Legal Bulletin
Turkey Legal News — 29 June 2026: Judicial Package, AYM Ruling
Published 29 June 2026·12 min read
The week of 29 June 2026 brought significant developments across Turkish law. Turkey's 12th Judicial Package cleared the GNAT Justice Committee with a new provision reducing sentences for those who allow their bank accounts to be used in fraud. The Constitutional Court (AYM) struck down a ministerial approval requirement for CPA exam regulations. MASAK (Financial Crimes Investigation Board) now allows remote identity verification of foreign nationals via NFC-enabled passports. The Official Gazette published major regulatory changes covering jewelry, refurbished electronics, insurance reporting, and ship recycling.
Legal Profession & Bar News
62nd Bar Presidents Meeting Puts Fee Schedule and Judicial Independence on Table
The 62nd Bar Presidents Meeting was convened under the Turkish Bar Association (TBB). Agenda items included the 2026–2027 Attorney Minimum Fee Schedule (AAÜT), structural problems facing the profession, and the current state of the rule of law and judicial independence in Turkey.
Legal context: The AAÜT sets the minimum floor for attorney fees and is the basis for calculating awarded counsel fees in court judgments. An update for 2026–2027 will directly affect the counsel fee component in pending cases. Practical impact: Attorneys in private practice should monitor the updated schedule closely and review whether existing retainer agreements need revision. Fee commitments made before the new schedule's publication may require renegotiation.
Mediators Must Now Use Electronic Notification Addresses
The Ministry of Justice Mediation Department published a notice requiring all registered mediators to obtain and use a mandatory e-notification address (elektronik tebligat). Mediators must register with the e-notification system to receive official communications electronically.
Legal context: Electronic notification has long been mandatory for attorneys under Law No. 7201 on Notifications. Extending the requirement to mediators brings mediation correspondence within the same traceable digital record-keeping framework. Practical impact: Mediators who have not yet registered face potential suspension from the official mediator registry. Parties in mediation proceedings should verify that their mediator is compliant before initiating sessions.
KVKK Rules Municipality Live Camera Streams Violate Data Protection Law
Turkey's Personal Data Protection Authority (KVKK) issued a public statement declaring that live camera streams operated by municipalities for tourism promotion — showing citizens' faces and vehicle license plates — constitute unlawful personal data processing under Turkish law.
Legal context: Under Law No. 6698 (KVKK), facial images are classified as biometric data and license plates are personal data linkable to identity. Processing or broadcasting this data without a valid legal basis — such as explicit consent or a statutory public duty — violates KVKK. Practical impact: Municipalities running live tourism feeds and businesses embedding such streams in apps or websites face exposure to substantial administrative fines. Tourism apps, city guides, and accommodation platforms should audit any live public camera integrations for KVKK compliance.
Safe Payment System for Real Estate Transactions Delayed to 1 October
The Ministry of Trade announced that the mandatory Safe Payment System for real estate transactions, originally scheduled to take effect on 1 July 2026, has been postponed to 1 October 2026 due to ongoing technical preparations.
Legal context: The Safe Payment System channels property sale proceeds through a government-supervised escrow mechanism to reduce fraud and fictitious sales. The delay does not affect the underlying legal framework — it simply extends the transition window. Practical impact: Real estate professionals and parties completing transactions before 1 October may continue using existing payment methods. No immediate changes to notary or land registry procedures are required before the October deadline.
Competition Authority Approves Meta's Threads Return to Turkey
The Turkish Competition Authority (Rekabet Kurumu) approved Meta's application to relaunch the Threads platform in Turkey. The app had previously been blocked by authorities over data sharing and personal data protection concerns.
Legal context: Social media platforms operating in Turkey are regulated under Law No. 5651 and KVKK. The Competition Authority's approval addresses market concentration concerns under competition law rather than data protection — both regulatory tracks ran in parallel. Practical impact: Businesses running Meta-ecosystem marketing campaigns (Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp) can now incorporate Threads as an active channel. Influencer agreements and digital advertising contracts can be updated to include the platform.
Legislation & Official Gazette
MASAK: Remote NFC Identity Verification Now Permitted for Foreign Nationals
An amendment to the MASAK General Communiqué grants obligated entities the right to verify the identity of non-Turkish natural persons remotely using ICAO 9303-compliant NFC-enabled passports, eliminating the requirement for in-person identity checks for this group.
Legal context: Anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) obligations apply across banking, insurance, real estate, and financial services. The in-person requirement created a practical barrier for onboarding foreign nationals resident abroad. The change aligns Turkey's AML framework with remote verification standards emerging across EU member states. Practical impact: Banks, fintech platforms, and brokerage firms can now complete digital onboarding for foreign customers via NFC passport scanning. Applications lacking NFC verification infrastructure must update their technology stack to take advantage of this change.
Halal Imports Now Require HAK-Accredited Certification
The Ministry of Trade published a new communiqué on the inspection of imported goods bearing halal labels. Under the new rules, products marked with a halal conformity seal or certificate may only be imported if they are certified by a body accredited by the Halal Accreditation Authority (HAK).
Legal context: HAK serves as Turkey's national accreditation authority for halal certification. Previously, the recognition criteria for foreign halal certificates lacked uniformity, creating inconsistencies in border inspections. The communiqué standardizes import controls across food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Practical impact: Companies importing halal-labelled goods must verify that their supplier's halal certificate was issued by a HAK-accredited certifier. Products certified by non-accredited bodies risk being held or returned at customs.
Jewelry Regulation: Lab-Grown Stones Must Be Labelled Synthetic
An amendment to the Regulation on Jewelry Trade now requires that the sale of laboratory-grown precious stones include at least one of the designations "synthetic," "laboratory-produced," or "artificially produced" on the label, invoice, and all advertising materials.
Legal context: Lab-grown diamonds (HPHT or CVD method) are chemically identical to natural diamonds but command very different market prices. Without mandatory disclosure, consumers risk paying natural-stone prices for lab-grown alternatives — an unfair commercial practice under Law No. 6502 on Consumer Protection. Practical impact: Jewelers and online jewelry retailers must update physical labels and digital product listings to include the mandatory designation. Failure to comply risks administrative penalties from the Ministry of Trade and consumer complaints that could trigger further regulatory scrutiny.
New Regulation Sets Framework for Refurbished Electronics Market
The Ministry of Trade published a new regulation governing the resale of used electronic products as "refurbished" (yenilenmiş) goods. The regulation defines technical refurbishment standards, seller obligations, and consumer rights for the secondary electronics market.
Legal context: The refurbished electronics market has grown rapidly in Turkey, but the absence of a clear legal definition led to inconsistent warranty and return practices. The regulation brings Turkey's secondary market rules closer to EU refurbished product standards and closes the legal gap that previously left consumers with limited recourse. Practical impact: Businesses selling refurbished phones, computers, or appliances must reclassify their product categories, update warranty documentation, and revise return policies in line with the new rules. E-commerce platforms listing "refurbished" or "like new" items face compliance obligations as of the regulation's effective date.
Insurance Firms Must Now Report Production Data in Real Time
An amendment to the Insurance Information and Monitoring Centre (SBM) Regulation prepared by SEDDK (Insurance and Private Pension Regulation and Supervision Authority) requires insurance companies to transmit policy production data to the SBM simultaneously rather than with the previously allowed one-day delay.
Legal context: The SBM collects and cross-references policy data to detect insurance fraud — duplicate policies, phantom claims, and capacity breaches. Eliminating the data lag enables real-time fraud detection and market oversight. Practical impact: Insurance companies must upgrade their IT systems to support real-time data transmission. Even short technical outages that delay reporting can now trigger regulatory action, making compliance infrastructure an urgent operational priority.
Ship Recycling Facilities Brought Under Hong Kong Convention Framework
A new Regulation on the Authorization of Ship Recycling Facilities was published in the Official Gazette, replacing the 2004 Ship Dismantling Regulation. The new framework requires Turkish ship recycling yards to obtain authorization, undergo inspection, and face sanctions for violations — all within the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (2009) framework.
Legal context: Turkey is one of the world's leading ship recycling markets. The Hong Kong Convention sets binding environmental and worker safety standards; the new regulation aligns domestic law with Turkey's obligations under the Convention. Practical impact: Operators of ship recycling facilities must review and update their authorization status and compliance procedures. Operating without authorization under the new framework exposes facilities to administrative and criminal penalties and may affect access to international shipping contracts that require certified recycling.
12th Judicial Package Clears Committee with Banking Fraud Sentence Reduction
Turkey's 12th Judicial Package passed the GNAT Justice Committee. A provision added during committee deliberations introduces a sentence reduction for persons who — knowingly or unknowingly — allow their bank accounts or IBAN details to be used in fraud schemes.
Legal context: Qualified fraud under TCK Article 158 carries heavy penalties. The reduction targets individuals manipulated into allowing account access rather than those who actively facilitate fraud. However, the "knowingly or unknowingly" formulation may create ambiguity in intent cases. Practical impact: Defendants charged with facilitation of banking fraud have a new statutory argument available once the package enters into force. Defense attorneys should document circumstances of account use to assess eligibility for the reduction; victims' attorneys should anticipate this defense and prepare counterarguments.
Constitutional Court & Judicial Decisions
AYM Strikes Down Mandatory Finance Ministry Approval for CPA Exam Regulations
Turkey's Constitutional Court (AYM) ruled that the requirement for the Ministry of Finance's prior approval before CPA (Yeminli Mali Müşavir — YMM) exam regulations could take effect is unconstitutional and void. The ruling was published in the Official Gazette.
Legal context: Requiring ministerial approval for a professional body's own regulatory instruments raises fundamental questions about administrative autonomy and the separation of institutional powers. AYM held that the approval requirement disproportionately constrained the professional body's independent governance. Practical impact: YMM professional bodies can now enact exam and certification regulations without Ministry sign-off, accelerating internal governance. The ruling provides a precedent for other professional associations facing similar executive oversight constraints to challenge them through constitutional channels.
Council of State: Banking Tax on Book-Entry Gold Trades Is Refundable via Tax Courts
The 7th Chamber of the Council of State (Danıştay) overruled an Istanbul Tax Court decision that had rejected — without examination — a claim for refund of banking and insurance transaction tax (BSMV) charged on book-entry gold account purchases made without physical delivery. The Chamber held that the levy falls within the jurisdiction of tax courts and the case must be examined on the merits.
Legal context: Whether book-entry gold transactions without physical settlement are subject to BSMV has been legally contested. The procedural barrier created by the lower court's "lack of jurisdiction" ruling effectively blocked taxpayers from obtaining refunds. This ruling reopens the avenue for substantive review. Practical impact: Individual and corporate investors who were charged BSMV on book-entry gold account transactions can now cite this decision to seek refunds in tax court. Financial institutions offering gold account products should update their client disclosure materials in light of this development.
Court of Cassation: Mediator Who Is Also Employer's Lawyer Voids the Entire Process
Turkey's Court of Cassation, 9th Civil Chamber (E. 2025/5177, K. 2025/6092, 09.09.2025), held that where a mediator is simultaneously acting as the employer's attorney, the mediation process is void regardless of the parties' explicit consent, and the defect can be raised at any time — the one-year time limit does not apply.
Legal context: Mandatory mediation is a precondition for employment disputes under Law No. 7036 on Labour Courts. Mediator independence is a core requirement under Law No. 6325 on Mediation in Civil Disputes. Consent of the parties cannot cure a structural independence defect. Practical impact: Employees' attorneys must verify the mediator's identity and check for any professional relationship with the employer before signing a settlement agreement. An agreement reached through a conflicted mediator can be invalidated at any stage of subsequent proceedings — even after apparent finality.
Court of Cassation: Vague "Occasional Overtime" Witness Testimony Insufficient to Prove Overtime Pay
Turkey's Court of Cassation, 9th Civil Chamber (E. 2025/9995, K. 2026/1437, 18.02.2026), held that a witness statement that the employee "occasionally worked 1–2 extra hours during busy periods" is too imprecise to support an overtime pay calculation and insufficient to prove the overtime claim.
Legal context: Overtime pay is one of the most frequently disputed claims in Turkish labour litigation. Witness testimony is admissible, but the evidence must be specific enough to form the basis of a monetary calculation — naming days, duration, and regularity. Vague qualifiers like "occasionally" or "sometimes" fail this standard. Practical impact: Attorneys building overtime claims on witness evidence must structure witness examination around concrete details: which days of the week, how many hours per day, over what period. Replacing "occasionally" with precise timeframes is the simplest way to make testimony calculation-ready and reduce the risk of a deficiency ruling.
Court of Cassation 2nd Civil Chamber: Father's Foreign Residence Does Not Give Grandparents Extended Visitation
Turkey's Court of Cassation, 2nd Civil Chamber (E. 2025/10442, K. 2026/1908, 19.02.2026), held that since grandparents (paternal) already have the opportunity to see their grandchildren during the father's scheduled visitation periods, the fact that the father lives abroad does not constitute an exceptional circumstance warranting an independent grandparent visitation order.
Legal context: Under Turkish Civil Code Article 325, the right to personal relations with a child is primarily granted to parents; relatives may receive visitation rights only when exceptional circumstances exist. The Court interprets "exceptional circumstances" narrowly — geographic distance attributable to a parent's lifestyle choice does not qualify. Practical impact: Attorneys representing grandparents seeking independent visitation rights should build their case around concrete evidence of child welfare and bonding rather than the parent's physical absence alone. The Court's narrow reading of the exceptional-circumstances threshold means applications must exceed the "father is abroad" argument to succeed.