Under Turkish customs law, the import of vehicles with foreign number plates registered in the name of persons resident abroad – regardless of whether they are foreign nationals or citizens of the Republic of Turkey – is subject to a special regulation. Under the provisions of Customs Law No. 4458, this regulation is referred to as the “temporary import regime” or “tourist facilities” and allows vehicles to be temporarily imported into Turkey for personal or commercial purposes.
The legal basis for these two regulations is primarily Customs Law No. 4458, followed by Council of Ministers Decision No. 2009/15481 of 29.09.2009, Decision No. 2015/8113 of 13.10.2015 and General Customs Communiqué No. 1 on temporarily imported land vehicles, which implements these decisions.
The “tourist facilities” allow vehicles with foreign number plates to be temporarily imported into Turkey for personal or non-commercial purposes. The basic requirement for persons who wish to use this facility to bring their vehicle into Turkey is that they are resident outside the Turkish customs territory and have actually spent at least 185 days abroad in the 12 months before entering Turkey. This period is determined automatically by the system of the Ministry of Trade on the basis of the person’s passport data. In this context, it is extremely important to carry out a “query on residence abroad” via the e-Government system before entering Turkey with the vehicle.
Persons who meet the above conditions have the right to bring their vehicle with foreign number plates, registered in their name, into Turkey for a maximum of 730 days. However, if the vehicle is taken abroad again before the 730-day period expires, or if the 730-day period has expired, the person must again be resident abroad for 185 days in order to benefit from the tourist facility again.
There is an important exception for pensioners. Persons who have officially retired abroad can benefit from the tourist facility on their first entry without the 185-day condition, provided they can prove their status. Likewise, pensioners who have used part of the 730-day period and travelled abroad can, on re-entry, bring a vehicle without the 185-day condition in order to use the remaining period.
Under the tourist facilities, vehicles imported into Turkey may only be used by the person who imported the vehicle and by their spouse and children. Use of the vehicle by other persons, renting it out, transferring it or using it for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited. If such acts are detected, administrative fines, default interest and in some cases even confiscation of the vehicle may be imposed under Articles 238 and 241 of the Law.
Keeping a vehicle in Turkey beyond the permitted period (exceeding the period of stay) is also a violation, and administrative sanctions are imposed under the Law. It is therefore important to monitor carefully how long the vehicle stays in Turkey and to take it abroad before the period expires or to hand it over to the competent customs authority within the period.
In summary, persons who wish to bring a vehicle into Turkey under the tourist facilities must prove that they have been resident abroad for at least 185 days, ensure that the vehicle is registered in their name, present a valid passport, driving licence, motor vehicle liability insurance and, if applicable, a pension notice on entry, make sure that the vehicle is used in Turkey only by themselves, their spouse and their children, and regularly check their period of stay to avoid exceeding it.