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August 2026 – On 31 July 2026, Law No. 7589 on Amendments to Certain Laws to Enhance the Efficiency and Effectiveness of the Judiciary ("Law No. 7589") was published in the Official Gazette of Türkiye. The law represents the latest stage of Türkiye’s judicial reform efforts, commonly referred to as the "12th Judicial Reform Package".
Law No. 7589 introduces a broad range of amendments affecting civil and administrative procedure, criminal justice, inheritance law, and cybercrime regulation. The reforms are primarily aimed at improving the efficiency of judicial proceedings, reducing delays, and addressing practical issues that have arisen in the application of existing legislation.
From a civil litigation perspective, the most significant changes include the abolition of actions for unquantified receivables, a frequently used procedural mechanism in Turkish litigation, the restructuring of the statutory interest framework, and new measures concerning the use of remote court hearings.
Below we summarise the key amendments that are likely to have the greatest practical impact on civil disputes and litigation strategy in Türkiye.
1. Abolition of the Action for Unquantified Receivables
Article 19 of Law No. 7589 repeals Article 107 of the Turkish Code of Civil Procedure No. 6100 ("CCP"), thereby abolishing the procedural mechanism known as the action for unquantified receivables (belirsiz alacak davası).
Under the former regime, where the value of a monetary claim could not be determined at the time of filing, claimants could initiate proceedings by stating only a minimum amount and subsequently increase the amount claimed without being subject to the prohibition on the extension of claims. This mechanism was widely used, particularly in employment and compensation disputes.
Following the amendment, the action for unquantified receivables has been abolished, and its core features have largely been incorporated into the rules governing partial claims. Accordingly, claimants who initially assert only part of a monetary claim may increase the claimed amount once, until the close of the evidentiary phase. In addition, the statute of limitations for the additional amount claimed will be deemed to have been interrupted as of the original filing date.
As a result, claims that cannot be fully quantified at the outset are expected to be pursued through the partial claim mechanism. However, the repeal will not affect proceedings filed before 31 July 2026, for which the former Article 107 of the CCP will continue to apply.
2. New Cassation Route Introduced for Regional Court of Appeal Decisions
Following the Constitutional Court's ruling dated 26 February 2026 concerning Article 362(1)(a) of the Code of Civil Procedure ("CCP"), Law No. 7589 introduces a new mechanism for cassation review. The newly introduced Article 362(3) creates an exception to the general rule that certain Regional Court of Appeal ("RCA") decisions are final and permits cassation review where the RCA partially or fully grants an appeal and renders a new decision on the merits.
Under the new regime introduced following the Constitutional Court’s ruling, RCA decisions may be appealed to the Court of Cassation where the appeal is partially or fully granted, even if the amount in dispute remains below the ordinary cassation threshold. However, with the new provisions introduced by Law No.7589, cassation remains unavailable if:
- the difference between the first instance judgement and the RCA's revised decision does not exceed the threshold for the appellate review; or
- the RCA's ruling concerns only litigation costs or attorneys' fees.
The 12th Judicial Reform Package also introduced similar changes to the appeal and cassation mechanisms in administrative judicial proceedings, expanding access to higher court review in certain cases where appellate courts amend or reverse first-instance decisions.
3. Measures to Expedite Court Proceedings
Law No. 7589 introduces several amendments aimed at improving the efficiency of civil proceedings. Accordingly:
- Article 147 of the CCP has been amended to provide that, as a general rule, the interval between two hearings may not exceed three months. Longer intervals will only be permitted in exceptional circumstances, such as lengthy expert examinations or judicial assistance procedures, and the court will be required to expressly state the reasons for any such extension.
- Preliminary examination hearings may now be conducted through the newly introduced e-hearing system (e-Duruşma), allowing parties and their legal representatives to attend such hearings remotely where appropriate. In addition, parties participating in hearings via the e-hearing system or the existing Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS) will no longer be required to provide a physical signature, except in relation to declarations producing definitive legal consequences, such as waivers, acceptance of claims, and judicial admissions. This amendment will enter into force on 31 October 2026.
4. New Statutory Interest Regime
Law No. 7589 also amends Article 1 of Law No. 3095 on Legal Interest and Default Interest, introducing a new framework for statutory interest applicable in cases where the parties have not agreed on an interest rate.
Under the new regime, where interest is payable pursuant to the Turkish Code of Obligations or the Turkish Commercial Code and no contractual interest rate has been agreed, the statutory interest rate will no longer be fixed. Instead, it will be calculated as 80% of the rediscount interest rate applied by the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye ("CBRT") to short-term lending transactions as of 31 December of the preceding calendar year. Based on the current rediscount rate, the statutory default interest rate is expected to be 31% at present.
Furthermore, if the CBRT rediscount rate as of 30 June differs by five percentage points or more from the rate applicable as of the preceding 31 December, the statutory interest rate applicable during the second half of the calendar year will be calculated based on 80% of the rediscount rate as of 30 June.
5. Suspended Pronouncement of the Judgement Regime Revised
Law No. 7589 also revises the provisions governing the deferral of the pronouncement of the verdict (hükmün açıklanmasının geri bırakılması – “HAGB”) under Article 231 of the Code of Criminal Procedure No. 5271 ("CCP"). Pursuant to the Constitutional Court's decision dated 10 July 2025, several provisions governing HAGB under the CCP were annulled. However, the entry into force of the annulment decision was postponed until 30 September 2026 to allow the legislature to enact a replacement framework. In this context, Law No. 7589 amends the relevant provisions and introduces a revised HAGB regime.
Under the amended provisions, as under the previous framework, courts may order the deferral of the pronouncement of the verdict where the sentence imposed is imprisonment for two years or less or a judicial fine, provided that the statutory conditions are met.
The amendments further provide that HAGB will not apply to the offences of torture or torment, or to offences committed by public officials in connection with the performance of their official duties that constitute ill-treatment within the meaning of Article 17 of the Turkish Constitution.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
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