Turkish Succession Law
Succession is covered by the fourth book in the Turkish Civil Code. For Turkish people, the law lays down who has to inherit what. If the deceased did not make a will, she or he will be considered intestate.
There is mandatory heirship in Turkish law, but foreigners are bound by the law of their own nationality rather than by Turkish law – in the case of foreign people, there are very few constraints on what they can do on their death and, therefore, in effect, they can leave their property in Turkey to whomsoever they please. This is only the case, however, if they do not die intestate, therefore we highly recommend that you make a Turkish will, to eliminate the possibility of your estate passing to someone against your wishes who is nominated as a mandatory heir by the law.
The general principle of succession is that of ‘universal succession’. This means that you take not only the assets but also the liabilities. It also means that all of the deceased person’s rights pass by succession.
We recommend you use a Turkish lawyer with Turkish law expertise for inheritance issues, which will have the ability to cover both jurisdictions should you have any specific questions or concerns.