Turkish Arrest Warrant or Summons: What To Do When You Live in Germany
Legal Notice: This article addresses Turkish law exclusively. Doğru Kanzlei advises on Turkish law under § 207 BRAO and does not advise on German domestic criminal law, family law, or immigration law.
For tens of thousands of people from Turkey living across Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Scandinavia, and beyond, this is not a hypothetical. A summons or an active arrest warrant (known in Turkish as a Yakalama Kararı) from Turkey can disrupt daily life even in your country of residence — whether you have been in contact with Turkish authorities recently or not.
Here is the important thing: you are not defenceless. Turkish criminal procedure law — the CMK (Ceza Muhakemesi Kanunu), Turkey's Code of Criminal Procedure — gives you clear legal rights. And in many cases, the entire process can be managed from Germany without you setting foot in Turkey.
This guide explains what a Turkish arrest warrant is, how it comes about, what it means for you, and what concrete steps you should take right now.
What Is a Yakalama Kararı?
A Yakalama Kararı (literally: apprehension or seizure order) is a judicial warrant issued by a Turkish magistrate judge under CMK Article 98. It authorises the Turkish police to locate a person and bring them forcibly before the court or public prosecutor.
It typically arises this way: a criminal investigation is opened by the public prosecutor. A formal summons (Tebligat) is sent to the suspect. The summons fails to reach the person — because they live in Germany and the notification was sent to an old Turkish address — or is ignored. The magistrate judge then issues a Yakalama Kararı so that the person can be compelled to appear. The warrant is entered into the UYAP court information system and becomes immediately visible at every border crossing and airport in Turkey.
In some cases, a Yakalama Kararı can be issued directly — without any prior summons — when there is strong suspicion of a serious offence and a risk of flight (CMK Art. 98(2)). In these situations, you may be entirely unaware that a warrant exists.
⚠️ Important: A Yakalama Kararı has no automatic expiry date. It stays active in the UYAP system until the court formally revokes it. Without proactive legal steps, it can remain valid for years or even decades.
Summons vs Arrest Warrant: What Is the Difference?
Many people use the terms interchangeably, but they are legally and practically very different:
| Measure | Legal basis | What it means | Consequence if ignored |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tebligat (Summons) | CMK Art. 145, Notification Law | Formal invitation to appear or receive notice | Yakalama Kararı may be issued |
| Yakalama Kararı (Apprehension Warrant) | CMK Art. 98 | Judicial order authorising police to bring you in by force | Immediate detention at the border or inside Turkey |
| Zorla Getirme (Forced Appearance) | CMK Art. 146 | Compulsory attendance carried out by police | Physical apprehension |
| Tutuklama (Pre-trial Detention) | CMK Art. 100 | Remand in custody | Detention until trial or until bail conditions satisfied |
A Tebligat is an invitation. A Yakalama Kararı is a coercive order. Failing to respond to a Tebligat leads to the warrant; how you behave after being brought in under the warrant can lead to pre-trial detention.
How Do I Know If There Is a Case Against Me in Turkey?
Turkey's justice ministry operates UYAP (Ulusal Yargı Ağı Bilişim Sistemi — the National Judiciary Informatics System), a centralised network that records all court proceedings, warrants, and notifications. A Turkish-registered lawyer with UYAP access can check on your behalf whether:
This check can be done from Germany — you do not need to travel. Turkish citizens may also access certain case details themselves via the e-Devlet (e-Government) portal at turkiye.gov.tr.
⚠️ Important: Under Turkish notification law (Tebligat Kanunu Art. 25/a), a summons delivered to your registered Turkish address is considered legally served — even if you no longer live there and never received the letter. "I didn't get anything" is not a legal defence.
What Happens If I Travel to Turkey With an Active Warrant?
This is the question we are asked most often. The answer is unambiguous: an active Yakalama Kararı is visible at every border crossing and airport in Turkey.
When you present your passport at immigration control, the warrant appears in the system. You are detained immediately. Turkish law (CMK Art. 91) requires that you be brought before a magistrate judge within 24 hours of detention. At that hearing, the judge decides:
That decision rests on the judge's assessment of the case, the severity of the allegations, and whether they consider you a flight risk. If you arrive without a lawyer, without knowledge of the case, and without a prepared statement, you have no control over that outcome.
Can Turkey Have Me Extradited From Germany?
This is a critical question, and the answer depends on your nationality:
German nationals: Under Article 16(2) of the German Basic Law (Grundgesetz), German nationals generally cannot be extradited to third countries, including Turkey. A Turkish extradition request would, in most cases, be declined by German authorities.
Turkish nationals resident in Germany: Extradition is possible. Germany and Turkey are bound by a bilateral extradition treaty. Under the German International Legal Assistance Act (IRG), an extradition request is reviewed by the relevant Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht) and the Federal Ministry of Justice. If the conditions are met, extradition can be ordered.
Dual nationals: Cases must be assessed individually. The specific charges, the nationality situation, and whether German citizenship was acquired before or after the alleged offence all play a role.
Interpol Red Notice: Separately from a formal extradition request, Turkey can apply to Interpol for a Red Notice. This flags your details in Interpol's databases and can result in temporary detention at border crossings — including within the Schengen area. A Red Notice does not oblige a Schengen country to extradite, but it creates real-world complications for international travel.
Your Rights as a Defendant Under Turkish Criminal Law
Even if you are based abroad, Turkish criminal procedure law gives you meaningful rights:
Right to a defence lawyer (CMK Art. 147): You have the right to be represented by a Turkish-registered lawyer (Avukat) at every stage of the proceedings. Your lawyer can review the case file, attend hearings, make applications, and act on your behalf — in many procedural phases, without requiring your physical presence.
Right to silence: You cannot be compelled to incriminate yourself. Giving a statement without legal guidance — particularly in an unfamiliar legal system, in a second language — is almost always inadvisable.
Video-link testimony via SEGBİS (CMK Art. 196): Turkish law permits statements to be taken via video conference through the SEGBİS system (Ses ve Görüntü Bilişim Sistemi — Audio and Video Information System). Your lawyer must apply to the court for this option, and the court has discretion to approve it. Living abroad, combined with the impracticality of travel, is a recognised ground for approval in many cases.
Right to access the case file: Your lawyer can request full access to all investigation documents in the UYAP system.
How Is a Yakalama Kararı Lifted?
It will not go away on its own. There are three legal routes:
1. Personal appearance and statement: The most direct option. With proper legal preparation, you appear before the court, give your statement, and — depending on the outcome — may be free to leave. This should never be done without a lawyer who has already reviewed the full case file.
2. Application for SEGBİS video testimony: Your lawyer applies to the court for the warrant to be replaced by a video-link hearing. If the court agrees, the practical danger of border detention is removed, and you can give your statement from Germany or another country.
3. Application for case dismissal: If there are grounds — insufficient evidence, procedural flaws, statute of limitations, or absence of a criminal offence — your lawyer can apply for a non-prosecution decision (Kovuşturmaya Yer Olmadığı Kararı). If the case is dismissed, the warrant falls away automatically.
The Power of Attorney: How to Authorise Your Lawyer From Germany
For your Turkish-registered lawyer to act on your behalf, you need to grant them a notarised power of attorney — known in Turkish as a Vekâletname. You can obtain this in Germany in two ways:
Once signed and notarised, the Vekâletname authorises your lawyer to review the file, attend hearings, apply to lift the warrant, request SEGBİS video testimony, and carry out all procedural steps on your behalf — without you travelling to Turkey.
Doğru Kanzlei: Why We Handle These Cases Differently
Doğru Kanzlei holds dual bar membership: with the Ankara Bar Association (Ankara Barosu, Registration No. 47068) and with the Karlsruhe Bar Association (Rechtsanwaltskammer Karlsruhe, § 207 BRAO). This means we appear directly before Turkish criminal courts — without needing to involve an intermediary Turkish lawyer. For you, that means one direct point of contact who understands both the Turkish and the German legal context.
Av. Hasan Doğru brings a background that is genuinely rare in legal practice: before his legal career, he spent approximately ten years as a member of Özel Harekat — Turkey's national police Special Operations unit (Emniyet Genel Müdürlüğü). That experience — knowing how Turkish police investigations are structured, how evidence is gathered, and how prosecutorial decisions are made — translates into a concrete advantage in criminal defence work.
What we do for clients in your situation:
Request a Free Initial Assessment with Doğru Kanzlei →
Step-by-Step: What To Do Right Now
If you have learned — or suspect — that there is an active Turkish criminal matter against you:
This Guide Is Also Available in Other Languages
This guide is also available in Turkish — for Turkish-speaking family members or if you prefer to read it in Turkish:
Türkiye'den Tebligat veya Yakalama Kararı: Almanya'dan Ne Yapmalısınız? →
And in German — for German-speaking family members, colleagues, or advisers:
Haftbefehl oder Vorladung aus der Türkei: Was tun aus Deutschland? →
Received a summons or arrest warrant from Turkey?
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