As an expat or foreigner in Türkiye, navigating the legal system can feel daunting, especially if you are unfamiliar with the procedures and language involved. One situation you may encounter is telefonla ifadeye çağrılmak, being called by phone to give a statement. This phrase is often misunderstood, including by some general guides on the topic, so it is worth being precise from the outset: this term does not mean your actual testimony is given verbally over that phone call. It means you are being phoned, often informally by the police, to summon you to appear in person to give your statement. This guide explains what genuinely happens, what your rights are once you attend, and a specific, currently active fraud pattern that exploits confusion about exactly this phrase.
Quick Answer: Telefonla ifadeye çağrılmak refers to the practice of a person, a suspect, victim, or witness in an investigation, being telephoned by the police to summon them to appear in person at a police station or prosecutor's office to give their statement. The phone call itself is the notification mechanism, not the venue where testimony is actually given; the formal, legally correct method of summons is written notification, tebligat, but in everyday practice the police frequently call people directly instead. Genuine remote testimony in a Turkish criminal case does exist, but it takes the form of a video link through the official SEGBİS system, arranged through a court or prosecutor's office, not an ordinary phone call. Because this exact phrase is also actively exploited by fraudsters impersonating police over the phone, verifying the authenticity of any such call before acting on it, and never making a payment over the phone in connection with one, is essential.
When a person becomes relevant to an investigation, whether as a suspect, şüpheli, a victim, mağdur, or a witness, tanık, the police need to obtain their statement as part of building the case file. The formally correct method for summoning someone to do this is a written notification. In practice, however, police officers acting in their law enforcement capacity very often simply telephone the person directly and ask them to come to the relevant police station to give their statement, since this is faster and more practical than issuing formal written notice for every case.
This means the phone call you may receive is best understood as an appointment request, not a hearing conducted over the phone. Where the underlying investigation file is being handled by a prosecutor's office in a different province from where you are currently located, you may instead be able to give your statement through the SEGBİS system, described in section 3 below, which uses a video link coordinated through your local courthouse, rather than a simple telephone conversation.
Understanding this distinction matters for a very practical reason: guidance that treats the phone call itself as the venue for testimony, advising you to find a quiet room with good reception and prepare to answer questions verbally during the call, sets you up to misunderstand what is actually being asked of you, and can leave you unprepared for the in person or video linked appointment that genuinely follows.
If you receive a call of this kind, the first and most important step is to confirm exactly what is being requested and why. Ask for the name of the calling officer, the police station or unit they are calling from, and, where possible, a reference or file number for the matter. Legitimate police contact will generally be able to provide this information and will not pressure you to make any payment or provide sensitive financial information over the phone.
If circumstances genuinely prevent your attendance at the requested time or location, such as a scheduling conflict, health issue, or the practical realities of your specific immigration status, you can generally request that the appointment be rescheduled, or ask whether giving a written statement or attending through SEGBİS is an available alternative given your situation. If you are also navigating other immigration related concerns, understanding the difference between an entry ban and an exit ban can help you plan your movements around any scheduled appointment.
Where an investigation file is being handled by a prosecutor's office or court in a province other than the one where the person giving the statement is currently located, Turkish criminal procedure allows the statement to be taken remotely through SEGBİS, the Audio and Visual Informatics System, a video conferencing platform connecting courthouses across the country. Rather than travelling to the province where the file is open, the person attends their local courthouse in person, where the statement is then taken by video link with the prosecutor or investigating authority handling the actual file. This is a genuine, formally recognised alternative to in person attendance at the original location, but it still requires physically attending a courthouse locally; it is not conducted from home over an ordinary phone call.
Once an appointment, whether in person at the requested location or through SEGBİS at your local courthouse, has been confirmed, preparation matters considerably. Bring your identification documents and any documents genuinely relevant to the matter under investigation. If you are not fluent in Turkish, you are entitled to the assistance of an interpreter during the process, and this should be arranged, or requested from the authorities, before the appointment rather than discovered as a problem once you have already arrived.
Before attending, it is advisable to discuss the matter with a lawyer, particularly if you are being asked to give a statement as a suspect rather than only as a witness, since your specific rights and the appropriate approach can differ significantly depending on your role in the matter. Understanding your procedural rights during questioning, including the right to have a lawyer present, the right to remain silent regarding the matter under investigation, and the right to request that evidence in your favour be collected, is essential preparation regardless of whether you are attending in person or through SEGBİS.
It is also worth allowing more time than you might initially expect. An appointment to give a statement can involve waiting before the actual questioning begins, and the questioning itself, once it starts, can run considerably longer than a short conversation, particularly where the matter is complex or where an interpreter is involved and each exchange needs to be translated in both directions. Arriving with a clear schedule for the rest of the day, rather than assuming the appointment will be brief, helps avoid the added stress of feeling rushed during a process that deserves careful attention.
As a foreign national giving a statement in a Turkish legal process, you have specific, protected rights. You are entitled to understand the questions being asked and, where you do not sufficiently understand Turkish, to have an interpreter provided so you can respond in a language you are genuinely comfortable with; this is a recognised fair trial protection, not a discretionary courtesy. Where you are being questioned as a foreign national who has been detained, a related but separate right allows for your consulate to be notified, unless you specifically object to this in writing.
Keep in mind that any statement you give is legally significant and can be relied upon later in the proceedings, so it is important to be truthful and accurate, and to correct the written record before signing it if it does not properly reflect what you actually said. In matters involving conditional release, understanding how conditional release under judicial control works can also affect the circumstances under which, and how, you may be asked to give a further statement.
It is important to flag a specific, ongoing risk connected directly to this exact phrase. Fraudsters have been known to call individuals, falsely claiming to be police officers, asserting that the person is implicated in a crime and must either give a statement immediately over the phone or make an urgent payment to resolve the matter. Genuine Turkish police and judicial authorities do not request or accept payment over the phone in connection with a criminal investigation, and a genuine request to give a statement is a request to attend in person or through SEGBİS, never an instruction to resolve a criminal matter through an immediate telephone payment.
If you receive a call along these lines, do not provide financial information, do not make any payment, and do not feel pressured to answer detailed questions about a case on the spot. Politely request the caller's name, badge or file number, and the specific police station or courthouse involved, and independently verify this information, ideally with the assistance of a lawyer, before taking any further action or disclosing information.
Once your statement has been given, whether in person or through SEGBİS, it is generally recorded in a formal written document, tutanak, which you should review carefully before signing to confirm it accurately reflects what you actually said. Working with your lawyer to review this document, rather than signing it without careful review simply to conclude the appointment, is an important final step.
Keep a copy of this record, or confirm with your lawyer that they hold one, in case there are follow up questions or clarifications requested later in the process. Your attorney can help you understand and navigate any further steps required by the Turkish legal system following your statement.
No. It means you are being telephoned to summon you to appear in person, or in some cases through the SEGBİS video system, to give your statement; the phone call itself is only the notification.
Yes, this is common in practice, even though the formally prescribed method under Turkish procedure is written notification. A phone call from police requesting your attendance is a recognised, if informal, practice.
Generally no. Where you cannot attend the original location in person, the recognised alternative is the SEGBİS video system through your local courthouse, not an ordinary phone conversation.
It is Türkiye's Audio and Visual Informatics System, a video conferencing platform used to take a statement remotely when the relevant file is being handled in a different province, with the person attending their local courthouse in person for the video link.
Yes. This is a recognised fair trial right, and it should be arranged or requested before your appointment rather than discovered as a problem on the day.
Ask for the caller's name, badge or file number, and the specific station or courthouse involved, and verify this independently. Genuine authorities will not ask for payment over the phone or pressure you into answering detailed questions immediately.
Do not make any payment and do not provide financial details. This is a recognised fraud pattern, and genuine Turkish police or judicial authorities do not resolve criminal matters through telephone payments.
Yes, this is strongly advisable, particularly if you are being asked to attend as a suspect rather than only as a witness, since your rights and the appropriate approach can differ significantly depending on your role in the matter.
These include the right to an interpreter where needed, the right to have a lawyer present, the right to remain silent regarding the matter under investigation, and the right to request that evidence in your favour be collected.
Yes. Foreign nationals who are detained generally have their consulate notified automatically unless they specifically object to this in writing.
It is recorded in a formal written document that you should review carefully before signing, to confirm it accurately reflects what you actually said, and you should keep a copy or confirm your lawyer holds one for any follow up.
No. You may be asked to give a statement as a witness or a victim rather than a suspect, and your specific role in the matter affects which rights and considerations are most relevant to your situation.
This is common in practice even for genuine requests, but you can reasonably ask the caller to confirm the appointment details in writing, such as by message or email, and independently verify the police station or courthouse involved before attending.
Yes, you generally have the right to have a lawyer present while you give your statement, whether attending in person or through SEGBİS, and arranging this in advance is strongly advisable.
Navigating legal procedures in a foreign country can be complex, and understanding what telefonla ifadeye çağrılmak genuinely involves, an in person or video linked appointment rather than testimony given casually over a phone call, is an important first step to participating in the Turkish legal system with confidence rather than confusion. Equally important is recognising that this exact phrase is currently exploited by fraudsters, making careful verification of any such call essential before you act on it.
Are you a foreigner in Türkiye facing a request to give a statement, or unsure whether a call you received is genuine? From verifying the request to preparing for your appointment and understanding your rights throughout, Bayraktar Attorneys provides expert guidance to ensure your rights are protected. Contact us today for personalised legal assistance tailored to your situation.
