12th Judicial Reform Package (Law No. 7589): Key Changes

Law No. 7589 on Amendments to Certain Laws for the Effective and Efficient Functioning of the Judiciary (Yargının Etkin ve Verimli İşlemesine Yönelik Bazı Kanunlarda Değişiklik Yapılmasına Dair Kanun) was published in the Official Gazette dated 31 July 2026, No. 33326. Under its commencement provision, Articles 11, 12 and 22 enter into force three months after publication (31 October 2026), while the remaining articles, as a rule, entered into force on the date of publication.

The key changes are summarised below.

Civil proceedings

• Actions for unquantified claims abolished: Article 107 of the Code of Civil Procedure No. 6100 (Hukuk Muhakemeleri Kanunu) (HMK), governing actions for unquantified claims and declaratory actions, has been repealed. Under the transitional provision, this article will continue to apply to actions brought before the date of repeal.

• Increasing the amount claimed in a partial action: Under the paragraph added to Article 109 of the HMK, where only part of a receivable is claimed in an action, the amount claimed may be increased once in the same action, until the conclusion of the evidentiary phase, without being subject to the prohibition on extending the claim. In such cases, the limitation period for the increased portion will also be deemed interrupted as of the date the action was brought.

• Intervals between hearings: Under the paragraph added to Article 147 of the HMK, the interval between hearings may not, as a rule, exceed three months.

• Signatures when participating via SEGBİS: Provisions concerning handwritten signatures will not apply to persons attending hearings by audio and video transmission, except in cases such as admission, oath, waiver, acceptance of the claim and settlement (enters into force on 31 October 2026).

• Statutory interest: Article 1 of Law No. 3095 has been amended to establish a new basis for the statutory interest rate (for details, see our article entitled "A New Era in Statutory Interest").

Criminal proceedings

• Deferral of the announcement of the verdict (HAGB): Article 231 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Ceza Muhakemesi Kanunu) (CMK) has been revised. HAGB decisions may now be challenged by appeal before the regional court of appeal.

• Allowing another person to use an account: The fourth paragraph added to Article 158 of the Turkish Criminal Code (Türk Ceza Kanunu) (TCK) provides for a reduction in the sentence where participation in fraud offences consists solely of providing another person with information and tools enabling the use of a bank account, card or similar payment instruments.

• Objections by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office at the Court of Cassation: Article 308 of the CMK has been amended with respect to the time limit and scope of objections.

Administrative proceedings

• Cases to be heard by a single judge: The monetary threshold for annulment and full remedy actions to be determined by a single judge in administrative courts has been increased to four hundred and eighty-six thousand Turkish liras. Under the transitional provision, this change applies to actions brought after its entry into force.

• Regional appeals and appeals on points of law: The provisions of Articles 45 and 46 of the Administrative Procedure Law (İdari Yargılama Usulü Kanunu) (İYUK) concerning decisions of regional administrative courts and appeals on points of law have been amended.

Other provisions

• Sales for the dissolution of co-ownership: The amendment to Article 114 of the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law (İcra ve İflâs Kanunu) introduces a procedure whereby the first auction is held exclusively among the heirs who are owners, for immovable properties acquired by all owners through inheritance and in which no third party holds ownership.

• Electronic sales under guardianship: The property of persons under guardianship will be sold through the electronic sales portal integrated into the National Judiciary Informatics System (enters into force on 31 October 2026).

This article is intended for general information; the impact of the changes on individual cases should be assessed separately, taking the transitional provisions into account.