Turkish Code of Obligations No. 6098 (Türk Borçlar Kanunu)

What It Governs

Law No. 6098, the Turkish Code of Obligations (Türk Borçlar Kanunu), is the general private law of obligations. It governs how contracts are formed and performed, civil (tort) liability for damage, agency and the mandate contract, and the lease law that governs residential and workplace tenancies.

Key Provisions for Foreign Nationals

Fault-based liability in tort begins at Article 49: a person who causes another harm through fault is bound to make it good. This is the general basis for the compensation claims that reach foreign nationals — from traffic accidents to medical negligence — alongside the specific liability regimes found in other statutes.

The mandate contract under Article 502 and following is the legal backbone of power-of-attorney practice, under which an agent acts for a principal. It is the mechanism that lets a foreign buyer or litigant be represented in Turkey without being physically present.

Lease law begins at Article 299, with residential and roofed-workplace tenancies governed by Articles 339–356. The annual rent increase on renewal is capped at the twelve-month average change in the consumer price index under Article 344, and the tenant's position on renewal and termination is set by Article 347.

The landlord's grounds for ending a tenancy are narrow and mostly require a court action within strict time limits. They include the owner's own need and reconstruction under Article 350, a new owner's need under Article 351, and the tenant's written undertaking to vacate under Article 352.