In short: Automotive regulation in Turkey is a vehicle-lifecycle framework rather than one single automotive law. Market entry, type approval, component conformity, TAREKS, customs, product safety, recalls, consumer warranties, dealer networks, EV charging and connected-vehicle data can all affect the same business model.
Why it matters: The legal role of the manufacturer, importer, distributor, dealer, authorised service and supplier should be identified before launch. A contract can allocate commercial risk, but it cannot simply remove statutory product-safety, consumer or regulatory responsibilities.
Automotive Legal Services for Foreign Companies in Turkey
Turkish Trade Lawyers advises foreign vehicle manufacturers, OEMs, Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers, importers, distributors, dealers, authorised service networks, mobility businesses, charging operators and investors on Turkish automotive law and cross-border commercial matters.
Market entry and structuring
Subsidiary, importer, distributor, dealer, authorised-service and manufacturing models for foreign automotive groups entering Türkiye.
Homologation and compliance
Vehicle type approval, systems, components, technical files, conformity documentation and market-surveillance preparation.
Imports, TAREKS and customs
Vehicle and parts classification, GTIP, customs value, origin, duties, conformity controls and shipment readiness.
Supply chain and distribution
OEM supply, tooling, localization, dealer, distributor, authorised-service, spare-parts and logistics agreements.
Safety, recalls and warranties
Corrective measures, recall protocols, product liability, warranty allocation, after-sales obligations and investigations.
EV and connected mobility
EPDK charging licences, charging agreements, software, telematics, KVKK, cybersecurity and digital mobility projects.
What Regulations Apply to Automotive Companies in Turkey?
Automotive companies should map several legal regimes together. Depending on the vehicle, component, supply-chain role and commercial model, the framework may include:
- vehicle type approval, systems, components and separate technical units;
- Law No. 7223 on Product Safety and Technical Regulations;
- market surveillance and corrective-action rules;
- Ministry of Trade import-inspection communiques and TAREKS;
- customs legislation, tariff classification, origin and valuation;
- Law No. 6502 on Consumer Protection, guarantees and after-sales services;
- Law No. 4054 on the Protection of Competition and motor-vehicle distribution rules;
- the Motor Land Vehicle Trade Regulation for new and second-hand vehicle businesses;
- the Electricity Market Law and EPDK rules for commercial EV charging; and
- Law No. 6698 on the Protection of Personal Data for customer, telematics and connected-vehicle information.
Regulatory compliance should therefore be reviewed across design, production, importation, market placement, sale, servicing, software updates, recall and end-of-life stages.
How Can a Foreign Automotive Company Enter the Turkish Market?
There is no single market-entry model for a foreign automotive business. Common structures include establishing a Turkish subsidiary, appointing an importer or exclusive distributor, creating an authorised dealer network, supplying Turkish OEMs, building a manufacturing facility, forming a joint venture, selling components directly to Turkish businesses, operating a spare-parts network or launching an EV charging and digital-mobility service.
Before selecting the structure, the business should determine:
- who will legally import and place the vehicle or component on the market;
- who will hold type-approval, conformity and product-safety responsibilities;
- whether TAREKS or another import inspection applies;
- who will provide guarantees, spare parts and after-sales services;
- whether dealer, authorised-service or charging licences are required;
- how product liability, serial defects and recall costs will be allocated;
- whether exclusivity or territorial controls create competition-law risks; and
- how customer, vehicle and telematics data will be processed and transferred.
Corporate establishment should follow this regulatory analysis rather than replace it.
Do Vehicles Need Type Approval and Homologation in Turkey?
Vehicles placed on the Turkish market can be subject to the Turkish vehicle type-approval and homologation regime. For relevant M, N and O category vehicles, the framework covers motor vehicles, trailers, systems, components and separate technical units and is aligned in important respects with EU Regulation 2018/858.
A manufacturer preparing a Turkish launch should establish the vehicle category, applicable approval route, recognition of existing approvals, systems and component approvals, relevant UN/ECE technical regulations, conformity documentation, manufacturer and importer obligations and post-market surveillance duties.
An EU or international homologation file may be important, but the Turkish launch should still be checked against the regulations and administrative procedures applicable at the time of import and market placement. Approval is not the end of compliance: corrective measures and surveillance can continue after entry into the market.
How Are Vehicles and Automotive Parts Imported into Turkey?
Complete-vehicle imports combine customs requirements with sector-specific technical controls. Before shipment, the importer should review GTIP classification, customs value, origin, customs and additional duties, preferential arrangements, type approval, conformity documents, importer status and vehicle-registration requirements.
Parts require a product-specific analysis. The legal route may differ for OEM production inputs, safety-critical components, spare parts, batteries, electrical or electronic equipment, machinery used in production and products imported for commercial resale. A supplier should not assume that an OEM approval resolves every import-control requirement for each part number.
For 2026, the Ministry of Trade import-control framework includes Vehicle Parts Import Inspection Communique No. 2026/25 and Road Vehicle Import Inspection Communique No. 2026/31. The applicable edition, product list and inspection route should be confirmed before shipment.
Does TAREKS Apply to Automotive Products?
Potentially. TAREKS is Türkiye's Risk-Based Trade Control System for electronic product-safety controls at import. Whether a particular automotive product enters TAREKS depends on its GTIP classification and the applicable Product Safety and Inspection Communique.
Foreign manufacturers and Turkish importers should check the current import communique, technical certificates, test reports, exemption routes, manufacturing-input status and application responsibility. This is especially important for just-in-time automotive supply chains, where a blocked component can interrupt an entire production schedule.
Customs analysis should also address non-preferential and preferential origin, A.TR documentation where relevant, additional customs duties, surveillance, trade remedies, assists, tooling and royalties that may affect customs value.
Product Safety, Recalls and Supplier Liability
Law No. 7223 provides the general Turkish product-safety framework. Depending on the supply structure, obligations may apply to manufacturers, importers, authorised representatives and distributors. A distribution contract can allocate indemnities and commercial costs, but it cannot eliminate statutory duties imposed by product-safety legislation.
A safety or conformity problem discovered after market placement can require corrective measures or a vehicle recall. A recall protocol should identify internal escalation, risk assessment, affected VIN ranges or production batches, regulatory communications, dealer instructions, customer notification, replacement parts, repairs, campaign tracking, completion reporting, supplier responsibility, insurance and cost recovery.
An OEM may need to manage a market recall even when the defect originated with a Tier 1 or Tier 2 supplier. Supply contracts should separately address replacement components, dealer labour, logistics, field campaigns, testing, vehicle recovery, warranty expenses, regulatory costs and third-party claims.
What Should an Automotive Supply Agreement Cover?
A generic goods-purchase agreement is usually insufficient for a long-term automotive relationship. Automotive supply agreements should reflect technical, operational and lifecycle risks and commonly address:
- technical specifications, drawings, quality standards, testing and production approval;
- forecasts, purchase orders, capacity, safety stock and delivery schedules;
- change control, traceability, subcontracting and business continuity;
- tooling ownership, location, marking, insurance, maintenance, access and return;
- serial defects, warranty, product liability and recall cooperation;
- background IP, project IP, software, CAD data, know-how and cybersecurity;
- regulatory changes, audits, confidentiality, termination and transition supply; and
- governing law, dispute resolution, evidence and enforcement.
Tooling clauses should state who owns dies, moulds, jigs, fixtures, machinery and dedicated production equipment, who may use them for competing customers and how they will be removed or returned after termination.
Dealer, Distribution, Competition and After-Sales Rules
Foreign brands entering Türkiye often need a coordinated importer, distributor, dealer and authorised-service structure. Agreements should define territory, exclusivity, targets, online sales, pricing communications, stock, marketing, warranty processing, spare parts, customer data, audits, termination and transition support.
Exclusivity, territorial restrictions, non-compete clauses, resale practices and dealer-network controls should be reviewed under Law No. 4054 and the motor-vehicle sector competition framework. A commercial arrangement that is acceptable in another jurisdiction may require a different approach in Türkiye.
Consumer-facing vehicle sales can trigger guarantee, after-sales, service-network, repair, spare-parts, advertising and information duties. New and second-hand vehicle businesses should also recheck temporary trading and advertising restrictions before relying on a previous compliance analysis.
What Should Foreign Automotive Companies Know About EV Charging?
Electric-vehicle charging is a separate regulated activity. A legal entity wishing to operate a commercial charging network must obtain an EPDK charging-network operator licence and comply with the Charging Service Regulation. Vehicle-distribution authorisation does not by itself cover a public charging business.
EV market entry should address licensing, charging stations, network software, technical infrastructure, user payments, pricing, network availability, consumer information, complaints and the relationship between the charging operator, site owner, equipment supplier and vehicle brand.
EPDK's current framework also includes operational requirements for licensed networks and payment or user-service functionality. The licence route and technical obligations should be verified before infrastructure investment or public launch.
Connected Vehicles, Software and KVKK
Connected vehicles may process location, driver identity, account data, vehicle usage, telematics, driving behaviour, service history, app activity, charging data and customer-support information. Where the information relates to an identified or identifiable individual, KVKK obligations may apply.
Automotive groups should map data flows between the vehicle, Turkish distributor, manufacturer, dealer, authorised service, cloud provider, mobile application, analytics providers and overseas group companies. The parties should determine whether each entity acts as data controller, processor, independent controller or joint participant.
Dealer and software agreements should cover test-drive data, purchase and warranty records, marketing permissions, telematics, retention, cybersecurity, international transfers, source code, object code, updates, open-source software, third-party libraries, safety-critical functions and end-of-life support. A software defect affecting a safety-critical function can become a product-safety and recall issue.
Automotive Investment and Environmental Compliance
A foreign manufacturer considering production in Türkiye should analyse company formation, industrial-site selection, land, environmental permits, manufacturing licences, machinery imports, customs, employment, investment incentives, R&D, supplier localisation, state aid and intellectual property as one investment plan.
Investment incentives and advanced-mobility programmes do not replace homologation, product-safety or environmental obligations. Manufacturing facilities may require separate assessments for EIA, industrial emissions, hazardous waste, paint and coating operations, chemicals, wastewater, batteries and recycling.
Product compliance and manufacturing-site compliance are different workstreams. Both should be addressed before commercial production becomes operational.
Automotive Disputes and Regulatory Investigations
Automotive disputes can involve several contractual and regulatory relationships at the same time. Common disputes include defective parts, serial defects, recall costs, warranty chargebacks, tooling ownership, supply interruption, price adjustment, dealer termination, distributor performance, authorised-service claims, consumer complaints, customs disputes, regulatory sanctions and unpaid receivables.
Depending on the contract and parties, the procedure may involve negotiation, mandatory mediation, Turkish court litigation, domestic or international arbitration, enforcement or debt collection. A regulatory finding about a defective component can affect supplier indemnity, insurance, product-liability litigation, dealer reimbursement and customer claims, so regulatory and dispute strategy should be coordinated.
Automotive Contracts We Advise On
OEM and long-term supply
Specifications, forecasts, capacity, pricing, localization, quality, change control and transition supply.
Tooling and manufacturing
Moulds, dies, fixtures, equipment, ownership, use, maintenance, insurance and return rights.
Importer, distributor and dealer
Territory, exclusivity, targets, online sales, marketing, competition, termination and network transition.
Authorised service and spare parts
Warranty, repairs, technical information, service levels, parts availability, customer data and audits.
Recall and warranty allocation
Defect escalation, corrective action, customer communications, cost recovery, insurance and indemnities.
Software, data and EV charging
Connected-vehicle technology, licensing, cybersecurity, KVKK, charging infrastructure and user services.
Frequently Asked Questions About Automotive Law in Turkey
Does a foreign car manufacturer need a Turkish company to sell vehicles in Turkey?
Not necessarily in every commercial structure, but the manufacturer needs a compliant Turkish market-entry model covering importation, product conformity, distribution, after-sales services, consumer obligations and regulatory responsibility. The right structure may involve a Turkish subsidiary, importer or distributor.
Does a vehicle need Turkish homologation before being sold in Turkey?
Vehicles within the applicable categories must comply with Türkiye's vehicle type-approval and technical regulatory framework. Existing EU or international approvals can be relevant, but the Turkish conformity and market-entry requirements should be checked before launch.
Are automotive parts subject to TAREKS in Turkey?
Certain automotive products are subject to import product-safety controls. The applicable regime depends on the GTIP classification and product. For 2026, specified vehicle parts are regulated through Vehicle Parts Import Inspection Communique No. 2026/25.
Can a foreign automotive brand appoint an exclusive distributor in Turkey?
Yes, subject to Turkish contract and competition law. Exclusivity, territorial restrictions, online sales, non-compete clauses and dealer-network controls should be reviewed under Law No. 4054 and the motor-vehicle sector competition framework.
Who is responsible for an automotive product recall in Turkey?
The answer depends on the parties' regulatory roles and the defect. Manufacturers and importers may have statutory product-safety responsibilities, while contracts can allocate recall costs between OEMs, suppliers and distributors.
What warranty applies to passenger cars sold to consumers in Turkey?
The applicable consumer guarantee regime provides a minimum guarantee of two years or 60,000 kilometres for passenger cars, subject to the current rules and the vehicle's classification.
Does an automotive importer need an authorised service network?
Where the vehicle falls within the After-Sales Services Regulation, manufacturers and importers must provide the prescribed after-sales infrastructure and may need an SSHYB. The obligation should be checked against the vehicle and business model.
Can an automotive company operate its own EV charging network in Turkey?
Yes, but a commercial charging network is separately regulated. The relevant legal entity must obtain an EPDK charging-network operator licence and comply with the Charging Service Regulation.
Does KVKK apply to connected-vehicle data?
Yes, where connected-vehicle or telematics data relates to an identified or identifiable individual. Location, driver accounts, app data, service records and behavioural information can therefore trigger KVKK obligations.
Can Turkish Trade Lawyers advise foreign automotive suppliers selling to Turkish OEMs?
Yes. We advise foreign automotive suppliers on Turkish supply agreements, customs and import matters, regulatory compliance, product liability, tooling, warranty and recall arrangements, debt collection and commercial disputes.
Automotive Legal Services for Foreign Companies in Türkiye
A foreign automotive business can encounter Turkish law at every stage of the vehicle lifecycle. Market entry determines the importer, distributor and corporate structure. Homologation and product compliance determine whether the vehicle or component can lawfully enter the market. Customs and TAREKS affect importation. Product safety can trigger corrective measures or recalls. Vehicle sales create consumer warranty and after-sales obligations. Dealer and authorised-service arrangements interact with competition law. Connected vehicles introduce KVKK and cybersecurity issues, while electric mobility can add a separate EPDK charging-licence regime.
Turkish Trade Lawyers provides automotive legal services in Turkey for manufacturers, suppliers, importers, distributors, dealers, mobility businesses and investors across these regulatory and commercial areas.
