Exchanging a foreign driving licence in Turkey

• Foreign nationals may drive on a licence obtained abroad for at most six months from the date of entry; after six months exchanging it for a Turkish licence is compulsory.
• For Turkish citizens the period is two years, but anyone staying in Turkey for more than six months must carry a notarised or consulate-certified Turkish translation of the licence together with the licence itself while driving.
• The exchange application can be made at any civil registry office; the documents required are determined by the Directorate General of Civil Registration.
• The documents include the original foreign licence and a colour copy of it, together with a notarised or consulate-certified Turkish translation. An educational certificate obtained abroad also requires a notarised translation.
• Licences issued to foreign nationals on exchange carry the code “may not drive a commercial vehicle”; this code is not applied to Turkish citizens or Blue Card holders.
• Licences from countries that are not party to the Road Traffic Convention and have no bilateral recognition agreement with Turkey are not exchanged. Temporary foreign licences and international driving permits are not exchanged either.
• Expired foreign licences are still exchanged. The original is returned to the holder after a colour copy is taken; the process is completed once the document's authenticity is confirmed through the Turkish mission in the issuing country.

This page is compiled from the Highway Traffic Regulation and the civil registration instruction; it makes no promise as to fees or timing. Requirements and fees change, so check the current list through the appointment system and the civil registry office before applying.

A translation of the licence alone is not enough: the file also takes an identity document, a driver's health report, one biometric photograph, a document or statement of blood group, a criminal record certificate, and receipts for the fee, the document charge and the foundation share. The photograph must have been taken within the last six months to ICAO standards and be biometric; photocopies and computer-reproduced photographs are not accepted. Unless the health report provides for a shorter renewal period, it is treated as valid for two years from the date of issue. On the translation side the usual stumbling block is the spelling of the name: the given name and surname on the licence must match the Latin spelling in your passport, otherwise the records will not line up. Category codes, restriction codes and issue dates must be carried over exactly, because they determine which Turkish category corresponds to yours. The original foreign licence is presented at the application and returned to you after a colour copy is taken, while authenticity is confirmed through the Turkish mission abroad — so the process may not finish the same day.