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Boating in Turkey: transit log, licence and Blue Card

Boating in Turkey on a foreign yacht means entering at a sea border gate and handling almost every formality through one document, the transit log. Add the recognition of your licence and the Blue Card system for waste water. This page sums up what Turkish regulations and ministries and the German automobile club ADAC publish.

Emergency+90 312 231 9105UKW 16[6]

Alcohol limit?check locally[1]

Liability coverrequiredchecked at entry, per ADAC/ÖAMTC[8]

Licencereciprocal recognition[1]

1 A boat with waste-generating equipment calls at a marina or reception facility. 2 It is registered there free of charge and receives a Blue Card number. 3 Every discharge is logged against that number; boats with outboard engines are exempt.

Using a foreign licence in Turkey

Foreigners in Turkey may use a licence obtained abroad, within the powers it grants, to skipper their own private boat, a boat lent to them under a power of attorney or a bareboat charter.[1]
If the Turkish harbour authority doubts a foreign licence, it can have it checked with the issuing body, and you may not use it until it is confirmed.[1]
Turkey recognises foreign licences as equivalent on a reciprocal basis and publishes the accepted ones in its ADBS system. Check before you travel whether yours is listed.[1]
According to ADAC, carry your home country licence and radio certificates in original and as copies; ADAC states that German licences are recognised in Turkey.[8]
The new Turkish private boat regulation was published on 17 January 2026 and took effect six months later, replacing the 2023 rules. It expressly covers boats on Turkish registers, and whether it applies to foreign-flagged boats is unresolved.[1]
For Turkish-registered boats it requires an ADB 10 licence up to 10 m and ADB 24 up to 24 m, while boats under ten horsepower, rowing boats, canoes and dinghies such as the Optimist or Laser need none.[1]

Transit log fee

The fee for the cruising permit, known as the transit log, is set by the Turkish Ministry of Transport in agreement with the Ministry of Tourism.[2]
A private legal database lists the 2026 fees by length: TRY 1,540.70 for 5 to 10 m, TRY 3,081.60 for 10 to 15 m, TRY 5,136.10 for 15 to 20 m and TRY 15,408.40 for 20 to 25 m, with Turkish-registered craft paying a third. Whether these amounts apply to foreign yachts is not officially confirmed, so check before you travel.[3]
Fixed fees under Turkey's Fees Act rose by 18.95 percent on 1 January 2026.[4]
Since 12 July 2024 the Turkish transit log has been handled entirely online through the SİBS system, and the fee is paid with a payment code issued there.[7]

Liability insurance

According to ADAC, valid boat liability insurance is required in Turkey and proof is checked when you clear in.[8]
The Turkish marine tourism regulation requires insurance for crew and third party damage only from certified operators, not expressly from private foreign yachts. Check the minimum cover and accepted language before you travel.[2]

Entry and the transit log

Every leisure boat must enter and leave Turkey through a sea border gate, and border formalities are based on declarations in the transit log.[2]
The transit log covers the vessel, customs, crew, passengers, passports, health and the voyage, and it can be issued electronically.[2]
After entry, foreign yachts cruise freely in Turkish waters and record their route in the transit log, which the owner, operator, captain or agent fills in completely, signs and keeps on board. At the end of the cruise, notify the harbour master within twelve hours.[2]
According to ADAC, agents or marina service offices usually issue the transit log in Turkey.[8]
Foreign yachts may only be used by their owners and those with written authorisation on a non-commercial basis, guests sail free of charge, and a jointly owned yacht may be used by no more than four owners a year.[2]
Foreign leisure boats may stay in certified Turkish marinas for wintering, maintenance and repair for up to five years without further permission, extendable by five more, and the transit log remains valid meanwhile.[2]

Safety equipment

Boats on Turkish registers must carry the minimum safety equipment listed in the 2026 regulation; if items are missing, the voyage is stopped and a fine of TRY 1,000 per metre of length applies. Whether this binds visiting yachts is unresolved.[1]
According to ADAC, yachts in Turkey need safety equipment suited to their sailing area and size.[8]

Anchoring, alcohol and the Blue Card

Turkish and foreign leisure boats may moor, stay overnight and anchor along coasts and in bays outside military restricted and security zones, unless other limits apply. The Turkish authorities announce where navigating, anchoring, stopping or diving is banned.[2]
Skippers above 0.5 per mille blood alcohol (written %0,05 in the regulation) or 0.25 mg/ml in the breath lose a Turkish licence for six months, and holders of recognised foreign licences pay TRY 2,500 per metre of boat length.[1]
The same penalty applies for exceeding speed limits set by the authorities or getting dangerously close to bathing areas. The Turkish regulation does not state the limits themselves, so ask locally.[1]
The Blue Card (Mavi Kart) waste water system is now part of the Turkish maritime waste application DAU. It covers every vessel with waste-generating equipment, whatever its flag, while boats with outboard engines are exempt.[5]
A boat without a Blue Card can be registered free of charge at the nearest marina or reception facility and receives a Blue Card number for all discharges. Private owners do not sign up to the DAU themselves, and existing numbers stay valid.[5]
ADAC instead describes registration in the Maritime Waste Application app. Ask at your first Turkish marina which route applies to your boat.[8]

Towing a boat trailer in Turkey

Turkish traffic regulations (Art. 100) set limits for vehicles with a trailer 10 km/h below those without one. For cars this means 110 km/h on motorways, 100 km/h on divided roads, 80 km/h on two-lane rural roads and 40 km/h in towns.[9]
KGM classifies motorway and bridge tolls by axles, with classes 1 and 2 for two-axle vehicles and class 3 for three axles; the tariff sheet does not state whether trailer axles count. Istanbul's 15 Temmuz Şehitler Bridge is open to class 1 only.[10]

Search and rescue in Turkey

The search and rescue coordination centre in Ankara takes emergency calls on +90 312 231 9105, with further lines on +90 312 232 4783 and +90 552 727 0727 (mobile and WhatsApp) and email at trmrcc@uab.gov.tr.[6]
The Turkish Coast Guard Command in Ankara acts as the maritime rescue coordination centre.[6]
According to ADAC, the European emergency number 112 works in Turkey, and at sea VHF channel 16.[8]

In Turkey, keep the signed transit log, your licence with a copy, radio certificates and proof of insurance on board. Settle the fee and Blue Card registration with your agent or marina before you sail.

NAMMERT customers can get their liability confirmation in English.

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Questions

Is my foreign boating licence valid in Turkey?

Turkey accepts foreign licences on a reciprocal basis and lists them in its ADBS system. Check the list before you travel; ADAC says German licences are recognised.

What is the Turkish transit log?

The cruising permit for leisure boats. Entry, customs, crew and route all run through it, it has been handled online via SİBS since 2024 and must stay on board.

How much does the transit log cost in 2026?

A private legal database gives TRY 3,081.60 for a boat of 10 to 15 m. The amount for foreign yachts is not officially confirmed.

Do I need a Blue Card in Turkey?

Boats with waste-generating equipment need a Blue Card number, issued free at a Turkish marina or reception facility. Boats with outboard engines are exempt.