Alimony cases in Turkey
Which type of maintenance concerns you?
Select the type of maintenance and the status of your case. The legal basis and next steps are listed.
The court sets the amount according to income and needs; no amount is promised here.
Alimony cases in Turkey: types, amount, increase and enforcement
Alimony cases in Turkey are based on three main types of maintenance in the Turkish Civil Code: interim maintenance during divorce proceedings (Art. 169), child maintenance paid by the non-custodial parent according to their means (Art. 182), and post-divorce maintenance for a spouse who would fall into poverty because of the divorce and is not more at fault (Art. 175). The court sets the amount according to the parties' income and needs and often orders an annual increase. Unpaid maintenance is collected through enforcement offices. Foreigners can claim maintenance before a Turkish family court under the same rules.
Alimony cases in Turkey: types of maintenance under the Civil Code
- Interim maintenance: ordered for the spouse and children while divorce or separation proceedings are pending (Civil Code Art. 169). It can also be claimed without a divorce case when the spouses live apart, under Art. 197.
- Child maintenance: the non-custodial parent's contribution to the child's care and education; as a rule it lasts until the child comes of age and can continue during education under Art. 328.
- Post-divorce maintenance: granted to a spouse who would fall into poverty because of the divorce and is not more at fault, according to the other spouse's financial means (Art. 175).
- Support for relatives: for ascendants and descendants who would otherwise fall into poverty (Art. 364); not linked to divorce.
How is the amount of maintenance determined?
The court examines the income, assets, expenses and needs of the parties and the child. There is no fixed maintenance table in Turkey; each case is assessed on its own facts. The other party's real income, especially income earned abroad, must be proven with evidence.
Document income
Payslips, tax records, bank statements, rental contracts.
Explain the needs
School, health, housing and care costs.
Social and economic inquiry
The court can request information from institutions and banks and have the parties' living conditions investigated by the police.
Increasing, reducing or ending maintenance
Courts often order an annual increase in line with the PPI or CPI published by TÜİK. If the decision or protocol does not provide for this, a separate case to increase maintenance must be filed. If the parties' financial situation changes significantly, an increase or reduction can be requested (Civil Code Art. 176). Post-divorce maintenance can be granted without a time limit, but it ends automatically if the recipient remarries, and the court can end or reduce it if the need disappears or the recipient lives with a partner as if married.
Collecting unpaid maintenance through enforcement
Unpaid maintenance is collected through enforcement proceedings at the enforcement office on the basis of the court decision; the debtor's salary and assets can be attached. Maintenance claims rank first in salary attachments. In addition, on the creditor's complaint, a debtor who does not comply with the maintenance obligation can be ordered to coercive detention of up to three months under Art. 344 of the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law.
Maintenance cases with a foreign element
A maintenance order issued by a foreign court can only be enforced in Turkey after an enforcement (exequatur) decision is obtained. If the debtor lives outside Turkey, collecting a Turkish decision there is governed by that country's law. Türkiye is a party to the 1956 New York Convention on the Recovery Abroad of Maintenance, under which the Ministry of Justice acts as the intermediary authority.
- Decision with a certificate of finality and apostille
- Sworn Turkish translation
- Proof that the decision was served on the debtor
Key points in alimony cases
- Document payments: pay by bank transfer with a reference.
- Currency: in practice maintenance is usually set in Turkish lira; the payment method can be agreed in a protocol, but the court decides.
- Increase clause: ask for an annual increase from the outset.
- Remarriage: it ends post-divorce maintenance; an unreported marriage can lead to a repayment claim.
- Link to custody: child maintenance is assessed together with the custody arrangement.
Questions about alimony cases in Turkey
Can maintenance be set in foreign currency?
In practice it is usually set in Turkish lira; the parties can agree the payment method in a protocol, but the court decides.
Until what age is child maintenance paid?
As a rule until the child comes of age; it can continue after that if education is ongoing.
Is post-divorce maintenance unlimited in time?
It can be granted without a time limit, but it ends if the recipient remarries and can be ended or reduced by the court if the need disappears.
What happens if maintenance is not paid?
Enforcement proceedings are started; salary and assets can be attached, and coercive detention can be requested.
Is a foreign maintenance order enforceable in Turkey?
Yes, after an enforcement decision is obtained from a Turkish court.
This guide is based on the official legislation of the Republic of Türkiye and was last updated on .
This page provides general information and is not a substitute for legal advice on a specific case. No particular outcome of any application or proceeding is promised.
Skyland İstanbul, Huzur, Azerbaycan Cd. No:4 A Blok Kat:26 No: 580, 34773 Sarıyer/İstanbul
+90 532 276 80 85
7 days a week, 24 hours