Turkey: Arbitration & Dispute Resolution

Türk usul hukukunda genel ilke, kanunda aksi öngörülmedikçe, usule ilişkin sürelerin tebliğ ile başlamasıdır. Hukuk Muhakemeleri Kanunu (HMK), İdari Yargılama Usulü Kanunu ve çeşitli diğer kanunlar uyarınca, taraflara yönelik usul işlemlerine ilişkin kanuni süreler, kararın veya ilgili işlemin usulüne uygun şekilde tebliğ edildiği tarihten itibaren işlemeye başlar.

This article explains the principal routes for collecting monetary claims in Türkiye under the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law No. 2004. It distinguishes ordinary enforcement without a judgment from judgment-based enforcement, the special procedure for negotiable instruments and bankruptcy proceedings. It examines payment orders, debtor objections, actions to annul an objection, summary removal of an objection, mandatory mediation, precautionary attachment, asset investigation, attachment and sale.

This article examines the legal implications and consequences of Lloyd's Open Form (LOF) contracts in maritime salvage and assistance operations. The analysis explores how these standardized agreements govern the relationship between vessel owners and salvors during emergency maritime situations. Understanding the legal framework of LOF contracts is essential for maritime professionals navigating complex salvage scenarios.

Deferral of the initiation of public prosecution, which aims to remedy the harm caused by the offense and to reintegrate the offender into society through rehabilitation, and which is a product of the restorative justice approach, refers to the public prosecutor's decision to defer, for a certain period, the initiation of public prosecution, rather than initiating it, where the conditions prescribed by law exist, even though the prosecutor has reached sufficient suspicion as a result of the investigation.

In April 2024, we wrote about Turkey's newly introduced regulatory framework for electric vehicle ("EV") imports and questioned whether a regime requiring certain importers to establish their own (not through any third parties) service networks, operate a forty-person call centre and comply with additional certification and representation requirements could be reconciled with Turkey's international trade obligations1.

7036 sayılı İş Mahkemeleri Kanunu’nun 1 Ocak 2018’de yürürlüğe girmesiyle birlikte, işçi veya işveren alacağı ve tazminatı ile işe iade talebiyle açılacak davalarda önce arabulucuya başvurulması zorunlu hâle gelmiştir. Arabulucuya başvurulmadan açılan dava, dava şartı yokluğundan usulden reddedilmektedir. Bu nedenle işe iade talebinin arabuluculuk aşamasında gerçekten ileri sürülüp sürülmediği, davanın esasına geçilmeden önce cevaplanması gereken bir sorudur. Uygulamada bunun için başvuru formuna ve arabuluculuk son tutanağına bakılmaktadır.

The Turkish Arbitration Academy (“TTA”) was established within the framework of the “Arbitration Academy Cooperation Protocol” signed on 5 April 2021 between the Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye, Ibn Haldun University, and Istanbul Ticaret University. The “Guidelines on Transparency in Ensuring the Independence and Impartiality of Arbitrators” prepared under the umbrella of TTA (“TTA Guidelines”), were signed by Istanbul Arbitration Centre (“ISTAC”), Istanbul Chamber of Commerce Arbitration and Mediation Center (“İTOTAM”), Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (“TOBB”), and Energy Disputes Arbitration Center (“EDAC”) at a ceremony held at the Istanbul Finance Center and were published on 7 November 2025 (TTA Guidelines, pp. 1–8).

Anayasa Mahkemesi (AYM), Bursa 4. İcra Hukuk Mahkemesi tarafından yapılan somut norm denetimi başvurusu sonucunda; 2942 sayılı Kamulaştırma Kanunu’na 7421 sayılı Kanun’la eklenen Ek 4. maddenin ikinci fıkrasında yer alan kamulaştırmasız el atma tazminatlarına ilişkin icra takiplerinde idarenin teminatsız olarak icranın geri bırakılmasını (tehir-i icra) talep edebilmesine imkân tanıyan kuralı Anayasa’ya aykırı bularak iptal etmiştir.

The Constitutional Court (“CC”), following an application for concrete norm review filed by the Bursa 4th Enforcement Court, annulled the rule set forth in the second paragraph of Additional Article 4 of the Expropriation Law No. 2942, as added by Law No. 7421, which allows the administration to request a stay of enforcement without providing security in enforcement proceedings concerning compensation awarded for de facto expropriation, on the grounds that it is contrary to the Constitution.