Administrative law · Turkey
Work with an administrative law lawyer in Turkey
Public authorities make decisions every day that affect permits, licences, fines and property. When one of those decisions works against you, Turkish law gives you a route to challenge it — but the clock starts immediately. Tell us what happened and we will match you with a lawyer who handles administrative disputes in Turkey.
- Annulment actions and public-body disputes
- Filings, translations and deadlines handled in Turkish
- Free, no-obligation first match
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The situation
How administrative disputes work in Turkey
If a public authority in Turkey has refused your permit, cancelled your licence, imposed an administrative fine or simply failed to answer, the decision is not necessarily final. Turkish administrative procedure lets you challenge acts of public bodies, but the window to act is short and the paperwork must be in Turkish. An administrative law lawyer in Turkey can read the file, identify which authority issued the act and prepare the correct action before the deadline passes. On this page we set out, from verified Turkish sources, how the process is structured, who is entitled to represent you, what court fees look like and which time limits apply. If you would rather speak to someone directly, describe your situation and we will match you — free of charge — with a lawyer who handles administrative disputes in Turkey.
Turkey in detail
Turkish administrative procedure, from the statute book
Administrative litigation in Turkey is governed by codified statutes and conducted entirely in Turkish. The points below are drawn from the official legislation portal and cover the practical questions clients ask first: deadlines, who may appear, language, fees and review.
Annulment actions and the 60-day window
To have a public act set aside, the route is an administrative action for annulment (iptal davası). Under Law No. 2577 the action must be brought within 60 days of the decision being notified to you. That period is short and generally fatal if missed, so the notice should be reviewed by an administrative law lawyer in Turkey as soon as it arrives.
Who is entitled to represent you
Practising law in Turkey requires membership of a local Bar Association (Baro) and a licence (ruhname) issued on admission, with the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (Türkiye Barolar Birliği) as the public-law body to which all Bars belong. Representation is not generally mandatory in administrative proceedings at first instance, yet professional legal assistance is always advisable before the Council of State.
The file is in Turkish, without exception
Turkish is the official language of the State, and all proceedings, filings and court documents are drafted in Turkish. Foreign-language documents must be accompanied by a certified translation, and foreign public documents generally require an apostille, Turkey being a party to the Hague Apostille Convention. A party who does not speak Turkish is provided with a court-appointed interpreter.
What an administrative claim costs
Administrative actions attract a proportional judgment-and-decision fee of 68.31 per thousand of the amount in dispute, plus a fixed application fee (başvurma harcı); one quarter of the proportional fee is paid on filing and the balance on judgment. Lawyers’ fees are agreed freely but may not fall below the annual minimum tariff published by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations, which also sets what a losing party pays towards the winner’s lawyer.
Review after the first-instance ruling
A first-instance judgment is not the end of the matter: an appeal (istinaf) must be lodged within two weeks of notification under Law No. 6100. Administrative disputes are ultimately reviewed by the Council of State. Because Turkish courts interpret codified statutes rather than following binding precedent, the reasoning of the higher courts shapes how a file should be framed from the very beginning.
Where administrative law sits in the Turkish system
Turkey is a civil-law country that received the Swiss Civil Code and the Swiss Code of Obligations in the 1920s, so its law is codified, systematic and interpreted by judges. Administrative disputes are handled separately from ordinary civil litigation, and the Court of Cassation’s unifying decisions guide interpretation of the codes. A specialist can usually tell early whether your problem belongs before an administrative court or a civil one.
Key time limit — Administrative & Regulatory Law
Administrative action for annulment (iptal davası) — 60 days from notification. The core deadline for challenging a public act before the administrative courts.
All dates, amounts and procedural rules above come from Turkey’s official legislation portal (mevzuat.gov.tr) and were checked against the published statutes at the time of writing.
- Administrative Procedure Law No. 2577 (annulment actions, 60-day period)
- Attorneyship Law No. 1136 (Bar membership, ruhname, representation, Council of State)
- Constitution of 1982 (Turkish as the language of the State and of proceedings; court structure)
- Fees Law No. 492 (judgment-and-decision fee, application fee, minimum fee tariff)
- Code of Civil Procedure No. 6100 (appeal period of two weeks)
Common situations
What brings clients to us
Administrative problems rarely arrive at a convenient moment. These are the situations we are asked about most often.
A decision has arrived and the clock is running
An administrative fine, a refused permit or a cancelled licence usually reaches you as a formal written notice. In Turkey the annulment action must be filed within 60 days of that notification, so early review of the document makes a real difference.
The public body has gone quiet
Sometimes the problem is silence: an application that is never answered, a file that moves between departments, a licence that stalls. You need someone who understands how the authority is organised and can push the matter forward in Turkish.
You are dealing with this from outside Turkey
Foreign residents, investors and companies often face administrative decisions remotely. Filings must be in Turkish, foreign documents need certified translation and often an apostille, and instructions have to travel through someone physically present in the country.
Why use the service
A shortlist built around your file
We do not publish legal advice or predict results. We connect you with a lawyer who practises in the relevant area.
Grounded in official Turkish sources
Every procedural detail on this page — the 60-day annulment period, Bar membership requirements, court fees, appeal periods — is drawn from Turkey’s published legislation rather than from general assumptions.
A match, not a directory
You describe your situation once. We then identify a lawyer whose practice covers administrative disputes in Turkey, so you are not left comparing long lists of firms and hoping the fit is right.
Used to cross-border files
Translation requirements, apostilles, court-appointed interpreters and clients based abroad are routine features of Turkish proceedings. We look for lawyers who work comfortably with parties outside the country.
Clear about the next step
Whether your matter is an annulment action, a licensing dispute or an appeal, you leave the first conversation knowing what the lawyer would do next and what information they still need from you.
Working across borders
Clients also come to us from
Turkish administrative issues often involve people and companies established elsewhere. These are the jurisdictions our users most frequently mention.
Questions
What clients ask before they get in touch
What does an administrative law lawyer in Turkey actually handle?
Administrative practitioners deal with disputes between private parties and public bodies: annulment actions against administrative acts, licensing and permit refusals, administrative fines and regulatory decisions. They also handle the appeal stages, including proceedings before the Council of State, and advise before a formal decision is issued.
How long do I have to challenge an administrative decision in Turkey?
Under Law No. 2577, an administrative action for annulment (iptal davası) must be brought within 60 days of the decision being notified to you. Because the period runs from notification rather than from the date the decision was made, the actual filing window can be shorter than it first appears.
Do I need a Turkish lawyer to appear before an administrative court?
Representation is not generally mandatory in Turkish administrative proceedings at first instance, and parties may litigate in person. In practice, professional legal assistance is always advisable before the Council of State, and only a lawyer holding a Bar licence (ruhname) can provide it.
Can I submit documents in English to a Turkish court?
No. Turkish is the official language of the State and of all proceedings, filings and court documents. Foreign-language documents must be accompanied by a certified translation, and foreign public documents generally need an apostille, since Turkey is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention.
What are the court fees for an administrative case in Turkey?
Administrative actions carry a proportional judgment-and-decision fee of 68.31 per thousand of the amount in dispute, plus a fixed application fee. One quarter of the proportional fee is paid when filing and the balance on judgment; the statutory rates are adjusted annually. A lawyer’s own fee may not fall below the annual minimum tariff.
How quickly will I hear from a matched lawyer?
Our average first response is between 24 and 48 hours. You describe the decision or the problem once, we identify a lawyer whose practice covers administrative disputes in Turkey, and you decide whether to take the conversation further. Matching is free and carries no obligation.
Next step
Describe the decision you want to challenge
Tell us what the authority did, when you received the notice and what you are hoping to achieve. We will match you with a lawyer who handles administrative disputes in Turkey, so the deadline can be assessed properly before anything else.