Bringing a car to Turkey from abroad is one of the most frequently researched topics by expatriate citizens. Matters related to these tools are regulated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey. According to the Decree of the Council of Ministers issued in 2009, persons who do not reside in the Customs Territory of Turkey are allowed to temporarily bring vehicles registered in their country of residence and in their own names to Turkey. There are certain conditions required to bring a vehicle.

First of all, those who want to bring a vehicle from abroad must reside in the country where the vehicle is registered. Looking back from the date of entry to Turkey with a vehicle, the owner of the vehicle must have been abroad for at least 185 days in the last year, that is, in the country where the vehicle is registered.

Looking back from the date of entry to Turkey, those who stayed in Turkey for more than 180 days in the last year are not allowed to bring a vehicle. The car to be brought must be in the country of residence and on the person who brought the vehicle.

In addition, it is possible to bring someone else’s vehicle with a power of attorney. In vehicles to be brought by proxy, the residence address of both the vehicle owner and the person bringing the vehicle must be outside the Customs Territory of Turkey. With the fulfillment of all these conditions, during the vehicle’s entry into Turkey, Driver’s license, foreign ownership document (a foreign country’s vehicle license) and an insurance policy that is valid in Turkey are required. At the same time, one of the most researched issues is the differences applied if the person who will bring the vehicle is working or retired. The only difference in this situation is the duration of stay in Turkey, which is checked before entering the country with the vehicle.

In this context, the criteria of being abroad for 185 days is not considered for those who are retired abroad and bring their vehicles for the first time. However, both retired and employees can keep their vehicles with foreign license plates brought to Turkey for a maximum of 730 days.

Here are the fines applicable in 2022 if the authorized duration is exceeded:

If the vehicle from abroad and imported to Turkey is over the authorized date by 1 (one), 2 (two) or 3 (three) months, a fine of 470 TL, 940 TL and 1.410 TL respectively will be issued.

In case of delay exceeding 3 (three) months, a fine of ¼ (one quarter) of the amount of the customs tax of the vehicle is applied in application of article 238 of the customs law n° 4458.