Who this is for
This page is for a foreign creditor — often a company, investor, or supplier — who has already won. You have a final court judgment or an arbitral award from outside Türkiye, the debtor has not paid, and the debtor or their assets are in Türkiye. You want to collect.
A foreign judgment or award has no automatic force in Türkiye. You cannot hand it to a Turkish enforcement office and start seizing assets. Before anything can happen, a Turkish court must give the foreign decision legal effect. There are two routes:
- Recognition (tanıma) — the court accepts the foreign decision as having effect in Türkiye (for example, to rely on a finding or status). It does not, by itself, create a power to seize assets.
- Enforcement (tenfiz) — the court turns the foreign decision into something you can execute in Türkiye, so you can then pursue the debtor's assets.
If your aim is to collect money, you generally need tenfiz, not just tanıma.
The legal route and who is liable
The route depends on what you are holding.
Foreign court judgments are handled under MÖHUK (Law No. 5718), broadly in articles ~50-59. You file a tenfiz case at the competent Turkish court. The court checks a defined set of conditions in MÖHUK 54 — including that the judgment is final, that there is reciprocity (by treaty (anlaşma), statute, or de facto practice) between Türkiye and the country of origin, that the defendant's defence rights were respected, and that the result does not breach Turkish public policy (kamu düzeni). It does not re-try the dispute.
Foreign arbitral awards are handled under MÖHUK arts ~60-63 and, where it applies, the 1958 New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, to which Türkiye is a party (subject to its commercial and reciprocity reservations). The grounds a court may refuse on are limited and largely mirror Article V of the Convention (for example, an invalid arbitration agreement, lack of proper notice, the tribunal exceeding its mandate, or a public-policy conflict).
The person liable is the debtor named in your judgment or award. Enforcement reaches the assets of that debtor in Türkiye.
What you can recover or achieve
A successful tenfiz decision makes your foreign judgment or award executable in Türkiye. With it, you can open Turkish enforcement proceedings (icra takibi) and pursue the debtor's assets here — for example by attaching (haciz) bank accounts, receivables, vehicles, or real estate, within the limits Turkish enforcement law allows.
What the decision covers is the sum and relief set out in your foreign judgment or award — the principal, plus interest and costs as that decision provides. A Turkish court applying tenfiz does not increase or reduce the underlying claim; it gives effect to what you already hold (subject to the conditions above). What is actually collected then depends on the debtor's assets and the enforcement process — something no lawyer can promise in advance.
A judgment travels only with its paperwork.Certified copies, finality confirmation, apostille and sworn translation are what make a foreign decision usable in Türkiye.
How long you have
Two different clocks matter, and both should be checked against your exact facts.
First, your underlying judgment or award is itself subject to a time limit for being enforced — generally measured from when it became final. Foreign judgments that are stale under their own law may face difficulty here. Second, once you obtain a Turkish enforcement title, Turkish enforcement law applies its own periods to acting on it.
As a general guide, Turkish practice often treats money judgments as carrying a ten-year enforcement period, but the correct period and start date depend on the type of decision, the country of origin, and the facts. Treat any number you read online as a starting point to be verified, not a settled rule for your case.
How it works when you are abroad
You do not need to travel to Türkiye to bring a recognition or enforcement case. It can generally be run remotely once the paperwork is in order.
Typically you will need to grant a power of attorney (vekaletname) authorising a Turkish lawyer to act for you. For use in Türkiye, foreign documents — your judgment or award, and supporting papers — usually need to be apostilled (or legalised, depending on the country) and accompanied by a sworn Turkish translation (yeminli tercüme). Courts will expect properly certified copies of the foreign decision showing it is final or binding.
We tell you which documents are needed for your country at the outset, so you can prepare them once and correctly. Communication is in plain English throughout.
How we work and your next step
Restitora is the practice of a licensed Turkish lawyer (avukat). We act as your counsel of record and represent you before the Turkish courts and enforcement offices. We are not a debt-collection agency or a claims buyer — you remain the creditor, and we represent you.
Use our free interactive tool to verify whether your country has a bilateral treaty waiving the foreign plaintiff security deposit under MÖHUK Article 48.
Open Tenfiz & Deposit Checker →A typical engagement runs in stages: an intake review of your judgment or award and the reciprocity position; the tenfiz (or tanıma) case; and then, if granted, opening Turkish enforcement proceedings (icra takibi) against the debtor's assets.
Fees are explained clearly at the outset. We typically work on a success-fee basis within the limits Turkish law allows (under Avukatlık Kanunu art. 164, a success fee may not exceed 25% and cannot be a pure share of the asset itself). To start, send us your judgment or award and the basic facts, and we will assess whether enforcement in Türkiye is realistic for your situation.
An honest note
Recognition and enforcement is a structured, document-driven process — but it is not automatic, and the outcome cannot be guaranteed. A debtor can contest the case on the limited grounds the law allows, reciprocity may be missing for some countries, and what is ultimately collected depends on the assets the debtor actually has in Türkiye. We will give you a candid read on whether a case is worth bringing before you commit.
This page is general information about Turkish law. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Your case turns on its own facts, which we would need to review.
📚 Deep Dive: Read our comprehensive guide on enforcing international arbitral awards (ICC, LCIA, SIAC) under the 1958 New York Convention in Türkiye.