Driving to Türkiye in your own car

You must live abroad: at least 185 days outside Türkiye in the 365 days before you enter, checked again at every entry. Your nationality does not matter. The car must be registered in your name in the country where you live; if you live in the EU or EFTA, a car registered in your name in another EU or EFTA country counts too. One car per person; a trailer or a caravan without an engine may come with it.

Residents of the EU, EFTA and the United Kingdom who do not meet the 185-day rule, or have used up their time, get one month once in every 365 days.

When the time is used up, you and the car must stay outside Türkiye for at least 185 days. Driving out and straight back in does not restart the clock.

Who may drive it: you. Since 14 August 2026 your spouse, parents or children may drive it while you are in Türkiye if they live abroad too; anyone else who lives abroad may drive it only with you in the car. Someone living in Türkiye may not drive it except in an emergency with you on board. The car may not be sold, lent or rented out in Türkiye.

Customs registration of the car is free. If you are not the registered owner, bring a power of attorney certified by a notary or a consulate — papers issued by automobile clubs such as ADAC, ÖAMTC or ANWB are accepted too — with a certified Turkish translation. The owner must also live abroad.

Save time at the gate: the car pre-declaration (Taşıt Ön Beyan) can be filed online up to 15 days before you travel. After entry, the customs site YPTİ, which has an English version, shows the date your car must leave by and e-mails reminders.

Driving licence: a licence issued abroad is valid for 6 months from the day you enter. The Turkish rules do not ask for an International Driving Permit; carrying one does no harm.

No valid insurance, no entry. A Green Card covers all of Türkiye, the Asian side included, if the TR box is not crossed out and its dates cover your whole stay. Otherwise you buy short-term Turkish third-party insurance at the border; there is no official price list for it.

Cars registered in Georgia or Kazakhstan get Green Cards through the Azerbaijani bureau; cars from the Gulf states are outside the Green Card system and need the border policy. Iranian Green Cards have not been valid in Türkiye since 1 January 2024. For Russian Green Cards we found no official statement either way: check the TR box and ask your insurer before you set off.

Third-party insurance pays for damage you cause to others, not for your own car.

Toll motorways and bridges charge through HGS, a prepaid tag tied to the number plate; the booths on state-run motorways take no cash or cards. A foreign-plated car must have an HGS account with enough balance. You can open one at the PTT and bank counters at the border gates, at PTT post offices and at Petrol Ofisi, Shell, BP, Opet, TPPD, Total and Aytemiz stations; the sticker tag costs 140 TL (≈ €2.5) plus the balance you load.

Passed a toll without HGS? You have 15 days to open an account, top it up or pay online on the Revenue Administration site (“Yabancı Plakalı Araç Ödemeleri”) with no fine. From day 15 to day 45 you pay the toll twice, after that four times. Unpaid tolls and traffic fines must be settled before the car may leave Türkiye.

Exceptions: the Eurasia Tunnel under the Bosphorus can also be paid on its website or app, foreign plates included, and the 1915 Çanakkale bridge has separate booths for cash and cards.

Tell customs before you leave. You have three ways: hand the car over to customs, which stops the clock (it may stay 3 months, extendable by 3); sign a declaration at the nearest customs office; or file the e-declaration on YPTİ. With a declaration the clock keeps running and nobody may drive the car while you are away.

Leaving Türkiye without the car and without telling customs costs 11,952 TL (≈ €215) (2026).

After an accident, repairs are done where customs allows and under its supervision; ask the customs office before handing the car to a garage for long.