collected from the company, and legal representatives, including the representatives in Turkey of foreign companies, can be pursued with their personal assets (Law No. 6183, Arts. 35 and repeated 35).

Yes. A tax claim becomes time-barred for assessment if it is not assessed and served within five years of the start of the year following the year in which it arose (Tax Procedure Law, Art. 114). Once assessed, collection is time-barred five years from the start of the year following the due date (Law No. 6183, Art. 102), but steps such as attachment or a payment order interrupt that period.

Tax loss and irregularity penalties are administrative in nature, imposed by the tax office and litigated before the tax court. Tax evasion (Tax Procedure Law, Art. 359) covers more serious conduct, such as issuing or using fake or misleading documents, and is the subject of criminal proceedings carrying a prison sentence, conducted before the criminal courts independently of the administrative process.

Turkey has double taxation treaties with a large number of countries, which can prevent the same income from being taxed twice or provide a credit for tax already paid abroad. Whether a treaty applies to a specific person, and how relief is claimed, depends on the treaty with that person's country of residence. A mutual agreement procedure application can be made where taxation is considered contrary to a treaty.

Notices are sent to known addresses; where service abroad is not possible, service can be made by public announcement, with copies posted to the known foreign address, and it is deemed made one month after the announcement (Tax Procedure Law, Arts. 103, 104, 106). Electronic notices are deemed served at the end of the fifth day after delivery.

Legal fees in Turkey are subject to the minimum fee tariff prepared each year by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB) under Article 168 of the Attorneys Act, and fees below the tariff are not allowed. The exact fee depends on the type of work (inspection, settlement, tax court action, appeal) and the amount in dispute, and is set out clearly before work begins.

Not necessarily. A foreign owner who rents out property in Turkey declares and pays Turkish income tax on that rent, often with the help of an accountant. A tax lawyer in Turkey is usually involved when a notice, an inspection, a penalty, a payment order or a bank attachment arises, particularly for an owner who does not live in Turkey.

Yes. Our office advises foreign investors, company owners and individual taxpayers on Turkish tax inspections, settlement and tax court proceedings in English as well as Turkish.

Av. Ömer Faruk Doğan holds an IELTS score of 7, pursued graduate legal studies and research in Italy and Poland, and has experience advising international companies and foreign individuals on Turkish tax matters. Clients can be advised in English as well as Turkish.

Yes. The case is heard by the tax court where that tax office is located (Article 37 of the Administrative Procedure Act), so in Ankara. A lawyer registered with a Turkish bar can appear before all courts, so a tax lawyer in Istanbul or a tax lawyer in Ankara can file it. A tax lawyer in Turkey based in Istanbul follows Ankara files through UYAP and e-filing, and attends hearings where needed.

As a rule, within two years of learning of the damage and the person liable, and in any event within ten years of the accident (Highway Traffic Act Art. 109; Code of Obligations Art. 72). Where the accident also constitutes an offence, such as negligent injury or negligent killing, and the criminal law prescribes a longer limitation period for it, the longer period also applies to the damages claim.

Yes. Before a lawsuit against the insurer within the compulsory insurance limits, a written application to the insurer is required (Highway Traffic Act Art. 97). If the insurer does not answer in writing within 15 days, or its answer does not meet the claim, a lawsuit may be filed or an application made to the Insurance Arbitration Commission.

It is set by a medical board report from an authorised hospital or by the Council of Forensic Medicine, once the injury has stabilised, under the regulation that applies to the type of claim and the date of the accident. A report that is inconsistent with the facts can be challenged, and the court can obtain a new or additional report.

Where the employer is at fault, a differential damages claim may be brought against the employer for the loss remaining after SGK's payments, together with moral damages. Whether the employer met its occupational health and safety duties is examined to set the fault rates. The claim is subject to a ten-year limitation period and does not require mediation first.

Yes, in cases of serious bodily harm or death. The close relatives of the injured or deceased person may be awarded moral damages in their own right (Code of Obligations Art. 56/2). The amount is set by the judge according to the circumstances; there is no statutory table.

Yes. Partial fault does not extinguish the right to damages, but the judge may reduce the amount (Code of Obligations Art. 52), and compulsory traffic insurance does not pay the part matching the claimant's own fault. The fault rates are usually set from the accident report and an expert examination, and they can be challenged.

Traffic accident claims are generally heard by the civil court of first instance, while claims against an insurer may be commercial cases for the commercial court. Workplace accident claims go to the labour court, many claims against private clinics and hotels to the consumer court, and claims against public bodies to the administrative court. The answer depends on the nature of the claim and on who is sued.

Yes. A foreign national injured in a traffic accident in Turkey has the same right to claim pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages, and the same right to claim from the at-fault driver's compulsory traffic insurance, as a Turkish citizen. Residence status in Turkey is not a condition, and hospital treatment is paid by SGK regardless of nationality (Highway Traffic Act Art. 98).

Fees are subject to the national Attorneys' Minimum Fee Tariff prepared each year by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations, and a fee may also be agreed as a percentage of the claim or award up to 25 percent (Attorneys Act Arts. 164, 168). The arrangement is discussed with the client and agreed in writing before the file is opened.

Yes. Av. Ömer Faruk Doğan holds an IELTS score of 7, pursued graduate legal studies and research in Italy and Poland, and has experience advising foreign individuals and international companies on Turkish compensation matters. He acts as an English-speaking personal injury lawyer in Turkey and can advise in English as well as Turkish.

In Ankara, where the accident occurred, in Istanbul, where you are domiciled, at the defendant's domicile, or where the insurer's branch or the agency that issued the policy is located (Code of Civil Procedure Arts. 6, 16; Highway Traffic Act Art. 110). A compensation lawyer in Istanbul or a compensation lawyer in Ankara can follow the claim.

There is no fixed amount. The claim is made up of separate heads, such as loss of earnings, permanent disability, care costs, moral damages and vehicle damage, and the main financial heads are calculated by an actuarial expert using the disability rate, age, income and fault rates. No amount can be predicted before those reports exist.

Treatment in university, public and private hospitals after a traffic accident is paid by the Social Security Institution (SGK) under its reimbursement rules, whether or not the victim has social security, and this also applies to foreign tourists (Highway Traffic Act Art. 98). Costs actually paid out of pocket and not covered can be claimed as part of the loss.

Bodily injury caused by an uninsured vehicle, or by a vehicle whose insurer cannot be identified, is paid up to the compulsory insurance limits by the Güvence Hesabı, a fund held within the Insurance Association of Turkey (Insurance Act Art. 14). Property damage in these cases is, as a rule, outside the fund.

No. Moral damages are expressly excluded from compulsory traffic insurance (Highway Traffic Act Art. 92(f)). They are claimed from the vehicle's operator and the at-fault driver, or from an optional extended liability policy only if that policy covers them.

A claim is possible where the damage results from a breach of the standard of care, or from a failure to inform the patient of the risks before consent. The claim is directed at the clinic and the doctor, and in some cases the agency that sold the package, and it can be pursued from abroad through a lawyer in Turkey. Disappointing density alone is not necessarily malpractice.

Yes. A power of attorney is signed at a Turkish consulate, or before a notary abroad with an apostille and translation, and the lawyer conducts the case in Turkey. The court may require a single examination by the Council of Forensic Medicine, which is arranged in advance. Foreign claimants may be asked for security for costs unless reciprocity exempts them.

No. A known complication that was explained to the patient in advance and managed correctly is usually not a fault. The decisive question, answered mainly by the expert report, is whether the doctor met the standard of care and properly informed the patient of the risks.

Tort claims are time-barred two years after learning of the damage and the liable person, and ten years at most after the act (Code of Obligations Art. 72); claims under a treatment contract with a private clinic have a five-year period (Art. 147/5). For public hospitals, an application to the administration is required within one year of learning of the act and five years at most (Administrative Procedure Act Art. 13).

A claim is possible where the fall was caused by something the hotel was responsible for, such as a wet floor without a warning, poor lighting or a broken step. The hotel is liable under the accommodation contract and for its staff, and a package tour organiser is liable for the proper performance of the package. Photographs, the hotel's incident report and the first medical report are the key evidence.

For an owned dog, the person who keeps it is liable unless they prove they took the care required to prevent the damage (Code of Obligations Art. 67). For a stray dog, a claim against the municipality for failing to run the stray animal service properly is brought in the administrative court after a prior application to the administration.

Those the deceased supported can claim damages for loss of support, whether or not they are heirs, together with funeral costs, including repatriation of the body (Code of Obligations Art. 53). Close relatives can also claim moral damages in their own right (Art. 56/2). Families living abroad need documents proving the relationship and the support, apostilled and translated.

Yes. The costs of transporting the body home and of the funeral are claimed as funeral costs, proved with the invoices and the consular paperwork.

It is an arbitration body within the Insurance Association of Turkey for disputes with insurers and the Güvence Hesabı (Insurance Act Art. 30). It can be used after the insurer rejects the claim or fails to answer within fifteen working days, and the arbitrators are required to decide within four months of appointment unless the parties agree to extend. In practice it is often faster than a court case.

Yes. An unregistered worker has the same right to compensation and can prove the employment with witnesses, messages and bank transfers. SGK still pays the work accident income and allowances and then collects its costs from the employer (Law No. 5510, Art. 23).

Yes. The employer's liability for a worker's death or injury is subject to contractual liability rules (Code of Obligations Art. 417), so the ten-year general limitation period applies (Art. 146). Traffic accident claims follow the two-year and ten-year periods of the Highway Traffic Act (Art. 109).

Usually not for the hearings, which the lawyer attends; the court can also allow participation by video link on request (Code of Civil Procedure Art. 149). A visit may be needed if the court orders a medical examination by the Council of Forensic Medicine, which is usually arranged once on a scheduled date.

As a rule, a foreign claimant is required to provide security set by the court for the costs of the proceedings (Private International Law Act Art. 48). The court exempts the claimant on the basis of reciprocity, which often follows from conventions or bilateral agreements between Turkey and the claimant's country.

Yes. Statutory interest is added, and since 31 July 2026 the statutory rate has been 80 percent of the Central Bank's rediscount rate (Law No. 3095, Art. 1). For loss of working capacity and loss of support, interest on the part relating to the period with known earnings runs from the date of the event, and on the rest from the date of the judgment (Code of Obligations Art. 55).

It depends on what was signed. Settlements on compensation amounts that are clearly inadequate can be annulled within two years of being made (Highway Traffic Act Art. 111), and agreements narrowing the liability set by the Act are invalid. Whether an offer covers all heads, especially permanent disability, can only be assessed once the medical reports are available.

Yes, where the harm results from a fault in the hospital service. An application to the administration is made within one year of learning of the act and five years at most, and if it is rejected or not answered within thirty days, a full remedy action is filed in the administrative court within sixty days (Administrative Procedure Act Arts. 7, 13).

No. The civil judge is not bound by an acquittal or by the criminal judge's assessment of fault and damage (Code of Obligations Art. 74). The compensation claim is decided on its own evidence, although reports from the criminal file can be used.

Yes. The manufacturer or importer is liable for damage the product causes to a person or property; the injured person proves the damage and its causal link with the product's non-conformity (Law No. 7223, Art. 6). The claim is time-barred three years after learning of the damage and the liable person, and ten years at most after the damage arose.

Yes. A lawyer registered with a Turkish bar can act before the courts in every city, and a compensation claim can often be filed at the claimant's domicile as well as where the accident happened. We act as a personal injury lawyer in Istanbul and follow files in Ankara and other cities across Turkey.

The first step is to review SGK's grounds for refusal and identify any missing or incorrect entries in the service record. A lawsuit against SGK requires a prior application to SGK; if SGK rejects it or does not reply within sixty days, the dispute can be brought before the labour court (Law No. 7036, Art. 4; Law No. 5510, Art. 101). Where the problem is unregistered work, a service-determination claim can be considered together with it.

Through a service-determination lawsuit before the labour court, filed within five years from the end of the year in which the work was done (Law No. 5510, Art. 86). Witness testimony is important, alongside written evidence such as wage transfers and workplace records. No prior application to SGK is needed for this claim.

The law requires the SGK Health Board to find a loss of working capacity, or of earning capacity after a work accident or occupational disease, of at least 60 percent, and the person needs at least ten years of insurance and 1,800 premium days, or 1,800 days alone if constant care is needed (Law No. 5510, Arts. 25 and 26). The health board's report can be challenged, including by litigation.

The spouse receives 50 percent, or 75 percent in certain cases; children within the age limits, disabled children and unmarried daughters receive 25 percent each, or 50 percent in certain cases; parents can share 25 percent under income conditions (Law No. 5510, Art. 34). The total cannot exceed the deceased's pension.

Yes. Compulsory military service and up to two years after each birth, for up to three births, can be borrowed (Law No. 5510, Art. 41). Since 1 January 2026 the rate is 45 percent of the chosen daily earnings for military service and 32 percent for birth, and the debt is paid within one month of notification.

For Turkish citizens and former citizens by birth who left citizenship with permission, periods abroad completed as a Turkish citizen after age 18 can be borrowed under Law No. 3201. For nationals of countries with a social security agreement, periods can be added together (totalised) under that agreement. Otherwise, periods abroad do not count.

No. Mandatory mediation applies to employee and employer receivables and reinstatement claims (Law No. 7036, Art. 3), not to disputes with SGK. What is required instead is a prior application to SGK itself, with sixty days of silence counting as rejection, except in claims to establish unregistered employment periods (Art. 4).

As a rule, yes. A foreigner working under an employment contract is insured under the employee rules, the employer registers the employee before work starts, and agreements with the employee's home country are reserved (Law No. 5510, Arts. 4 and 8; Law No. 6735, Art. 22).

Yes. Av. Ömer Faruk Doğan holds an IELTS score of 7, pursued graduate legal studies and research in Italy and Poland, and has experience advising foreign employees and international companies on Turkish social security matters, and can advise in English as well as Turkish.

Yes. Disputes with SGK are heard by the labour courts, and a lawyer registered with a Turkish bar can appear before all courts in Turkey, so a social security lawyer in Istanbul or a social security lawyer in Ankara can follow the case. Our office is in Istanbul and follows such files before the labour courts in Ankara through UYAP and by attending hearings. Any social security lawyer in Turkey can act in every city.

A foreigner working in Turkey is covered through employment. A non-working foreigner with a residence permit who is not insured under another country's legislation is counted as GSS-insured after one year of settlement in Turkey, with reciprocity taken into account (Law No. 5510, Art. 60).

The premium is 33 percent of a monthly earnings figure chosen between the lower and upper limits (Law No. 5510, Art. 52, as amended by Law No. 7566). With the 2026 lower limit of TRY 33,030 a month, the minimum premium is about TRY 10,900 a month.

Voluntary insurance is open to people resident in Turkey who meet the conditions of the law (Law No. 5510, Art. 50). A foreign national settled in Turkey for less than a year pays no GSS premium within it and is not GSS-insured through it (Art. 52).

It depends on the first insurance date. For people first insured from 1 May 2008 it is 58 for women and 60 for men, rising from 2036 to 65 by 2048 (Law No. 5510, Art. 28). People first insured between September 1999 and April 2008 also need 58 or 60, and the EYT group has no age condition.

EYT refers to Law No. 7438 of March 2023, which added Provisional Article 95 to Law No. 5510. It removed the age condition for people who would receive a pension under the earlier transitional rules, mainly those first insured on or before 8 September 1999, if they meet the other conditions; no retroactive payment is made.

The rate is 45 percent of a daily earnings figure chosen between TRY 1,101 and TRY 9,909, so one day costs between TRY 495.45 and TRY 4,459.05 (Law No. 5510, Arts. 41 and 82). The total depends on the number of days and the figure chosen.

Law No. 3201 covers people who were Turkish citizens by birth and gave up citizenship with permission, but only for periods abroad completed while they were still Turkish citizens, after age 18 (Law No. 3201, Art. 1). The rate is 45 percent and the debt is paid within three months (Art. 4).

SGK lists 35 agreements in force as of January 2024, including those with the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Canada, Quebec, Italy, South Korea and Poland, and shows Spain and Portugal under the European Convention on Social Security. The United States is not on SGK's list.

A person sent by a foreign organisation for a job of no more than three months, who documents social insurance abroad, is not counted as insured in Turkey (Law No. 5510, Art. 6). Longer postings depend on the agreement with the home country, if there is one.

The days stay on the record. A person who has left work and reached the pension age without qualifying for a pension can request a lump-sum payment of the old-age premiums reported in his or her name, updated by yearly coefficients (Law No. 5510, Art. 31). Agreement-country nationals can also rely on totalisation.

The employer reports it to the police at once and to SGK within three working days after the accident (Law No. 5510, Art. 13). A late report makes the employer liable for the temporary incapacity allowance paid for the period up to the report (Art. 21).

Medical treatment, a temporary incapacity allowance for days off work (half of daily earnings for inpatient and two-thirds for outpatient treatment), and a permanent incapacity income if earning capacity is reduced by at least 10 percent: 70 percent of monthly earnings for total incapacity (Law No. 5510, Arts. 18 and 19).

Yes, if the accident results from the employer's intent or breach of health and safety rules, within the limit of what the employee could claim from the employer (Law No. 5510, Art. 21). If the employee was not registered, SGK recovers all its costs even without fault (Art. 23).

Yes. SGK pays the benefits for an accident that occurred before the registration was made and then recovers its costs from the employer (Law No. 5510, Art. 23). The unregistered period itself can be proven with a service-determination lawsuit.

Sixty days. If SGK does not reply within that time, the request is deemed rejected and a lawsuit can be filed at the labour court; the time spent on the application is not counted toward limitation periods (Law No. 7036, Art. 4).

No. The case is brought against the employer; the court notifies SGK, which joins on the employer's side as an intervener, can appeal, and applies the final judgment (Law No. 7036, Art. 4).

An objection can be made within fifteen days of service (Law No. 6183, Art. 58). For SGK debts, the dispute is heard by the labour court where SGK's creditor unit is located, and applying to the court does not by itself stop collection (Law No. 5510, Art. 88).

SGK's premium receivables are subject to a ten-year limitation period, starting from the beginning of the calendar year after the payment due date, or from the final judgment or report date where the debt arises from a court decision or inspection (Law No. 5510, Art. 93).

Yes, as dependants: the spouse, unmarried children under 18 (20 in secondary education, 25 in higher education), disabled unmarried children of any age, and parents supported by the insured person, provided they are not insured in their own right and have no pension of their own (Law No. 5510, Art. 3).

As a rule SGK pays only for what the Health Implementation Communiqué (SUT) covers. A refusal can be taken to SGK and then to the labour court, where medical necessity is examined through expert reports; the outcome depends on the evidence in each file (Law No. 7036, Art. 4; Law No. 5510, Art. 101).

The law does not exclude insured foreign employees. The conditions are a qualifying ground for the end of the contract, 600 days of unemployment premiums in the last three years, employment under contract throughout the last 120 days, and an application within thirty days (Law No. 4447, Arts. 48, 50 and 51).

Working abroad under a foreign country's legislation affects the spouse's rate: the 75 percent rate applies only if the spouse does not work in Turkey or abroad and has no own pension; otherwise the rate is 50 percent (Law No. 5510, Art. 34).

SGK's summary of its agreements states that an old-age pension continues to be paid when the pensioner moves to the other contracting country. A disability pension is stopped if the person starts working in Turkey or under a foreign country's legislation (Law No. 5510, Art. 27), and a pension based on foreign service borrowing has its own conditions (Law No. 3201, Art. 6).

Fees cannot be agreed below the Attorneyship Minimum Fee Tariff prepared each year by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (Attorneyship Law, Arts. 164 and 168). In social security files the fee depends on the type of claim and whether a lawsuit and appeals follow the application to SGK, and it can only be quoted after the file has been reviewed.

Yes. Turkish consumer law protects anyone acting for non-commercial purposes, whatever their nationality or residence (Consumer Protection Law Art. 3). Foreign nationals can apply to a consumer arbitration committee with a passport number or foreign identity number, and can act through a lawyer (Consumer Arbitration Committees Regulation Art. 11).

For applications made in 2026, disputes valued below TRY 186,000 go to a consumer arbitration committee, and disputes of TRY 186,000 or more go to the consumer court after mediation (Consumer Protection Law Art. 68; Ministry of Trade Communiqué, Official Gazette of 23 December 2025).

Through the Consumer Information System (Tüketici Bilgi Sistemi) on e-Devlet. The online form has to be completed in full and the supporting documents uploaded. Applications can also be made in person, by post or through a lawyer (Regulation Art. 11).

The law provides for no application fee. Notification and expert fees are paid by the Ministry if the decision goes against the consumer and by the business if it goes in the consumer's favour (Consumer Protection Law Art. 70/7). The committee does not award lawyer's fees (Art. 70/1).

Yes. Decisions bind the parties and are enforced like court judgments through the enforcement office (Art. 70/1-2). Either party can object to the consumer court within two weeks of service; the objection does not stop enforcement unless the judge orders it (Art. 70/3).

Applications are to be decided within six months at the latest, and the period can be extended by up to three months depending on the nature of the application (Regulation Art. 21/1).

Yes, for disputes heard by the consumer courts, with exceptions such as disputes within the arbitration committees' limit, objections to committee decisions and disputes over rights in rem in immovable property (Art. 73/A). Whatever the outcome of mediation, the consumer's share of the mediator's fee is paid by the Ministry of Justice, capped at two hours under the tariff (Art. 73/A/3).

Cases filed by consumers in the consumer courts are exempt from court fees under the Fees Law (Consumer Protection Law Art. 73/2). Expert and notification costs are still advanced during the case.

You may choose to withdraw from the contract, request a price reduction, request free repair, or, where possible, request replacement with a defect-free equivalent (Art. 11 Law No. 6502). The seller must carry out the chosen option, and damages can be claimed in addition. Which option fits depends on the nature of the defect.

The choice belongs to the consumer, as long as the chosen option is possible. If repair or replacement would be disproportionately difficult for the seller, the consumer can choose withdrawal or a price reduction instead (Art. 11/3).

Thirty working days from the request, or sixty for housing and holiday property (Art. 11/4). For listed goods the regulation's maximum repair time applies instead, for example twenty working days for phones and forty-five for cars.

For defects appearing within six months of delivery, the law presumes they existed at delivery and the seller has to prove otherwise, unless this is incompatible with the nature of the goods or the defect (Art. 10/1). After six months, the consumer proves it, usually with a service or expert report.

Two years from delivery, even if the defect appears later, and five years for housing and holiday property, unless a longer period is set by law or contract. The limitation does not apply where the defect was concealed through gross fault or fraud (Art. 12).

The warranty and the statutory remedies are separate. Statutory claims for defective goods are time-barred two years after delivery (five for housing), so with a two-year warranty they usually end together; a longer warranty or contractual period extends the time, and the limitation does not apply to defects concealed through gross fault or fraud (Art. 12). After the warranty, paid repair at authorised services remains available during the product's usage life (Art. 58).

The maximum repair time for phones is twenty working days. If a fault under warranty is not fixed within ten working days, the manufacturer or importer is to provide a similar phone until the repair is complete (After-Sales Services Regulation Art. 14/4). If the maximum repair time is exceeded, the consumer can ask for a refund, a price reduction or a replacement (Warranty Certificate Regulation Art. 9).

Yes, within fourteen days, without a reason or penalty (Art. 48/4). For goods the period starts on delivery and for services on the contract date (Distance Contracts Regulation Art. 9). Some purchases, such as personalised goods, perishable goods and bookings for a set date, are excluded.

If the goods are returned through the carrier the seller named for returns, the consumer cannot be charged return costs; if the seller named no carrier, no return cost can be charged (Distance Contracts Regulation Art. 12/5). The seller refunds within fourteen days, including the original delivery charge.

Usually not under the withdrawal rules. Accommodation, car hire, catering and leisure services booked for a specific date or period are excluded from the right of withdrawal (Distance Contracts Regulation Art. 15/1(g)), so the booking's own cancellation terms apply.

Yes, within fourteen days without reason or penalty, and no payment may be taken during that time (Art. 50/6). If the seller breached its information duties, the right can last up to one year longer (Timeshare Regulation Art. 10).

The traveller can accept the change, take an equivalent or higher-value tour at no extra cost, take a cheaper tour with a refund of the difference, or withdraw and receive a full refund without deduction within fourteen days (Art. 51/6; Package Tour Regulation Arts. 10-11). Compensation for loss, including wasted holiday time, can also be claimed (Art. 51/8).

Under SHY-YOLCU, EUR 100 for domestic flights and EUR 250, 400 or 600 for international flights depending on distance, paid in Turkish lira. Since December 2024 this also applies to technical or operational delays where the passenger arrives three hours or more late, and exemptions such as extraordinary circumstances apply to cancellations (Arts. 6, 7/3, 8).

Within fourteen days without reason (Art. 43), and until twenty-four months from the contract without reason, with the seller entitled to taxes and charges plus 2 to 8 percent compensation depending on timing; nothing can be claimed if the seller failed its own obligations (Art. 45).

An open-ended subscription, or a fixed-term one longer than a year, can be terminated at any time without reason or penalty by notice on paper or a durable medium, and the cancellation method cannot be harder than the sign-up method (Art. 52/4).

Yes. The lender reduces the interest and other costs for the amount paid early (Art. 27). For fixed-rate housing loans, an early repayment fee of up to 1 or 2 percent can apply if the contract provides for it; for variable-rate housing loans, none (Art. 37/2).

No. Credit-linked insurance requires the consumer's express request in writing or on a durable medium, a loan without such insurance is to be offered as well, and cover from an insurer of the consumer's choice is to be accepted (Art. 29).

The price more favourable to the consumer (Art. 54/2).

Not necessarily. Unfair terms not negotiated with the consumer are void (Art. 5), and the Unfair Terms Regulation lists as unfair terms that let a business keep the consumer's payment when the consumer pulls out without giving the consumer an equivalent right. Whether a specific clause is unfair is assessed on the whole contract.

Complaints about commercial advertising and unfair commercial practices may be made to the Advertising Board of the Ministry of Trade, which can stop or correct an advert, impose fines and order the removal of content (Art. 63). This does not replace a separate claim to recover any loss caused by the advertisement.

The consumer court, after mediation in most cases; the consumer court also hears objections to arbitration committee decisions (Arts. 70, 73, 73/A). Where a city has no separate consumer court, a civil court of first instance hears the case in that capacity.

No. Consumer law applies only where the seller acts commercially or professionally. A sale between private individuals falls under the Code of Obligations, which requires the buyer to examine the goods and notify defects promptly (Art. 223), with a two-year limitation from delivery unless the seller acted with gross fault (Art. 231).

Yes. A lawyer in Turkey can file the arbitration application, attend mediation and conduct the court case under a power of attorney signed at a Turkish consulate, or before a notary abroad with an apostille and translation. Foreign claimants may be asked for security for costs unless reciprocity exempts them (Private International Law Act Art. 48).

The arbitration committee limit rose to TRY 186,000, and on 6 May 2026 the Council of State annulled three exceptions to the online right of withdrawal, including the one for vehicles subject to registration (Distance Contracts Regulation Art. 15/1(ı)-(k)).

Fees are subject to the national Attorneys' Minimum Fee Tariff prepared each year by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations, and a fee may also be agreed as a percentage of the claim or award up to 25 percent (Attorneys Act Arts. 164, 168). The arrangement is agreed in writing before the file is opened.

Yes. Av. Ömer Faruk Doğan holds an IELTS score of 7, pursued graduate legal studies and research in Italy and Poland, and has experience advising foreign clients on Turkish consumer law matters. He acts as an English-speaking consumer lawyer in Turkey and can advise in English as well as Turkish.

A consumer may file at the consumer court of their own domicile (Article 73/5 of the Consumer Protection Law), so in Istanbul, or under the general rules where the seller is domiciled. Mediation comes first for most disputes, and arbitration committee applications can be made where the consumer lives or where the purchase was made (Art. 68/3). A consumer lawyer in Istanbul can follow a file in Ankara through e-filing and by attending hearings, in the same way as a consumer lawyer in Ankara.