Traffic Insurance Lookup: Checking Your Policy via SBM and e-Devlet
When you want to find out whether your traffic insurance policy is still valid, exactly when it will end, or your vehicle's past damage record, there is really only one authority behind the data: the Sigorta Bilgi ve Gözetim Merkezi (SBM, Turkey's Insurance Information and Monitoring Center). However, access to SBM's data isn't through a single screen — it runs through two separate channels: e-Devlet (Turkey's e-government portal) for checking policy validity, and SBM's own web and SMS tools for checking damage/tramer (accident-record) history. This article walks through both step by step.
Why do you need to look up your policy?
Not knowing when your traffic insurance expires isn't a minor detail: a vehicle with an invalid policy will not be accepted for vehicle inspection, because the TÜVTÜRK (Turkey's official vehicle-inspection operator) station system electronically checks policy status against SBM records before the inspection and will not begin processing a vehicle whose policy has expired. The same lookup is needed when buying a used car — to confirm whether the policy the seller declares is actually valid — when taking out a new policy and needing to calculate the old policy's exact end date, or when checking after an accident whether the other party's insurance is valid. In short, this isn't just curiosity; it's both a legal and a practical checkpoint.
Looking up traffic insurance via e-Devlet
The most direct way to find out a policy's validity, start and end dates, and insurance company is e-Devlet. The service's official name is "Trafik Poliçe ve Hasar Bilgileri Sorgulama" (Traffic Policy and Damage Information Lookup), and it shows SBM data directly (turkiye.gov.tr). The steps are as follows:
- Go to turkiye.gov.tr/sbm-trafik-police-sorgulama.
- Log in using one of: your e-Devlet password, mobile signature, e-signature, T.C. identity card, or internet banking (turkiye.gov.tr).
- Enter the plate number you want to look up and click "Sorgula" (Query).
- The screen displays the policy's insurance company, policy number, start and end date, and validity status.
The login requirement may look like an inconvenience, but it is actually a security measure: because the lookup is performed through identity verification, it generally returns results only for vehicles registered to you — you cannot randomly look up someone else's plate. Once you know your policy's end date, noting it down somewhere — or adding it to an app that reminds you automatically — is the most practical way to track when the policy needs to be renewed.
The lookup can return three different outcomes. If the policy shows as "in force" and the end date is still well in the future, no action is needed. If the end date is approaching, you need to take out the new policy in advance and make sure there is no gap between the two policies. If the lookup shows the policy has expired or that no policy is registered at all, you are required to take out a new policy before driving the vehicle — otherwise you risk both an administrative fine and being fully liable for compensation yourself in the event of an accident.
Why checking the policy matters when buying a used car
When buying a used car, checking the policy yourself instead of relying on the seller's verbal claim prevents surprise costs after the purchase. There is also an important current rule to be aware of here: under the amendment dated 4 December 2024 to the Regulation on the Conduct of Vehicle Sale, Transfer and Registration Services (Araçların Satış, Devir ve Tescil Hizmetlerinin Yürütülmesi Hakkında Yönetmelik), notaries can now complete a sale transaction only once it is established that the buyer has a valid compulsory motor third-party liability (traffic) insurance policy in their own name (Official Gazette, 4 December 2024, issue 32742). In other words, it is no longer correct to assume you can rely on the seller's old policy and proceed with the purchase; you must take out a valid policy in your own name and have it entered into the system before the notary transaction. Likewise, for buyers who want to know whether the vehicle has been damaged in the past, how many times a damage record was created, and which parts were replaced, SBM's damage/tramer lookup provides verification based on insurance companies' official records, independent of the seller's claims — doing both the policy and damage lookups together before the transfer is the most solid check for a used-car purchase.
Looking up damage and tramer records via SBM
SBM's own website (sbm.org.tr) focuses less on policy validity and more on damage history and vehicle detail lookups. The "Web ile Sorgulama" (Web Lookup) service, queried by plate and chassis number, provides damage history, vehicle detail, replaced-parts information, and a comprehensive history report called "Tramer360"; the standard lookup fee is 220 TL, while the Tramer360 report costs 660 TL — policy lookups, however, are free (sbm.org.tr). Since these fees can change over time, you should rely on the current tariff shown on the lookup screen.
SBM also offers an SMS lookup: texting a plate number to 5664 returns the damage history; writing "DETAY [plate]" returns vehicle detail, and "PARCA [plate] [date]" returns replaced-parts information; this lookup is charged at 275 TL per query regardless of operator (sbm.org.tr). Damage information covers kasko (comprehensive) and traffic damage compensation paid by insurance companies since 2003 (sbm.org.tr).
What determines policy validity and end date checks?
There are three key pieces of information you should see on the lookup screen: policy status (in force / expired / cancelled), start and end date, and insurance company name. Even if the policy status shows "in force," it's important to check how many days remain until the end date; compulsory traffic insurance does not renew automatically — the policy simply ends once its term expires. If you've just bought your vehicle or renewed your policy after a claim, you can also use this screen to confirm whether there's a gap (a lapse in days) between the old and new policy dates — even a single day without insurance means full personal liability in the event of an accident and the risk of an administrative fine; we cover the details of this risk in our article on when traffic insurance needs to be renewed.
Why is identity verification so strict?
Both e-Devlet's and SBM's official lookup channels require identity verification, because the data being looked up qualifies as personal data and should only be viewable by the person concerned or by authorized institutions (such as TÜVTÜRK stations, insurance companies, and law enforcement). This is why there is no public screen where "anyone can see anyone's insurance for free by plate number"; e-Devlet login shows only information about a vehicle registered to you, while SBM's paid damage lookups are also subject to payment and to KVKK (Turkey's Personal Data Protection Law) rules on sharing personal data.
Traffic insurance is a motor third-party liability insurance made compulsory for vehicle operators under Law No. 2918 on Road Traffic (Karayolları Trafik Kanunu), covering third parties' accident losses; this is why its validity being lookupable and auditable is a deliberate design, not just a convenience. Checking your policy at regular intervals — especially as the end date approaches — helps ensure you're not turned away at the door on inspection day and that you're never caught on an uninsured day.