Vehicles with foreign license plates in Türkiye will no longer be allowed to leave the country without paying the tolls on special highways. This new regulation will both ensure more efficient collection of highway tolls and prevent tax losses. This regulation, which will be discussed in the Parliament, will introduce a practice that will prevent foreign vehicles that do not pay the special highway tolls from leaving Türkiye.
Vehicles with Foreign Plates Are Prevented from Leaving the Country Without Paying Tolls
In recent years, it has become a major problem in Türkiye for foreign-plated vehicles to leave the country without paying the tolls after using the highways operated by private companies. This situation was abused, especially for foreign-plated vehicles with no fixed address in Türkiye, by not paying the tolls before they were collected and by accumulating fines.
The new regulation aims to prevent this abuse. If foreign plated vehicles do not pay special highway tolls, these fees and fines will now be collected at border gates. If there are unpaid tolls and fines, foreign plated vehicles will be prevented from leaving Türkiye.
Collection at Customs Gates with the New Regulation
It will be ensured that unpaid highway tolls and fines of foreign plated vehicles will be collected at customs gates. This practice can be carried out without the requirement of notification and drivers will be informed by the authorized units at customs gates.
The relevant receivables will be collected from foreign-plated vehicles trying to leave Türkiye and after the collection process, 60 percent of the collected amount will be transferred to the general budget as a service share. The remaining 40 percent will be delivered to the General Directorate to be transferred to the relevant highway operator.
Goal: To Prevent Increasing Payment Evasion
This regulation is expected to be a significant step in the face of the recent increase in foreign-plated vehicles not paying highway tolls. Many of Türkiye's highways are operated by private companies, and the tolls that foreign-plated vehicles do not pay after using these roads have led to a major loss of income.
The new regulation will not only ensure that tolls are collected, but will also ensure that foreign-plated vehicles coming to Türkiye are fulfilled in their payment obligations. In this way, the grievances of both the state and highway operators will be eliminated.
New Bill and Details
While vehicles with foreign license plates are prevented from leaving Türkiye without paying the special highway tolls, the details of the regulation will be discussed in the TBMM Planning and Budget Committee. The regulation in question will be included in the scope of the “Proposal for the Amendment of the Youth and Sports Services Law and Certain Laws and Legislative Decrees”. This proposal regulates the collection of fees and fines that foreign license plate vehicles do not pay after passing through special highways at customs gates.
Contribution to the Economy and Fair Practice
Solving the problem of vehicles with foreign license plates not paying tolls is seen as a regulation that will benefit not only highway operators but also the Turkish economy. With this new regulation, vehicle owners who do not fulfill their payment obligations will fulfill their responsibilities through collections made at border gates. This application is expected to create a more fair and effective system, especially by speeding up bureaucratic procedures at customs gates.
