Anyone who wants to import and use a car in Turkey should know that it is an excisable product with all the consequences! Therefore, it is necessary to act carefully and think through every step.

As a photographer, it was important to me to have a car in Turkey. However, before entering, I had no idea how many dangers lay ahead of me in connection with the importation of the car.

In this article we will talk about non-commercial use of the vehicle. Turkish law calls this importation “for tourist convenience. Thus, cars with foreign license plates imported into Turkey must be used exclusively for personal purposes and cannot be used for profit.

In this article we will describe the issues of importing cars that belong to individuals. With company-owned cars, things are a little murky and Turkish law is not so clear. That’s why we put legal entities in a separate article.

Who can bring a car into Turkey

The range of people who can bring foreign registered cars into Turkey are determined by Articles 16 and 19 of the Turkish Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 2009/15481on the application of certain articles of the Customs Law No. 4458.

Article 16, paragraph (1), subparagraph (b) tells us that, in general, a natural person residing outside of Turkey can bring a vehicle into Turkey

Under Turkish law, a person residing outside Turkey is a person who has a place of residence abroad and has spent at least 185 days abroad during the year (see Article 3(1)(z) of the above-mentioned Decision).

There is an exception to this rule only for retired foreigners. Pensioners can bring their own vehicle with them even if they have spent less than 185 days abroad during the year. However, in this case, you need to bring with you a notarized translation of the pension certificate. (See. subparagraph (5) of Article 19 of the aforementioned Decision).

Can I bring another person’s car into Turkey?

The above restriction (stay of at least 185 days outside of Turkey) is imposed not only on the natural person who imports a car, but also on the owner of the car. Article 16, paragraph 1 (a) of the Decision tells us that at the time the car is imported into Turkey, the owner of the car must also be a person residing outside of Turkey. And in the understanding of Turkish law, this means that the car owner must spend at least 185 days abroad during the year.

If both the owner of the car and the person who imports it comply with the rule of 185 days, then such a car can be imported.

Для этого перед выездом из Украины нужно сделать доверенность на автомобиль и её нотариально заверенный перевод. Таможня на границе принимает доверенность, выполненную на английском или турецком языке, заверенную нотариально (в любой стране). Кроме того, в Таможенном кодексе указан широкий перечень учреждений, которые могут оформить доверенность. Даже в письменной форме на границе у начальника таможни Турции.

(Commercial vehicles may enter Turkey if the service of transportation begins or ends outside Turkey).

Note: This also applies to Turkish citizens. However, a Turkish citizen must not only spend 185 days abroad, but also have a proven place of residence abroad (notarized rental agreement, residence registration, utility bills, etc.). Source: Explanations of Customs.

Border crossing

When crossing the border, the customs officer gives the driver permission to use the car on the customs territory of Turkey for 90 days.

Thus, the driver becomes the owner of such a permit (we emphasize: the driver, not the car!).

The term of the permit is usually indicated in the passport of the right holder.

If in your case it is not specified, in order to avoid unforeseen situations, I recommend to contact the nearest customs office soon after your arrival (in Antalya I recommend the office in the port at Liman) and clarify two issues: 1) the name of the permit holder (it must be you who entered Turkey) and 2) the term of the permit.

It’s done very quickly, in five minutes if there’s no line. The main thing is not to get in at lunchtime, as we did the first time. 🙂

Permit extension up to 730 days

In order to extend the validity of the permit for a car with foreign license plates in Turkey, it is necessary to obtain a residence permit. Read more about how to do it in this article.

It’s very important not to forget to do it!