Buying a car in Türkiye as a foreigner is possible and fairly standardised: every sale goes through a notary, payment runs through a secure system, and registration happens in the same visit. Foreign-registered cars, the yabancı plaka regime, follow separate customs rules. This guide reflects the position in November 2026.
- Step 1: Check that you can register a car in your name
- Step 2: Get your numbers and documents ready
- Step 3: Buying a new car
- Step 4: Buying a used car from a dealer or a private seller
- Step 5: Check the car and its paperwork
- Step 6: Arrange insurance
- Step 7: Complete the sale at the notary
- Step 8: Running costs after you buy
- Foreign-registered cars: the yabancı plaka rules
- Bottom line
- Frequently asked questions
**Key points**
– Foreigners can own and register a car. Registration uses your foreigner identity number (YKN) if you have one, otherwise your tax number. – Cars registered to foreign individuals receive **MA-MZ series plates**, and the registration carries a restriction on who may drive the car. – All sales of registered vehicles must be made **before a notary**. Sales made elsewhere are void. – Since 27 September 2024, cash and bank-transfer payments for second-hand vehicles must go through the **Secure Payment System** (Güvenli Ödeme Sistemi). – The buyer needs **compulsory traffic insurance** in their own name before the notary will complete the sale. – A temporarily imported foreign-plated car cannot be sold in Türkiye.
This is general information, not legal advice. Check your own case with a notary, customs or a lawyer.
Step 1: Check that you can register a car in your name
The rules sit in the regulation on vehicle sales, transfers and registration (Araçların Satış, Devir ve Tescil Hizmetlerinin Yürütülmesi Hakkında Yönetmelik), first published in the Official Gazette on 31 January 2018 and amended several times since, with changes as recent as April 2026. Article 17 covers foreigners:
– Vehicles that foreign individuals or companies buy in Türkiye, or bring from abroad, are registered by notaries. – A foreign individual is registered under their temporary identity number if they have one, **otherwise under their tax number**. Foreign companies must have a tax number. – These vehicles get plates from the **MA-MZ letter group**. – For a car bought in Türkiye by a foreign individual, the registration record states that only the owner, the owner’s spouse and children, or a driver employed under a notarised employment contract may drive it. – If a Turkish citizen and a foreigner register a car jointly, no MA-MZ plate is issued and the rules for Turkish citizens apply.
The regulation does not name a residence permit as a condition, but a permit and its YKN make things smoother, and some expat guides say a permit is needed before you buy. If you only have a tax number, ask the notary in advance.
Step 2: Get your numbers and documents ready
– **Tax number.** If you have no YKN yet, get a free potential tax number online. See our guide to getting a Turkish tax number as a foreigner. – **Residence permit and YKN.** See our explainer on the 200,000 dollar residence permit rule and our guide to renewing a residence permit. – **e-Devlet password** for vehicle records and tax debts. See our e-Devlet password guide for foreigners. – **Passport**, a bank offering the Secure Payment System, and a driving licence valid for your status. – **Language help.** Notary documents are in Turkish, and you may need a sworn translator.
Step 3: Buying a new car
A new car is bought from an authorised dealer. The price you see already includes **special consumption tax (ÖTV)** and VAT. ÖTV on registrable vehicles is charged once, at first acquisition, which the tax communiqué defines to include buying an unregistered vehicle from a dealer. Later resales are not charged again, and there is no general exemption for foreign residents, only for diplomats and some international organisations.
New vehicles must be registered within **three months** of purchase. Dealers authorised by the Türkiye Notaries Union can prepare the registration through the ARTES system, and a notary then prints the registration certificate. ÖTV rates change often, so ask the dealer for the tax breakdown.
Step 4: Buying a used car from a dealer or a private seller
The Ministry of Trade regulates the second-hand market:
– **6 months / 6,000 km rule.** Dealers may not market or sell cars, off-road vehicles or motorcycles until six months and 6,000 km have passed since first registration. The rule also applies to anyone who sells three or more used vehicles in a calendar year without a dealer licence, and notaries block sales that break it. On 22 June 2026 the ministry extended it, with the advertising restriction, until **1 January 2027**. Check for a further extension after that date. – **Advertising cap.** Used vehicles may not be advertised above the manufacturer’s or distributor’s current recommended sale price. – **Three sales a year.** Selling more than three used vehicles in a calendar year is treated as commercial activity, which requires a dealer authorisation certificate (yetki belgesi).
The Ministry of Trade’s FAQ also sets duties for licensed dealers selling cars and off-road vehicles:
– In provinces with a TSE-certified inspection station, the dealer must get an **expertise report (ekspertiz raporu)** within the three days before the sale. Vehicles over eight model years old or with more than 160,000 km are exempt. – The dealer must give a warranty of **three months or 5,000 km** covering the engine, gearbox, torque converter, differential and electrical system.
A private seller owes you none of this, so order your own expertise report before you pay.
Step 5: Check the car and its paperwork
– **Expertise.** Read the report on bodywork, paint and mechanics before agreeing a price. – **Periodic inspection.** Inspections are done at TÜVTÜRK stations. The regulation says a car must have a **valid inspection** before a notary can sell it, so check the due date on the registration document or via e-Devlet. – **Debts and restrictions.** The notary checks that there is no unpaid motor vehicles tax (MTV), late-payment interest, traffic fine or toll debt, and no lien or sale restriction.
Step 6: Arrange insurance
**Compulsory traffic insurance (trafik sigortası)** is third-party liability cover required by law. Under Article 18 of the regulation, the notary completes a sale only once compulsory insurance in the **buyer’s** name has been confirmed as of the sale date. So buy your policy before the appointment.
**Kasko** is optional comprehensive cover for damage to your own car, theft and similar risks.
Step 7: Complete the sale at the notary
1. **The seller starts the Secure Payment process** in a participating bank’s or payment institution’s app or website, entering seller, buyer and vehicle details. 2. **The buyer confirms** with the reference number sent by SMS or email and transfers the price to the system’s account. 3. **Both parties sign before the notary.** The Ministry of Trade says notaries will not process the transfer until the price has reached the system’s account. 4. **Ownership and payment move together.** The Justice Ministry says fees come out of the seller’s proceeds and the buyer is refunded if the sale is cancelled. 5. **You leave with the registration certificate** in your name and, as a foreigner, MA-MZ plates.
Sales cannot be done on e-Devlet: the regulation allows only services such as document reprints and vehicle reports there.
Step 8: Running costs after you buy
– **Motor vehicles tax (MTV)** is an annual tax on registered vehicles, paid in two instalments, in January and July. For cars it depends mainly on the car’s age and engine size. You can pay it in GİB’s Digital Tax Office. It has to be clear before you sell. – **Traffic insurance** renewal every year, and **TÜVTÜRK inspection** when due.
Foreign-registered cars: the yabancı plaka rules
The Ministry of Trade’s customs guide on foreign-plated vehicles, updated 9 July 2026, sets out the temporary import regime:
– **Who qualifies.** The scheme is for people resident abroad, bringing one vehicle registered in their name in their country of residence. EU and EFTA residents may also bring one registered in another EU or EFTA country. Customs checks residence abroad at every entry, using a test of at least 185 days spent abroad in the previous 365 days. – **Foreigners without a residence permit** can keep the vehicle in Türkiye for a total of **90 days in any 180-day period**. – **Foreigners with a Turkish residence permit** get a period equal to their permit, up to **730 days**. The guide does not say clearly whether the 185-day test is waived for them, so ask customs before you rely on it. – **No sale.** A temporarily imported vehicle cannot be sold, rented, lent or transferred, except within the same family as the guide allows. After a banned transfer the car must leave within 7 days, and fines apply under Customs Law No. 4458. – **Leaving without the car.** Hand it to customs, or file an undertaking at ypti.ticaret.gov.tr, in which case the clock keeps running and the car must stay parked. – **Overstays** bring fines that rise each month. Customs registration is free.
If you plan to settle in Türkiye, a foreign-plated car is a short-term solution. Importing it permanently means paying import taxes, including ÖTV. See also our moving to Turkey checklist.
Bottom line
Get your tax number or YKN first, have used cars checked independently, buy traffic insurance in your name and let the notary and Secure Payment System handle the rest. Treat a foreign-plated car as temporary.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can a foreigner without a residence permit buy a car in Türkiye?
A: The registration regulation lets a foreign individual register a car under a tax number when they have no identity number. Practice varies, so confirm with the notary first.
Q: Why does my car have MA-MZ plates?
A: Cars registered to foreign individuals or companies receive plates from the MA-MZ letter group under Article 17 of the registration regulation.
Q: Can my Turkish friend drive my car?
A: For cars a foreign individual buys in Türkiye, the registration restricts driving to the owner, the owner’s spouse and children, or a driver employed under a notarised contract.
Q: Is the 6 months and 6,000 km rule still in force?
A: Yes. The Ministry of Trade extended it until 1 January 2027. It applies to licensed dealers, and to anyone selling three or more used vehicles a year without a licence.
Q: Can I sell my foreign-plated car before I leave Türkiye?
A: No. The customs guide bans the sale or transfer of temporarily imported vehicles, apart from limited family transfers. A breach brings fines, and the car must leave within 7 days.
Planning to buy a home as well? Download our free property guide for a step-by-step checklist.
Sources
- Regulation on vehicle sales, transfer and registration (RG 31.01.2018 No. 30318, consolidated to 9 April 2026): Art. 17 foreigners registered by notaries, YKN or else tax number, MA-MZ plates, driver restriction, joint ownership; Art. 18 sales only before notary, non-notarised sales void, valid inspection, buyer’s compulsory insurance, MTV/fine/toll debt checks; Art. 13 three-month first registration, ARTES; Art. 10 limited e-Devlet services
- Ministry of Trade, 22 June 2026: 6 months/6,000 km rule and advertising restriction extended to 1 January 2027; notaries block sales by unlicensed sellers of 3+ vehicles a year
- Ministry of Trade, 26 June 2025: scope of 6 months/6,000 km rule (motorcycles, cars, off-road vehicles; from first registration) and listing price cap
- Alomaliye, 22 June 2026: extension to 1 January 2027 and enforcement details
- Motorlu Kara Taşıtlarının Ticareti Hakkında Yönetmelik (RG 27.08.2024, No. 32645), Art. 5: more than three used vehicle sales a year treated as commercial activity requiring authorisation
- Ministry of Trade sectoral trade FAQ: dealer expertise report within 3 days before sale (TSE-certified station provinces; exempt over 8 model years or 160,000 km); dealer warranty 3 months or 5,000 km
- Ministry of Trade: Secure Payment System mandatory from 27 September 2024 for cash/transfer/EFT payments; seller starts, buyer confirms with reference number; notaries do not process transfer without payment to system account
- Ministry of Justice: secure payment in vehicle sales, simultaneous transfer, fees deducted from seller’s proceeds, refund on cancellation
- ÖTV (II) List Implementation Communiqué (consolidated 22 April 2026): ÖTV once at first acquisition, imports for use are first acquisition, no general exemption for foreigners, diplomatic exemption
- Ministry of Trade customs guide on foreign-plated vehicles (9 July 2026): residents abroad, 185-day test, 90 days in 180 for foreigners without residence permit, up to 730 days within residence permit period, no sale/transfer, 7-day exit, Customs Law 4458 Art. 238 fines, undertaking via ypti.ticaret.gov.tr, free registration
- MTV and traffic fine payment, Digital Tax Office (Revenue Administration)
- MTV paid in two instalments in January and July; amount for cars by age and engine size (Memurlar.net)
- TÜVTÜRK services (periodic vehicle inspection)
- Expat guide: notary transactions, possible translator, residence permit described as prerequisite (Ikamet)
Photo: Ibrahim Husain Meraj / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
