عاشق تركيا
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At a glance:Two different regulatory areas matter when discussing Türkiye’s online-shopping rules in 2025:
- E-commerce licensing under Law No. 6563 for service providers and marketplaces meeting the applicable scale thresholds.
- Product-safety obligations for goods sold remotely, including a Türkiye-based responsible economic operator for specified product groups under a separate regulation effective from 1 April 2025.
1. Who needs an e-commerce licence?
Service providers and marketplaces above the relevant thresholds:- The licensing framework applies to qualifying:
- E-commerce service providers (Elektronik Ticaret Hizmet Sağlayıcıları, ETHS).
- E-commerce intermediary service providers, including marketplaces (Elektronik Ticaret Aracı Hizmet Sağlayıcıları, ETAHS).
- The obligation depends on the statutory tests, including annual net transaction volume and transaction numbers; monetary thresholds are updated. The Ministry published updated 2025 thresholds in February that year.
- Licensing is administered by the Ministry of Trade, with annual renewal and fees calculated under the applicable rules.
- The licensing framework applies to qualifying:
Ordinary sellers using a marketplace:- A small domestic seller below the applicable licensing thresholds does not generally need this large-business e-commerce licence solely because it sells online. This does not remove its registration, tax, invoicing, information or consumer-law obligations.
2. Overseas sellers and a responsible operator in Türkiye
Which sales are relevant?- Goods offered remotely to the Turkish market can be covered whether sold through a foreign seller’s own website or an intermediary platform.
- The product-safety framework considers whether the offer targets end users in Türkiye and which technical rules apply to the goods.
What does the local-operator requirement mean?- For specified product groups, the rules require a Türkiye-based responsible economic operator. Depending on the circumstances, this may be a manufacturer, importer, authorised representative or fulfilment service provider with the relevant duties.
- This gives the authorities a responsible local contact for product compliance and corrective action. It is distinct from a universal obligation to appoint a legal agent for every foreign website, every refund and every tax liability.
- Products subject to the requirement cannot lawfully be marketed to Türkiye without satisfying it. Enforcement measures depend on the particular breach; avoid treating every missing local representative as automatically triggering the same penalty or a complete business ban.
Why does this matter to consumers?- An identifiable local operator and the platform’s product-safety contact point can make it easier to report unsafe or non-compliant goods.
- Counterfeit goods, non-delivery and refund refusals also raise other consumer or legal issues. A safety contact does not automatically become liable for every such dispute or guarantee recovery from an overseas seller.
3. Other responsibilities for online platforms
Clear information before purchase:- Make the seller’s identity and contact details clear.
- Explain the total price, additional charges, delivery arrangements and applicable withdrawal or return rights before the order is placed.
- Covered product listings must also carry the required safety information, warnings and markings.
Restrictions on unfair conduct:- The e-commerce framework addresses the misuse of marketplace sellers’ data to compete with them, with obligations depending on the provider’s category and size.
- It also regulates unfair commercial practices and contractual treatment of sellers using an intermediary platform.
Licensing fees:- Providers meeting the relevant tests pay an annual licence fee calculated under the legislation. Amendments provided conditional adjustments involving 2024 and 2025 calculations; these should not be read as an automatic discount for every platform.
4. Small and medium-sized online businesses
If your store operates in Türkiye:- Check whether your actual scale meets the licensing tests rather than assuming every web shop requires the same licence.
- Even where that licence is unnecessary, you must address:
- Accurate seller, product and pricing information.
- Applicable withdrawal, return, guarantee and defective-goods obligations, including any legal exceptions.
- Proper invoicing and records.
If you sell from outside Türkiye:- Assess whether your goods require a local responsible economic operator under the product-safety rules.
- Separately consider applicable Turkish consumer, customs and tax requirements. The appropriate business structure and allocation of liability require case-specific advice.
- Non-compliance can lead to enforcement, including restrictions on non-compliant listings. The precise consequence depends on the relevant law and facts.
5. Practical advice for consumers
- Choose identifiable sellers and established platforms; check a claimed Turkish address rather than treating a familiar brand as a guarantee.
Keep order confirmations, correspondence, invoices and screenshots of the offer and purchase details.
If a dispute cannot be resolved, check the appropriate route:- Consumer arbitration committees (Tüketici Hakem Heyeti) for disputes within the applicable monetary limit. In 2025, the limit was below TRY 149,000.
- For disputes at or above the relevant limit, the consumer-court route, including mandatory pre-action mediation where required. Later years’ limits must be checked separately.
6. Before starting or expanding a business
- This guide explains the 2025 regulatory context; it is not individual legal advice.
- Thresholds, fees, commencement provisions and technical product lists may change.
- A substantial e-commerce venture should obtain advice from a lawyer experienced in Turkish e-commerce and product-safety regulation before launching or expanding.
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