Do you still have a
claim in Türkiye?
Deadlines (zamanaşımı) run differently by claim type — some are longer than people fear, but they do run. Tell us your type of claim and roughly when it happened, and we'll show you, honestly, where you stand. In plain English, in under a minute. No figures, no obligation.
This is a guide, not legal advice or a deadline calculation. The exact period turns on your precise dates, when you were notified (tebliğ) or found out, and other facts we don't have yet.
Time limits (zamanaşımı) in Türkiye, by claim type
There is no single deadline that fits every matter. Each kind of claim runs to its own clock, set by its own statute, and the date that clock starts from is not always the date something “happened”. This is general information about Turkish law for foreigners, not legal advice — but here is the usual shape, by type.
- Money owed (debt / contract): contractual claims generally run for ten years under the Turkish Code of Obligations (TBK art. 146), while some specific or periodic claims — such as rent or recurring payments — run for a shorter five years (TBK art. 147).
- Property or deposit: a contract-based claim generally follows the ten-year period (TBK), but consumer purchases and some specific property situations can carry shorter periods, so the right one depends on how and why you bought — confirm.
- Inheritance / estate: obtaining the certificate of inheritance (mirasçılık belgesi / veraset ilamı) is not itself time-barred, but related claims — such as the reserved-share / abatement action (tenkis) — carry their own periods, so the deadline depends on what exactly you are claiming — confirm.
- Unpaid wages / severance: employment receivables generally carry a five-year period (Labour Act and the Labour Courts Act, Law No. 7036), and most claims first require mandatory pre-court mediation (arabuluculuk) before a case can start.
- Accident or injury (tort): generally two years from when you learn of the harm and who is responsible, with a ten-year long-stop from the event (TBK art. 72) — but where the act is also a crime, the longer criminal limitation period applies, and road accidents follow the special rules of the Highway Traffic Code (KTK, Law No. 2918, art. 109).
- Insurance (denied or underpaid): generally two years under the Turkish Commercial Code (TTK, Law No. 6102), with longer periods for some life cover; many disputes can go to the Insurance Arbitration Commission (Sigorta Tahkim, under the Insurance Act, Law No. 5684) instead of court.
- Enforcing a foreign judgment (tenfiz): recognition and enforcement run under MÖHUK (Law No. 5718); the right to seek tenfiz generally runs for around ten years from the judgment becoming final, though this depends on the facts — confirm.
That is why this tool gives you a direction, not a verdict. Deadlines turn on your exact dates and, for accidents, on whether a crime was involved — so the honest next step, if you are anywhere near a line, is to confirm the period that applies to your situation rather than assume the door has closed.
Common questions
Is it really too late after 2 years?
Not necessarily. The two-year period people have in mind usually applies to injury and accident (tort) claims, and it runs from when you learn of the harm and who is responsible — not always from the event. There is also a longer ten-year overall cut-off, and where the accident is also a crime, a longer criminal limitation period can apply instead. Other claim types — debt, property, inheritance — often run much longer. Don't assume it's gone; confirm now.
Do criminal accidents have longer limits?
Often, yes. Where the act that injured you is also a criminal offence, Turkish law can apply the longer criminal-law limitation period to the compensation claim instead of the ordinary two-year tort period. This is why an accident you assume is time-barred is sometimes still pursuable. Whether it applies depends on the specific facts and offence, so it is worth checking rather than assuming.
What date does the clock start?
It depends on the claim. For injury it often runs from when you learned of the harm and the responsible party; for a debt, from when payment fell due; for wages, commonly from when the employment ended; for insurance, from when the claim became due; and for enforcing a foreign judgment, generally from when it became final. Because the start date moves with the type of claim and your exact dates, it is best confirmed on your facts.
I'm not sure of the date — what now?
That's common, and it's not a reason to wait. Often the start date is something a lawyer can pin down from documents — a notification (tebliğ), a denial letter, a contract, or when you first found out. Send what you have and we'll check which period applies, usually the same day. If you are anywhere near a deadline, confirming now keeps your options open.
Worried you're running out of time?
Tell us your claim type and your dates, and get an honest read on whether you're still in time — in English, at no cost.