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Attorney Emirhan Keskin
Prepares legal publications on procedures in Türkiye and provides legal services from Mersin. Every publication is checked against current official Turkish sources.
Legal information
This publication gives general information on Turkish law as of its stated review date. It does not create an attorney–client relationship; documents, deadlines, jurisdiction, venue and current legislation require file-specific review.
Contact usTurkish Criminal Record: short answer
Türkiye's central criminal-record system includes foreigners who committed offences in Türkiye. A final conviction does not simply disappear when the sentence ends: under Law 5352 Article 9, completion of the sentence or security measure normally removes it from the active record and transfers it to the archive.
Scope of review: Correcting, moving and deleting a foreign national's Turkish criminal-record and archive entries after sentence completion, acquittal on retrial, decriminalization or restoration of prohibited rights.
Law checked through: 6 September 2026. Responsible lawyer: Attorney Emirhan Keskin.
Turkish Criminal Record
Active-record deletion, archive deletion, correction of an erroneous entry and restoration of prohibited rights are four different operations. An archive entry is not the same as a public certificate entry, and a clean certificate issued for one stated purpose does not prove that no confidential archive data exist. Turkish deletion also does not automatically erase records already held by a foreign immigration or police authority.
The General Directorate can correct the record, move a qualifying entry to archive or delete archive data once the statutory event and period are proven. Restoration of prohibited rights can shorten the 30-year archive track to the 15-year track but has separate eligibility conditions and does not erase the conviction immediately. An inaccurate refusal can be challenged through the proper judicial or administrative route identified in the decision.
| Control point | Legal test | Evidence source |
|---|---|---|
| Final disposition | Only the exact final judgment and later extraordinary-review result determine the correct entry. | Reasoned judgment, finality certificate and later court decisions |
| Execution completion | Payment, release or probation must be formally recorded as completed by the executing authority. | Execution prosecutor letter, payment receipt and completion certificate |
| Rights-disqualification class | Article 76 and non-TCK statutory consequences must be checked before using the five-year archive period. | Offence, sentence, special statute and court order |
| Purpose of certificate | The issuing authority and stated use affect the form and content released under Law 5352. | Application purpose, requested language and recipient requirements |
Legal basis and governing rules
Legal basis — Foreigners included
Law 5352 Article 2 includes in the central system criminal-record information concerning foreigners who committed offences in Türkiye. Official source: 5352 Criminal Records Law.
Foreign nationality is not a basis to omit a final Turkish conviction.
Legal basis — Move to archive
Article 9 transfers active-record information to archive when the sentence or security measure is completed and in the other specified events such as qualifying effective repentance, limitation or general amnesty. Official source: 5352 Criminal Records Law.
The execution-completion notice must first reach and match the central record.
Legal basis — Archive deletion periods
Article 12 deletes ordinary archive convictions after five years from archive eligibility; rights-disqualifying convictions are deleted after 15 years with restoration of prohibited rights or 30 years without it. Official source: 5352 Criminal Records Law.
Classification of the conviction and the correct archive-eligibility date are decisive.
Legal basis — Restoration conditions
Article 13/A generally requires three years after completion of sentence, no new offence and a judicial finding of good conduct; different timing applies where execution ended for another legal reason. Official source: 5352 Criminal Records Law.
Restoration is a court application and is not automatic merely because the active certificate is clean.
Supporting framework: For Turkish Criminal Record, A foreign national is entitled to understand the accusation and to use interpretation where legally required. Consular notification and immigration consequences are assessed separately from guilt.
Evidence and proof plan
In a Turkish Criminal Record matter, The applicant should prove identity, final disposition, execution completion and elapsed statutory time. The administration must keep the central record consistent with final court and execution data; the applicant need not relitigate guilt to correct a clerical error.
Evidence — Final Turkish judgment and finality certificate
The record Final Turkish judgment and finality certificate is linked to the final disposition test. Its source, date, authorship and integrity are verified. Only the exact final judgment and later extraordinary-review result determine the correct entry.
Its verification method is: Reasoned judgment, finality certificate and later court decisions
Evidence — Execution-completion record
The record Execution-completion record is linked to the execution completion test. Its source, date, authorship and integrity are verified. Payment, release or probation must be formally recorded as completed by the executing authority.
Its verification method is: Execution prosecutor letter, payment receipt and completion certificate
Evidence — Fine-payment and enforcement receipts
The record Fine-payment and enforcement receipts is linked to the rights-disqualification class test. Its source, date, authorship and integrity are verified. Article 76 and non-TCK statutory consequences must be checked before using the five-year archive period.
Its verification method is: Offence, sentence, special statute and court order
Evidence — Current active-record certificate
The record Current active-record certificate is linked to the purpose of certificate test. Its source, date, authorship and integrity are verified. The issuing authority and stated use affect the form and content released under Law 5352.
Its verification method is: Application purpose, requested language and recipient requirements
Evidence — Archive information lawfully obtained for the request
The record Archive information lawfully obtained for the request is linked to the final disposition test. Its source, date, authorship and integrity are verified. Only the exact final judgment and later extraordinary-review result determine the correct entry.
Its verification method is: Reasoned judgment, finality certificate and later court decisions
Evidence — Identity records showing all names and passport numbers
The record Identity records showing all names and passport numbers is linked to the execution completion test. Its source, date, authorship and integrity are verified. Payment, release or probation must be formally recorded as completed by the executing authority.
Its verification method is: Execution prosecutor letter, payment receipt and completion certificate
Evidence — Extraordinary-review acquittal or no-punishment judgment
The record Extraordinary-review acquittal or no-punishment judgment is linked to the rights-disqualification class test. Its source, date, authorship and integrity are verified. Article 76 and non-TCK statutory consequences must be checked before using the five-year archive period.
Its verification method is: Offence, sentence, special statute and court order
Evidence — Decriminalizing legislation where applicable
The record Decriminalizing legislation where applicable is linked to the purpose of certificate test. Its source, date, authorship and integrity are verified. The issuing authority and stated use affect the form and content released under Law 5352.
Its verification method is: Application purpose, requested language and recipient requirements
Deadlines, competent court and venue
Filing deadline
For Turkish Criminal Record, There is no filing deadline to request correction or deletion once the statutory condition is met. Ordinary archive deletion is five years from archive eligibility; qualifying rights-disqualification entries follow 15 years with a restoration order or 30 years without. Restoration generally becomes available three years after execution is completed under Article 13/A. Any challenge to a refusal must follow the remedy and period stated in that final decision; obtain advice immediately rather than assuming an indefinite challenge period.
Competent court or authority
For Turkish Criminal Record, The Ministry of Justice General Directorate of Criminal Records and Statistics for correction/deletion administration; the sentencing court or same-level court at residence for restoration of prohibited rights
Territorial venue
In a Turkish Criminal Record matter, Administrative requests may be filed through authorized channels including the General Directorate and e-Government; Article 13/A permits the sentencing court or same-level court at the person's residence for restoration.
Mediation or prior application
For Turkish Criminal Record, Criminal-record correction, deletion and restoration of prohibited rights are not subject to mediation or criminal reconciliation.
Interim protection and urgent action
Order both the current-purpose certificate and, where legally available, the records needed to diagnose the entry. Ask the execution prosecutor to transmit missing completion data and file a documented correction/deletion request through the General Directorate or e-Government service. For an imminent visa or job filing, explain the pending correction truthfully and avoid submitting an altered certificate.
In a Turkish Criminal Record matter, the right at risk, imminent danger and precise scope of the requested measure must appear in the same application. Interim protection does not replace the final judgment.
Cross-border documents and remote representation
A foreign or digital document used for Turkish Criminal Record is checked separately for issuer, country, date, electronic signature, apostille or legalization and certified translation. Admissibility before a Turkish authority and evidential weight are not the same question.
For a client abroad dealing with Turkish Criminal Record, the power of attorney must contain the authority required for that Turkish proceeding. Service address, translation route and secure document-transfer channel are fixed at the start.
Step-by-step legal action plan
For Turkish Criminal Record, the sequence below prevents missed deadlines and connects each legal assertion to a verifiable record. Any urgent protective application required by the file proceeds in parallel.
- Obtain the final judgment and finality record
- Secure formal proof of execution completion
- Pull the current criminal-record certificate
- Match all names, birth details and passport numbers
- Classify the entry as active or archive
- Test Article 76 and special-law disqualifications
- Calculate the five-, 15- or 30-year track
- Apply for restoration if useful and eligible
- Submit the documented correction or deletion request
- Challenge a refusal through its correct stated route
- Obtain a fresh certificate for the intended foreign use
1. Obtain the final judgment and finality record
Obtain the final judgment and finality record is documented through Final Turkish judgment and finality certificate. The controlling test at this stage is: Only the exact final judgment and later extraordinary-review result determine the correct entry. Foreign nationality is not a basis to omit a final Turkish conviction.
For the step “Obtain the final judgment and finality record”, the verification method is: Reasoned judgment, finality certificate and later court decisions Moving forward without completing this record creates an avoidable risk concerning jurisdiction, deadline or the scope of relief.
2. Secure formal proof of execution completion
Secure formal proof of execution completion is documented through Execution-completion record. The controlling test at this stage is: Payment, release or probation must be formally recorded as completed by the executing authority. The execution-completion notice must first reach and match the central record.
For the step “Secure formal proof of execution completion”, the verification method is: Execution prosecutor letter, payment receipt and completion certificate Moving forward without completing this record creates an avoidable risk concerning jurisdiction, deadline or the scope of relief.
3. Pull the current criminal-record certificate
Pull the current criminal-record certificate is documented through Fine-payment and enforcement receipts. The controlling test at this stage is: Article 76 and non-TCK statutory consequences must be checked before using the five-year archive period. Classification of the conviction and the correct archive-eligibility date are decisive.
For the step “Pull the current criminal-record certificate”, the verification method is: Offence, sentence, special statute and court order Moving forward without completing this record creates an avoidable risk concerning jurisdiction, deadline or the scope of relief.
4. Match all names, birth details and passport numbers
Match all names, birth details and passport numbers is documented through Current active-record certificate. The controlling test at this stage is: The issuing authority and stated use affect the form and content released under Law 5352. Restoration is a court application and is not automatic merely because the active certificate is clean.
For the step “Match all names, birth details and passport numbers”, the verification method is: Application purpose, requested language and recipient requirements Moving forward without completing this record creates an avoidable risk concerning jurisdiction, deadline or the scope of relief.
5. Classify the entry as active or archive
Classify the entry as active or archive is documented through Archive information lawfully obtained for the request. The controlling test at this stage is: Only the exact final judgment and later extraordinary-review result determine the correct entry. Foreign nationality is not a basis to omit a final Turkish conviction.
For the step “Classify the entry as active or archive”, the verification method is: Reasoned judgment, finality certificate and later court decisions Moving forward without completing this record creates an avoidable risk concerning jurisdiction, deadline or the scope of relief.
6. Test Article 76 and special-law disqualifications
Test Article 76 and special-law disqualifications is documented through Identity records showing all names and passport numbers. The controlling test at this stage is: Payment, release or probation must be formally recorded as completed by the executing authority. The execution-completion notice must first reach and match the central record.
For the step “Test Article 76 and special-law disqualifications”, the verification method is: Execution prosecutor letter, payment receipt and completion certificate Moving forward without completing this record creates an avoidable risk concerning jurisdiction, deadline or the scope of relief.
Review or appeal: A court decision on restoration of prohibited rights is challenged through the criminal remedy applicable to the underlying judgment under Article 13/A(5). A General Directorate refusal or omission must be classified before selecting an administrative or judicial route; follow the specific notification and do not confuse it with the two-week merits appeal from the old conviction.
Enforcement after the decision
After a decision, counsel checks whether the operative part grants the requested relief, the service and appeal deadline, any finality requirement, and the registry or authority that must implement it. The General Directorate can correct the record, move a qualifying entry to archive or delete archive data once the statutory event and period are proven. Restoration of prohibited rights can shorten the 30-year archive track to the 15-year track but has separate eligibility conditions and does not erase the conviction immediately. An inaccurate refusal can be challenged through the proper judicial or administrative route identified in the decision.
A Turkish Criminal Record matter is not operationally complete until payment, registration, cancellation, delivery or the required administrative act occurs. Non-compliance may require enforcement or a separate remedy.
Turkish Criminal Record After Conviction — frequently asked questions
What is the definite Turkish-law rule for Turkish Criminal Record After Conviction?
The practical legal result is: The General Directorate can correct the record, move a qualifying entry to archive or delete archive data once the statutory event and period are proven. Restoration of prohibited rights can shorten the 30-year archive track to the 15-year track but has separate eligibility conditions and does not erase the conviction immediately.
What is the effect of Foreigners included?
Law 5352 Article 2 includes in the central system criminal-record information concerning foreigners who committed offences in Türkiye. Foreign nationality is not a basis to omit a final Turkish conviction.
How does Move to archive affect the case?
Article 9 transfers active-record information to archive when the sentence or security measure is completed and in the other specified events such as qualifying effective repentance, limitation or general amnesty. The execution-completion notice must first reach and match the central record.
How is Final disposition proved in Turkey?
Only the exact final judgment and later extraordinary-review result determine the correct entry. Reasoned judgment, finality certificate and later court decisions
What must be done if Execution completion is missing?
Payment, release or probation must be formally recorded as completed by the executing authority. Execution prosecutor letter, payment receipt and completion certificate
What is the filing deadline for Turkish Criminal Record After Conviction?
For Turkish Criminal Record, the first deadline check is: There is no filing deadline to request correction or deletion once the statutory condition is met. Ordinary archive deletion is five years from archive eligibility; qualifying rights-disqualification entries follow 15 years with a restoration order or 30 years without. Restoration generally becomes available three years after execution is completed under Article 13/A. Evidence of service and the final filing date should be retained in the file.
Which Turkish court and venue handle Turkish Criminal Record After Conviction?
For Turkish Criminal Record, The Ministry of Justice General Directorate of Criminal Records and Statistics for correction/deletion administration; the sentencing court or same-level court at residence for restoration of prohibited rights Administrative requests may be filed through authorized channels including the General Directorate and e-Government; Article 13/A permits the sentencing court or same-level court at the person's residence for restoration.
Is mediation or a prior application required for Turkish Criminal Record After Conviction?
For Turkish Criminal Record, the precondition analysis is: Criminal-record correction, deletion and restoration of prohibited rights are not subject to mediation or criminal reconciliation. Any mandatory completion record must accompany the filing.
Which interim protection is available for Turkish Criminal Record After Conviction?
For Turkish Criminal Record, urgent relief must be limited to the identified risk: Order both the current-purpose certificate and, where legally available, the records needed to diagnose the entry. Ask the execution prosecutor to transmit missing completion data and file a documented correction/deletion request through the General Directorate or e-Government service.
Which review or appeal applies to a decision on Turkish Criminal Record After Conviction?
After service of a decision on Turkish Criminal Record, the applicable route is: A court decision on restoration of prohibited rights is challenged through the criminal remedy applicable to the underlying judgment under Article 13/A(5).
Related legal guides
- Fake Passport or Residence Permit Charges in Turkey: Forgery, Use and Knowledge
- Does a Turkish Criminal Case or Conviction Trigger Deportation?
- Criminal Summons from Turkey While Abroad: Must a Foreign Defendant Attend?
- Criminal Law in Turkey
- Legal Guides for Turkey
- Criminal Proceedings and Detention
- About Attorney Emirhan Keskin
- Contact the Law Office
Official sources
- 5352 Criminal Records Law
- Ministry of Justice – Criminal Record Services
- Ministry of Justice – Criminal Record Regulation
- Ministry of Justice – Criminal Record Petition Examples
This publication about Turkish Criminal Record provides general information on Turkish law and does not guarantee a result. Current law, service dates, evidence and the parties’ status must be reviewed for the individual matter.