Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law

Enforcement law is about speed for the creditor and about managing deadlines for the debtor. If no objection is made within 7 days (5 days for cheques and promissory notes) of service of the payment order, the proceedings become final and move on to the attachment stage. In most files, this short window is the single factor that decides the outcome.

On this page you will find how enforcement proceedings are started, how to object to a payment order, the action to set aside an objection and compensation for denial of the debt, cheque, promissory note and rent proceedings, the limits of attachment at home and of wage attachment, how an attachment is lifted, the e-sale rules that changed on 31 July 2026, enforcement costs for 2026, and answers to the questions creditors and debtors ask most often.

Types of enforcement proceedings

Choosing the wrong type of proceedings can send a file that took months of work back to square one. For example, if proceedings specific to negotiable instruments are started on a note that lacks one of its mandatory elements, such as the date of issue, the signature of the issuer or the word “promissory note” (bono), the enforcement court will cancel the proceedings. A missing maturity date, however, does not invalidate the note; such a note is deemed payable at sight (Turkish Commercial Code, TTK Art. 777). For secured claims, too, the creditor must as a rule first pursue realisation of the pledge or mortgage (Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law, İİK Art. 45).

If you are the creditor: how are enforcement proceedings started?

The proceedings step by step

1. Identifying the documents and the debtor: The document proving the claim, the debtor’s Turkish ID number or tax number and address are prepared. It is checked whether the claim is time-barred.
2. Choosing the type of proceedings and the competent office: Depending on the document, enforcement without a judgment, negotiable instrument, rent or pledge proceedings are chosen; proceedings opened at an office without jurisdiction are delayed by the debtor’s objection.
3. Request for enforcement: Proceedings are opened at the competent enforcement office or through UYAP (the national judicial IT system); the principal claim, accrued interest, and the type and rate of interest are shown separately, and the fees and advance on costs are paid.
4. Payment order: It is served on the debtor. If the debtor neither pays nor objects in time, the proceedings become final.
5. Asset search: Land registry, vehicle, bank, social security (salary) and receivable records are searched through UYAP (İİK Art. 78).
6. Attachment: The assets found, the salary and bank accounts are attached; for receivables held by third parties, a notice of attachment is sent. Attachment must be requested within 1 year of service of the payment order; otherwise the file becomes dormant and must be renewed.
7. Sale and collection: For attached assets, a sale must be requested within 1 year of the attachment (İİK Art. 106); the sale is held electronically and the proceeds are distributed to creditors according to the ranking schedule.

How is interest claimed?

If an interest rate was agreed in the contract, that rate is claimed; if not, statutory interest or, in commercial matters, advance interest is claimed. Article 1 of Law No. 3095 was amended by Law No. 7589 (Official Gazette 31.7.2026): statutory interest is now set at eighty per cent of the Central Bank’s rediscount rate at the end of the previous year, and if the rate changes by five points or more during the year, the new rate applies in the second half. Showing the applicable periods and rates correctly in the request for enforcement prevents the debtor’s “excessive interest” objection and a partial stay of the proceedings.

How long do enforcement proceedings take?

In files where the debtor does not object and has attachable assets or a salary, collection can start within a few months. If there is an objection, the action to set aside the objection or the removal of the objection must first be completed; valuation, announcement and possible complaints for annulment of the auction extend the process when real estate or vehicles are sold. The basic statutory periods are as follows:

As a rule, no enforcement steps may be taken on holidays or at night (from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise); if it becomes clear that the debtor is hiding assets, attachment may also be carried out at night (İİK Art. 51).

Objection to the debt, action to set aside the objection and compensation for denial

In enforcement without a judgment, an objection made in time automatically stops the proceedings. The creditor has two ways to continue:

• Action to set aside the objection (itirazın iptali davası): It is filed in the ordinary courts within 1 year of service of the objection; the existence of the claim may be proven by any kind of evidence (İİK Art. 67). If this period is missed, the claim can only be pursued through a separate action for payment under the general rules.
• Removal of the objection (itirazın kaldırılması): If the proceedings are based on an acknowledgement of debt whose signature has been admitted or certified by a notary, or on an official document, it is requested from the enforcement court within 6 months of service of the objection (İİK Art. 68). The review is limited to the documents and is faster.

For commercial claims (TTK Art. 5/A), claims arising from a lease (Law on Mediation in Civil Disputes, HUAK Art. 18/B), and consumer and employment disputes, applying to a mediator before the action to set aside the objection is a precondition for the case. From the application to the mediation office until the final report, the limitation period is suspended and the preclusive period does not run (HUAK Art. 18/A); even so, the application should not be left to the last few weeks.

What is compensation for denial of the debt?

If the debtor’s objection is found unjustified in the action to set aside the objection, the debtor is ordered, at the creditor’s request, to pay compensation for denial of the debt (icra inkâr tazminatı) of not less than 20% of the amount awarded. If the proceedings are found unjustified and in bad faith, compensation at the same rate is imposed on the creditor instead (İİK Art. 67). In practice, compensation requires that the claim was certain or calculable by the debtor (liquid) at the date of the proceedings.

Example: The debtor objected to proceedings based on an invoice claim of 200,000 TL, saying “I owe nothing”. If the creditor wins the action to set aside the objection after mediation, the proceedings continue from where they stopped; in addition, the debtor becomes liable for compensation for denial of at least 40,000 TL, court costs and attorney fees. Had the same debt been paid after service of the payment order and before attachment, only a 4.55% collection fee and the enforcement costs would have been added. For this reason, an unfounded objection is often the most expensive option for the debtor.

If you are the debtor: objecting to the payment order

When the payment order reaches you, the first thing to do is to note the date of service; the deadlines run from that day. You can object to the whole debt, part of it, the interest, jurisdiction or the signature. In enforcement without a judgment, the objection is made to the enforcement office in writing or orally; an objection made to an enforcement office other than the one conducting the proceedings is also valid and is forwarded from there to the competent office (İİK Art. 62). In proceedings based on cheques and promissory notes, the objection is made to the enforcement court.

Objecting step by step

1. Review the file: On the UYAP Citizen Portal in e-Devlet (the Turkish e-government gateway), view the request for enforcement, the underlying document and the interest claimed.
2. Identify the type of proceedings: The heading of the payment order and the underlying document show whether the proceedings are without a judgment, based on a negotiable instrument or for rent; the deadline and where to object depend on this.
3. State the scope of your objection: Say clearly whether you object to the whole debt or only part of it. In a partial objection, if the disputed amount is not stated, the objection is deemed not to have been made.
4. The objection to the signature must be separate: If the signature on the note is not yours, write this “separately and expressly”; otherwise the signature is deemed accepted for the purposes of the proceedings.
5. Give an address in Turkey: You must state your address in Turkey together with the objection.
6. Get a receipt: Keep the document showing that you objected (or the UYAP submission record).

• If you missed the deadline: If service was defective, the period can be restarted by way of a complaint within 7 days of learning of the proceedings. If you believe you do not owe the money, an action for negative declaration can be filed; after paying the debt, an action for restitution can be filed within 1 year of the payment date. After the proceedings have become final, if it is proven with a notarised document, or one whose signature has been admitted, that the debt was paid or that time to pay was granted, cancellation of the proceedings can be requested from the enforcement court at any time (İİK Art. 71).
• Security in an action for negative declaration: In an action for negative declaration filed before the proceedings, a stay of the proceedings can be requested against security of at least 15% of the claim. In an action filed after the proceedings began, the proceedings cannot be stayed; against security at the same rate, the court can only be asked to prevent the money held by the enforcement office from being paid to the creditor (İİK Art. 72).
• Declaration of assets: In proceedings that are not objected to, a declaration of assets must be made within the payment period. A debtor who fails to declare can, on the creditor’s complaint, be compelled by coercive detention of up to three months (İİK Art. 76); a false declaration is punishable by imprisonment from three months to one year (İİK Art. 338).
• Wrongful acts of the enforcement office: Against acts such as unlawful attachment, excessive deductions or defective service, a complaint is filed with the enforcement court within 7 days of learning of the act. This period was not changed by Law No. 7499; it is still “seven days”.

For details, see our guide to objecting to enforcement proceedings.

Cheque and promissory note (negotiable instrument) proceedings

Negotiable instruments give their holder access to the attachment procedure specific to negotiable instruments, which runs on shorter deadlines. In these proceedings the debtor is given 10 days to pay the debt and 5 days to object to the debt or the signature and to complain that the document is not a negotiable instrument (İİK Art. 168). The most important difference from enforcement without a judgment is that an objection does not automatically stop the proceedings: all steps other than the sale continue, and a stay requires an interim stay decision from the enforcement court (İİK Art. 169, 169/a, 170).

• Objection to the debt: That the debt was paid, postponed or does not exist can only be proven by an official document or one whose signature has been admitted; witnesses are not heard.
• Objection to the signature: If the signature turns out to be the debtor’s and the proceedings were stayed, the debtor is ordered to pay compensation of at least 20% of the claim and a fine of 10%.
• Limitation: For a promissory note, 3 years from maturity against the issuer; for a cheque, 3 years from the end of the presentation period (TTK Art. 749, 814). Once these periods have passed, the note cannot be the subject of negotiable instrument proceedings; the claim can only be pursued under the general rules on the basis of the underlying relationship.

Details: collecting cheque and promissory note claims.

Rent claim and eviction proceedings

If the tenant does not pay the rent, the landlord can start rent proceedings with a request for eviction at the enforcement office without filing a lawsuit. The payment order sent in these proceedings also serves as the statutory warning: for leases of residences and roofed business premises, the tenant is given 30 days to pay (Turkish Code of Obligations, TBK Art. 315).

1. Objection period: The tenant may object to the enforcement office within 7 days. If the tenant does not expressly deny the lease or the signature on it, the lease is deemed accepted (İİK Art. 269).
2. If there is no objection: If the rent is not paid within the 30-day period, eviction is requested from the enforcement court within 6 months of the end of that period (İİK Art. 269/a).
3. If there is an objection: The landlord asks the enforcement court to remove the objection and order eviction within 6 months of service of the objection. If the tenant says “I paid the rent”, this must be proven with a notarised or official document or one acknowledged by the landlord; witnesses are not heard (İİK Art. 269/c).
4. Eviction: The enforcement court’s eviction decision can be carried out before it becomes final; however, 10 days must have passed since service of the decision.

Eviction through enforcement is outside the scope of mandatory mediation in rent disputes; however, before an action to set aside an objection concerning only the rent claim, a mediator must be approached. For eviction through the courts, see our article on ways to evict a tenant.

Provisional attachment: securing the claim before enforcement

If there is concern that the debtor will dispose of assets, a provisional attachment order can be requested from the court without waiting for enforcement proceedings or a lawsuit. This route is available for monetary claims that are due and not secured by a pledge; for a claim that is not yet due, it can only be requested if the debtor has no fixed place of residence or is preparing to hide assets (İİK Art. 257).

• Security: The creditor provides security against the loss that will arise if the creditor turns out to be wrong. If the claim is based on a judgment, no security is required; for a document having the force of a judgment, the court decides (İİK Art. 259).
• Subsequent deadline: A creditor who has a provisional attachment enforced before proceedings or a lawsuit must start enforcement proceedings or file a lawsuit within 7 days of the attachment being carried out (or, if it was carried out in the debtor’s absence, of service of the report); otherwise the attachment lapses (İİK Art. 264).
• The debtor’s objection: Against an order issued without hearing them, the debtor may object to the grounds, jurisdiction and security within 7 days (İİK Art. 265).
• Conversion: If no objection is made to the payment order or the objection is removed, the provisional attachment automatically becomes a final attachment.

What happens if bailiffs come to my home?

Since 2023, attachment at a residence has been subject to an additional safeguard. If the enforcement officer establishes that the place where the attachment is to be carried out is a residence, the officer issues the attachment decision and submits it for approval by the enforcement court; the court decides on the file within three days at the latest. Without approval, no attachment may be carried out at a residence. If the place visited with an approval decision is not a residence, the attachment continues; if a place accepted as not being a residence turns out during the attachment to be a residence and the debtor does not consent, the attachment is stopped (İİK Art. 79/a). This rule does not apply to provisional attachment.

Points to watch during attachment

• Household goods cannot be attached: Under İİK Art. 82/3 as amended by Law No. 7445, the personal belongings of the debtor and of family members living under the same roof, and all household goods used jointly by the family, cannot be attached. The old rule that “a second television of the same kind can be attached” no longer exists. Valuables such as money, gold, silver, precious stones, antiques and ornaments, however, are outside this protection.
• Goods belonging to someone else: If the goods belong to your spouse, your tenant or a relative, have this recorded in the attachment report. A third-party title claim (istihkak iddiası) must be made within 7 days of learning of the attachment (İİK Art. 96). For a person living in the same home as the debtor, there is a presumption that the property belongs to the debtor; invoices and payment records are therefore important.
• No excessive attachment: Attachment may not exceed the amount of the claim, interest and costs (İİK Art. 85).
• A home suited to the debtor’s circumstances: The debtor’s home suited to their circumstances cannot be attached; if its value is higher, it is sold and the part of the proceeds sufficient to buy such a home is left to the debtor (İİK Art. 82). This claim must be raised by complaint within 7 days of learning of the attachment; the protection does not apply if the debt arises from the home itself.

Wage attachment and assets that cannot be attached

If there is more than one wage attachment, deductions are made in turn; the second does not start until the first is completed (İİK Art. 83). In the case law of the Court of Cassation (Yargıtay), a general “deduct from my salary” consent given in a loan agreement before the proceedings is not considered sufficient for attachment of a retirement pension; such agreements made in advance are also void under İİK Art. 83/a. Details: how to lift a wage attachment.

How is an attachment lifted?

Lifting an attachment is possible in different ways depending on whether the debt has been paid and whether the attachment is lawful:

1. Paying the debt: An up-to-date statement of the file is obtained from the enforcement office, payment is made to the file account, and the office is then asked to write to the relevant institutions to lift the land registry, vehicle, bank and salary attachments. Payment does not lift the attachments automatically. For the steps, see our article on how to close an enforcement file.
2. Undertaking to pay in instalments: If a debtor whose assets have been attached in sufficient amount undertakes, before a sale is requested, to pay the debt in monthly instalments within at most three months, each not less than one quarter of the debt, and pays the first instalment, the sale procedure stops (İİK Art. 111). An instalment agreement made with the creditor at the enforcement office may provide for a longer term; such agreements are exempt from stamp duty.
3. Voluntary sale: Within 7 days of service of the valuation, the debtor may request authorisation to sell the attached asset themselves. The sale price must be at least 90% of the appraised value and must cover preferential claims and costs (İİK Art. 111/a). This route reduces the risk of a sale at a low price at auction.
4. Complaint: If an asset that cannot be attached, a retirement pension or salary beyond the limit has been attached, a complaint is filed with the enforcement court within 7 days of learning of it.
5. Lapse of time: If no sale is requested within one year of attachment, or the sale request is withdrawn and not renewed in time, the attachment on that asset lapses automatically (İİK Art. 110). In that case, the enforcement office can be asked to remove the attachment from the records.
6. Action for negative declaration or third-party title claim: If there is no debt at all, an action for negative declaration is filed; if the attached asset belongs to a third party, a third-party title action is filed.

E-sale (UYAP e-auction) and the 2026 changes

Attached movable and immovable property is sold by public auction on the electronic sales portal integrated with UYAP. The bidding period is 7 days; to bid, a deposit of 10% of the appraised value of the asset must be paid. Each new bid received in the last ten minutes extends the auction by three minutes (İİK Art. 111/b, 114).

Changes made by Law No. 7589 (31.7.2026)

These changes do not apply to auctions announced before 31 July 2026; those sales are completed under the old rules (Law No. 7589 Provisional Art. 1).

Annulment of the auction

The auction can be annulled by way of complaint to the enforcement court within 7 days of the auction date by the creditor requesting the sale, the debtor, interested parties recorded in the official register, holders of limited rights in rem and those who took part in the auction. Under Law No. 7571 (25.12.2025), requests for annulment by anyone else are dismissed on the file with no right of appeal; if the deposit or fee is missing, the court grants a final period of two weeks. A person whose request is dismissed on the merits may be ordered to pay a fine of up to 10% of the auction price (İİK Art. 134).

If the debtor has hidden assets: setting aside the transaction

If the debtor has transferred assets to relatives or to third parties at a low price in order to keep them from the creditor, an action to set aside the transaction (tasarrufun iptali davası) can be filed. If the action succeeds, the transfer is not cancelled altogether; the creditor is given the possibility of requesting attachment and sale of that asset. As a rule, the action requires that a certificate of insolvency (aciz belgesi), or an attachment report having the character of such a certificate, has been obtained against the debtor, and the right of action must be exercised within 5 years of the transaction (İİK Art. 277, 284).

Under İİK Art. 278 as amended by Law No. 7571 (in force 25.12.2025): gifts and gratuitous transactions made within one year before the date the certificate of insolvency was issued or bankruptcy was opened are subject to being set aside (under the previous rule it was two years). Transfers between ascendants and descendants, blood relatives and relatives by marriage up to and including the third degree, spouses even if divorced within the last year, adoptive parent and adopted child, and persons living in the same residence are deemed gifts unless it is proven that a price matching the real value was paid. For transactions made with intent to harm, it is sufficient that enforcement proceedings were started within five years of the transaction (İİK Art. 280).

Bankruptcy and composition with creditors

If the debtor is a merchant or a company, the creditor can also pursue bankruptcy proceedings instead of the attachment route. If no objection is made to the payment order within 7 days or the debt is not paid, the creditor requests a bankruptcy decision from the commercial court of first instance (asliye ticaret mahkemesi); the right to request bankruptcy lapses one year after service of the payment order (İİK Art. 155, 156). The court gives the debtor 7 days to pay or deposit the debt and costs; if they are not paid, bankruptcy is declared (İİK Art. 158). In cases such as the debtor suspending payments or hiding assets, direct bankruptcy can be requested without prior enforcement proceedings (İİK Art. 177).

If a debtor company requests composition with creditors (konkordato), the court first grants a 3-month temporary moratorium (extendable by at most 2 months); if there is a prospect of success, a 1-year definitive moratorium is granted, which can be extended by up to 6 months (İİK Art. 287, 289). During the moratorium, as a rule, no enforcement proceedings can be taken against the debtor. The creditor must register the claim within the announced period and exercise the right to object. For company receivables and representation of creditors in composition proceedings, see our commercial and company law page.

Checking enforcement files

You can see enforcement files opened against you through the “UYAP Citizen Portal – File Search” service on e-Devlet. The screen shows the enforcement office, file number, date of the proceedings, the creditor and their lawyer, the amount of the debt and the attachment steps in the file. Attachments on land registry records can be checked on the land registry information screen in e-Devlet, and attachments on vehicles on the vehicle search screens. The file appearing on e-Devlet does not mean that the payment order has been served; the objection period runs from the date service reached you.

Limitation and preclusive periods

The court does not take limitation into account of its own motion; the debtor must raise it. Enforcement proceedings and the debtor’s acknowledgement of the debt interrupt limitation, and the period starts again. For your own file, you can make a preliminary assessment with the deadline and limitation check tool.

Enforcement costs (2026)

Calculation example: In enforcement without a judgment for 100,000 TL, the creditor initially pays a filing fee of 732 TL, an advance fee of 500 TL and the advance on costs. If the debtor pays after receiving the payment order and before any attachment, the collection fee is 4,550 TL, and the 500 TL already paid is deducted from it. If the same debt is paid after attachment, the collection fee rises to 9,100 TL, and if it is collected through a sale, to 11,380 TL. The collection fee is charged to the debtor; early payment therefore significantly reduces the debtor’s total burden.

Enforcement costs and the statutory attorney fee are added to the claim and collected from the debtor. Under the 2026 Minimum Attorney Fee Tariff, the fixed fees are 9,000 TL for proceedings at enforcement offices, 11,000 TL for matters handled at the enforcement court, 18,000 TL for lawsuits and matters with hearings at the enforcement court, and 20,000 TL for enforcement proceedings concerning eviction (excluding VAT). In most files, researching the debtor’s assets before starting proceedings matters more than the costs themselves.

Common mistakes in enforcement proceedings

• Miscalculating the date of service: The period runs not from the day the envelope reaches you but from the date on the service report. Where service was left with the neighbourhood headman (muhtar) or someone in the same home, the date must be checked separately.
• Objecting to the enforcement office in negotiable instrument proceedings: In cheque and promissory note proceedings, the objection is made to the enforcement court and does not automatically stop the proceedings.
• Saying “I object to the debt” without separately denying the signature: In that case the signature is deemed accepted.
• Paying the creditor directly without notifying the file: The proceedings continue and the attachments are not lifted.
• An unfounded objection: The debtor faces the risk of compensation for denial of at least 20% of the claim.
• Missing the deadline for attachment or sale as a creditor: The file becomes dormant or the attachment lapses; renewal means new fees and lost time.
• Skipping mediation before the action to set aside the objection: For commercial, rent, consumer and employment claims, the case is dismissed on procedural grounds.
• Not having goods belonging to a third party recorded in the report during attachment: The 7-day period for a third-party title claim may be missed.

Which enforcement office in Istanbul handles the proceedings?

As a general rule, proceedings are opened at the enforcement office of the debtor’s place of residence; for contractual claims, the enforcement office of the place of performance of the contract also has jurisdiction. Since the place of performance for money debts is, as a rule, the creditor’s place of residence, the enforcement office where the creditor is located may also have jurisdiction for contractual money claims. Istanbul’s enforcement offices and enforcement courts are attached to courthouses: Çağlayan (Istanbul), Kartal (Anadolu), Bakırköy, Küçükçekmece, Büyükçekmece, Gaziosmanpaşa, Silivri and Şile. Complaints and objections to the enforcement court are made to the enforcement court at the courthouse to which the enforcement office conducting the proceedings is attached. You can see which district belongs to which courthouse on our district pages. The debtor can object to proceedings opened at an enforcement office without jurisdiction, which delays collection by months.

Our work in enforcement law

• Starting and conducting proceedings without a judgment, based on a judgment and based on negotiable instruments
• Objections to payment orders, objections to signatures, complaints to the enforcement court
• Actions to set aside an objection and applications for removal of an objection
• Requests for provisional attachment and objections to provisional attachment
• Actions for negative declaration, restitution and third-party title
• Attachment of salaries, bank accounts and real estate; e-sale, voluntary sale and annulment of auction procedures
• Actions to set aside transactions
• Rent claim and eviction proceedings
• Representation of creditors and debtors in composition and bankruptcy proceedings

Documents required

• If you are the creditor: promissory note, cheque, invoice, contract, current account statement, formal notice or court decision
• The debtor’s Turkish ID or tax number and known address
• In rent proceedings, the lease and a list of unpaid periods
• If you are the debtor: the payment order and the service envelope (with the date of service visible), payment documents, bank receipts
• The enforcement file number; a printout of the file obtained through e-Devlet or UYAP
• If attachment has taken place, the attachment report, custody documents and invoices for goods belonging to third parties
• For wage attachment, payslips for recent months; for a retirement pension, the SGK pension statement and account statement

The information on this page is general in nature and has been prepared on the basis of the legislation in force as of September 2026. Deadlines in enforcement law are very short; you are advised to consult a lawyer without delay about your specific situation.