Legal guides
English translations of the office’s articles on urban transformation, construction contracts, zoning, administrative, tax, immigration, family, employment and criminal law.
Real Estate & Construction
Form requirements, vague specifications, delays, extra charges, defective work and permit issues in Turkish construction contracts — and practical ways to prevent each of them.
4 min readReal Estate & Construction
What a flat-for-land (kat karşılığı) construction contract is under Turkish law, why it must be drawn up by a notary, and what the landowner and the contractor each owe.
4 min readUrban Transformation
How owners choose a contractor after a risky building assessment, the legal nature of the contract, and the most common disputes between owners and contractors in urban transformation.
3 min readUrban Transformation
What a risky building is under Law No. 6306, who can start the assessment, how the report is prepared, and how owners can object within 15 days and sue within 30 days.
3 min readEmployment
The conditions for severance pay (kıdem tazminatı) under Turkish law, how it is calculated on gross wages with a worked example, the ceiling, and the mediation and lawsuit process.
4 min readCompensation
When the State must compensate unlawful arrest, detention, search or seizure under Articles 141–142 of the Turkish Code of Criminal Procedure, deadlines, the Compensation Commission and Constitutional Court benchmarks.
8 min readCompensation
Protection of personality rights against insulting social media posts under Articles 24–25 of the Turkish Civil Code, how moral damages are assessed, which court hears the case, and the so-called “compensation trap”.
6 min readEmployment
The legal basis of remote work under Article 14 of the Turkish Labour Law, what a remote work contract must contain, and the rights and duties of remote employees and their employers.
4 min readFamily
How Turkish courts decide custody in divorce and change-of-custody cases, why the judge investigates of their own motion, and how the child’s best interests can outweigh the child’s stated wishes.
5 min readFamily
Why property is not divided in the divorce case itself, the participation in acquired property regime, personal versus acquired assets, the 10-year limitation period, competent courts and recent Court of Cassation decisions.
6 min readEnforcement & Bankruptcy
The main ways an attachment (haciz) placed during Turkish enforcement proceedings comes to an end: payment, a successful negative declaratory action, a third-party ownership claim and failure to request a sale in time.
2 min readEnforcement & Bankruptcy
Objecting to a payment order within 7 days, negative declaratory and recovery actions, the 5-day objection for cheques and notes, signature denial, and stay of enforcement of judgments under Turkish law.
5 min readCriminal
The offences under the Turkish Criminal Code most often committed through social media — from threats and insults to fraud and unlawful data processing — and how digital evidence is collected under Article 134 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
4 min readCriminal
The meaning of reconciliation (uzlaşma) under Article 253 of the Turkish Code of Criminal Procedure, the offences it covers and excludes, how the conciliation process works and what decision follows.
5 min readImmigration & Citizenship
Who may buy property in Türkiye, the 30-hectare and 10% limits under Article 35 of the Land Registry Law, military zones, the purchase process and documents, and what foreign buyers should watch out for.
5 min readImmigration & Citizenship
The six types of residence permit under Law No. 6458, common reasons for refusal, and how to challenge a refusal through an administrative objection or an annulment action within 60 days.
5 min readAdministrative
Complaints to the contracting authority, objections to the Public Procurement Authority, annulment actions and full-remedy claims for bidders harmed when a Turkish public tender is cancelled.
5 min readAdministrative
The five elements of an administrative act, grounds for annulment, the 60-day (30 days in tax courts) filing period, how an application to the administration affects it, and stays of execution in Turkish administrative courts.
5 min readTax
Why traditional tax rules struggle with digital businesses, and Türkiye’s response: VAT on electronic services, withholding on online advertising payments and the Digital Services Tax under Law No. 7194.
5 min readTax
When Turkish tax penalty notices are issued, and the options once one is served: penalty reduction, post-assessment settlement, correction requests and an annulment action at the tax court within 30 days.
8 min readZoning & Planning
What counts as an unlicensed building under Article 32 of Zoning Law No. 3194, the construction stop report, the one-month period, how demolition orders are made and how to challenge them within 60 days.
6 min readZoning & Planning
What zoning plans and plan amendments are, objections during the 30-day display period under Article 8 of Law No. 3194, competent courts, who has standing to sue and the 60-day filing period, with Council of State decisions.
6 min readEnvironmental
Article 56 of the Constitution, the polluter-pays principle and strict liability under Environmental Law No. 2872, administrative fines, suspension of activities and environmental offences under Articles 181–184 of the Turkish Criminal Code.
5 min readEnvironmental
The main renewable energy sources, the purpose of Law No. 5346, and the legal challenges renewable projects face in Türkiye: complex legislation, licensing, land use, EIA processes and support mechanisms.
4 min readConsultation
Meetings are arranged by phone or WhatsApp. Bringing your documents to the meeting makes the assessment easier.
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