Contract Law in Turkiye

Many daily transactions – whether written or verbal – constitute legally binding contracts. From purchasing property and securing personal services to signing lease renewals or acting as a guarantor, contracts define your strict legal boundaries. When disputes arise, the written contract is the primary weapon used by Turkish courts to determine liability. Unfortunately, many expatriates and foreign nationals sign Turkish-language agreements without fully understanding the underlying clauses, leading to severe financial and legal vulnerabilities.

At Kotan & Gökce Law Firm, we draft, review, negotiate, and terminate contracts on behalf of our international clients. We strictly reject generic, one-size-fits-all templates. Instead, we craft custom, ironclad agreements that accurately reflect your true intentions, insulating you from future liabilities and protecting your personal interests under the Turkish Code of Obligations.

Our Scope of Services for Foreigners:

  • Drafting Tailored Agreements: Preparing precise sales, donation (gift), lease, personal service, bailment/guarantor, and independent contractor agreements.

  • Preliminary & Protective Contracts: Crafting pre-contracts, letters of intent (LoI), and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to protect your interests during negotiations.

  • Contractual Redrafting & Negotiations: Representing you in face-to-face meetings to restructure existing terms, modify payment milestones, or rebalance lopsided obligations.

  • Suppression of Unfair Terms: Evaluating agreements to invalidate hidden penalties, unconscionable clauses, or legally void consumer terms.

  • Breach of Contract Litigation: Launching lawsuits to claim material and moral damages, recover outstanding debts, or compel specific performance when a counterparty defaults.

  • Formal Cancellations & Default Notices: Managing the strict execution of contract rescissions and drafting formal notary default notices (ihtarname).

  • Consumer Protection & E-Commerce Law: Advising on online purchases, remote sales contracts, subscription cancellations, and cross-border consumer disputes within Türkiye.

Why Kotan & Gökce?

Bilingual Precision & Risk Mitigation:

We thoroughly analyze every clause of a Turkish contract, translating its hidden legal implications into plain English so you know exactly what liabilities you are inheriting before you sign.

Strategic Negotiation Advocacy:

Contractual disputes can often be resolved without dragging your case through years of court backlogs. We deploy sharp negotiation and mediation tactics to secure favorable settlement terms quickly.

Cross-Border Harmonization:

We ensure your personal contracts comply simultaneously with strict Turkish statutory rules and international legal standards, eliminating jurisdictional conflicts.

Critical Realities in Turkish Contract Law

Purchasing a high-value product or service only to receive a defective, incomplete, or delayed delivery.

If a local developer, contractor, or service provider delivers a defective performance (ayıplı ifa), you are not powerless. Under Turkish Consumer and Obligations Law, you have a strict statutory right to immediately rescind the contract, demand a full refund, insist on a flawless replacement, or sue for direct financial damages. However, you must issue a formal, notarized notice within tight statutory discovery windows to preserve these rights.

 

A counterparty failing to honor their contractual obligations, causing you direct financial or personal harm.

When a local individual or vendor breaches an agreement, simply pointing out the breach via phone or email carries little weight in a Turkish court. To legally trigger default interest or build a successful damages lawsuit, a formal default notice (ihtarname) must be drafted by a qualified attorney and served officially through a Turkish Notary Public.

Relying entirely on verbal agreements or invalid written templates, leaving you with zero leverage if things go wrong.

In Türkiye, certain agreements—such as real estate sales promises (taşınmaz satış vaadi) or specific guarantee commitments—are strictly void unless executed in a highly specific format directly before a Turkish Notary Public. If you rely on an unwritten handshake or an informal, self-drafted text, you run the high risk of a court declaring the contract legally non-existent, making asset recovery exceptionally difficult.

Before you sign any document, or if you are currently facing a breach of contract in Türkiye, prompt legal evaluation is crucial to protecting your capital. Contact our contract law team today to secure your formal consultation.

Your legal partner in Izmir-Turkiye

Please contact us for consultation. You can reach us via WhatsApp, phone or e-mail.

info@kotangokce.com Mon – Fri 09:00-18:00

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