In 2026, consumer disputes in Türkiye worth less than 186,000 Turkish Lira must first go to a consumer arbitration committee (tüketici hakem heyeti) under Article 68 of Law No. 6502; one limit applies to provincial and district committees. Foreigners apply like citizens, where they live or bought, online via e-Devlet (TÜBİS), by post or in person, with no application fee. Decisions are due within six months, extendable by three, bind both sides and are enforceable; objections go to the consumer court within two weeks of service. Larger claims need mediation, then the consumer court.
When a phone bought in an Istanbul shopping centre stops working after a month, an online order never arrives, or a bank keeps charging a card fee that was never agreed, the seller's refusal to help is rarely the end of the matter in Türkiye. Claims of this size go to the tüketici hakem heyeti, the consumer arbitration committee (often called the consumer arbitration board in English), a public body set up by the Ministry of Trade under the Consumer Protection Law, Law No. 6502. For applications made in 2026, the committee route is mandatory for disputes worth less than 186,000 Turkish Lira, the figure fixed by the Ministry of Trade communiqué published in the Official Gazette of 23 December 2025, No. 33116, in force since 1 January 2026. Two further points have changed since many older guides were written: one limit now applies to provincial and district committees alike, and the period for objecting to a decision is two weeks, not 15 days. This article explains who can apply, including foreigners and tourists, where and how to file, what the procedure costs, how long it takes, and what to do when the decision goes against you or the claim is too large for the committee.
Article 66 of Law No. 6502 makes the Ministry of Trade responsible for setting up consumer arbitration committees to resolve disputes arising from consumer transactions and from practices directed at consumers. Despite the English name, a committee is not an arbitral tribunal chosen by the parties. It is a public body whose jurisdiction comes from the law, and for claims below the monetary limit it takes the place of the court as the first forum. Its decisions bind both sides and are enforced in the same way as court judgments, which is what makes it more than a complaints desk.
Each committee has five members. It is chaired in a province by the provincial director of trade and in a district by the district governor, or by a civil servant they assign. The other four members are an expert from the municipality, a lawyer appointed by the local bar association, a member from the chamber of commerce and industry or, where the seller is a tradesman or craftsman, from the tradesmen's chambers, and a representative chosen by consumer organisations. Under Article 67, rapporteurs prepare the file and the report on which the committee bases its decision.
The procedure is governed by Articles 66 to 70 of Law No. 6502 and by the Regulation on Consumer Arbitration Committees, published in the Official Gazette of 21 September 2022, No. 31960, which came into force on 1 October 2022 and replaced the 2014 regulation. Where the Regulation and the Law differ, the Law prevails, a point that matters for the objection deadline discussed in section 8.
Under Article 68(1), application to a consumer arbitration committee is mandatory for disputes whose value is below the limit, and no application may be made for disputes above it. Article 68(4) raises the limit at the start of each calendar year by the revaluation rate announced under the Tax Procedure Law, Law No. 213, disregarding fractions of 1,000 Turkish Lira. The communiqué for 2026 applied the 2025 revaluation rate of 25.49 percent and set the limit at 186,000 Turkish Lira for applications made in 2026 to provincial or district committees. A dispute worth 186,000 Turkish Lira or more therefore goes to the consumer court, as explained in section 10.
Older articles often describe separate, lower limits for district committees. Since the 2022 amendment made by Law No. 7392, Article 68 contains a single limit, and the 2026 communiqué applies the same figure to both levels. Which committee handles a file is now a question of territory and of the division of work set by the Ministry, not of value.
| Element | Current Rule |
|---|---|
| Limit for 2026 | Disputes below 186,000 Turkish Lira, for applications made in 2026 (Official Gazette of 23 December 2025, No. 33116) |
| Limit for 2025 | Disputes below 149,000 Turkish Lira (Official Gazette of 20 December 2024, No. 32758) |
| Relevant date for the value | The date of application (Regulation, Article 6(3)) |
| Claims in foreign currency | Converted at the Central Bank effective selling rate on the application date (Regulation, Article 11(3)) |
| Where to apply | Committee at the consumer's domicile or where the transaction was made (Law No. 6502, Article 68(3)) |
| Decision period | Six months, extendable by up to three months (Regulation, Article 21) |
| Objection | Two weeks from service, to the consumer court (Law No. 6502, Article 70(3)) |
| Claims at or above the limit | Mediation first, then the consumer court (Law No. 6502, Article 73/A) |
The limit in force on the date of application is decisive (Article 6(3) of the Regulation), so a claim filed on 2 January 2026 is measured against 186,000 Turkish Lira even if the purchase was made in 2025. A claim in euros or dollars, common for holiday packages and some online purchases, is converted into Turkish Lira at the effective selling rate of the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye on the application date. If a single dispute is worth slightly more than the limit, Article 6(4) allows the consumer to waive the excess and apply to the committee, but the waived part cannot be claimed later. Several disputes arising from the same transaction may be joined if their total stays within the limit; otherwise each is decided separately (Article 20(2)).
Because the committee route is mandatory below the limit, a consumer who sues directly in the consumer court for a small claim will normally see the case rejected on procedural grounds without a ruling on the merits, and a committee will not accept a claim above the limit. Either mistake costs months. Checking the figure for the year of application, and converting any foreign currency amount on the right date, is the first step in every file.
Law No. 6502 protects the consumer, defined in Article 3 as a natural or legal person acting for purposes that are not commercial or professional. Nationality and residence status play no role. A foreign resident with a residence permit, a student, a retiree living on the coast and a tourist who bought goods during a short visit can all apply, provided the other side acted for commercial or professional purposes. The Regulation expressly provides that applicants who are not Turkish citizens identify themselves with a passport number or a foreign identity number (Article 11(3)).
Two further rules help foreigners. First, Article 21(2) of the Regulation, which allows a file to be examined with priority at a party's request and with the chair's approval, states that it also applies to foreign consumers who have no residence in Türkiye. A tourist who must leave the country should ask for this in the petition. Second, a party may be represented by a lawyer before the committee (Article 20(6) of the Regulation), which is often the practical route for someone who has already returned home. The Regulation also allows a business to apply, giving its tax number, although most files are opened by consumers.
The committee is not available where the buyer acted for business purposes, for example a company buying office equipment, or where the claim is at or above the limit. Those disputes go to the commercial or consumer courts.
Article 68(3) of Law No. 6502 and Article 7 of the Regulation give the consumer a choice: the committee where the consumer's domicile is located or the committee where the consumer transaction was carried out. Provincial committees are competent within the province and district committees within the district, under the division of work set by the Ministry. Where a district has no committee, the application can be lodged with the kaymakamlık, the district governorship, which records it in the Consumer Information System and forwards it to the committee designated by the Ministry.
For a tourist with no address in Türkiye, the place of the transaction is usually the only option, for instance the district where a jewellery shop or a travel agency is located. A foreign resident who ordered goods online will usually apply where they live. Where there is a genuine choice, the committee nearer the consumer is generally easier to deal with, since correspondence and any hearing will take place there.
Applications may be made electronically through the e-Devlet portal using the Tüketici Bilgi Sistemi, the Consumer Information System known as TÜBİS (Article 11(1) of the Regulation). An online application is valid only if the form is fully completed and the supporting documents are uploaded (Article 11(4)). Logging in to e-Devlet requires a Turkish identity number or a foreign identity number with an e-Devlet password, so this route suits foreign residents; tourists without such a number normally apply on paper or through a lawyer.
The application can also be made in person or through a lawyer, by hand or by post. The Ministry of Trade states that oral applications are not accepted. The petition must contain the applicant's name, identity or passport number, address and contact details, the details of any representative, the subject of the dispute, the request, the value in Turkish Lira and information about the business complained of (Article 11(3)). If something is missing or inconsistent, the chair gives the applicant seven days in writing to complete it (Article 11(5)). The Ministry publishes a sample application form on its website.
The committee decides mostly on paper, so the file should prove the transaction and the problem without further explanation. Useful documents include the invoice or receipt, the contract or order confirmation, card or bank statements, the warranty certificate, delivery and courier records, technical service reports, photographs or video of the defect, and the written complaint sent to the seller with any reply. Documents in another language are best accompanied by a Turkish translation, since the committee works in Turkish. The same dispute may not be filed with two committees, or twice with the same committee (Article 11(6)).
Neither Law No. 6502 nor the Regulation provides for an application fee. If the committee rules against the consumer, the service and expert costs are paid by the Ministry; if it rules for the consumer, they are collected from the other party (Article 70(7) of the Law). A consumer who hires a lawyer pays that lawyer under their agreement, and the minimum fee tariff applies its proportional scale to work before the committees, with a minimum of 9,000 Turkish Lira unless the claim itself is smaller. The committee itself may not order either side to pay attorney's fees (Article 70(1)). How fees work more generally is covered in our article on attorney fees and counsel fees in Türkiye.
The committee examines the file on the basis of the rapporteur's report and the documents, and may also hear the parties and an expert if it considers this necessary (Article 19 of the Regulation). The chair may request any information or document from the parties and from other persons and institutions; the addressee is given up to 30 days from service, extendable on request (Article 13). If the business does not reply, the committee decides on the documents already in the file, which is why a complete application matters. In technical disputes the chair may appoint an expert, and according to the Ministry of Trade the report is due within 15 working days, extendable once.
The committee is bound by the parties' requests. Where the exact amount cannot be fixed at the time of application, the applicant may state the legal relationship and a minimum amount, and the committee may then award more or less once the value is established, always within the monetary limit (Article 20(1)). If the parties settle before the decision and send proof, the committee rules that there is no need to decide (Article 20(7)).
Applications are decided in order of filing within six months, and the period may be extended by up to three months depending on the nature of the file (Article 21(1) of the Regulation). The decision is served electronically within 15 working days, or under the Notification Law, Law No. 7201, where electronic service is not possible (Article 23). Under Article 70(1) of Law No. 6502 the decision binds the parties. It has effect only for the dispute decided, and once it is final the same claim between the same parties cannot be brought again (Articles 20(5) and 11(7) of the Regulation). Clerical and calculation errors can be corrected by the committee, and a party may ask within 15 days of service for a ruling on a request the committee left undecided (Articles 25 and 26).
Either party may object to the decision before the consumer court of the place where the committee is located or where the consumer is domiciled, within two weeks from service (Article 70(3)). The period was 15 days until Law No. 7499 of 2 March 2024 replaced it with two weeks. Article 27 of the Regulation still refers to 15 days, but the Law prevails, so the safe course is to file within 14 days. Mandatory mediation does not apply to these objections (Article 73/A(1)(b)).
An objection does not suspend enforcement of the decision, although the judge may stay it as an interim measure on request. The court may amend or correct the decision on the documents where it is right in substance but contains an error in applying the law, and its own decision on the objection is final (Article 70(4) and (5)). Consumers are exempt from court fees under the Fees Law, Law No. 492 (Article 73(2)), but the Ministry of Trade points out that an advance on costs must still be paid under the Code of Civil Procedure, Law No. 6100; see our article on judicial fees and advance payments in Türkiye.
There is one cost risk for consumers. If a decision in the consumer's favour is annulled on the business's objection, the court awards an attorney's fee against the consumer under the proportional scale of the minimum fee tariff (Article 70(6)), and the tariff caps that fee at the amount accepted or rejected. No costs or attorney's fees may be imposed on the consumer, however, where the decision is annulled because the business produced in court information or a document it had but did not give to the committee.
Article 70(2) of Law No. 6502 and Article 24 of the Regulation provide that committee decisions are enforced under the provisions of the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law, Law No. 2004, on the enforcement of judgments. If the business does not pay, the consumer can start enforcement proceedings at an enforcement office on the basis of the decision, without first filing a lawsuit to prove the debt, and an objection by the business does not by itself stop those proceedings. The practical steps of collecting a debt, including attachment of bank accounts and other assets, are described in our article on debt collection and enforcement in Türkiye. A consumer who has left Türkiye can have a lawyer take these steps under a power of attorney.
If the committee decided for the consumer, the business must also pay the service and expert costs to the relevant tax office within one month of service of the decision (Article 29(2) of the Regulation), which gives many businesses a further reason to comply.
Disputes at or above the limit go to the tüketici mahkemesi, the consumer court, which under Article 73 hears disputes arising from consumer transactions. Consumer actions may be filed at the consumer's domicile (Article 73(5)), are exempt from court fees and follow the procedure in Part Six of Law No. 6100. Before filing, however, Article 73/A requires an application to a mediator. The exceptions include disputes within the committees' competence, objections to committee decisions, actions under Article 73(6) and Article 74, and consumer disputes arising from rights in rem over immovable property, such as a claim for title to a flat.
If mediation ends with or without agreement, or the parties cannot be reached or do not attend, the mediation fee the consumer would owe is paid from the Ministry of Justice budget, up to the fee for two hours under the mediation tariff; if the later court action succeeds, that fee is collected from the defendant (Article 73/A(3) and (4)). Which court hears which consumer claim is covered in our guide to the jurisdiction of consumer courts in Türkiye, and delayed off plan housing, a frequent large claim for foreign buyers, in our article on off plan property delivery delays.
Where goods are defective, Article 11 of Law No. 6502 lets the consumer choose between withdrawing from the contract, a price reduction, repair at the seller's expense, or replacement with an equivalent item without the defect. Repair or replacement must be carried out within 30 working days of the request, after which the consumer may turn to another of these rights. Liability for defects is subject to a two year limitation period from delivery, or five years for residential or holiday property (Article 12).
For distance contracts, Article 48 requires goods to be delivered within 30 days at the latest, except items made to the consumer's specifications, and gives a 14 day right of withdrawal without reason or penalty. Marketplace platforms that collect the price on the seller's behalf can share liability for delivery and withdrawal obligations, subject to exceptions. Our article on consumer rights in online shopping explains these rules in detail, and businesses selling online can read about our work on the e-commerce law service page.
Banking contracts are consumer transactions under Article 3. Article 31 forbids any fee for an account opened only for transactions under a fixed term loan and requires card issuers to offer a credit card without an annual membership fee. Disputes about charges taken without a contractual basis, within the monetary limit, are a regular part of the committees' work.
Under Article 52, a consumer may terminate a subscription of indefinite duration, or one for a fixed term of more than a year, at any time without reason or penalty, by notice on paper or a durable medium. The provider may not make cancellation harder than signing up, and must refund the unused part of the fee within 15 days. Gyms, internet and television packages and language courses often lead to such claims.
Package tours are regulated by Article 51, which allows the consumer to rescind with an immediate refund if an essential term is changed or the tour is cancelled before it starts, and to claim a price reduction for deficiencies during the trip. Refund disputes with clinics or agencies over cancelled treatment packages may also come before the committees when the amount is within the limit. Claims for injury caused by treatment are usually much larger and are discussed in our article on medical tourism malpractice claims.
Disputes below 186,000 Turkish Lira must go to a committee if the application is made in 2026, under the communiqué published in the Official Gazette on 23 December 2025.
No. Since the 2022 amendment there is a single limit for provincial and district committees; which one handles the file depends on territory and the Ministry's division of work.
Yes. Any consumer can apply regardless of nationality, using a passport number or foreign identity number instead of a Turkish identity number.
Yes, by post or through a lawyer to the committee where the purchase was made, and you can ask for priority examination, which the Regulation extends to foreign consumers with no residence in Türkiye.
No application fee is charged, and if the decision goes against you, the service and expert costs are borne by the Ministry of Trade rather than by you.
Yes, through e-Devlet using TÜBİS, provided you have a Turkish or foreign identity number and an e-Devlet password; otherwise apply in writing by hand or by post.
Up to six months from the application, extendable by up to three months; a file can be prioritised at a party's request with the chair's approval.
No, many consumers apply alone, but a lawyer helps when the facts are technical, the amount is close to the limit or you are abroad; the committee cannot order the other side to pay your lawyer.
Yes. It binds both parties under Article 70(1) of Law No. 6502 and can be enforced like a court judgment.
Two weeks from service, before the consumer court where the committee sits or where you live; the Regulation still mentions 15 days, but the Law as amended in 2024 prevails.
No, unless the consumer court orders a stay as an interim measure at the request of the objecting party.
No. Under Article 70(5) of Law No. 6502 the consumer court's decision on the objection is final.
Apply to a mediator and, if no agreement is reached, sue in the consumer court; alternatively, waive the part above the limit and apply to the committee, accepting that the waived part cannot be claimed later.
Start enforcement proceedings at an enforcement office on the basis of the decision, under the rules for enforcing judgments in Law No. 2004.
Send proof of the settlement to the committee, which will then rule that there is no need for a decision; after a final decision, the same claim cannot be brought again.
For 2026, the consumer arbitration committee is the mandatory first forum for consumer disputes in Türkiye worth less than 186,000 Turkish Lira, with one limit for provincial and district committees. Foreigners apply on the same terms as Turkish citizens, using a passport or foreign identity number, at the committee where they live or where the purchase was made, online through TÜBİS or on paper, with no application fee. The committee decides within six months, extendable by three, and its decision binds both sides and is enforced like a judgment. The deadline that most often catches people out is the objection period: two weeks from service under the amended Article 70, not the 15 days still found in the Regulation. Claims at or above the limit need mediation before a consumer court action.
If you are preparing an application, have received a decision you want to challenge, or need to enforce one from abroad, send us the receipts, correspondence and any decision you have received, and our legal team will tell you which forum and which deadline apply to your claim.
