1) Key Concepts You Must Know “Estate” (Tereke) The estate includes assets and debts. In Turkey, heirs generally step into the deceased’s legal position, meaning inheritance is not only “receiving property,” but also risk-managing liabilities. Immovable vs. Movable Assets This distinction matters greatly in cross-border cases: The Gatekeeper Document: Veraset İlamı (Certificate of Inheritance) Without […]
Filing a lawsuit is only the beginning of litigation in Türkiye. Before the court can meaningfully proceed—before deadlines start to run, before a defendant can be declared in default, and before a judgment can safely stand—the defendant must be properly served with the claim petition and subsequent court documents. In Turkish practice this is called […]
1) Why Your Foreign Divorce Often Doesn’t “Show Up” in Turkey Turkey generally requires an additional step for foreign judgments to have legal effect domestically. Even if your divorce is valid abroad, Turkish authorities may not treat you as divorced until one of the following happens: Until then, common practical problems include: 2) The Two […]
1. Introduction: Why Foreigners Need a Specific Guide When a foreign national is taken into custody in Turkey, the situation is not only a criminal law problem. It immediately becomes a multi-layered legal issue that involves: A Turkish citizen will usually have family, language knowledge and familiarity with the system to navigate the process. A […]
1. Why Medical Malpractice Has Become a Cross-Border Issue Medical malpractice used to be a largely domestic issue: a patient was treated in their home country by local doctors, in local hospitals, under clearly applicable national law. Today, this picture has changed dramatically. When something goes wrong – a misdiagnosis, an avoidable surgical complication, a […]
1. Introduction: When Customs Turns into a Legal Problem Foreigners entering or leaving Turkey with cash, jewelry, watches, electronics or commercial goods are often surprised to discover that customs officials have the power to seize these items on the spot. Sometimes the issue is purely administrative (missing declaration, exceeding allowance, unpaid customs duty). In other […]
1. Typical scenario: what actually happens at the airport? Foreign passengers are frequently stopped at Istanbul, Sabiha Gökçen, Antalya and other Turkish airports when they: In practice, a typical case unfolds as follows: At this point, most foreigners are frightened, confused and worried about both losing their property and facing criminal charges in a foreign […]
1. Legal Framework: Citizenship by Investment Through Real Estate in Turkey Turkish citizenship by investment through property acquisition is mainly governed by: Under the current rules (subject to changes by the Presidency and the Ministry): Within this regime, the State aims to attract genuine, long-term foreign capital rather than short-term speculative or “paper” transactions. That […]