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So I just bought a new car from an authorized dealership. I knew there are tax free plates for foreigners that have lettering MA-MZ but they have selling and other restrictions. So I went ahead and paid full taxes. I was surprised that my plate came out MD. Is there a mistake here? Did I get a blue plate although I paid full taxes? Please confirm. Thanks.

I'm a UK national and own a property in Turkey but I don't yet have residency status in Turkey. I'd like to import a classic car into Turkey (an old Jeep) and register it so that I can leave it at my house and use it when I'm staying in Turkey. Can anyone tell me if this is possible and how I can do it? Thanks.

Hi, We are a retired, married couple, had resident permits for over 7 years and returned to the UK in Feb 2020 but got trapped by the lock down and don't have any idea when we will be able to return, we rent a villa near Didim and had an english car for the maximum period of 2 years Which we scrapped in Izmir Turkey. What are the regulations regarding bringing another car when we are able to return?

I came with family to Turkey on October 2019 with my Bosnian car and decide to stayed here for good. we bought Apartment and after 2 months we got Turkish Residence permit. Than, I went to Custom office and got stamp into my passport that I can use my Bosnian car in Turkey up to my Bosnian registration plate and insurance-green card expire (beginning of June 2020). Looking to this situation in whole world, If I am prevented from renewing my registration and green card,how is it possible to register my car on Turkish license plate,not to leave Turkey. Is it possible and what will be following procedure and how much money will cost me. Thanks in advance for your reply and help.

Hi allany information would be much appreciated. I am an Australian (age early 30's) with Turkish citizenship (passport) and plan to move to Bodrum area early next year. Currently we am living in London and would like to investigate if taking our car to Turkey would be a good idea. Just trying to figure out if its beneficial to bring our own or buy one when we get there. I did have a look at buying over in Turkey however the cars seem to be so expensive. Has anyone been in the same/ similar situation. Many thanksAyse

How do customs offices calculate the import duty on cars for use by foreign students while living in Turkey? I have two vehicles, one is a 2010 Ford, and the other is a 1979 Lincoln. How much should I expect to pay for either cars as customs import duty? And how soon after importing a car would someone have to export the car back or pay its duty and fees for licensing? Thanks

Nothing special, it is a six year old Astra turbo. It cost somewhere between two and three times what an equivalent car would have cost me in the UK. The equivalent price for Turks must be much more given the lower average wage in Turkey. To change the ownership of the car both we and the seller had to go to the Notary Public where the change of ownership paper was filled out, the money(cash) noted and given to the sellers. We got all the tax and insurance sorted out and new licence plates issued on Friday. My stepsons will be doing most of the driving, but it seems that for a fee and some other documents I can swap my UK driving licence for a Turkish one without having to take another test.

Hello friends, I have a work permit and my wife and I are considering buying a new car and registering it under my name in order to avoid the OTV and KDV tax. Does any one have updated information pertaining to this process/ the stipulations. I suppose the savings would depend on the type of car. Where can I find tax bracket information? Is it true I can never sell the car to anyone except another foreigner? I've heard after 5 yrs I'll get my deposit back and be able to sell to anyone. As always, thanks for any help. Thomas

Temporary Import of a vehicle to Turkey I am writing these notes on my experience of importing my UK vehicle to Turkey, as I could find little information that describes the complete process, and much that was available was inaccurate and incomplete. I did this in Samsun and the process may differ in other places. The process is complex and time-consuming, and the biggest problem is finding the right people to undertake the necessary steps for you, as few will have had to do these for a foreign vehicle, and they can too easily tell you it is not possible. You therefore need to have someone with good Turkish to talk to people and has knowledge of the system, together with lots of patience as you will continually meet "Catch 22" situations, and you have to coax people through them. Note Turing have informed us that you may keep your vehicle in Turkey as long as you have a valid visa (there is no limit). However Turing will only provide the YKGGT for a maximum of two years at a time, but you can renew as often as required. 1. Bring your vehicle to Turkey. You need to obtain a green card to drive through certain countries and for Turkey. You should be able to obtain this from your existing insurance company. I would recommend 1 month cover as the process is time consuming before you can obtain insurance in Turkey, and having your vehicle makes it easier to go to each of the places to complete the various tasks. 2. Driving through Europe to Turkey is covered by others, but note you need to obtain a vignette in many countries to drive on the motorways. How to obtain the vignette or pay tolls varies in each country; often there is an official office at the border crossing. Check before setting out. 3. You should apply in advance for HGS for Turkey. You need this to drive on toll motorways (e.g. from the border at Edirne to Istanbul) and to cross the bridges in Istanbul. You normally obtain this from PTT or banks, so you may need to drive into the nearest town after crossing the border. 4. Collect the necessary documentation required by Turing to obtain the YTGGK (blue card). Turing offices are quite helpful and I suggest you ask them to check your documentation in advance to ensure it is complete before making the actual application (you do not want any delay once your car is in customs). It is easier if you have your residence card as this provides both your ID and that you have a work permit, but they can take other evidence if your card is delayed, such as a printout of payments from social security to prove you are in employment. Note that Turing ask for payment of their fee in cash. 5. You need to send an email to Turing in advance to request the quote for the deposit you need to make for your car. This is based on the age and type of car and is about the same as the declared replacement value of the vehicle for insurance in Turkey, and therefore high. You can take cash or make a bank transfer to Turing. It is suggested to take a receipt of the bank transfer as proof that you have made the deposit. 6. Although Turing will take a bank guarantee letter for the deposit, this is difficult to obtain as a foreigner from a Turkish Bank, and is only available from the national banks. The bank will charge commission, and this may be larger than the interest you may obtain on the deposit to the bank, so you will likely choose to make a bank transfer to Turing. 7. After completing your application with Turing, you must then complete a number of steps to satisfy both customs and the traffic police before your car can be registered in Turkey. However it is recommended that you try to undertake as many of these steps in advance of registering with Turing as possible, as you may need to leave your car with customs until the process is complete, and you are charged for each day your car is in customs by the port authority (~$15 per day). It is also suggested that you contact or visit customs daily to ensure that they are processing your vehicle, that the correct steps are being taken, and the correct documentation has been sent to the traffic police. You will need to do many of the following steps yourself, so allow plenty of time, and be ready to drink lots of tea and sign many pieces of paper. 8. You need to have insurance for the vehicle. There are relatively few Turkish insurance companies, but you cannot deal direct (or on the internet) with them and you must go through one of their agents. Many of these agents will not have insured a foreign vehicle and will tell you that they can only insure vehicles with Turkish plates. You will need to persist until you find an agent that has experience of registering a foreign vehicle or agrees to investigate to do this for you. 9. You will need to obtain an MOT. Vehicle inspection is undertaken at special centres (TUR). Again you may be told that the inspection can only be undertaken on vehicles with Turkish plates, and they may require that you have a letter from customs explaining that you need the MOT for import purposes, so you may only be able to do this once your car is with customs and you may need to persist. You will need to ring in advance for an appointment to take your vehicle. We suggested to the manager that he contact head office in Ankara to enquire about the process and a customs officer came with us. Note you need to pay the fee in cash (~300TL). The certificate is valid for 2 years. 10. Before you go to Turing to submit your application, you need to deposit your car at customs. They will register your vehicle and provide you with a certificate that the car has been deposited with them and confirms details of the vehicle. You take this certificate to Turing with the rest of your documentation to start your application. It is therefore important that everything is in order in your application to prevent unnecessary delays for your car in customs. 11. Turing will process your application immediately and give you the YKGGT document. You then need to return to customs to give them the YKGGT. They will take one of the coupons and return the rest of the document to you. Customs will start their process, which involves repeating much of the paperwork for their purposes. 12. Customs will prepare a dossier that they will send to the traffic police for the police to register your car. You need to go to the traffic police to ensure they receive the dossier and that it contains the correct information. It is essential that customs include the wording that your car is only temporarily exported and therefor exempt from import tax, otherwise the police will not process your application until they receive confirmation that the tax has been paid. 13. You also need to go to the drivers union office (Soforler ve Otomobilciler Esnaf Odasi) to collect the 'Ek.1 formu' form to request the registration for the car. This must be completed and taken to the police. 14. The police will then complete the registration of your vehicle and you wiil be given the registration document for your vehicle. You need to pay a registration fee in cash to the police (~150TL). 15. You need to take the registration document back to the drivers union office where they will make the vehicle plates. 16. Take the plates to customs and collect your car. You will need to pay the port authority for the time your car has been in the port in cash. 17. You need to pay the road tax at a bank. You may need to wait some days for your car to appear on the system before it can be paid. You have a month to pay.

Hi everybody, I'm thinking to start a used cars dealer company in Turkey. But there is a very short amount of information about import taxes, rules, etc, etc.. Could anybody help me with exact info? I already tried to search this and few other forums, but most questions is that "some guy from UK / USA / Mars want to bring a car from his home country to Turkey", my situation are different. I want to import not just 1 car and not for myself and not as a person but as a company (Turkish co.) For example questions to which I would like to know answers: How the import tax are formed? Does it based on the price in the foreign invoice (which I will get for example from German car-dealer) or on some other factors? Do i need to bring car after tax clearance to some "certification agency" or to pay import taxes is the only one thing which I needed to do ? Do i need some special licences from government to be able to import cars into Turkey or I only need a registered Turkish company (like any shop or cafe) ?

Hello all, just discovered this forum and it's awesome! I am likely inbound to Incirlik and I don't have a vehicle, but would like to purchase one when I arrive. What are the options to purchase a car that's a decent size (new baby with lots of baby goods)? I understand that there isn't a lemon lot on Incirlik. What do folks normally do? Also, I heard there isn't a pet boarding facility on incirlik -- what do people with dogs do? We have a small dog who I don't want to have to leave behind for two years! Thanks all! Jim

Hi guys, we are thinking of spending our summer school holidays driving from Turkey and around Europe. Can I take my Turkish car out of Turkey? Do I need additional insurance or is my Turkish insurance enough. Do I need to register the car in Europe? Is it a hassle? Advice please. Jane Janeyinmersin.com

Hey guys! I'm new to the forum. I've been in Turkey for about 2 years now, and am doing my undergrad in Istanbul. I'm looking to buy a used car from another foreigner (MA plates), and had a few questions since I really can't find this information no matter where I look! 1) For cars bought from other foreigners within Turkey, is a Blue Book (Mavi Carnet) issued? Or is it only for cars brought in from abroad? 2) How much does registration cost? I checked with a MA car dealer (Berkay Automobiles, Ankara) and they said its close to 3000TL just for the traffic documents, vehicle plates, and mandatory insurance/muaniye etc. Is this really the case? The traffic police's website only mentions two documents (ruhsat and traffic certificate) for a measly 150TL overall. 3) Can I drive on my license issued in Pakistan, provided that its translated into Turkish? Any help would be appreciated! Thanks in advance

Good afternoon, merahbalar! ive been wondering around internet and this website and didnt get any clear answer. so im issuing a direct question to everyone here in case anyone already got the answer. please note I already addressed ttok. http://www.turing.org.tr/ Question: i want to bring to turkey my trackday / race car to turkey from the uk im married a turkish national, i dont want bring the car under turkish temporal license (green card) the car is not going to be driven on the roads the car will arrive by boat the car wont be sold or passed to anyone in turkey the car is an toyota '01 1800cc, valued 2500 pounds in the uk (stock version) do i HAVE to declare it? how much would be tax it? who would gave to me that quote? thanks o much for your help br fco

I am relocating from T to Spain as a permant adress,but will nontheless spend several months a year in T,preferably on a normal 3 month visa. Since I have 2 dogs that I woul newer,newer send as hold lugage I will probably drive from Spai to T and back 2 times each year(neither as hard,nor as expensive as it sounds if you have the time and considering the dogs "airfare"!!!) While staying in T I would have to make short trips out of the country. 1. I have heard that T enters a foreigners car into his passport when coming to T. Is this correct? 2. I have heard that it is imposible to leave T withouth the car for even a few day,is this correct? 3. I have heard that it might be posible to put the vihicle in "bonded storage" if you need to be out of T briefly,is this correct and if so,is it a practical option given cost and work(red tape hazzle) involved. Maybe there is somthing abouth putting down a giant deposit(the car would be expensive in T) ,which it would probably take a lawyer to reclaim. 4. I do own a car in Turkey,can I own a car(its not tax free,but M plate),withouth a recidency permit. Theese are very important issues for me since I would find it hard to live for extended periods in T withouth a car. If I cannot bring a Spanish car to T I wouls have to park it in Greece for up to of 3 months twice a year and enter withouth it with 2 dogs in tow,which I find downright comical. And by the way turing is useless,rather reminds me of THY costumer service :-) !!!

Hello everybody,My wife and I, both Dutch citizens (NL), have been living in Istanbul with a work permit and residence permit for a few months and driving one of our two NL cars so far. So far, Istanbul surpassed our expectations in every way, but we are not 100% sure yet about committing to buying a car (which, as you all know, is quite an investment our preferred >2000cc segment needed to transport a family in hilly North Istanbul). It is clear that our current NL-plated car will have to leave Turkey after 180 days. What is not immediately clear to us: can we now bring our other, second car from NL and drive that for another 180 days? In brief: does the 180-day limit apply to a specific vehicle or to a specific person ... or even to a specific family? It would really help us if we could postpone the purchase decision with another half year and gain some more time to study the market and rules. Thanks for your kind help! Gerrit

This is from the book "Scotch and Holy Water," written by John D. Tumpane. John was an American contractor sent to work in various parts of Turkey during the 1950s and 1960s. The US government gave him a pamphlet called "The Traffic Rules of Turkey." But after John had been in country for a few years, he decided he was amply qualified to publish his own traffic rules. Here they are: General Rules 1. The first shall be first, and the last shall be guilty. If you are entering a main artery from a side street, simply step on the gas and get there first. After the accident, the police will survey your car. If the damage is anywhere behind the headlights, you are innocent. 2. Always use your horn, not the brakes. Horns rarely wear out. Blow your horn with or without provocation—it wards off evil spirits. 3. Always aim right at a pedestrian crossing the street. If you slow down or swerve right or left, you will ruin his timing. 4. If the street is blocked, use the sidewalks—pedestrians never do. 5. Ignore stop signs. If you stop, you will be rammed from the rear. 6. When you go through an intersection, don't look to the right or left—otherwise you may be expected to give testimony later. 7. U-turns are permitted on any street—they save time and gas. 8. A one-way street simply means a narrow street. Use it in either direction. If you encounter a car coming at you, hold your ground or you will lose face. Turning off the ignition and reading a newspaper is very effective. 9. Always drive down the middle of the street so that you can attempt to avoid hitting anything. Dogs and cats are dispensable, but the Turks get a little sticky about chickens and children. 10. If you approach a traffic light which is red, stop only if there is a policeman hanging around. If you are the second car to approach, pull in front of the first. If you are the third car, pull in front of both. If you are the fourth car, pass on the right and pull in front of all of them. If you are driving a horse cart, pass the whole damn bunch and go right through the light. The policeman will only box your ears. Country Driving 11. If you see a tractor approaching the highway, even a mile away, jam on your brakes and stop. He won't. 12. When approaching a down-grade, push in the clutch and turn off the ignition to save gas. This is particularly effective if you have others in the car, like visitors newly-arrived in Turkey. 13. If you sense something is going wrong with your engine, keep going until smoke starts pouring out of the hood and the car breaks down right in the middle of the road. It is not necessary to pull off the highway since there are no shoulders. Get out, open the hood, pull some wires, and then abandon it. Be sure to put a circle of rocks around your car to protect it. 14. If you are driving a truck and have a flat tire, come to a stop on the highway and unload the cargo in either lane. Jack up the truck, remove the wheel, and hitch a ride on a bus, since you won't have a spare tire. Night Driving 15. When approaching an on-coming car at night, dim your lights at the last endurable moment. This is a form of "chicken." Then, seconds before you pass, flip on your high-beems so that you can see the road ahead. Spotlights may also be used in conjunction with this maneuver. 16. If you see an eerie green light, like a laser beam stretching across the highway, about three feet off the ground, jam on your breaks! Stop dead! It's a flock of sheep coming towards you. The green light is a reflection of the eyes of the sheep. 17. If you have to abandon your car or truck at night (breakdown or out of gas), don't leave your parking lights on as this will only run down the battery. Don't forget, however, to put the circle of rocks around the vehicle. 18. Finally, if you have an accident in Turkey, Allah forbid, you have just changed your career in life. Welcome to Turkey. Happy Motoring!

Hi there,I moved to Istanbul yesterday from Ireland for work purposes. I am a Dutch and Turkish citizen but have never lived in Turkey since I was born in the Netherlands and lived in Dublin for the last couple of years. Last year, I have imported my car (Mini cooper) from the Netherlands to Ireland and I would like to import the same car into Turkey. Any ideas what the rules are? And what the costs are? Any resources I could use? Many thanks in advance.

Dear All, Currently I am in Turkey on a student Resident Permit that valid for 3 years "I guess". Recently I decided to buy a vehicle in Istanbul, however; and for some reason, the secondhand cars are way too expensive . So, I have my car back home sitting in the garage is doing nothing and no one is using it. My question is, what has to be done in order to register my car that I will ship in two months? I knew that importing a car is a headache, but I can't afford to buy a car in Turkey since I am a student . Also, I am wondering if there are shipping companies who can handle the shipping and the registration process I am open to any suggestions Cheers, Adie

I am aware of the 6th month rule about carsbut I was recently told while in Turkey that this did not apply if you were over 60can anyone shed any light on thisthanks

Hi, Does any one know if we can register a new car in joint foreign names? my partner and I want to buy a new car, we are in the process of getting our resident permits which i know we need so we get the ID number. If we were married we could register the car in one of our names and the husband or wife would be able to drive, however even though we are a family; my partner is Bulgarian and i am English and we live in Izmir with our little girl, it seems in Turkey because we are not married we are not recognised as a family. So thats why i need to find out if its possible to register the car in two names, otherwise a car bought by a foreigner is only for the registered owner to drive. Also i read that we need to have our passport translated and notorised to register the car, even though we will have our residence books and id number by then, is this true?

I have a UK passport and a Turkish Kimlik through marriage. Currently I live in North Cyprus but we are moving back to Turkey soon. I have a 1970 VW Beetle that I would like to bring with me, does anyone know what I will need to do, or indeed if I can bring it into Turkey. Thank you for your help

So I was at Incirlik for about 16 months from 05-07 as military and loved it so much that I just moved back this week after accepting a contracting position. I must say I missed this place a lot, glad to be back, hope to be here for another 5-6 years minimum. Right now I am here on NATO orders awaiting a work visa. Am I still allowed to purchase a vehicle on the local economy while on NATO orders? I also do not remember any places to purchase cars out in Adana. Anyone ever found a good place for that? I am looking for a used Focus since it is a safe bet almost any mechanic in Turkey would be familiar with working on such a popular car. Thanks for any advice!

This is relatively straightforward. You pay tax here on the 1st Jan and the 1st July, depending on the size of your car, the bill gets higher every year and this year it flew up. If you have bought a car, especially if it is second hand, make sure there is no outstanding tax debt on the car BEFORE YOU HAND OVER A PENNY. You will have been to the tax office to get your tax number before, so go back to the same place and as soon as you go through the door, straight ahead with a sign over it is M. V. T. Give the guys your ownership book, and ask them to check the vehicle tax is ok. Do this because I recently enquired and found the dealership i bought it from screwed it up and never paid the first tax from 3 years ago, to which i flame-threw them for. They were sorry and fixed it in a day. How quite i paid tax all this time and no one mention it was beyond me. So do check it because they do make mistakes. Once you have determined your bill for the car for the year, you can either the full year or the 6 months and then pay 6 months later again. Then just take your ownership book to the cashier who enters the car plate number, prints out the payment, hands it to the next guy and you pay it. Also don't be tempted to pay it online, I did the first time and the bank sent it to the tax office in Mugla, boy was that a job and a half tracking that money down and trying to explain it. If you don't pay on time they do charge interest, its not much but they will start upping it soon as so many are taking the mickey. Keep all receipts......