Family Law

Under Turkish law, the competent family court is generally the court of the place where either spouse resides, or where the couple last lived together for the preceding six months — so a foreign national who has lived in or around Fethiye for at least six months may generally file there. Where a foreign element is involved (a foreign nationality, or a marriage registered abroad), the question of which country's law applies is assessed separately and should be reviewed for the specific case.

An uncontested divorce is available where the marriage has lasted at least one year and both spouses agree on the consequences of the divorce (support payments, property division, and custody where relevant); both parties still need to appear before the judge in person to confirm their agreement. A contested divorce, used where the parties disagree, involves presenting evidence and can take considerably longer to resolve.

Custody decisions are made with the child's best interests as the central consideration, taking into account factors such as each parent's living situation, the child's own preferences (depending on age), and each parent's capacity to provide a stable environment. There is no fixed formula; each case is assessed on its own facts.

A foreign divorce decree generally needs to go through a recognition (tanıma) or enforcement (tenfiz) procedure before a Turkish court before it is treated as valid in Turkey — for example, before Turkish civil registry records can be updated. This is a separate legal process from the original divorce itself.

Unless the couple has agreed otherwise, Turkey's default matrimonial property regime is the "participation in acquired property" regime, under which assets acquired during the marriage are generally shared equally, while property acquired by inheritance or gift, and personal belongings, are excluded. Where the marriage or the couple's assets have a foreign element, this can interact with the applicable-law question above.