Unofficial English translation for information only. In case of discrepancy, the Turkish text prevails. This translation is not legal advice.
Turkish source: Law No. 6502, Official Gazette 28/11/2013, No. 28835. Turkish text as published on mevzuat.gov.tr, checked on 26 October 2026: https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuat?MevzuatNo=6502&MevzuatTur=1&MevzuatTertip=5
PART EIGHT – Provisions on Proceedings, Inspection and Penalties
Article 73 – Consumer courts
(1) Consumer courts shall have jurisdiction over actions concerning disputes that may arise from consumer transactions and practices aimed at consumers.
(2) Actions brought before consumer courts by the Ministry, consumers and consumer organisations shall be exempt from the fees prescribed by the Fees Law No. 492 dated 2/7/1964.
(3) In actions brought by umbrella organisations of consumer organisations, expert witness fees and, where the action is decided against the claimant, the attorney’s fees awarded shall be borne by the Ministry. Where the action is decided against the defendant, the expert witness fees shall be collected from the defendant in accordance with the provisions of the Law on the Procedure for the Collection of Public Receivables and recorded as revenue in the budget.
(4) Actions heard by consumer courts shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of Part Six of the Code of Civil Procedure No. 6100 dated 12/1/2011.
(5) Consumer actions may also be brought before the consumer court at the consumer’s place of domicile.
(6) Consumer organisations, the relevant public institutions and organisations, and the Ministry may, except in respect of provisions concerning unfair commercial practices and commercial advertisements, bring an action before consumer courts to obtain an interim measure to prevent or suspend a situation affecting consumers in general where there is a risk of a situation contrary to this Law arising, or to establish, prevent or suspend an unlawful situation.
(7) In actions concerning consumers in general, the claimant may request publication of the decisions rendered. If the court accepts the request, the decision shall be announced without delay in at least three newspapers published nationwide, with the expenses charged to the defendant.
(8) Finalised decisions rendered by consumer courts shall be transmitted to the Ministry through the National Judiciary Informatics System. Decisions rendered on objections to consumer arbitration committee decisions shall be sent by the court that issued the decision to the relevant consumer arbitration committee.
Article 73/A – Mediation as a condition for bringing an action
(Added:22/7/2020-7251/59 art.)
(1) In disputes heard by consumer courts, applying to a mediator before bringing an action is a condition for bringing an action. However, the provisions concerning mediation as a condition for bringing an action shall not apply to the following matters:
a) disputes within the jurisdiction of consumer arbitration committees
b) objections to decisions of consumer arbitration committees
c) actions specified in the sixth paragraph of Article 73
ç) actions specified in Article 74
d) disputes that are in the nature of consumer transactions and arise from rights in rem in immovable property
(2) The eleventh paragraph of Article 18/A of the Mediation Law in Civil Disputes No. 6325 dated 7/6/2012 shall not be applied against the consumer.
(3) If the parties cannot be reached at the end of mediation, no meeting can be held because the parties do not attend, or the parties agree or fail to agree, the mediation fee payable by the consumer shall be covered by the budget of the Ministry of Justice. However, in the stated cases, the mediation fee may not exceed the amount of the two-hour fee under Part One of the Mediation Fee Tariff annexed to the Minimum Mediation Fee Tariff.
(4) If an action brought at the end of mediation is decided in favour of the consumer, the mediation fee shall be collected from the defendant in accordance with the provisions of Law No. 6183 and recorded as revenue in the budget.
Article 74 – Suspension of production or sale and recall of goods
(1) The Ministry, consumers or consumer organisations may bring an action to establish that a batch of goods offered for sale is defective, to suspend its production or sale, to eliminate the defect, and to recall it from those holding it for sale.
(2) If a court decision establishes that a batch of goods offered for sale is defective, the court may, depending on the nature of the defect, order the temporary suspension of the sale of the goods or the remedying of the defect. The producer or importer is obliged to remedy the defect in the goods within no later than three months from the date of service of the court decision. If it is impossible to remedy the defect in the goods, the goods shall be collected or caused to be collected by the producer or importer. The collected goods shall be destroyed or caused to be destroyed in whole or in part, according to the risks they pose. The consumer’s rights to bring an action and claim compensation in respect of destroyed goods are reserved.
(3) If a batch of goods offered for sale has a defect that endangers consumer safety, the provisions of the Law on the Preparation and Implementation of Technical Legislation on Products are reserved.
Article 75 – Inspection
(1) For the purposes of implementing this Law, Ministry inspectors, customs and trade inspectors, and personnel assigned by the Ministry are authorized to conduct inspections, examinations and investigations at any place where goods or services are provided.
(2) In matters falling within the scope of this Law, all information and documents must be accurately presented to the persons or organizations authorized and responsible, or, if requested, the originals or certified copies of the documents must be provided.
Article 76 – Inspection of consumer products and services
(1) A consumer product is any new, used or reconditioned product designed for consumers to use, including products used in the service sector, or which consumers may reasonably be expected to use, and which is supplied or made available as a result of commercial activities or by other means.
(2) Second-hand products that are antiques or require repair or reconditioning before use are not considered within the scope of paragraph one, provided that the producer or distributor clearly informs the consumer.
(3) Consumer products and services offered to consumers must not endanger life or property or harm the environment, and must comply with all mandatory administrative and technical regulations.
(4) The Ministry is responsible for carrying out market surveillance and inspection of the consumer products for which it is responsible, in accordance with the provisions of the Law on the Preparation and Implementation of Technical Legislation on Products.
Article 77 – Sanctions
(1) (Amended:23/5/2024-7511/19 art.) Under this Law;
a) Those who act contrary to the obligations set out in Articles 4, 7, 18, 19, 20, 21, 26, 30, 35, 49, 51, 52, 54 and 57, and in the second, third, fourth, sixth and seventh paragraphs of Article 48, and those who fail to deliver or install goods within the prescribed period pursuant to paragraph three of Article 8, shall be subject to an administrative fine of two thousand two hundred Turkish Liras for each transaction or contract in which the violation is identified,
b) Those who refrain from selling goods or services contrary to Article 6 shall be subject to an administrative fine equal to ten percent of the total sale price, including all taxes, of the goods or services whose sale was refused, but not less than two thousand two hundred Turkish Liras for each transaction or contract in which the violation is identified,
an administrative fine shall be imposed.
(2) If unfair terms determined pursuant to Article 5 of this Law are used in consumer contracts, and such unfair terms are not removed from the contract text within the period granted by the Ministry, an administrative fine of two hundred Turkish Liras shall be imposed for each contract in which the violation is identified.
(3) Those who act contrary to the obligations set out in Articles 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 33, 34, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41, 43, 45 and 46, and in the first, second and fourth paragraphs of Article 31, the second paragraph of Article 40, and the third, fourth, fifth and seventh paragraphs of Article 47, shall be subject to an administrative fine of one thousand Turkish Liras for each transaction or contract in which the violation is identified.
(4) (Amended:24/3/2022-7392/15 art.) Under this Law;
a) Sellers or providers who act contrary to any of the obligations set out in the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth, tenth and eleventh paragraphs of Article 50 shall be subject to an administrative fine of three thousand five hundred Turkish Liras for each transaction or contract in which the violation is identified, not exceeding five million Turkish Liras per project in a calendar year as of the date on which the violation is identified.
b) Under Article 50;
1) Those who conclude timeshare contracts with consumers in a manner contrary to paragraph two, where such contracts grant rights in rem linked to a share of ownership, those who mediate the conclusion of such contracts, those who grant timeshare rights through membership in a cooperative or commercial company, or through membership in an association or foundation, those who mediate such transactions, and those who sell timeshares despite not holding a right in rem over the property subject to the timeshare,
2) Those who conclude prepaid timeshare contracts with consumers, or mediate their conclusion, in a manner contrary to paragraph eight,
shall be subject to imprisonment for three to six years. If the offences set out in this subparagraph are committed within the scope of the activities of a legal person, security measures specific to such persons shall also be ordered.
(5) Those who act contrary to the obligations set out in paragraph three of Article 40 and paragraph two of Article 47 shall be subject to an administrative fine of one hundred thousand Turkish Liras; those who act contrary to the obligations set out in Article 44 shall be subject to an administrative fine of seventy thousand Turkish Liras for each dwelling not delivered.
(6) Producers and importers who act contrary to the obligations set out in Articles 55 and 56 shall be subject to an administrative fine of two hundred Turkish Liras for each product placed on the market; sellers shall be subject to the same fine for each product sold to a consumer.
(7) Those who grant awards contrary to the matters set out in Article 60 of this Law shall be subject to an administrative fine of one hundred thousand Turkish Liras.
(8) Those who act contrary to the obligations set out in paragraph three of Article 31 and Article 42 of this Law shall be given one month to remedy the violation. If the violation is not remedied by the end of this period, an administrative fine of five million Turkish Liras shall be imposed on card issuing institutions that act contrary to paragraph three of Article 31, and an administrative fine of five hundred thousand Turkish Liras shall be imposed on those who act contrary to Article 42.
(9) Periodical publication organizations that act contrary to the obligations set out in Article 53 of this Law shall be subject to an administrative fine of five thousand Turkish Liras; if the violation is committed through a periodical publication distributed nationwide, the fine shall be one hundred thousand Turkish Liras. The periodical publication organization shall also stop the campaign and all advertising and announcements relating to it. If the violation continues, an administrative fine of ten thousand Turkish Liras shall be imposed for each issue/day from the date on which the obligation to stop the advertisement or announcement arose.
(10) (Amended:24/3/2022-7392/15 art.) Under this Law;
a) Those who act contrary to Article 57/A shall be subject to an administrative fine of five hundred thousand Turkish Liras if they carry out refurbishment activities without a certificate in respect of goods requiring a refurbishment authorization certificate, and an administrative fine of five hundred Turkish Liras for each transaction in relation to violations and deficiencies identified in the sale of refurbished products.
b) (Amended:23/5/2024-7511/19 art.) Under Article 58,
1) Producers and importers who act contrary to paragraph two shall be subject to a fine of one million one hundred fifteen thousand Turkish Liras for failure to obtain an after-sales service adequacy certificate, and a fine of eighteen thousand Turkish Liras for each service station if they fail to register with the system established by the Ministry or fail to update the registration,
2) Private service stations that fail to use the words “private service” in a readily visible and legible manner in all their media and activities, contrary to paragraph five, shall be subject to a fine of eighteen thousand Turkish Liras,
3) Producers and importers that fail to maintain the minimum number of service stations throughout the period of validity of the after-sales service adequacy certificate, contrary to paragraph eight, shall be subject to a fine of one hundred twenty-four thousand Turkish Liras for each service station short of the required number,
an administrative fine shall be imposed.
c) (Amended:23/5/2024-7511/19 art.) Producers, importers or private service stations that act contrary to obligations under Article 58 other than those subject to sanctions under subparagraph (b) of this paragraph shall be subject to an administrative fine of two thousand two hundred Turkish Liras for each transaction in which the violation is identified.
(11) Radio and television broadcasters that act contrary to the obligations set out in paragraph two of Article 59 of this Law shall be subject to an administrative fine of ten thousand Turkish Liras.
(12) Advertisers, advertising agencies and media organizations that act contrary to the obligations set out in Article 61 of this Law shall be subject to a sanction of suspension, correction by the same method, or an administrative fine, and, where deemed necessary, a precautionary suspension for up to three months. The Advertising Board may impose the sanctions in this paragraph jointly or separately, depending on the nature of the violation. (Amended third sentence:24/10/2024-7529/7 art.) If the violation was committed; [28]
a) through a locally broadcasting television channel, an administrative fine of between one hundred ten thousand Turkish Liras and one million one hundred thousand Turkish Liras,
b) through a nationwide broadcasting television channel, an administrative fine of between two million two hundred ten thousand Turkish Liras and twenty-two million one hundred thousand Turkish Liras,
c) through periodical publications, half of the fines specified in subparagraphs (a) and (b),
ç) through a locally broadcasting radio channel or a radio channel broadcasting via satellite, an administrative fine of between sixty thousand Turkish Liras and six hundred thousand Turkish Liras,
d) through a nationwide broadcasting radio channel, an administrative fine of between six hundred thousand Turkish Liras and six million Turkish Liras,
e) through a television channel broadcasting via satellite or through the internet, an administrative fine of between six hundred thousand Turkish Liras and six million Turkish Liras,
f) through text messages, an administrative fine of between two hundred eighty thousand Turkish Liras and two million eight hundred thousand Turkish Liras,
g) through other media, an administrative fine of between sixty thousand Turkish Liras and six hundred thousand Turkish Liras,
shall be imposed. (Amended fourth sentence:24/10/2024-7529/7 art.) In imposing the administrative fines whose lower and upper limits are specified in this paragraph, the Advertising Board shall take into account matters such as the nature and degree of wrongfulness of the violation, the amount of benefit obtained or damage caused by the violation, and the fault and financial circumstances of the person committing the violation. (Added sentences:24/3/2022-7392/15 art.) (Amended sentences:23/5/2024-7511/19 art.) If the violation is committed over the internet, the Advertising Board may decide to notify the relevant party electronically, using means of electronic communication available through information obtained from contact tools, domain names, IP addresses and similar sources on the relevant webpage, for the removal of the content, and to block access if the content is not removed within twenty-four hours despite such notification. A decision to block access may be made directly only where notification cannot be served on the addressee. The decision to block access shall be sent to the Access Providers Association for implementation. As a rule, the decision to block access shall be limited to the content in which the violation occurred. However, where it is technically not possible to block access to the content relating to the violation, or where the violation cannot be prevented by blocking access to the relevant content, a decision to block access to the entire website may be made.
(13) Those who act contrary to the obligations set out in Article 62 of this Law shall be subject to a sanction of precautionary suspension of the unfair commercial practice for up to three months, cessation of that practice, or an administrative fine of between sixty thousand Turkish Liras and six hundred thousand Turkish Liras. The Board may impose these sanctions jointly or separately, depending on the nature of the violation. If the violation occurred nationwide, the administrative fine shall be between six hundred thousand Turkish Liras and six million Turkish Liras. (Added sentence:24/10/2024-7529/7 art.) In imposing the administrative fines whose lower and upper limits are specified in this paragraph, the Advertising Board shall take into account matters such as the nature and degree of wrongfulness of the violation, the amount of benefit obtained or damage caused by the violation, and the fault and financial circumstances of the person committing the violation. If it is determined that the violation was committed through advertising, the provisions of paragraph twelve of this Article shall apply.[29]
(14) Those who act contrary to the obligations set out in paragraph five of Article 48 of this Law shall be subject to an administrative fine of one million Turkish Liras; producers or importers who act contrary to the obligations set out in Article 74 shall be subject to an administrative fine of one hundred thousand Turkish Liras; and those who act contrary to the obligations set out in paragraph one of Article 79 shall be subject to an administrative fine of five thousand Turkish Liras.
(15) Those who act contrary to the obligations set out in paragraph two of Article 75 of this Law shall be instructed to provide accurate information and documents or to enable an on-site inspection within seven days. If the violation continues despite the instruction, an administrative fine shall be imposed at a rate of one percent of their annual gross revenue at the end of the previous financial year before the date on which the violation occurred, but not less than eighty thousand Turkish Liras. (Added sentences:24/3/2022-7392/15 art.) If there was no gross revenue in the previous financial year, the most recent gross revenue shall be taken into account. If gross revenue is not reported or is reported incorrectly, an administrative fine of six million Turkish Liras shall be imposed for prepaid housing sales, and one million Turkish Liras for other sales. (Added sentence:24/10/2024-7529/7 art.) Those who are not required to declare their gross revenue shall be subject to an administrative fine of fifty thousand Turkish Liras. In timeshare sales, if the violation continues despite the instruction, an administrative fine of three million Turkish Liras shall be imposed. (Repealed sentence:24/10/2024-7529/7 art.)[30]
(16) Providers that provide services contrary to the obligations set out in paragraph three of Article 76 of this Law shall be subject to an administrative fine of two hundred Turkish Liras for each transaction.
(17) (Amended:24/10/2024-7529/7 art.) Under this Law;
a) Those found to have violated the obligations set out in the second and third paragraphs of Article 47/A shall be subject to an administrative fine of five million Turkish Liras for each violation; those who act contrary to the obligations set out in the fourth, fifth and seventh paragraphs shall be subject to an administrative fine of two thousand two hundred Turkish Liras for each transaction in which the violation is identified.
b) Those who act contrary to paragraph six of Article 47/A shall be given three months to remedy the violation. If the violation is not remedied by the end of this period, an administrative fine of one million Turkish Liras shall be imposed.
c) The relevant provisions of the Turkish Penal Code No. 5237 dated 26/9/2004 shall apply to those who initiate or organize a pyramid sales system contrary to Article 80, or disseminate it through meetings, electronic mail or other methods capable of securing the participation of many people, or support the dissemination of such a system in any other way for commercial purposes.
(18) Those who fail to comply with obligations imposed by this Law or with measures determined by the Ministry by regulation or communiqué, other than those specified above, shall be subject to an administrative fine of between one thousand and fifty thousand Turkish Liras.
(19) Excluding the administrative fines in paragraphs two, four, eight, nine, twelve and thirteen of this Article and the administrative fines relating to timeshare sales, where the total amount of administrative fines imposed in a calendar year as of the date on which the violation is identified exceeds eighty thousand Turkish Liras, the total amount of administrative fines shall be no less than that amount and shall not exceed one hundred twenty million Turkish Liras;
a) It may not exceed five percent of the annual gross revenue of the natural or legal person subject to the fine, as at the end of the previous financial year before the violation was identified. If there was no gross revenue in the previous year, the gross revenue as of the date of identification shall be taken into account. This subparagraph shall not apply if gross revenue is not reported or is reported incorrectly.
b) For banks, financial institutions granting consumer loans and card issuing institutions, it may not exceed five per thousand of the equity published in the most recent financial statements disclosed to the public.
(20) The imposition of administrative sanctions under this Law shall not prevent the taking of action under other laws. The Ministry is authorized to resolve any uncertainties that may arise in the implementation of this Article.
Notes
[28] By Article 19 of Law No. 7511 dated 23/5/2024, the phrase “penalties” in the second sentence of this paragraph was amended to read “sanction decisions in the paragraph”.
[29] By Article 7 of Law No. 7529 dated 24/10/2024, the phrase “five thousand Turkish Liras” in the first sentence of this paragraph was amended to read “from sixty thousand Turkish Liras to six hundred thousand Turkish Liras”, and the phrase “as fifty thousand Turkish Liras” in the third sentence was amended to read “from six hundred thousand Turkish Liras to six million Turkish Liras”.
[30] By Article 7 of Law No. 7529 dated 24/10/2024, the phrase “in respect of those” in the first sentence of this paragraph was amended to read “to those”, the phrase “from its detection” in the second sentence was amended to read “from the date it occurred”, and the phrase “three in such cases” in the fourth sentence was amended to read “six million Turkish Liras for prepaid housing sales and one for other sales in such cases”.