Wills & succession · Turkey
Estate planning with wills lawyers in Turkey
Turkish succession law is codified, it limits how much of an estate you may give away, and it treats land differently from the will itself. A specialist can read your situation across borders and put the paperwork in order before anything is signed.
- Reserved-share checks before a will is signed
- Land Registry and notarial steps explained clearly
- Court filings prepared in Turkish
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Why an estate that works abroad may not work in Turkey
Whether you own a flat in Istanbul, hold accounts in Turkey or have relatives living there, a will that works in your home country may not produce the result you expect under Turkish succession law. Reserved shares protect children, parents and the surviving spouse, and ownership of land moves only when the transfer is registered at the Land Registry. Wills lawyers in Turkey work through these rules with you: they read the estate as a whole, explain where foreign and Turkish documents meet, and prepare filings in the only language the courts accept. On this page you can see how the framework is built, then tell us what you need. We match you with a lawyer who handles wills, succession and estate matters in Turkey, and the first conversation costs you nothing.
Country specifics
How succession works in Turkey
Turkey is a civil-law country whose private law was received from the Swiss codes in the 1920s, so succession is codified rather than built on precedent, with Court of Cassation decisions acting as a unifying guide. The points below show where a will drafted elsewhere usually meets Turkish rules.
Reserved shares limit testamentary freedom
Turkish succession law does not let you dispose of an estate entirely as you wish. Under Article 506 of the Turkish Civil Code, descendants keep one half of their statutory share as a reserved share (saklı pay), parents keep one quarter where there are no descendants, and the surviving spouse keeps the whole or three quarters of their statutory share depending on who else inherits.
Reduction claims and relatives you may exclude
Heirs whose reserved share is infringed by a will or by a gift made during life may bring a reduction action (tenkis davası). Siblings and more distant relatives hold no reserved share and may be excluded entirely. A will that ignores these limits is not automatically void, but it leaves the estate exposed to litigation after the death.
Land, registration and the notary’s role
A will often deals with land, and Turkish law separates the will from the transfer itself. Ownership of an immovable passes only on registration at the Land Registry directorate (Tapu Müdürlüğü), in official form executed before that directorate. Notaries mainly authenticate other instruments and are not the authority that effects a property transfer, so the estate file and the registration file must stay consistent.
Property regime and cross-border estates
For marriages celebrated since 1 January 2002 the statutory regime is participation in acquired property (edinilmiş mallara katılma rejimi): acquisitions made for consideration during the marriage are divided on dissolution, while pre-marital and personal assets stay outside. Spouses may instead choose separation, community of property or shared participation by agreement executed before a notary, which changes what is available to distribute.
Turkish only in court, translations and apostilles
Turkish is the sole language of the courts, so every filing and court document must be drafted in Turkish. Foreign-language documents need 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 given an interpreter, and preparing translations early keeps an estate file moving.
What the process is likely to cost
Court fees follow the Fees Law (Law No. 492): civil, commercial and administrative actions carry a proportional judgment-and-decision fee of 6.831 per cent of the amount in dispute, one quarter paid on filing, plus a fixed application fee, with the statutory rates adjusted each year. Lawyers’ fees are freely agreed but may not fall below the annual minimum tariff published by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations.
Key time limit — Inheritance, Probate & Wills
Renunciation of inheritance — 3 months. The period within which an heir may refuse an estate that carries more debt than assets.
All country details on this page come from official Turkish legislation published on mevzuat.gov.tr, retrieved at the time of publication.
- Turkish Civil Code (Law No. 4721) — reserved shares, renunciation, land registration, property regimes
- Attorneyship Law (Law No. 1136) — admission to the profession and Bar membership
- Fees Law (Law No. 492) — court fees and advance payments
- Constitution of 1982 — Turkish as the official language of the courts
- Code of Obligations (Law No. 6098) — limitation periods
- Labour Courts Law (Law No. 7036) — employment claim periods
- Civil Procedure Code (Law No. 6100) — appeal period
- Administrative Procedure Law (Law No. 2577) — annulment action period
Common concerns
What clients usually bring to us
Three situations that come up again and again when an estate touches Turkey.
You are unsure what you are free to leave
You have been told you can leave everything to one child, or to a partner who is not an heir. Reserved shares decide that question before any drafting starts, and the answer changes the whole plan.
Property in Turkey, heirs elsewhere
A flat, land or a business share in Turkey, family members in two or three countries, and documents in several languages. Someone has to read the whole picture before anything is signed or registered.
Short periods after a death or a judgment
Renouncing an inheritance runs to a fixed period, and appeal periods run from notification. Missing one of them can close off an option that existed only days earlier, so timing is checked first.
Why this route
What matching with us gives you
We are not a law firm. We connect you to a legal professional who handles the matter you describe.
Matched, not sold
You describe the estate in plain terms; we identify a legal professional whose practice covers wills, succession and estate matters in Turkey. No lead auction, no obligation to instruct.
Cross-border literacy
Estates with a foreign element need someone used to documents in more than one language, certified translations and apostilles. We look for that experience when we make the match.
Clear expectations on fees
Fees in Turkey are agreed between client and professional, with a published minimum tariff setting the floor. You are told how charging works before you commit to anything.
One contact from start to finish
You deal with one professional who coordinates the drafting, the notarial and Land Registry steps and, where needed, filings in Turkish, rather than chasing several offices yourself.
Clients we serve
Estates that link Turkey with Europe
Most enquiries we receive come from families spread across Turkey and the countries below, where a will, a property title or an inheritance position has to work in two legal systems at once.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can I leave my estate in Turkey to anyone I choose?
Not entirely. Turkish succession law protects reserved shares: descendants keep one half of their statutory share, parents one quarter where there are no descendants, and the surviving spouse keeps the whole or three quarters of their statutory share depending on who else inherits. Siblings and more distant relatives are not protected. A lawyer checks the shares before a will is drafted.
How long do I have to renounce an inheritance in Turkey?
The renunciation period is three months under the Turkish Civil Code. It matters where an estate carries more debt than assets or where a foreign will and Turkish property pull in different directions. Because the period is short and runs from a defined moment, it is the first thing to confirm with a legal professional.
Do I need wills lawyers in Turkey if my will was signed abroad?
It depends on what the document has to achieve here. Wills lawyers in Turkey check whether the existing will covers Turkish assets, whether certified translations or an apostille are needed, and how reserved shares interact with what you have written. They then tell you what, if anything, needs to be added or redone.
Will the process be conducted in English?
Court proceedings and filings are conducted in Turkish; it is the sole official language of the courts. Foreign-language documents must be accompanied by a certified translation, and foreign public documents generally need an apostille. A party who does not speak Turkish is given an interpreter, and your lawyer corresponds with you directly in the language you share.
What does legal help with an estate cost in Turkey?
Fees are freely agreed between you and the lawyer, but they may not fall below the annual minimum tariff published by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations. Court fees follow the Fees Law, with a proportional judgment-and-decision fee and a fixed application fee in civil actions. You should receive a clear indication of charges before work begins.
Must a lawyer in Turkey belong to a Bar Association?
Yes. Membership of a local Bar Association is compulsory in order to practise, and all Bars belong to the Union of Turkish Bar Associations. Admission requires Turkish citizenship, a law degree, a one-year internship in two stages, good standing and no disqualifying conviction; the Bar then issues the licence (ruhname) and enters the lawyer in its register.
Next step
Tell us what the estate involves
Describe the property, the family situation and any document that already exists. We will match you with a legal professional who handles wills and succession in Turkey, free of charge and without obligation, so you can decide what to do next with clear information in front of you.