A road accident in a country you don't know — in a language you don't speak — is frightening. The good news is that Türkiye's system is built to compensate the people its traffic harms, and that includes you. Here is how it works, in plain English.
Situations we handle
Most foreign road-accident claims we see in Türkiye involve one of these:
- A pedestrian struck by a car, often at a crossing or on a coastal road.
- A passenger in a taxi, minibus (dolmuş), coach or private car.
- A driver or passenger in a rental car, including single-vehicle and multi-car crashes.
- A motorcycle, scooter or bicycle rider.
- A family that lost a relative in a crash and can claim for loss of financial support.
If your situation isn't on the list, ask anyway — the principles below usually still apply. You can also read about personal injury claims for non-road accidents.
Who is liable — and who actually pays
Under the Turkish Highway Traffic Act (Karayolları Trafik Kanunu, Law No. 2918), the vehicle's operator or keeper (işleten) carries a strict, risk-based form of liability for the harm the vehicle causes. In practice that means you usually do not have to prove ordinary fault in the way you might expect — though how the accident happened still matters.
The more important question for most people is who pays, and the answer is usually an insurer:
- Compulsory traffic insurance (Zorunlu Mali Sorumluluk Sigortası, ZMSS). Every Turkish vehicle must carry it. It covers third-party bodily injury, and an injured foreigner can claim against the at-fault vehicle's policy.
- A direct claim against the insurer. You can pursue the at-fault vehicle's insurer directly, up to the sum insured (Turkish Commercial Code, Law No. 6102, art. 1478). Often the practical defendant is the insurer, not the individual driver.
- No valid insurer? The Guarantee Account (Güvence Hesabı). Where the vehicle was uninsured, never identified (a hit-and-run), stolen, or the insurer has failed, you may still claim from this statutory fund.
- Hit by a foreign-plate vehicle? Under the Green Card (Yeşil Kart) system the Turkish Motor Insurers' Bureau (TMTB) can deal with and pay the claim here in Türkiye — check the foreign-plate route.
What you can claim
Turkish law aims to put you back, as far as money can, in the position you would have been in without the accident. Depending on your injuries, that can include:
Medical & treatment costs
Hospital and treatment bills, rehabilitation, medication, prosthetics, and the cost of future care your injuries will need.
Lost income & loss of earning capacity
Earnings you lost while recovering, and — where an injury leaves lasting effects — compensation for reduced or lost ability to work in the future (permanent disability).
Pain and suffering
Non-pecuniary compensation (manevi tazminat) for the physical pain and emotional toll of the accident.
Loss of support (fatal accidents)
If a relative was killed, those who depended on them financially can claim for that lost support, together with funeral expenses.
How compensation is calculated
There is no fixed price list. The value of a claim is built from evidence:
- Documented past costs and losses.
- Future losses, worked out actuarially — using recognised life tables, an assessed disability rate, and your income (or a statutory minimum-wage baseline where income can't be proven).
- Pain and suffering, which a court assesses on its own equitable judgement.
- Statutory interest, and a reduction for any contributory fault.
How long you have to claim
Road-accident claims are subject to a limitation period. As a general rule under the Highway Traffic Act, that period runs for two years from when you learn of both the harm and who is responsible, with a longer long-stop measured from the accident itself. Importantly, where the accident is also a criminal offence — as injury and fatal accidents often are — a longer criminal limitation period can apply, which often gives you considerably more time than people assume.
Claiming from abroad
You almost never need to return to Türkiye. We run the claim for you under a power of attorney:
- You sign a power of attorney (vekâletname) at a notary in your own country. It is then apostilled (under the Hague Apostille Convention) or legalised by a Turkish consulate, with a sworn Turkish translation.
- From there, we deal with the insurer, the hospital, the experts and — if needed — the court, on your behalf.
Helpful documents to keep: the accident report (kaza tespit tutanağı), hospital records and discharge summary (epikriz), receipts, photographs, witness details, and anything showing your income. Don't worry if you're missing some — we help gather and translate what your claim needs.
How we handle your claim
- Initial review. You tell us what happened. We review it at no cost and give you an honest view of the claim.
- You appoint us. One power of attorney, signed remotely — no flight, no Turkish required.
- We pursue it. We assemble the evidence, value the loss, and press the insurer — through the Insurance Arbitration Commission (Sigorta Tahkim Komisyonu) or the courts where needed.
- Recovery. Any sums recovered are accounted to you, with each step explained in plain English.
Use our free interactive tool to determine whether your accident is covered by Turkish Compulsory Motor Insurance (ZMSS), the Green Card Bureau, or the Assurance Account (Güvence Hesabı).
Open Foreign Plate & Accident Route Check →Frequently asked questions
I was a tourist in a rental-car accident — can I still claim?
Usually, yes. Being a visitor and driving a rental car doesn't remove your right to compensation for injuries caused by another road user. We assess the circumstances and pursue the at-fault vehicle's insurer.
The other driver had no insurance — can I get anything?
Often, yes — through the Guarantee Account (Güvence Hesabı), which exists for exactly these cases: uninsured, unidentified (hit-and-run), or stolen vehicles. Conditions apply, and we'll tell you if yours fits.
I've already flown home. Can the whole thing be done remotely?
Yes. You appoint us by a power of attorney signed in your country, and we handle everything in Türkiye for you, reporting back in English.
How much is my claim worth?
It depends on your injuries, your losses and the evidence. We don't quote a figure before reviewing your medical and income records — but we will give you a clear, honest assessment once we have.
What if the accident was partly my fault?
You can usually still claim. Your share of responsibility reduces the award rather than cancelling it. It's worth getting an assessment before assuming you have no case.
Related: personal injury compensation · insurance claim disputes · all questions.
📚 Deep Dive: Read our legal guide on claiming medical and disability compensation for tourist car rental and taxi crashes in Türkiye.