Can a foreign judgment be enforced directly in Turkey?

No. A separate declaration of enforceability (tenfiz) by a Turkish court is required under Articles 50 et seq. MÖHUK. We assess your title free of charge.

Is a default payment order recognisable in Turkey?

No, it carries evidentiary weight at best. In that case we assess whether enforcement without a title (ilamsız icra takibi) or litigation in Turkey is the better route.

How long does the process take?

Recognition proceedings frequently take eight months or more; service on the debtor is the decisive factor. Enforcement afterwards is much faster for bank accounts.

Do I need to travel to Turkey as the creditor?

No. The entire procedure runs on a notarised power of attorney executed at a Turkish consulate or before a notary with an apostille.

How is this different from your general debt-enforcement service?

This page specialises in recognising and enforcing foreign (particularly German) judgments in Turkey — tenfiz, preliminary attachment and asset tracing for institutional creditors. If you already hold a Turkish title, or need to proceed directly against a Turkish debtor, see our Debt Enforcement in Turkey (general) service page.

Does the initial assessment cost anything?

No. Send us the title and a brief summary of the facts and you will receive an assessment of recognisability, the applicable route and expected costs.

Türkiye'de Alacak Tahsili

Debt Enforcement in Turkey

For creditors, insolvency administrators, collection agencies and public authorities – recognition of foreign judgments (tenfiz), asset tracing, preliminary attachment and enforcement, handled directly on the ground.

Debt Enforcement in Turkey — Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments (Tenfiz)

Does the debtor hold assets in Turkey? We turn your judgment into actual recovery there.

A foreign judgment has no automatic effect in Turkey. If the debtor holds property, a bank account or a shareholding there, a Turkish court must first issue a declaration of enforceability (tenfiz) before that asset can be reached.

For creditors, insolvency administrators, collection agencies and public authorities — including maintenance-advance funds and youth welfare offices — we run this procedure entirely from outside Turkey, without a local correspondent firm in between.

What we do for you:

—Title assessment — evaluating whether your judgment is capable of recognition in Turkey; for titles that are not, such as a default payment order, identifying the right alternative route

—Asset tracing — land registry searches through the Tapu system, commercial register and vehicle register checks, so costs only arise where recovery is realistic

—İhtiyati Haciz — preliminary attachment and a land registry restriction before the debtor can move assets

—Tenfiz proceedings — the recognition and enforcement action under Articles 50 et seq. MÖHUK before the competent Turkish court

—Enforcement without a title — direct execution proceedings (ilamsız icra takibi) where the judgment itself is not recognisable

—Enforcement of maintenance orders — subrogated claims for public authorities under statutory maintenance-advance schemes

—Challenging asset transfers — tracing and contesting transfers to relatives through the land registry history

—Realisation — attachment, account access, wage attachment and real-estate auction where needed

How the process works:

We first review your title and the facts. If it is recognisable, we secure the assets through İhtiyati Haciz and then bring and conduct the tenfiz action. The whole procedure runs on a notarised power of attorney — you do not need to travel to Turkey. The full explanation of the tenfiz procedure is in our blog article "Enforcing a Foreign Judgment in Turkey".

For general enforcement and collection in Turkey — for example where a Turkish title already exists or you need to proceed directly against a Turkish debtor — see our Debt Enforcement in Turkey (general) service page.

Free initial assessment: send us the title and a brief summary of the facts. You will receive an assessment of whether the title is recognisable in Turkey, which procedural route applies, and whether asset tracing is worthwhile.