Selling or Transferring a Vehicle in Turkey 2026: Notary Sale with Automatic Registration
When people hear "selling a car," most still picture the old process: first the sale is done at the notary, then you separately go to the traffic registration office with the registration document in hand to complete the transfer. That picture no longer reflects reality. Under Article 20 of Law No. 2918 (the Highway Traffic Law), the sale and transfer of a registered vehicle is now done only at the notary, and registration is updated automatically together with the sale — you no longer need to visit a traffic registration office separately (mevzuat.gov.tr). In this article we cover what to do before the sale, the steps at the notary, the required documents, and the responsibilities that continue after the sale.
Now just one step: sale at the notary, registration automatic
Under sub-clause (d) of Article 20 of Law No. 2918, the sale and transfer of registered vehicles of any kind is carried out by notaries, based on the registration document issued in the owner's name, provided it is established that there is no outstanding motor vehicles tax, late-payment interest, late-payment surcharge, tax penalty, or traffic administrative fine debt on the vehicle, and that there is no measure or record restricting the sale/transfer of the vehicle; any sale or transfer carried out other than through a notary is invalid (mevzuat.gov.tr). The same article expressly provides that the sale and transfer transaction is notified to the relevant traffic registration office and tax office for entry into the registry, and that the traffic registration process is deemed to have taken place in the buyer's name upon this notification (mevzuat.gov.tr). The Union of Turkish Notaries (TNB) confirms this current practice on its own system as well: "registration procedures are carried out simultaneously with the sale, and the vehicle registration document is printed and handed to the relevant party" (TNB). In other words, there are no longer two separate steps (sale at the notary + a separate transfer at traffic registration) — there is just one step: the sale at the notary, with automatic registration alongside it.
After the transaction, the notary issues a temporary registration document valid for one month in the new owner's name; the permanent registration certificate is prepared by the relevant traffic registration office and delivered to the new owner either in person or by mail (mevzuat.gov.tr) — you don't need to visit any office for this either.
Before the sale: checking for debt, fines, and liens
The law does not permit the sale of vehicles with outstanding tax debt or a restrictive record on them; so before going to the notary, it speeds things up to check whether there is any outstanding motor vehicles tax or traffic fine debt on the vehicle, and whether there is a lien or pledge record. For lien status, you can use the Electronic Lien Inquiry for Vehicles (Araçlara Uygulanan Elektronik Haciz Sorgulama) service on e-Devlet (Turkey's e-government portal) (e-Devlet); if such a record exists, the notary transaction cannot be completed until it is removed. Having a valid inspection is also one of the conditions for sale: Article 18 of the Regulation on the Execution of Vehicle Sale, Transfer, and Registration Services (Araçların Satış, Devir ve Tescil Hizmetlerinin Yürütülmesi Hakkında Yönetmelik) provides that, except for vehicles that have been or will be withdrawn from traffic, vehicles without a valid inspection cannot be sold or transferred at the notary (Regulation Article 18; last amended in the Official Gazette on 4 December 2024) — so it's worth checking the inspection due date before the sale.
The buyer's traffic insurance: mandatory before the sale
Another separate change took effect in 2024: the Constitutional Court annulled, as unconstitutional, the relevant paragraphs of Article 94 of Law No. 2918 that had provided for the seller's Zorunlu Trafik Sigortası (mandatory traffic insurance) to remain valid for a further period (15 days) after the vehicle's transfer; the ruling was published in the Official Gazette and took effect nine months after publication, as of 5 December 2024 (Official Gazette, 5 March 2024, Issue 32480). The practical result is this: the seller's policy no longer automatically transfers to the buyer along with the sale — the buyer must have a valid mandatory traffic insurance policy in their own name before coming to the sale transaction. The seller, in turn, can have their own policy cancelled and request a premium refund for the unused days. We covered the scope of traffic insurance and how renewal works in detail in our Mandatory Traffic Insurance Guide.
Steps of the sale at the notary
The process at the notary generally proceeds in this order: first the notary official checks the parties' identities and the vehicle's registration document through the system; if there is no debt, fine, or restrictive record on the vehicle, a sale contract is prepared; the parties read and sign the contract; after signing, the notary registers the vehicle in the new owner's name and issues the temporary registration document described above. The transaction can also be carried out without an appointment; contacting the relevant notary beforehand helps you prepare the required documents in full and shortens the waiting time.
Documents the seller and buyer need to have ready
For a sale at the notary, you generally need: both parties' Turkish national ID cards (T.C. kimlik kartı), the vehicle's registration certificate (ruhsat), a mandatory traffic insurance policy issued in the buyer's name, and, if a proxy will carry out the transaction, a notarized power of attorney. For sales made on behalf of a legal entity, additional documents such as a signature circular may be requested; confirming with the specific notary where you'll get your appointment before the day of the transaction saves time. Documents such as the vehicle's keys, a second key if available, and maintenance records are not legally required, but they make things easier for both parties at handover and help prevent later "incomplete handover" disputes.
After the sale: the new registration certificate and ongoing responsibilities
As of the date of sale and transfer, under the provisions of Law No. 197 on Motor Vehicles Tax, the former owner's tax liability ends and the new owner's tax liability begins (mevzuat.gov.tr). The permanent registration certificate is prepared within one month of notification by the relevant traffic registration office or an institution deemed appropriate by the General Directorate of Security (Emniyet Genel Müdürlüğü), and is delivered to the new owner in person or by mail; if this document cannot be delivered within one month, no responsibility is imposed on the new owner as a result (mevzuat.gov.tr). The seller's side of things isn't finished here either: it is the seller's responsibility to have the insurance policy registered in their own name cancelled; otherwise they may continue paying premiums for a policy they no longer use. As the new owner, you also need to start tracking the vehicle's inspection due date, insurance renewal date, and any Kasko (comprehensive/collision insurance) policy in your own name from scratch — especially if the vehicle you bought is close to its inspection due date, checking this before the sale prevents a surprise inspection visit.
After the transfer: what comes next?
Once the sale is complete, next comes checking that the information on the registration certificate is correct and that the registration has passed into your name; we covered how to do this via e-Devlet in our Registration and Vehicle Registry Inquiry article. If you're buying a used vehicle, you also need to separately check things like damage history, mileage information, and inspection status before the sale — we covered this checklist in our Documents Needed When Buying a Used Vehicle article. If you lose your registration certificate, you can find the path to follow in our Lost Registration Certificate and Renewal article, and a full overview of the topic on our Vehicle Registration and Documents Guide page.
Notary fees and duties: why we can't give a single figure
Article 20 of Law No. 2918 provides that the notary fee for the sale and transfer transaction is set as a fixed (maktu) amount rather than the general tariff under Article 112 of the Notary Law No. 1512, and that this amount is increased at the start of each calendar year by the revaluation rate announced for the previous year under Tax Procedure Law No. 213 (mevzuat.gov.tr). In other words, the notary fee is calculated on a fixed base, but the amount changes every year. Before going to the notary, we recommend checking the current amount with your notary or via the Union of Turkish Notaries.