Société de recouvrement en Turquie - Sans succès, pas de frais

Recouvrement de créances en Turquie - réponses rapides

Debt collection in Turkey is unusual in one respect that shapes every recovery strategy: a creditor can open enforcement proceedings without a court judgment first. The headline rules are below.

How much does debt collection cost in Turkey?

Pre-legal collection is success-based (No Cure, No Pay), so the amicable phase costs you nothing unless money is recovered. Opening ilamsız icra (enforcement without a prior judgment) at the icra dairesi carries statutory filing and service costs, and a contested claim adds court costs and lawyer's fees. Turkey indexes its judicial monetary thresholds and fee items annually to the tax revaluation rate, set at 25.49% for 2026, so any figure quoted for a previous year is out of date; your partner quotes the current cost for your claim before you approve a legal step.

How long does debt collection take in Turkey?

The enforcement route moves quickly when the debtor does not object: the icra müdürü issues an ödeme emri (payment order) on the takip talebi, and the debtor has 7 days from service to pay or object. If the debtor objects in time, proceedings halt, and the creditor then has 1 year to bring an itirazın iptali (annulment of objection) action or, where the debt rests on a signed or notarised instrument, 6 months to apply for itirazın kesin kaldırılması (definitive removal of the objection). A fully contested claim runs through the Asliye Hukuk Mahkemesi with an istinaf appeal above it.

What is the limitation period for a debt in Turkey, and does it differ for consumers?

The general limitation period (zamanaşımı) is 10 years under Türk Borçlar Kanunu (the Turkish Code of Obligations, Law No. 6098) article 146, and 5 years under article 147 for six specific claim types: rent and other periodic payments, hotel and restaurant bills, small-scale retail and craft-work sales, partnership-internal claims, agency and commission claims, and most construction-contract claims. This framework applies to both commercial and consumer claims: Turkish law sets no separate limitation period for consumer debt. The Tüketicinin Korunması Hakkında Kanun (the Consumer Protection Law, Law No. 6502) contains only two limitation articles, article 12 (2 years for a defective good, 5 years for housing) and article 16 (2 years for a defective service), and both govern the consumer's claim against a seller rather than a creditor collecting a debt from a consumer. Article 147's shorter periods key off the type of claim, not the debtor's merchant or consumer status.

What statutory interest applies to a Turkish debt?

Turkey sets two different default rates, and here the commercial and consumer positions genuinely diverge. Where no contractual rate is agreed, commercial default interest between merchants follows Kanuni Faiz ve Temerrüt Faizine İlişkin Kanun (the Law on Statutory and Default Interest, Law No. 3095) article 2, which tracks the Central Bank of Turkey's avans (short-term advance) rate as at 31 December of the previous year when that is higher than the general rate; the TCMB avans rate has stood at 39.75% per annum since 20 December 2025. General and consumer default interest under article 1 of the same law is 24% per annum where no rate is agreed. Compound interest is banned outright in consumer transactions, even in default (Law No. 6502, article 4(7)), while Türk Ticaret Kanunu (the Turkish Commercial Code, Law No. 6102) article 8 permits it between merchants at intervals of at least three months.

What documents do I need to collect a debt in Turkey?

Ilamsız icra can be opened on the creditor's own statement, without filing the underlying documents at the outset, which is why the route is fast. What decides the case is what happens after an objection: a signed or notarised instrument (a promissory note, a signed acknowledgement, a notarised contract) unlocks the shorter 6-month itirazın kesin kaldırılması route, while an unsigned invoice trail leaves you with the 1-year itirazın iptali action. Assemble the contract, invoices, statement of account, proof of delivery and any signed acknowledgement before you start.

Which route should my claim take in Turkey?

Most claims start with ilamsız icra, because it puts a payment order in front of the debtor without a court case. If the debtor is a tacir (merchant) or otherwise subject to bankruptcy by special law, the iflas yolu (bankruptcy route) is also available and is often the stronger lever; against an ordinary consumer only haciz (attachment) is possible. A claim that is genuinely disputed on the merits belongs in an ordinary action before the Asliye Hukuk Mahkemesi, which hears money claims regardless of value.

Qui fait quoi dans le recouvrement de créances en Turquie ?

Recovery in Turkey involves a collection agency or law firm for the amicable phase, the icra dairesi for enforcement, and the civil courts when a claim is contested. Debitura is the platform that routes and tracks your claim; the regulated work in Turkey is performed by our licensed local partner, ARS Consultancy.

Collection agencies in Turkey

A collection agency manages the amicable phase: tracing and contacting the debtor, issuing a formal payment demand, negotiating settlement or an instalment plan, and documenting the outcome. Agencies register with the trade registry and operate as commercial companies; they cannot themselves compel payment, so their value lies in resolving the claim before the statutory machinery is needed and in preparing the file if it is.

The icra dairesi and the icra müdürü in Turkey

The icra dairesi (enforcement office) is the state body that actually enforces. On a takip talebi (enforcement request) the icra müdürü (enforcement director) issues the ödeme emri and, if no timely objection follows, proceeds to haciz (attachment) of the debtor's assets and their sale. Enforcement officers are court-attached public officials, not private bailiffs, and they act on the creditor's application under the İcra ve İflas Kanunu (the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law, Law No. 2004).

Lawyers in Turkey

An avukat (lawyer) is needed once an objection has to be lifted, since itirazın iptali and itirazın kesin kaldırılması are court actions, and for any ordinary action or bankruptcy petition. For a foreign creditor, Turkish counsel is also the practical route to a valid power of attorney and to representation before the Asliye Hukuk Mahkemesi.