Turkey's 2026 Advertising Regulation Changes: What Brands Must Do

An amendment to Turkey's Commercial Advertising and Unfair Commercial Practices Regulation was published in the Official Gazette on 1 July 2026 (issue 33297) and took effect on 1 August 2026. For a brand advertising digitally to consumers in Turkey, the points that matter most are: disclosing the use of AI, a mandatory label on influencer ads, transparency in targeted advertising and a ban on profiling children, setting the pre-discount price as the lowest price of the last 10 days, and allowing only buyers to post reviews. Below, we summarize each provision with what changed and what it requires on your side. These rules apply to advertising aimed at consumers in Turkey; if you advertise in other markets, local rules apply there.

Who does the amendment bind?

The regulation is based on Turkey's Consumer Protection Law No. 6502. Article 61 of the Law requires advertisers, advertising agencies and media outlets to comply with the advertising provisions, and places the burden of proving the claims in an ad on the advertiser. So even if an agency or an influencer prepares the campaign, responsibility stays with the brand as well.

In case of a breach, the Advertising Board can, under Article 63 of the Law, order the ad to be stopped, corrected using the same method, impose an administrative fine, suspend it as a precaution for up to three months, or order the content removed or access blocked. The amendment contains no separate transitional provision for ads published before 1 August, so it is prudent to review the campaigns that are still live against the new rules.

What must be disclosed in ads that use AI?

The eighth paragraph added to Article 18 of the regulation covers two situations. The first is when AI or other software is used in an ad in a way that significantly affects the consumer's purchasing behavior. The second is when digital characters created with AI that cannot be distinguished from humans appear in the ad. In both cases, this must be stated in the ad clearly, understandably and distinguishably.

The twelfth paragraph added to Article 27 goes a step further: ads may not show an AI-generated digital copy of a real person as if they use or recommend a product when they do not actually do so. A fake recommendation video produced with a celebrity's face and voice falls under this ban if it is untrue, even if permission was obtained.

The practical question to ask is this: did AI produce something that affects the decision the consumer will make about the product? An image that makes the product look different from reality, a user who does not exist or a synthetic presenter falls within this scope. The regulation gives no separate measure for uses such as background retouching that do not change how the product is perceived. Where you are unsure, the safest route is to place a short statement such as "AI-generated images were used in this ad" (in Turkish for Turkish audiences) somewhere visible.

What changed for influencer ads?

A new Article 23/A titled "Advertisements made through social media influencers" was added to the regulation. The definition of influencer has no follower threshold. Posts made in return for money, free or discounted products, referral links, giveaways or events must carry one of the Turkish words for "advertisement" or "promotion" together with the advertiser's name or one of the statements listed in the regulation. The label must appear on the first screen without scrolling, come before other tags and be repeated in every post.

We explain exactly how to write the label, and why the Instagram and YouTube tools are not enough on their own, in our influencer ad disclosure guide.

What is the new requirement for targeted ads?

The new Article 25/A defines targeted advertising for the first time: sellers, providers or platforms intermediating sales on their behalf showing ads tailored to specific people or groups by analyzing consumers' online behavior, past preferences, location, demographic information or similar personal data.

This type of advertising is now subject to a condition. Consumers must be told directly and in an easily accessible way which criteria were used to show them the ad and how they can change those criteria. Targeted advertising based on profiling with personal data may not be directed at people who are known, or could reasonably be expected to be known, to be children.

If your own e-commerce site or app recommends products based on browsing history or shows personalized campaigns, plan to add a short explanation and a link to preference management in that area. Processing of personal data is also assessed separately under KVKK, Turkey's Personal Data Protection Law; review your explicit consent and privacy notice processes alongside this change.

How is the previous price calculated in discount ads?

The third paragraph of Article 14 was rewritten. Since 2022, the pre-discount price had been set as the lowest price in the thirty days before the discount. Under the new rule, for sales of goods, the lowest price applied in the ten days before the discount begins is used. For perishable goods such as fruit and vegetables, and for services, the price immediately before the discounted price is used.

Three new paragraphs were also added:

• If you sell the same product through different channels, the previous price is based only on the price in the channel where the discount is offered. You cannot use the in-store price as the reference for a discount on your website.
• Discount ads for loyalty programs that consumers can easily access and use are subject to the same rules.
• For conditional sales ads such as "buy 3, pay for 2" or "discount above a certain amount", this article also applies, except for the rule on showing quantities.

We cover the implementation details for e-commerce in our post on Turkey's new e-commerce discount rules.

What changed for consumer reviews?

Article 28/B was rewritten from scratch and directly affects every business selling online:

• Only people who bought a product or service can review it or the seller. Reviews taken from channels where the purchase cannot be verified may not be published.
• Reviews must be published for at least one year without separating positive from negative, sorted by an objective criterion such as date or rating. If a review is not published, the reviewer must be told the reason immediately.
• Review rules may not be written in a way that limits reviews to certain topics, and they must be shown in the review area or via a link.
• Reviews without purchase verification may not be used in ads. Commissioning fake reviews or buying a service for that purpose is prohibited.
• Reviews containing health claims that breach the legislation may not be published.

Deadlines on complaint platforms also got shorter: the time a brand has to respond before a complaint is published dropped from seventy-two hours to forty-eight, and if there is no response within that time, the complaint is published directly. If complaint monitoring is not part of your daily routine yet, make it so now.

Environmental claims and other provisions

The regulation added a definition of "environmental claim". General expressions such as "eco-friendly" may not be used without explanation or in a way that creates ambiguity. The ad must state clearly which part of the product or which stage of its life cycle the claim relates to, details of the measurement method must be in the ad or on a linked page, and certificates must be provable with documents from authorized or accredited bodies.

The other changes, briefly:

• Academic titles were added to the elements that must not mislead consumers.
• Food supplements may not be promoted as if they replace a normal diet.
• The ban on advertising human medicinal products, e-cigarettes, tobacco products and alcoholic beverages was written into the regulation, and illegal gambling was added to the services that may not be advertised.
• Awards that are not based on objective criteria announced in advance and that were obtained in return for a benefit may not appear in ads. Remove paid "brand of the year" type awards from your ads.

Checklist after 1 August

1. Do live ads contain AI-generated images, audio or characters, and if so, is this disclosed?
2. Do influencer posts show the advertisement or promotion label and the advertiser's name on the first screen?
3. Do personalized ads and recommendations explain "why am I seeing this ad" and offer a way to change preferences, and is targeting of children switched off?
4. Is the previous price in discounts calculated from the lowest price of the last ten days in that channel?
5. Do site reviews come only from buyers, and are the reviews used in ads verified?
6. Is someone assigned to respond to complaint platforms within forty-eight hours?
7. Is documentation on file for claims involving the environment, awards and titles?

If you would like to plan your advertising, social media and influencer campaigns in Turkey around these rules, take a look at our social media service or contact us about your situation. This information is not legal advice; consult a lawyer about campaigns you are unsure of.