Bringing a car to Turkey

Bringing a car into Turkey is regulated by the Touring and Automobile Club of Turkey, or TTOK.
[HH] Local expats corner
Q: “Dear Sir, as I was searching for answers on Google, I found one of your articles about bringing a car into Turkey. Can you please shortly explain the procedure to me? I want to bring my car into Turkey – what do I need to know and do about that? I am a European Union citizen (Estonia), living in Turkey with my Turkish husband. I am not retired, though neither am I working in Turkey. Thank you, Reelika.”
Dear Reelika, last year, I wrote two articles about this subject. However, I can explain it again for you and our other readers.
Bringing a car into Turkey is regulated by the Touring and Automobile Club of Turkey, or TTOK. To bring a vehicle here, you must obtain an “Alien Vehicles Temporary Entrance Carnet” from TTOK. This carnet is a document issued by TTAA for land vehicles for private use that are registered at their residential location under the names of retired foreign citizens who have temporary residence permits, along with persons resident outside of the Turkish Customs Territory who are in Turkey on a specific job or for education.
According to these regulations, to bring in a car:
You must be a citizen of a foreign country,
Your residence must be outside the customs territory of Turkey,
You should come to Turkey for a temporary job or
You must be retired person (from foreign country) or
You must be resident in Turkey for your education.
If you meet these conditions, you can bring your car to Turkey.
In your case, however, you are neither retired nor working. And as I understand, you are not a student either. Therefore, you cannot bring your car to Turkey on a Temporary Entrance Carnet.
Q: “Dear Orhan, I need an assistant for housekeeping, babysitting and so on. I want to employ someone for this work. What do I need to pay attention to in the legal sense? Jessica.”
Dear Jessica, You can obtain home services in two ways. You can either hire someone as an employer or you can apply to a home services company. In this case, your home service will be performed by the staff of a private company.
If you choose the first option and the employee is a permanent worker, it means you are facing legal obligations. According to the social security act, workers who work for a fee and on a permanent basis in home services are considered insured. If you employ someone in this context, you are an employer.
There are also other obligations arising from labor law provisions. For example, you cannot pay your employee an amount below the minimum wage (796.5 liras per month for the first six months of 2011).
Instead of being an employer, you could choose to purchase a service, which is a much easier way. In this case, you apply directly to a home services company, who then sends home services staff to your house. For any services rendered, you then pay the company. In comparison to being an employer, purchasing a service allows you to avoid the many legal procedures, including social security and labor law obligations. Furthermore, you do not need to sign employment contracts with employees.
Hurriyet Daily News/11.02.2011
[HH] Local expats corner
Q: “Dear Sir, as I was searching for answers on Google, I found one of your articles about bringing a car into Turkey. Can you please shortly explain the procedure to me? I want to bring my car into Turkey – what do I need to know and do about that? I am a European Union citizen (Estonia), living in Turkey with my Turkish husband. I am not retired, though neither am I working in Turkey. Thank you, Reelika.”
Dear Reelika, last year, I wrote two articles about this subject. However, I can explain it again for you and our other readers.
Bringing a car into Turkey is regulated by the Touring and Automobile Club of Turkey, or TTOK. To bring a vehicle here, you must obtain an “Alien Vehicles Temporary Entrance Carnet” from TTOK. This carnet is a document issued by TTAA for land vehicles for private use that are registered at their residential location under the names of retired foreign citizens who have temporary residence permits, along with persons resident outside of the Turkish Customs Territory who are in Turkey on a specific job or for education.
According to these regulations, to bring in a car:
You must be a citizen of a foreign country,
Your residence must be outside the customs territory of Turkey,
You should come to Turkey for a temporary job or
You must be retired person (from foreign country) or
You must be resident in Turkey for your education.
If you meet these conditions, you can bring your car to Turkey.
In your case, however, you are neither retired nor working. And as I understand, you are not a student either. Therefore, you cannot bring your car to Turkey on a Temporary Entrance Carnet.
Q: “Dear Orhan, I need an assistant for housekeeping, babysitting and so on. I want to employ someone for this work. What do I need to pay attention to in the legal sense? Jessica.”
Dear Jessica, You can obtain home services in two ways. You can either hire someone as an employer or you can apply to a home services company. In this case, your home service will be performed by the staff of a private company.
If you choose the first option and the employee is a permanent worker, it means you are facing legal obligations. According to the social security act, workers who work for a fee and on a permanent basis in home services are considered insured. If you employ someone in this context, you are an employer.
There are also other obligations arising from labor law provisions. For example, you cannot pay your employee an amount below the minimum wage (796.5 liras per month for the first six months of 2011).
Instead of being an employer, you could choose to purchase a service, which is a much easier way. In this case, you apply directly to a home services company, who then sends home services staff to your house. For any services rendered, you then pay the company. In comparison to being an employer, purchasing a service allows you to avoid the many legal procedures, including social security and labor law obligations. Furthermore, you do not need to sign employment contracts with employees.
Hurriyet Daily News/11.02.2011