Foreigners may drive in Türkiye on a licence issued abroad for six months from entry (Article 88, Highway Traffic Regulation); after that it must be exchanged for a Turkish licence at any population directorate (nüfus müdürlüğü). Licences from parties to the Convention on Road Traffic or countries with a bilateral agreement are exchanged without exams; others, international permits and temporary licences are not. You need a notarised Turkish translation and a health report. The 2026 charge is 2,115 Turkish Lira.
Many foreigners who settle in Türkiye keep driving on the licence they brought from home and only learn at a roadside check that the right to do so ended months earlier. The rule is strict: under Article 88 of the Highway Traffic Regulation, as amended on 5 June 2020, a foreigner may drive on a licence issued abroad for at most six months from the date of entry into Türkiye, after which the licence must be exchanged for a Turkish one. Since 2016 that exchange is handled by the population directorates, not the traffic police, and in 2026 the official charge for it is 2,115 Turkish Lira. Whether you can exchange your licence without a driving course and exams depends on one question: was it issued by a country that is a party to the Convention on Road Traffic, or by a country with which Türkiye has a bilateral licence agreement? This article explains the six month rule, the country test, the documents and health report, the 2026 fees and the procedure at the population directorate, and what happens if you keep driving without converting.
The basic rule is in Article 36 of the Highway Traffic Law, Law No. 2918: motor vehicles may only be driven by holders of a driving licence of the classes set by the regulation, by persons holding a licence under multilateral agreements, or by holders of a valid international driving permit. Article 39 of the same Law leaves the details of driving on foreign licences, and of exchanging them for Turkish licences, to the regulation, and sets a fine for driving on a foreign licence outside the periods and conditions it allows.
The regulation is the Highway Traffic Regulation (Karayolları Trafik Yönetmeliği), and its Article 88 contains both the time limits and the basic exchange procedure. The detailed procedure is in the implementing instruction on driving licence procedures issued by the General Directorate of Civil Registration and Citizenship (Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü, known as NVİ). Türkiye acceded to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic on 22 January 2013, and the list of Convention parties is annexed to that instruction.
Subparagraph (b) of the first paragraph of Article 88 of the Regulation provides that foreigners may drive in Türkiye on a licence issued abroad for a maximum of six months from the date they entered the country. At the end of six months, the foreign licence must be exchanged for a Turkish licence if the holder wants to continue driving. The NVİ confirms the same rule: since 1 January 2016, foreigners may drive on a foreign licence for six months and must then obtain a Turkish licence.
Older guidance, including many websites, still refers to a one year period. That is not the rule for foreigners.
Turkish citizens, including dual nationals, are treated differently under subparagraph (a) of the same paragraph. They may drive on a foreign licence for up to two years from entry, must carry a Turkish translation certified by a consulate or a notary once they have been in Türkiye for more than six months, and must exchange the licence after two years. If you hold Turkish citizenship alongside another nationality, the two year rule is the one that applies to you.
The period runs from the date of entry, not from the date your residence permit was issued. The Regulation does not say expressly whether a new entry after a trip abroad starts a fresh six months, and it would be unwise to plan your driving around repeated border crossings. For a foreigner who lives in Türkiye on a residence permit, the safe approach is to treat the first six months after moving as the window in which to convert. Although the translation requirement in Article 88 is written for Turkish citizens, we recommend that foreign drivers also carry a notarised Turkish translation of their licence during those six months, because officers at a roadside check must be able to read it.
The NVİ instruction provides that licences issued by countries that are neither parties to the Convention on Road Traffic nor bound to Türkiye by a bilateral agreement on mutual recognition and exchange of licences will not be exchanged. In other words, a licence from a Convention country or a bilateral agreement country can be exchanged without a driving course or exams. The annex to the instruction lists the Convention parties at the time it was issued. Among others it includes Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Poland, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Morocco, Tunisia, Kenya, South Africa, Brazil and Peru.
Some states appear in the annex with a signature date only, and states join the Convention over time. The population directorate checks the current position when it receives your application.
Where Türkiye has a bilateral agreement on mutual recognition and exchange of licences with the issuing state, the instruction provides that the licence is exchanged according to the reciprocity table of that agreement. The agreement can therefore limit which classes are exchanged.
Several common nationalities in Türkiye do not appear in the annexed list, including the United States, Canada, Australia, China, Japan, India, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon. If a licence comes from a country that is neither a Convention party nor covered by a bilateral agreement, the instruction is clear that it will not be exchanged. The instruction also excludes temporary licences and international driving permits, whichever country issued them.
| Your Situation | Result Under the NVİ Instruction |
|---|---|
| Licence from a Convention party | Exchanged for the equivalent Turkish class, no course or exams |
| Licence from a country with a bilateral agreement | Exchanged according to the reciprocity table of the agreement |
| Licence from a country with neither | Not exchanged; driving course, exams and a new Turkish licence required |
| Temporary licence or international driving permit | Not exchanged in any case |
| Time limited licence that has expired | Still exchanged, even though its validity has ended |
| Original licence not available | Application taken on the basis of a written declaration and identity details |
If your licence cannot be exchanged, you are in the same position as any first time applicant. You must attend a licensed driving school, pass the theory and practical exams, and obtain a motor vehicle driver certificate; the NVİ states that a licence is issued only to those who have passed the driving exams and hold this certificate. The process, costs and timing are explained in our guide on how to get a driver licence in Türkiye as a foreigner.
Exams can also become relevant for holders of convertible licences. The instruction provides that a person who holds a foreign licence and wants a different class in Türkiye must first convert the foreign licence into a Turkish one. Only then can the additional class be obtained through the ordinary course and exams.
The NVİ lists the following documents for the exchange of a licence issued abroad. Some of them are checked electronically rather than collected on paper.
The translation must be done by a sworn translator and certified by a Turkish notary, or certified by a consulate. Make sure every category on the licence, including restrictions and codes, is translated, because the Turkish classes are matched against them. A minimum level of primary education is a general condition for a Turkish licence, which is why the school certificate is requested.
Every applicant must meet the health conditions in the Regulation on Health Conditions and Examinations of Driver Candidates and Drivers, published in the Official Gazette of 26 September 2006, No. 26301. The NVİ states that driver health reports are obtained from health institutions authorised by the Ministry of Health. Under the Ministry's directive on health reports, a report is valid for two years unless the doctor or the relevant legislation specifies another date. The report is transmitted electronically in most cases, but keep a printed copy in case the system does not show it at your appointment.
If you have a medical condition that may affect driving, the examining doctor may refer you to a specialist or limit the classes you can hold. Raise it at the examination rather than at the directorate.
The NVİ publishes its fees each January. The 2026 table, published on 2 January 2026, sets the following charges for the exchange of a foreign licence.
| Item | 2026 Amount |
|---|---|
| Security paper fee (değerli kağıt bedeli) | 1,690 Turkish Lira |
| Foundation service fee (vakıf hizmet bedeli) | 425 Turkish Lira |
| Total official charge for the exchange | 2,115 Turkish Lira |
| For comparison: first issue of a class B licence | 8,869.60 Turkish Lira, including a licence fee of 6,754.60 Turkish Lira |
| Translation, notary, health report and photograph | Not set by the NVİ; prices vary by provider |
The comparison shows the practical value of a convertible licence: the exchange does not carry the licence fee charged on a first issue, and it saves the cost of a driving course. Payment can be made at contracted banks, PTT branches, tax offices or through the Digital Tax Office of the Revenue Administration. The security paper fee and other amounts are set annually, so check the table again if you apply in a later year.
The second paragraph of Article 88 of the Highway Traffic Regulation allows the application to be made at any nüfus müdürlüğü, the district or provincial population directorate; it does not have to be the one where you live. Appointments are generally booked through the NVİ appointment system at randevu.nvi.gov.tr, and the ALO 199 call centre answers questions about the procedure. The NVİ instruction requires applications to be made in person, and the NVİ states that it does not accept applications or deliveries through a representative, because fingerprints and identity are checked at the counter.
The instruction requires the directorate to take a colour copy of the foreign licence, return the original to you, and confirm the authenticity of the licence through the Turkish embassy or consulate in the issuing country before the exchange is completed. This verification is the main reason why processing times vary: a reply may come quickly from some countries and take weeks from others. If the licence turns out to be forged, the directorate reports it to the prosecutor, and a false declaration in a licence application is also reported.
Once the file is approved, the Turkish licence is produced and delivered by PTT secure delivery to the address and person named in the application, and the NVİ states that no delivery fee is charged. The status can be followed on randevu.nvi.gov.tr, e-Devlet, the NVİ mobile application or ALO 199. The foreign licence that was exchanged is then sent back to the country that issued it. Keep this in mind if you still drive in your home country: after conversion you hold a Turkish licence, and you may need to deal with your home authority if you later move back.
The instruction matches foreign categories to Turkish classes. Foreign licences for mopeds (M), motorcycles (A1, A2), tractors (F), construction machinery (G) or cars (B1, B) are exchanged for the corresponding Turkish class. Foreign licences for other vehicle types, such as trucks and buses, are exchanged for a Turkish class B licence, or class BE where the holder was authorised to tow a trailer. A professional driver from abroad therefore does not keep heavy vehicle classes through conversion alone.
The instruction also requires the code "may not drive commercial vehicles" (Ticari Araç Kullanamaz) to be entered on Turkish licences issued to foreigners. This code is not entered for Turkish citizens or for holders of the Blue Card under Law No. 5203. A foreigner who plans to work as a driver should take advice before relying on a converted licence, and will also need a work permit. Turkish class B licences are valid for ten years, and heavy vehicle classes for five years.
The last paragraph of Article 39 of Law No. 2918 imposes an administrative fine, each time it is detected, on anyone who drives on a foreign licence contrary to the periods and conditions in the Regulation. The amount written in the Law is increased every year at the revaluation rate under Additional Article 3, so the current figure must be checked at the time of the fine. A licence that is not recognised at all, for example a licence from a country outside the Convention driven on without an international driving permit, raises a more serious issue under Article 36. Since the amendment made by Law No. 7574, published in the Official Gazette of 27 February 2026, Article 36 provides for an administrative fine of 40,000 Turkish Lira for driving without a licence, and the same amount for the keeper who allows it, charged against the vehicle plate.
Beyond fines, an accident while driving without a valid licence can lead to disputes with the insurer and to criminal exposure if someone is injured. Our article on the consequences of driving without a licence in Türkiye explains these risks, and our guide on why a driving licence can be confiscated in Türkiye covers suspension and confiscation. If you have already received a fine, you can challenge it within 15 days, as explained in our guide to traffic fine appeals in Türkiye.
Driving lawfully goes together with a lawful stay, because the directorate and the traffic police will see your residence status at every check; our complete residence permit guide for Türkiye explains how to keep your status in order. If you are bringing your own car, see our international car transfer services.
For a maximum of six months from the date of entry into Türkiye under Article 88 of the Highway Traffic Regulation; after that the licence must be exchanged for a Turkish one.
No. Under Article 88 as amended on 5 June 2020, the limit is six months for foreigners and two years for Turkish citizens.
Licences from parties to the Convention on Road Traffic and from countries with a bilateral licence agreement with Türkiye; the population directorate checks the current list.
These countries do not appear in the Convention list annexed to the NVİ instruction, so unless a bilateral agreement applies the licence cannot be exchanged and you must take the Turkish course and exams.
No. The instruction excludes international driving permits and temporary licences from exchange.
Yes. The instruction provides that time limited foreign licences are exchanged even if their validity has ended.
At any population directorate (nüfus müdürlüğü) in Türkiye, in person, usually after booking an appointment through randevu.nvi.gov.tr.
You need an identity document accepted by the directorate, and in practice foreign residents apply with their passport and residence permit card; short term visitors normally drive within the six month period instead.
The official charge is 2,115 Turkish Lira (1,690 security paper fee plus 425 foundation fee), plus translation, notary and health report costs.
Yes. The NVİ requires a Turkish translation certified by a notary or a consulate.
The original is returned to you at application, but once the Turkish licence is issued the exchanged foreign licence is sent to the issuing country.
No. Licences issued to foreigners carry the code "may not drive commercial vehicles", except for Blue Card holders.
No. Foreign licences for heavy vehicles are exchanged for a class B (or BE) licence; heavy classes require the Turkish course and exams.
You face an administrative fine each time under Article 39 of Law No. 2918, and if the licence is not recognised at all the 40,000 Turkish Lira fine under Article 36 can apply.
No. The NVİ does not accept applications or deliveries through a representative.
Converting a foreign driving licence in Türkiye is a short procedure if you start it on time and your licence qualifies. Foreigners may drive on a foreign licence for six months from entry under Article 88 of the Highway Traffic Regulation. Licences from Convention countries or from countries with a bilateral agreement are exchanged at any population directorate without a course or exams, against a notarised translation, a health report and an official charge of 2,115 Turkish Lira in 2026, after the directorate has verified the licence with the issuing country. Licences from other countries, international driving permits and temporary licences cannot be exchanged, and their holders must take the Turkish exams. Continuing to drive after the six months exposes you to repeated fines under Article 39 of Law No. 2918 and, where the licence is not recognised, to the higher fine under Article 36.
If you are unsure whether your licence qualifies, if the directorate has refused your exchange, or if you have been fined or had your licence taken for driving on a foreign licence, our legal team can review your documents and advise you on the next step.
