Traffic Insurance and Kasko in Turkey: Renewal Dates

Under Article 91 of the Highway Traffic Law, the operator of a vehicle (as a rule, its owner) must take out compulsory third-party liability insurance, known in Turkey as traffic insurance (trafik sigortası). This insurance covers the damage your vehicle causes to others; it does not cover damage to your own vehicle.

The policy is issued for one year and has to be renewed before its expiration date.

• The next policy's premium goes up. Under the tariff regulation, 5 percent is added to the premium of the next policy for every 30 days without renewal; the increase is capped at 50 percent.
• The vehicle is barred from traffic. A vehicle without valid traffic insurance is barred from traffic, and its operator is given an administrative fine.
• The vehicle is not accepted for inspection. A vehicle without valid traffic insurance is not inspected.
• You pay for the damage in an accident. Damage you cause to the other party while uninsured is not covered by insurance.

Kasko is not compulsory; it is optional insurance that covers damage to your own vehicle. The policy is usually issued for one year, and the cover ends on the day it expires. If you miss the renewal, your vehicle is without cover for the days in between.

Because kasko cover and prices vary from one company to another, starting to collect quotes a few weeks before the policy ends gives you time to compare.

The expiration date is written on your policy. If you do not have the policy with you, you can look it up by plate number on the lookup pages of the Insurance Information and Monitoring Center (Sigorta Bilgi ve Gözetim Merkezi).

The official sources are in Turkish.

• Highway Traffic Law No. 2918 (Articles 34 and 91)
• Regulation on Tariff Implementation Principles in Compulsory Liability Insurance (Article 7)
• Insurance Information and Monitoring Center: Policy lookup