"Personal injury" is the law's plain name for being hurt because someone else didn't take the care they should have. On holiday or living abroad, it feels anything but plain — you're in pain, far from home, unsure whether the Turkish system is even open to you. It is. Here's how it works.
Situations we handle
Common personal-injury claims we bring for foreigners in Türkiye include:
- Hotels & premises — slips and falls, pool and balcony accidents, unsafe stairs, food poisoning at all-inclusive resorts.
- Excursions & watersports — boat trips, jet-skis, paragliding, diving, quad bikes and organised activities where an operator was careless or equipment failed.
- Medical negligence — harm from surgery, dental work, cosmetic procedures or treatment that fell below the proper standard (see below).
- Accidents at work — foreign employees injured on the job.
- Bereavement — families who lost a relative and can claim for lost support.
Injured on the road instead? See traffic accident compensation, which follows slightly different rules.
Who is liable
Most personal-injury claims rest on the Turkish Code of Obligations (Türk Borçlar Kanunu, Law No. 6098), which makes a person or business liable where, through fault, they unlawfully cause harm. In practice the responsible party is usually the one who failed to keep you safe:
- the hotel or business that let a hazard go unfixed;
- the excursion or activity operator who cut a corner on safety or equipment;
- a tour operator, whose responsibility may also arise under Turkish package-travel and consumer rules;
- an employer, for an unsafe workplace.
Where that party carries liability insurance, the insurer is often the one who ultimately pays.
Medical negligence — a special note
Where you were treated changes the route your claim takes:
- A private hospital, clinic or doctor — the claim is a civil one, under contract and the Code of Obligations.
- A public/state hospital — claims generally go through the administrative courts as a full-remedy action (tam yargı davası), usually after a prior application to the administration, and on a different timetable.
What you can claim
As with any injury claim, the aim is to restore you, as far as money can, to where you would have been:
- Medical & treatment costs, including corrective treatment and future care.
- Lost income and, for lasting injuries, loss of earning capacity.
- Pain and suffering (manevi tazminat).
- Loss of support and funeral costs where a death is involved.
How these are valued — from evidence, with future losses worked out actuarially — is explained on our how compensation is calculated section.
How long you have to claim
Personal-injury claims under the Code of Obligations carry a limitation period — as a general rule, a shorter period running from when you learn of the harm and who caused it, and a longer long-stop from the event. As with road accidents, where the injury also involves a criminal offence, a longer period can apply. Medical claims against public hospitals run on administrative-law timetables instead.
Claiming from abroad
You generally don't need to return to Türkiye. You appoint us with a power of attorney (vekâletname) signed at a notary in your country, apostilled or consular-legalised, with a sworn Turkish translation. We then deal with the business, its insurer, the medical experts and the court for you.
Useful to keep: photos of the hazard and your injuries, the incident report or hotel/operator record, medical records and discharge summaries (epikriz), receipts, witness contacts, and your booking or employment documents.
How we handle your claim
- Initial review. You tell us what happened; we review it at no cost and give an honest view.
- You appoint us. One power of attorney, signed remotely.
- We pursue it. We gather and translate the evidence, value the loss, and press the responsible party and its insurer — by negotiation or through the courts.
- Outcome. Any sums recovered are accounted to you, explained in English throughout.
Use our interactive tool to check the strict 2-year and 10-year statutes of limitations (TBK art. 72) and assess your route for medical negligence, hotel, or bodily injury claims.
Open Injury Time-Limit & Claim Checker →Frequently asked questions
I was hurt at an all-inclusive hotel — who do I claim against?
Usually the hotel or the business responsible for the hazard, and sometimes the tour operator as well. Where they carry liability insurance, the insurer often pays. We work out the right defendant for your facts.
My excursion was booked through a foreign travel company — does Turkish law still apply?
An accident that happens in Türkiye is generally governed by Turkish law, and the local operator can be pursued here. Your contract with a tour company abroad may give additional rights — we look at both.
I had surgery or dental work in Türkiye that went wrong — is that a claim?
It can be, if the care fell below the proper standard or you weren't properly informed of the risks. Whether it's a civil or administrative claim depends on whether the provider was private or public. We assess it candidly first.
Can this really be done after I've gone home?
Yes. The whole matter is run remotely under a power of attorney, with everything reported to you in English.
Related: traffic accident compensation · insurance claim disputes · all questions.