— Commercial Law
The Ministry of Trade published the Regulation on the Rental of Motor Land Vehicles in the Official Gazette of 15 August 2026. It makes vehicle rental subject to an authorisation certificate and regulates in detail the rental contract, pre-contract information, reservations, mileage limits, damage notification and the liability of intermediary platforms. It enters into force on 1 January 2027.
The regulation was published in the Official Gazette of 15 August 2026, issue 33341. It rests on law no. 6585 on the Regulation of Retail Trade and law no. 6563 on the Regulation of Electronic Commerce, and is executed by the Minister of Trade.
It bears directly on a large body of businesses in tourism-heavy provinces such as Antalya. The office's work in commercial disputes is set out on our Antalya commercial lawyer page.
The regulation enters into force on 1 January 2027, giving businesses a compliance window of roughly four months. The headings below indicate what must be completed within it.
The provision can be consulted in the text as published in the Official Gazette.
The central rule is that no motor land vehicle rental activity may be carried on commercially without an authorisation certificate.
An important presumption is introduced as to proof: unless the Ministry establishes otherwise, every vehicle rental transaction is treated as commercial activity. A defence that individual rentals were not commercial will therefore not succeed unless the contrary is proved.
The certificate is issued, amended and cancelled by the provincial directorate of the place where the business is located, through the Information System. It records the MERSİS number and the business name, address and trade name registered with MERSİS, or, for tradesmen's businesses, the details registered with ESBİS together with the owner's name and identity number.
The regulation lists the conditions the business must meet.
It must be liable to income or corporation tax, registered with the relevant professional chamber, and have vehicle rental among the fields of activity in its chamber and tax records.
A separate condition applies to the premises: they must not be used for professional or commercial activity or as a residence, other than activities such as authorised dealership, insurance, roadside assistance and towing, and the sale of tyres and accessories. This prevents rental being run from a home address or from the premises of another business.
Personal conditions also apply to the person responsible for rental, beginning with being at least eighteen years of age.
The regulation imposes a form requirement. The contract between the business and the renter is made in writing or electronically.
A copy is given to the renter, or sent electronically, before the vehicle is handed over. Having the contract signed and handed over at the moment of collection is therefore not enough; the renter must have it beforehand.
Pre-contract information must also be given in writing or electronically before the contract is concluded. It must cover at least the identifying and contact details of the business, the renter and any additional driver notified, together with the other matters relating to the service.
Together these rules aim to prevent the renter meeting unexpected terms at handover, and place the evidential ground for any dispute on the business's documents.
For prepaid reservations a reservation form is drawn up with the renter's approval. A copy is sent electronically on the date approval is given and the prepayment made.
Where the contract is concluded through an intermediary platform, the business and the platform are jointly responsible for drawing up the form and sending it. The platform's responsibility is limited to conveying to the renter, fully and correctly, the information and documents sent to it by the business.
The question of segment is dealt with separately. If no vehicle of the segment stated in the reservation form is available at the time of handover, an equivalent or higher segment vehicle must be provided without additional charge. If that is not possible, a lower segment vehicle may be provided only with the renter's written or electronic consent.
The timetable for refunds is fixed: where the renter cancels, the rental and other service charges and the deposit, and where a lower segment vehicle is provided, all sums relating to the difference, must be refunded within seven days following the cancellation or the date of handover.
Rental and other service charges are collected by bank and credit cards or prepaid cards, by transfer or electronic funds transfer, or by other methods determined by the Ministry.
Minimum thresholds apply to mileage limits. A business may set limits by vehicle class, but they must be at least twenty kilometres for hourly rentals of under a day, at least one hundred and fifty kilometres per day for rentals of one to six days, and at least one hundred kilometres per day for rentals of seven to twenty-nine days or by the week.
An additional service charge may be sought where the limit is exceeded, provided it appears in the contract and complies with the regulation.
Where the renter is offered collection or return at another of the business's premises, or at an address of the renter's choosing within the same province, an additional service charge may be sought based on documented distance, energy consumption, wear, operating and maintenance costs.
Damage and breakdowns occurring during the rental must be notified to the business by the renter without delay. The duty of notification rests with the renter, and delay may give rise to argument about liability.
Where the damage or breakdown affects driving or vehicle safety, or the renter's safety, the business must, on notification, take steps to prevent the loss increasing and bring the vehicle safely to a repair point, or provide the support needed for that.
As to the driving licence the rule is absolute: a vehicle may not be rented to a person who does not produce a valid licence of the class appropriate to the vehicle.
The regulation also limits making the rental conditional on taking additional insurance, comprehensive cover or a damage-protection package from the business or a third party; the structuring of such packages in the contract should therefore be reviewed.
The regulation establishes a separate regime for listing platforms, where rental advertisements appear, and intermediary platforms, through which reservations are concluded.
The basic rule is that such platforms may not engage in unfair commercial practices. Practices are treated as unfair where they significantly disrupt the commercial activity of the businesses served, reduce their capacity for reasoned decision-making, or compel a particular decision so that they become party to a commercial relationship they would not otherwise have entered.
Certain practices are unfair in every case, foremost among them failing to pass on to the business information supplied by the renter that is necessary for the rental.
Common obligations also apply to businesses and both types of platform: to refrain from deceptive conduct or conduct contrary to good faith, not to conceal information affecting the renter's choices, and not to steer renters towards unlawful practices.
The Ministry establishes an Information System for the monitoring and control of rental activity and of the vehicles rented.
The current list of businesses holding an authorisation certificate is accessible through that system, which also gives renters a means of verification: whether a business is certified can be checked there.
A concrete obligation falls on the business: vehicles purchased or obtained under lease must be entered in the Information System before being offered for rental.
Offering for rental a vehicle not entered in the Information System, or not covered by the authorisation certificate, is a separate breach dealt with by the regulation.
As the regulation takes effect on 1 January 2027, what must be done before then can be treated as a compliance checklist.
First comes the application for the authorisation certificate, which requires tax liability, chamber registration and the recorded fields of activity to be aligned, and the premises to meet the conditions.
Second comes redrafting the contract and pre-contract information. Existing standard-form contracts must be reviewed against the rule on delivery before handover and the minimum content requirements.
Third come reservation and refund processes and contracts with intermediary platforms; because of the rule on joint responsibility, the provisions on transfer of information in the platform contract become important.
For rental businesses in Antalya, the application is made through the Information System to the provincial directorate of the place where the business is located.
The questions below concern this provision; more general questions are answered on the frequently asked questions page.
Yes. No motor land vehicle rental activity may be carried on commercially without one, and unless the Ministry establishes otherwise every rental transaction is treated as commercial activity. The regulation enters into force on 1 January 2027.
The contract is made in writing or electronically, and a copy is given to the renter or sent electronically before the vehicle is handed over. Pre-contract information must also be given in writing or electronically before the contract is concluded.
If no vehicle of the segment stated in the reservation form is available, an equivalent or higher segment vehicle must be provided without additional charge. If that is not possible, a lower segment vehicle may be provided only with the renter's written or electronic consent.
Where the renter cancels, the rental and other service charges together with the deposit must be refunded within seven days following the cancellation or the date of handover.
At least twenty kilometres for hourly rentals, at least one hundred and fifty kilometres per day for rentals of one to six days, and at least one hundred kilometres per day for rentals of seven to twenty-nine days or by the week.
Where the contract is concluded through an intermediary platform, the business and the platform are jointly responsible for drawing up and sending the reservation form. The platform's responsibility is limited to conveying fully and correctly the information and documents sent to it by the business.
Damage and breakdowns during the rental must be notified to the business without delay. Where they affect driving, vehicle or personal safety, the business must take steps to prevent the loss increasing and bring the vehicle safely to a repair point or provide the necessary support.
The regulation turns vehicle rental into a certified activity whose contract terms are supervised. Planning compliance around 1 January 2027, particularly for standard-form and platform contracts, saves time.
The office's fields of work appear on our practice areas page. For an assessment concerning a certificate application, contract wording or steps following an inspection, the office can be reached through the contact page.