🧭 Where to File a Complaint in Türkiye in 2026: Police, Prosecutors, Courts and Consumer Arbitration

المسافر · Aug 29, 2026

Where to File a Complaint in Türkiye in 2026: Police, Prosecutors, Courts and Consumer Arbitration

Choosing the wrong authority can delay a complaint, lead to referrals between institutions or put a short legal deadline at risk. The correct route depends on whether the problem involves a crime, a civil dispute, a consumer purchase, a government decision or recovery of a debt.

Seeking assistance with an application

Practical overview

Problem	Initial route
Danger or crime	112 in emergencies, then police or prosecutor
Consumer dispute below TRY 186,000	Consumer arbitration committee within its jurisdiction
Administrative decision or debt	Examine the decision and competent court or enforcement route

Police and gendarmerie: crime and immediate danger

Contact the police (Polis) or gendarmerie (Jandarma) for assault, threats, theft, fraud, domestic violence, online blackmail, damage to property, harassment, stalking or an incident requiring an immediate security response. Call 112 in an emergency.

The police generally cover urban areas, while the gendarmerie usually operates in rural areas outside police jurisdiction. A report received by the wrong local authority should be referred onwards. Do not delay an urgent report while trying to establish jurisdiction yourself.

Public prosecutors: criminal complaints and investigations

The chief public prosecutor’s office (Cumhuriyet Başsavcılığı) investigates offences and decides whether to bring a prosecution. You can report a crime at the prosecutor’s office in the courthouse (Adliye), a police station or a gendarmerie station. Give an oral statement to be recorded, or submit a signed written petition.

A direct submission to the prosecutor can be useful for a complex account supported by many documents. In the ordinary criminal procedure, the victim reports the facts; the prosecutor investigates and decides whether to prosecute or issue a decision not to prosecute. The victim does not simply start a criminal trial by lodging a civil-style claim with a criminal court.

Courts: obtaining a judicial ruling

Court proceedings may be appropriate for repayment or compensation, contract and tenancy disputes, divorce, custody and maintenance, ownership disputes, challenges to administrative decisions or consumer arbitration decisions, and urgent protective measures. Jurisdiction depends on the case:

Sulh Hukuk Mahkemesi: civil court of peace; specified tenancy, co-ownership and other matters assigned by law.
Asliye Hukuk Mahkemesi: civil court of first instance; general civil disputes outside a specialist court’s jurisdiction.
Aile Mahkemesi: family court.
İş Mahkemesi: labour court.
Tüketici Mahkemesi: consumer court.
İdare Mahkemesi: administrative court; challenges to administrative acts and related compensation claims.
Vergi Mahkemesi: tax court.

Check the correct court, geographical jurisdiction, any mandatory mediation requirement and the time limit before filing.

Preparing a passport for travel

Consumer arbitration: disputes below TRY 186,000

Consumer arbitration committees (Tüketici Hakem Heyeti) deal with qualifying disputes over goods or services bought as a consumer: defective products, warranty or repair refusals, unpaid refunds, unauthorised charges and services not supplied as agreed.

For 2026, the dispute value must be below TRY 186,000. Applications can be made through TÜBİS on e-Devlet or another official channel accepted by the competent committee. For a claim of TRY 186,000 or more, consider the consumer court route, including mandatory mediation where required. Committee decisions are binding; a challenge must be brought before the consumer court within the applicable statutory period. Check the decision and its notice immediately.

When mediation comes first

Mandatory mediation is a precondition for certain court claims, including covered employment and commercial claims, many consumer court disputes, tenancy disputes and certain co-ownership, condominium and neighbour disputes. You must complete the required procedure, but you do not have to accept a settlement.

Enforcement offices: debts and enforceable decisions

An enforcement office (İcra Müdürlüğü) may be the correct route for enforcing a judgment, a consumer arbitration decision or a qualifying instrument, recovering a monetary debt or using the appropriate procedure for rent arrears. A payment order does not prove that the alleged debt is correct. Objection periods can be very short and differ by the type of enforcement procedure.

CİMER: administrative requests and complaints

CİMER allows requests, enquiries and administrative complaints to public institutions. It does not replace a criminal report, court claim, enforcement objection, mandatory mediation, challenge to an administrative decision or consumer arbitration application. Submitting a CİMER request does not normally stop a court or objection deadline.

A quick guide to the correct route

Immediate danger or an urgent crime: 112, then the police or gendarmerie.
A non-urgent criminal complaint: prosecutor, police or gendarmerie.
A qualifying consumer dispute below TRY 186,000: consumer arbitration committee.
A consumer dispute at or above TRY 186,000: mediation where required, then the consumer court.
Employment, tenancy or contract dispute: check mediation and the competent court.
A government decision: the administrative court or other route specified in the decision.
A payment order or debt file: the enforcement procedure and its objection deadline.
Poor service by a public institution: the institution or CİMER, while preserving any separate legal remedy.

If you receive an official notice, payment order, refusal or mediation invitation, keep the document and envelope, record the date of service and read the appeal instructions straight away.

Organising documents and an online application

Records and checks

Before filing	What to prepare
Nature of dispute	Crime, contract or administrative decision
Records and dates	Service, events and evidence
Time limit and jurisdiction	The appropriate legal route

🧭 Where to File a Complaint in Türkiye in 2026: Police, Prosecutors, Courts and Consumer Arbitration

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