Your Partner
in Legal Success
| Reading Time: 6 Minutes
Usage of Vehicles in Turkey Brought From Abroad by Foreigners
Buying and owning a vehicle in Turkey typically involves paying various taxes and fees. These may differ based on the vehicle’s value, type, age, and engine size. These include the Value Added Tax (VAT), Motor Vehicle Tax (MTV), Special Consumption Tax (SCT), notary fees, and traffic insurance.
Nevertheless, foreign individuals benefit from certain advantages when importing vehicles into Turkey. Foreigners can take advantage of tax exemptions by temporarily importing their vehicles from their home country and registering them with the Turkish temporary admission system (YTGGK). The import process for a vehicle purchased in Turkey does not differ procedurally from that of an imported vehicle.
MA-MZ License Plates
Vehicles temporarily imported under Y.T.G.G.K. jurisdiction and those bought by foreign nationals in Turkey are assigned license plates carrying this sequence of letters by the General Directorate of Security under the Ministry of Interior. MA-MZ licensed vehicles are commonly referred to as “tax-free cars“.
The same registration documents are necessary for foreign persons and companies, as they are for citizens registering vehicles in our country. A foreign person’s identity number is a compulsory requirement. MA to MZ dual-letter and triple-number group license plates are issued for these vehicles; only the vehicle owner’s spouse and children have the authority to operate them. If a foreign company has registered the vehicle, up to three company-authorized persons may utilize it.[1]
Foreign Vehicles Carnet (Blue Card)
Foreign Vehicles Temporary Entrance Carnet (YTGGK) is a document being issued by the Touring and Automobile Association of Turkey for the land vehicles peculiar to private uses that are registered at their residential location and under the names of retired foreign citizens who have temporary residence permit together with the persons resident outside of Turkish Customs Territory who are in Turkey for carrying out a certain assignment or for the reason of education.[2]
Temporary entry permits are guaranteed documents that enable foreigners residing in our country for work, education, and retirement purposes to keep their vehicles registered in their own name abroad in Turkey without paying customs duties, VAT, and special consumption tax. Nevertheless, vehicles with this status must pay Motor Vehicle Taxes twice a year, in January and July.[3]
Turing acts as a guarantor against the state treasury for the taxes to be levied in the event that the vehicle for which it has issued a license does not comply with the rules. In order to ensure the operability of the system, a portion of the taxes of the vehicle for which the carnet is issued is left to Turing as a deposit.
Persons Who Can Not Avail Y.T.G.G.K. Right
- Personnel of the embassy and consulate who have 1st or 2nd class Foreign Affairs Ministry identity cards.
- Multinational citizens (with Turkish citizenship).
- Nonresident persons out of Turkey (minimum 185 days).
Required Documents
Foreign Employees
- Passport and driving license (together with their photocopies).
- Work permit photocopy given by concerned state authority.
- Turkish-origin foreigners are required to get stamped “exempt from work” in their residence permit.
- Vehicle license as the evidence that the vehicle belongs to him/her, if any vending, sales contract (together with a photocopy of seller’s license) from the related consulate.
- Writing from the workplace specifies his/her task and its term addressing to the association (company signature circular together with its photocopy).
- Delivery receipt report of the vehicle from the related Customs Directorate.
- Security according to engine capacity, year model, and country of vehicle (demand bank letter of guarantee in cash or complies with association sample).
- Application form to be completed and signed by the owner of the vehicle.
Foreigners Receiving Education
- Residence Permit (education purpose).
- Student Certificate given by school addressing to the association.
- Passport, driving license (together with its photocopies).
- Vehicle license as the evidence that the vehicle belongs to him/her, if any vending, sales contract (together with a photocopy of seller’s license) from the related consulate.
- Delivery receipt report of the vehicle from the related Customs Directorate.
- Security according to engine capacity, year model, and country of vehicle (demand bank letter of guarantee in cash or complies with association sample).
- Application form to be completed and signed by the owner of the vehicle.
Retired Foreigners
- Residence Permit (regulated due to retirement).
- Document issued by the State Social Security Institution which shows that he/she was retired (certified by a notary public, assembly, or consulate, together with Turkish translation).
- Passport, driving license (together with its photocopies).
- Vehicle license as the evidence that the vehicle belongs to him/her, if any vending, sales contract (together with a photocopy of seller’s license) from the related consulate.
- Delivery receipt report of the vehicle from the related Customs Directorate.
- Security according to engine capacity, year model, and country of vehicle (demand bank letter of guarantee in cash or complies with association sample).
- Application form to be completed and signed by the owner of the vehicle.[4]
Points to Consider
- In this status, you are limited to bringing either one car or one motorcycle. Nonetheless, you are also authorized to bring one caravan or one trailer under the same status.[5]
- Blue Card holders may keep a vehicle as long as they submit all other required documents.
- Security for the Temporary Entry Carnet is accepted in the form of a bank letter of guarantee or cash (USD, EUR, or Turkish Lira). Foreign currency guarantees receive a 30% discount as they are not impacted by the depreciation of the Turkish Lira. Letters of guarantee can be given from all banks with branches in Turkey, adhering to the sample text of the Institution letter (non-sample texts are not accepted).
- Foreign Vehicles Temporary Entrance Carnet is regulated for 1 or 2 years as the carnet term will not surpass the terms of residence permit and work permit.
- Before the validity of Y.T.G.G.K. expires, it is crucial to apply for an extension with the Touring and Automobile Association of Turkey to avoid sanctions like monetary penalties.
- This process can not be canceled by quitting it later on or by the reasons of non-transaction by customs.
- Certified translations by the consulate or notary public of vehicle licenses that are not issued in international languages are required.
- The person who obtained Y.T.G.G.K. from the association should first go to the Customs Office and then to the Traffic Department Directorate of the related province.
- To be able to drawback the deposited security, the vehicle should be definitely re-exported and Y.T.G.G.K. should be returned to the Touring and Automobile Association of Turkey after the closing of its dossier by the related Traffic Department and customs.
Time Extension
Necessary Documents For Time Extension
- Letter addressed to Turing on letterhead:
- (If employee) a petition addressing Turing on a letter headed paper signed by the employer, stating the job and duties.
- (If employer) the same petition signed by yourself, and the certificate of authority.
- Work Permit Card from Employees:
- (If employee) employment authorization card, or, if holds a Blue Card, a legal document from SGK.
- (If student) student certificate from the school and residence permit.
- (If retired) retirement document (certified by diplomatic representative) and residence permit.
- The copy of the page of YTGGK showing the date that the vehicle first entered the country.
Warning: (If the application is overdue) a petition signed by the cardholder stating the excuse, and application document as evidence before the expiration date.
Transactions of The Extension
In regard to those cars which have been temporarily imported either by those foreigners who came to Turkey with a view to perform a duty within a specified time period or by those who will receive an education or have a temporary residence permit, a time extension is granted for the staying periods of such cars in Turkey if the owners of these cars can submit documents serving to prove that their temporary status which had been granted to them upon their entry into Turkey, has been still prevailing.
This time extension transaction related to the cars, through the channel of the Turkish Touring and Automobile Association, should be directed to the Customs Administration Office.
The applications dealing with the extension of the car staying period in Turkey should be applied before the end of such a period.
- The individual applying for an extension of time must prove that the conditions related to their purpose of entry into Turkey continue to be met during the period between the application date and the expiration date on the Foreign Vehicles Temporary Entry Card (Y.T.G.G.K.), by providing documents such as a work permit, education certificate, and residence permit.
- For the extension of time, it is necessary to apply within one month before the expiration dates of relevant documents like work permits, education certificates, and residence permits, and these documents’ validity periods should also be extended by the respective institutions.
Should the validity periods of documents, such as the work permit, student certificate, and residence permit, are not extended by the concerned state authorities, then within a month time starting from the date when the holder of the car is notified of this situation, and in other cases, not later than one month starting from the expiration date of the validity period of the carnet, an application must be filed with any Customs Administration Office in order that this car could be definitely deported.
In case the three (3) months period stipulated, are overdue, then the provisions of Article-238 concern to be imposed by the Customs Law 4458, will be applicable. If the provisions related to the Temporary Import Regime are violated, as evidenced by the related Article of Customs Law 4458, then a pecuniary punishment, whose total amount is twofold of the customs tax incurred on the goods, is imposed.
In order not to be faced with any pecuniary punishments which rise up to high figures, it is considered necessary to obscene the rules defined above.[6][7]
Sale of Vehicles Imported From Abroad
It is possible to transfer the title of the vehicles imported temporarily within the temporary entrance carnet for foreign vehicles to another person having the right to import vehicle temporarily within the temporary entrance carnet for foreign vehicles as long as it is documented that the transfer of title has been made in the country that the person has a residence or in the embassies or consulates regarded as that country’s land, and the vehicle is taken under the control of customs office.[8]
References & Sources
- [1] “Traffic Registry Services”: <https://www.egm.gov.tr/trafik-tescil-hizmetleri-hakkinda-bilgi-almak-istiyorum>
- [2] “Touring and Automobile Association of Turkey”: <https://www.turing.org.tr/ytggk-mavi-karne/>
- [3] “Touring and Automobile Association of Turkey”: <https://www.turing.org.tr/belgeler-ile-ilgili-sikca-sorulan-sorular/>
- [4] “Touring and Automobile Association of Turkey”: <https://www.turing.org.tr/ytggk-mavi-karne/>
- [5] “Touring and Automobile Association of Turkey”: <https://www.turing.org.tr/belgeler-ile-ilgili-sikca-sorulan-sorular/>
- [6] “Touring and Automobile Association of Turkey-Time Extension”: <https://www.turing.org.tr/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/20220101-Web-e-Sure-Uzatimi-Hakkinda-Turkce.pdf>
- [7] “Accompanied Vehicles”: <https://ticaret.gov.tr/gumruk-islemleri/sikca-sorulan-sorular/bireysel/yolcu-beraberi-tasitlar>
- [8] Land With Foreign License Plates Passenger Guide For Vehicles, <https://www.mfa.gov.tr/data/KONSOLOSLUK/yolcu-rehberi.pdf>
