SMS Compliance in Türkiye

Key Rules for SMS in Türkiye

Commercial electronic messages in Türkiye, including SMS, are governed by Law No. 6563 on the Regulation of Electronic Commerce. Businesses must obtain prior consent and register it in the national Message Management System (İleti Yönetim Sistemi, İYS) before sending commercial messages, and recipients can withdraw consent at any time.

Gulf and wider MENA markets usually require sender IDs to be registered with local operators or the regulator, and many restrict promotional SMS to certain hours and require an opt-out option.

Practical Checklist

• Collect and record consent (or confirm an existing customer relationship) before sending, with the date and source.
• Use a registered sender ID or number that recipients can recognise as your business.
• Identify your business in every message and keep promotional and service messages separate.
• Give a simple way to opt out of marketing and process opt-outs quickly across all your systems.
• Send in the recipient's local daytime hours and keep frequency reasonable.

Contact data

Format numbers in international E.164 format with the +90 country code, remove duplicates and invalid numbers, and keep consent records linked to each number.

Digital Habits and Channels in Türkiye

Türkiye is a mobile-first market where WhatsApp is the dominant messaging app, and SMS remains widely used for promotions and authentication. Commercial electronic messages require prior approval under the Electronic Commerce Law, and businesses sending them must register on the İleti Yönetim Sistemi (IYS), the national message management system that records consent.

Credit cards with instalment payments (taksit) are central to Turkish shopping, and high inflation makes consumers price-sensitive. Ramadan and the two Bayram holidays, Black Friday (often promoted under local names such as 'Efsane Cuma') and back-to-school are key periods.

Turkey's economy is diverse, with textiles and clothing, automotive manufacturing around Bursa and Kocaeli, white goods, construction, agriculture and tourism, which brings over 50 million foreign visitors a year. High inflation means prices change often, so automated messages with current prices and validity dates are important. VAT (KDV) is 20% at the standard rate, and the country stays on UTC+3 all year. Commercial messages must be recorded in İYS, the national message management system, which lets recipients see and withdraw consent.

Advertising Alongside Messaging

Advertising must follow the Consumer Protection Law and the Advertising Board's rules, including its guidance on influencer marketing disclosures.

This guide is general information, not legal advice, and reflects our understanding as of October 2026. Rules change, so we check current requirements for Türkiye before every launch.