Official Gazette / February 23 – March 1, 2026

With the Law on Amendments to the Highway Traffic Law, the 10% margin of error previously applied to speed limits has been abolished. From now on, all violations will be penalized numerically. Additionally, traffic fine amounts have been increased at exorbitant rates.

A change was made to the Presidential Decree on Providing Construction Assistance within the Scope of Urban Transformation Practices to be Carried Out in Istanbul Province, establishing that for the program known publicly as the "Half is on Us" campaign, which will end on December 31, 2026, it is sufficient for the property to be declared a risky structure by December 31, 2026, to benefit from the program. The campaign consists of an 875 thousand TL grant and an 875 thousand TL low-interest loan per residence, along with 125 thousand TL in moving assistance.

The Regulation on the Opening and Operation of Women's Shelters was amended to expand the lower and upper limits of shelter capacity. The lower limit, previously set at 20 people, has been reduced to 10, paving the way for the opening of more women's shelters, particularly in smaller settlements.

With the amendment to the Regulation on the Recognition and Equivalence of Higher Education Diplomas Obtained Abroad, the requirement to submit a language proficiency certificate during the equivalence process has been removed for those who studied abroad, provided that the language of the program attended is the same as their native language.

With the amendment to the Regulation on the Principles of Transfer, Double Major, Minor, and Inter-Institutional Credit Transfer between Associate and Undergraduate Programs in Higher Education Institutions, students are now prohibited from applying for horizontal transfer to a lower grade level than the one they are currently in. A language certificate requirement has been introduced for horizontal transfer applications to higher education institutions that provide education entirely or partially in a foreign language. Furthermore, the threshold score required for horizontal transfer applications has been raised from 80 to 90. Students studying in programs abroad that do not require attendance, such as open education or distance learning, are prohibited from applying to formal education programs in Turkey. In addition to these, students applying for horizontal transfer from abroad are now required to document their actual presence in the country in question during their study period through passport entry-exit records.

With the amendment to the Communiqué on Remote Identity Verification Methods to be Used by Intermediary Institutions and Portfolio Management Companies and the Establishment of Contractual Relationships in Electronic Environments, crypto asset companies, in addition to intermediary institutions and portfolio management companies, have been made subject to this regulation. These organizations will now be required to use software capable of performing remote identity verification and to conduct a risk assessment of the individual by receiving the application electronically before starting the video call during the remote identity verification process.

By Presidential Decree, it has been decided to remove areas with defined boundaries and coordinates in 21 provinces—Adana, Afyonkarahisar, Antalya, Artvin, Balıkesir, Bingöl, Bursa, Çorum, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Gümüşhane, İzmir, Karabük, Kastamonu, Kütahya, Mersin, Muğla, Samsun, Tokat, Trabzon, and Yalova—from forest boundaries.

The Cooperative Project Support Regulation has been amended. In the regulation governing investment projects that will contribute to the production and employment of cooperatives, the waiting period for re-applying for a grant has been reduced from 5 years to 4 years. Furthermore, the transfer of ownership of goods covered by the grant agreement is prohibited within 4 years from the date the cooperative terminates its project. The intended use of said goods cannot be changed during the same period, and if such violations are detected, the return of all granted funds will be demanded.

The Central Bank has granted operating licenses to the payment services and electronic money companies Hangipara, Logo, and Pratika.