Erdal Nuhbasa – Law and Consulting Firm – Legal Services
Erdal Nuhbasa – Law and Consulting Firm – Legal Services
If you live abroad and wish to use your own vehicle in Turkey for up to 24 months without paying customs duties, you need to be familiar with the entry rules under the “Touristic Facilities” regime.
Foreign-plated vehicles brought by passengers may be used in Turkey for a certain period, without changing the foreign plate, depending on the some conditions for the person and the vehicle. During this period, no additional import tax or any customs duty is required.
This practice is different from Temporary Vehicle Import, Tax-Free Vehicle Purchase, or Duty-Free Vehicle Import. You can read our related articles on these subjects via the links below:
A passenger-accompanied vehicle (yolcu beraberinde getirilen taşıt) is your personal car that you bring with you into Turkey under the tourist facilities regime. You keep your original foreign plates and do not pay import taxes or customs duties, as long as you comply with the regulations. It is a temporary import for personal use only.
The main purpose of this system is to allow individuals living abroad to use their personal vehicles during temporary stays in Turkey.
As a general rule, people who live abroad can bring a foreign car to Turkey. This includes:
Eligibility is evaluated based on actual residency status rather than citizenship alone. The main condition is that you must have spent at least 185 days physically outside Turkey in the 365 days before your entry. The days do not need to be consecutive.
In particular, dual citizens should be aware that possessing a second passport does not automatically create the right to bring a vehicle into Turkey.
The law does not care about your passport as much as it cares about where you actually live. To be considered a “resident abroad,” you must have spent at least 185 days outside of Türkiye in the 365 days prior to your entry.
In practice, customs authorities examine whether you genuinely qualify as residing abroad. All entries and exits — whether by air, land, or sea — are taken into account.
Regardless of your citizenship, if you spent more than half of the previous year in Türkiye, you may not qualify to enter the country with a foreign-plated vehicle. Individuals can check their status through the “Yurt Dışı Yerleşiklik Sorgulama” service available on e-Devlet.
Foreign-plated vehicles may generally remain in Turkey for a maximum of 730 days (2 years). However, this period varies depending on your residency status, nationality, and visa situation. The applicable rules are as follows:
For Turkish citizens residing abroad and foreign nationals holding a residence permit in Turkey, if they have entered Turkey with a vehicle within the last 185 days prior to the current entry date, the periods previously used are deducted from the 730-day limit, and the remaining period is granted.
For foreign nationals entering Turkey with a vehicle (excluding residence permit or Blue Card holders), if they have brought a vehicle within the last 180 days prior to the current entry date, the periods previously used are deducted from the 90-day limit, and the remaining period is granted.
Persons residing in the member states of the European Union, the European Free Trade Association, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland may be granted a one-month period for vehicles registered in their name in those countries when entering Turkey, in cases where the previously granted period has been fully used or the 185-day requirement of residing abroad has not been met.
This period is granted at the time of entry into Turkey and may be used only once. Persons who are already in Turkey with their vehicle, as well as those who have benefited from this one-month period within the 365 days preceding the intended date of entry, cannot benefit from this facility.
Those wishing to benefit from the one-month period must present documents proving their residence, such as a passport, identity card, residence permit, or similar documents issued by the European Union, the European Free Trade Association, or the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
A vehicle brought into Turkey may be used by the permit holder’s spouse, ascendants (parents, grandparents), and descendants (children and grandchildren) who reside abroad, provided that the permit holder is present in Turkey. These relatives may drive the vehicle even if the permit holder is not inside the vehicle. However, the vehicle owner must remain in Turkey at all times.
If the permit holder is inside the vehicle, other persons who reside abroad may also drive the vehicle, regardless of whether they are related to the permit holder. In other words, a friend who lives abroad may drive the vehicle, provided that the permit holder is in the vehicle.
In emergency situations, persons who reside in Turkey and are the permit holder’s spouse, ascendants, or descendants may also drive the vehicle, provided that the permit holder is in the vehicle. In other words, the only exception allowing a parent, grandparent, child, or grandchild who resides in Turkey to drive the vehicle is in the case of an emergency and only if the vehicle owner is present in the vehicle.
The administrative fines applicable in the event that vehicles are taken out of the country within the periods following the expiry of their authorised period of stay in Turkey are as follows (as of 2026):
These amounts are increased each year by the revaluation rate determined pursuant to Tax Procedure Law No. 213 in respect of the previous year.
Yes, provided they qualify as residents abroad and satisfy the 185-day requirement.
Potentially yes, but dual citizenship alone may not be sufficient.
Generally up to 730 days.
Violations may result in administrative fines, customs sanctions, and legal complications regarding the vehicle.
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