- in Turkey
- within Privacy, Technology and Finance and Banking topic(s)
1. Overview
By a press release dated 24 July 2026, the Insurance and Private Pension Regulation and Supervision Agency ("SEDDK") announced the establishment of the "Alo 193 Joint Loss Notification Centre" ("OHİM"), integrating all insurance companies into a single reporting channel. OHİM is a centralised application mechanism that does not replace insurers' existing claims-management systems but enables citizens to submit loss notifications through a single common entry point. Once technical preparations are complete, OHİM will become operational on 1 September 2026 and will initially accept loss notifications relating to motor third-party liability ("MTPL") and comprehensive motor ("kasko") insurance. Citizens will also be able to use the same line to report to SEDDK any illegal schemes that have caused them harm following a loss event.
OHİM constitutes the fifth and final step of the five-point action plan that SEDDK prepared to minimise disputes arising from diminution-in-value claims under MTPL insurance and to eliminate the abusive practices linked to them. According to the announcement, the first four steps of the plan — (i) standardisation of the calculation method, (ii) smart expert-assignment, (iii) removal of the separate application requirement, and (iv) prevention of illegal structures — have already been implemented in succession.
2. Regulatory Framework
a) Standardisation of calculation and smart expert-assignment: The Insurance Experts Assignment Regulation dated 12 February 2026 introduced mandatory, sequential expert assignment in the motor MTPL and kasko lines. A digital, tamper-resistant assignment system operated through the Insurance Information and Monitoring Centre ("SBM") infrastructure has been rolled out in stages from 1 April 2026 (first piloted in Bursa and Ordu, then nationwide). Expert assignment through the smart-assignment method operated by the TOBB Insurance Experts Executive Committee ("SEİK") has been made mandatory for MTPL claims exceeding a defined threshold (one-tenth of the minimum cover) and for total or heavy-damage kasko claims.
b) Removal of the separate application requirement: The "General Conditions Amending the General Conditions for Motor Vehicle Compulsory Third-Party Liability Insurance", published in the Official Gazette dated 12 June 2026 (No. 33278), redrafted Article A.5 of the General Conditions. It provides that a claimant applying for vehicle damage is deemed to have also claimed diminution in value without any separate application; the diminution in value is to be assessed by an expert appointed under rules set by SEDDK, based on the vehicle's make, age, model, level of use, damaged parts, prior loss history, and the difference between its pre-accident and post-repair second-hand market value. The insurer must notify the claimant of the assessed amount no later than the first business day following receipt of the final expert report. These General Conditions entered into force on 1 July 2026.
c) Prevention of illegal structures: By Circular No. 2026/15 dated 25 June 2026, SEDDK amended Circular No. 2021/1 on the implementation of the additional Article 6 of Insurance Law No. 5684. The amendment restricts pursuit of a compensation claim to the claimant personally, their legal representative, or counsel personally retained by the claimant, provides that the claim may not be assigned to any person, and renders any assignment absolutely void under Turkish Code of Obligations No. 6098. A new Article 8/A requires SEDDK to file written complaints with the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against persons who unlawfully obtain, process, or transfer claim-related data in breach of Law No. 5684, Attorneys' Law No. 1136, and the Data Protection Law No. 6698, or who purport to act as "loss consultants" promising recovery of compensation. Separately, an amendment to the Regulation on Insurance Support Services dated 23 July 2026 confined the remit of loss investigators to insurance-fraud and suspicious-claim inquiries, confirming that expertise, preliminary expertise and agreed valuation remain the exclusive competence of licensed insurance experts under Law No. 5684.
3. Scope and Operation of OHİM
Based on the press release and industry statements, OHİM is not a structure that removes or assumes insurers' claims-settlement obligations; it will function solely as a joint notification/application channel. Following notification, loss assessment, expert assignment and indemnity payment will continue to be handled by each insurer's own competent units. According to the Insurance Association of Turkey ("TSB"), following OHİM's launch, technical, operational and administrative coordination work will continue under SEDDK's coordination together with the Ministry of Justice and the Personal Data Protection Authority ("KVKK") — indicating that personal data processed through the centre must be assessed under Law No. 6698.
4. Compliance Implications
The express incorporation of diminution-in-value cover into Article A.5 of the General Conditions as a component of "material damage cover", coupled with removal of the separate application requirement, eliminates the legal basis for the "separate application" and "assignment-based pursuit" practices that were common under the prior regime and generated a substantial share of disputes. That said, the right to challenge the insurer's assessed amount and to apply to the Insurance Arbitration Commission remains available in principle; claimants should therefore assess any objection to a notified amount within this new procedural framework.
Circular No. 2026/15's treatment of claim assignment as absolutely void, together with the obligation to report loss-consultancy activity to the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, creates a two-fold compliance need for insurers and corporate clients: (i) confirming that counterparties in claims/indemnity processes fall within the categories the Circular authorises (the claimant, their legal representative, personally retained counsel, or the limited family members specified), and (ii) reviewing whether the processing and third-party transfer of insured/claimant data complies with Law No. 6698. As OHİM becomes operational on 1 September 2026, the scope of personal data processing within loss-notification workflows will expand, and this should be monitored accordingly.
5. Conclusion and Recommendations
Alo 193 OHİM forms the final link in the five-point structural reform that SEDDK has progressively completed during 2026 and centralises the loss-notification process for MTPL and kasko insurance. Taken as a whole, the reform is an end-to-end package encompassing standardisation of calculation, smart expert-assignment, automation of diminution-in-value claims, and strengthened administrative and criminal sanctions against illegal intermediary activity. Insurers and corporate clients are advised both to prepare technically and operationally for OHİM's launch on 1 September 2026 and to review their compliance posture under Circular No. 2026/15 and the current General Conditions.
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.
