Exchanging a Foreign Driving Licence in Türkiye

A foreign driving licence can be exchanged for a Turkish one at a civil registry office, but not every licence qualifies. The rules are in the Highway Traffic Regulation and in the civil registry administration's implementing instruction on driving licences.

Which licences can be exchanged

The Highway Traffic Regulation requires foreign nationals who want to keep driving in Türkiye to exchange their foreign licence for a Turkish one after the period it sets. Licences from countries that are not party to the Convention on Road Traffic and have no bilateral agreement with Türkiye on mutual recognition and exchange are not exchanged. Temporary foreign licences and international driving permits are not exchanged either.

For foreign nationals, licences from countries with a bilateral agreement are exchanged according to the reciprocity table of that agreement. Turkish citizens holding a licence from a Convention country or a bilateral-agreement country receive the Turkish equivalent.

Verification and translation

The exchange is processed only after the authenticity of the licence has been confirmed through the Turkish mission in the country that issued it. Applicants who cannot present the original are assessed on the basis of their written statement about the licence and their identity details.

One provincial directorate's document list asks for a Turkish translation of the foreign licence certified by a notary or a consulate. Where an education certificate from abroad is required, the instruction asks for its notarised translation.

Applications are made in person at any authorised civil registry office, regardless of where the driving certificate was obtained.

We translate foreign driving licences into Turkish in Ankara through translators sworn before a Turkish notary. The civil registry office decides on the exchange.