Criminal Investigations and Cases of Foreign Nationals in Türkiye
- Representation in Türkiye of a foreign suspect, defendant, victim or complainant
- The right to an interpreter and being informed in a language the person understands
- Notification of relatives and, where the conditions are met, of the consulate
- Judicial assistance concerning a person or evidence in a foreign country
- Service of documents abroad and letters rogatory
- Possible effects of the criminal file on a residence permit, deportation or an entry ban
- Foreign court judgments and foreign criminal records
- Procedures in Türkiye connected with the criminal file of a Turkish citizen abroad
A criminal case and deportation, administrative detention or a residence procedure are not the same process. The consequences under foreigners law must be assessed separately, taking the relevant administrative time limits into account.
Extradition, Interpol, International Judicial Assistance and Transfer of Convicts
- Extradition processes from Türkiye to a foreign state or from a foreign state to Türkiye
- Provisional arrest and extradition proceedings
- Applications connected with Interpol red notices and diffusion records
- Assessing applications that can be made to the Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files
- International service and letters rogatory in criminal matters
- Requesting witnesses, documents, bank or digital data located abroad
- Transfer of prosecution and transfer of enforcement
- Transfer to Türkiye of a person who is a convict in a foreign country, or transfer to another country of a convict in Türkiye
- Consequences a foreign criminal judgment may produce in Türkiye
An Interpol notice, a national arrest warrant, provisional arrest, extradition and transfer of convicts are different institutions. The applicable convention, Law No. 6706, citizenship, the nature of the offense and the law of the state concerned must be determined separately in each file.
Red notice, diffusion, extradition and convict transfer processes are explained in detail on our page INTERPOL Red Notices, Extradition and International Criminal Cooperation.
Language, Representation and Procedures Outside Türkiye
It is important for a foreign person to understand the accusation and the procedure, to have appropriate interpreter support and to take an effective part in the defense. Communicating with the firm in a foreign language does not replace the interpreter procedure required in judicial proceedings. The need for a power of attorney, translation and certification is determined according to the nature of the procedure.
The criminal file and immigration procedures
A criminal investigation, deportation, an entry ban and residence procedures may be subject to different legal routes. An application in one does not automatically stop the other. Extradition and Interpol processes are also not the same procedure; the powers of the authorities of Türkiye and of the other country concerned are assessed separately.
The application routes against a deportation decision, administrative detention and entry ban procedures are explained in the guide Actions against Deportation Decisions and the Principle of Non-Refoulement.
Preparing for the Consultation and Next Step
Prepare the file number, the existing decision or summons, and the date of the approaching procedure. Note any missing documents; do not hold back a time-limited procedure while they are completed. After the review, the appropriate request, any additional documents needed and the scope of services to be undertaken are explained.