New regulation for foreign-plated vehicles in the Official Gazette: Border crossing prohibited without paying fines!

The "Regulation on the Activities of Foreign-Plated Vehicles," prepared through the joint efforts of the Ministries of Treasury and Finance, Interior, Trade, and Transport and Infrastructure, has been published in the Official Gazette and entered into force. With the new regulation, the procedures and principles regarding the collection of administrative fines imposed on foreign-plated road vehicles, regardless of the driver's nationality, have been clarified.

From now on, when a penal action is taken against foreign-plated vehicles that violate the legislation, an administrative fine decision report will be issued by the authorized institutions in an electronic environment.

ELECTRONIC SYSTEM TRACKING PERIOD

According to the new regulation, fine reports issued by municipalities will be immediately processed into the electronic system. This data will be transferred to the General Directorate of Public Accounts of the Ministry of Treasury and Finance via the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.

The General Directorate of Public Accounts will use this information as data for the collection of fines. Authorized institutions will also be able to query the collection status of the imposed fines through this same system.

Fines that have been notified, finalized, and not paid within the specified period will be transferred to the relevant tax offices. If the fine is collected by the accounting units affiliated with the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, this information will be transmitted to the Revenue Administration.

MIGRATION MANAGEMENT AND CUSTOMS ALSO INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS

Fines applied to foreign drivers and the potential exemption status of the vehicles will also be reported to the Presidency of Migration Management. In this way, the fine records of foreign-plated vehicles will be shared simultaneously among different institutions.

With the new regulation, fine payments can also be made to accounting units at customs gates. Additionally, at border gates where bank or credit card collection is possible, fines can also be paid electronically.

NO BORDER CROSSING WITHOUT PAYING THE FINE

One of the most notable provisions in the regulation is the clause stating that the vehicle will not be permitted to exit the country until the fine is paid. Administrative fines reported through the General Directorate of Public Accounts system will not be considered collected until paid, and the vehicle will not be able to pass through customs gates.

Furthermore, fines will be collected by informing the driver. Fines that have not yet been notified will be considered notified the moment payment is made.

Authorized institutions will determine the procedures including the legal basis of the fine, the objection process, and notification details through a protocol they will establish among themselves.

TRANSPARENCY AND RAPID COLLECTION AIMED WITH THE NEW REGULATION

This regulation aims to more effectively track traffic and transport violations committed by foreign-plated vehicles in Turkey, accelerate collection processes, and make the flow of information between institutions transparent.

Ministry sources state that with the new system, both the loss of revenue will be prevented and the "fine debt check" application at border crossings will become standard.