You should apply to the nearest police station, police department, or public prosecutor’s office as soon as possible and request an official report documenting the loss or theft of your identity document. You must also publish a lost document notice in a national newspaper. Afterwards, the official report and the newspaper notice must be submitted to the relevant Provincial Directorate of Migration Management.

Under the Turkish Penal Code, ignorance of criminal laws is not considered an excuse. During your stay in Türkiye, you are required to comply with the laws of the country. If you fail to comply with these laws, the necessary legal proceedings may be initiated against you.

If, at the conclusion of criminal proceedings, the defendant is sentenced to imprisonment for two (2) years or less or to a judicial fine, the court may decide to defer the announcement of the verdict. The deferment of the announcement of the verdict means that the judgment does not produce any legal consequences for the defendant.

If the court decides to defer the announcement of the verdict, the defendant is subject to a five-year supervision period. If the defendant does not intentionally commit another crime during this period and complies with the obligations imposed under probation measures, the deferred judgment is annulled and the case is dismissed.

However, if the defendant intentionally commits another crime during the supervision period or fails to comply with the obligations imposed under probation measures, the court announces the verdict.

Victim-offender mediation is a process in which the victim and the offender communicate to resolve a dispute with the assistance of an impartial mediator appointed from the lists of mediators designated by the Ministry of Justice. This process may take place at various stages of criminal proceedings. Mediation is available only for certain offenses specified in the Turkish Criminal Procedure Code.

During the investigation stage, if the public prosecutor determines that there is sufficient suspicion to initiate criminal proceedings and the offense is subject to mediation, the case is referred to the Mediation Bureau.

If mediation is unsuccessful, an indictment is prepared and a public criminal case is initiated. If an agreement is reached and the agreed obligations are fulfilled, the prosecutor issues a decision not to prosecute the suspect.

During the trial stage, if mediation is unsuccessful, the court continues the proceedings from where they were suspended. If an agreement is reached and the agreed obligations are fulfilled, the court decides to dismiss the criminal case.

You can access the documents and information in the criminal case file opened against you through the UYAP Citizen Portal via the e-Government (e-Devlet) system or by requesting access to the case file from the clerk’s office of the court where your case is being heard.

At the end of the investigation stage, if the public prosecutor determines that there is insufficient evidence to establish reasonable suspicion for initiating a public criminal case, or that prosecution is legally impossible, a decision not to prosecute, commonly referred to as a non-prosecution decision, is issued.

The non-prosecution decision is formally notified to the parties. An objection may be filed within 15 days of notification.

A suspect against whom a non-prosecution decision has been issued will not be tried before a criminal court in relation to that case.

If the evidence collected at the end of the investigation stage establishes sufficient suspicion that a crime has been committed, the public prosecutor prepares an indictment to initiate criminal proceedings against the suspect.

The indictment describes the events constituting the alleged offense and explains how they relate to the available evidence.

The indictment is formally served on the defendant against whom criminal proceedings have been initiated.

Under the Turkish Penal Code, a victim of a crime or a person harmed by a crime may exercise their right to file a complaint within six months for offenses that require a formal complaint. For offenses that are not subject to a formal complaint requirement, a crime may be reported without a specific time limit for reporting, subject to applicable legal provisions.

A criminal complaint may be filed by making a statement to the police, gendarmerie, or public prosecutor’s office, where an official complainant statement is recorded. Alternatively, a written criminal complaint petition may be submitted directly to the public prosecutor’s office.

If a suspect or defendant declares that they cannot afford to hire a lawyer, a defense lawyer will be appointed upon request.

If a suspect or defendant does not have a lawyer and is a child, has a disability that prevents them from defending themselves, or is deaf and unable to speak, a defense lawyer will be appointed without requiring a request.

A defense lawyer will also be appointed automatically for individuals facing criminal proceedings for offenses punishable by imprisonment with a statutory minimum sentence of more than five years.

Witnesses are summoned by an official summons, which specifies the consequences of failing to appear. Witnesses who have been duly summoned but fail to appear without providing a valid excuse may be brought before the court by force. They may also be required to pay the expenses incurred as a result of their failure to appear, in accordance with the procedures for collecting public receivables.