Detained at a Turkish Airport

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE DETAINED OR ARRESTED IN TURKEY?

Finding yourself detained or arrested in a foreign country can be a distressing experience. Here’s a clear guide on what to do if you, or someone you know, is arrested in Turkey or detained at a Turkish airport.

Being stopped at a Turkish airport does not always mean a criminal arrest. Sometimes it is an administrative matter — an entry ban, a deportation decision, or administrative detention under Turkish immigration law (Law No. 6458) — which follows a completely different procedure from a criminal arrest, with different rights and different ways to challenge it. One of the first things to establish is which of the two you are actually facing, because everything that follows depends on it.

A) If You Are the One Detained or Arrested in Turkey

1) Stay Calm:

Panicking can make the situation worse. Stay calm and do not physically resist the officers. Avoid saying anything that could harm your legal position or provoke those around you.

2) Find Out Why You Are Being Held:

You have the right to know why you are being held, so politely ask what you are accused of. A criminal detention may rest on an arrest warrant or on being stopped in the act of committing a crime; an administrative hold at the airport may instead concern your right to enter or remain in the country. You do not have to work this out yourself, but note what you are told and let your lawyer decide whether the detention can be challenged.

3) Ask for Your Embassy to Be Notified:

As a foreign national, you have the right under international law to have your country’s consulate informed of your detention or arrest in Turkey. Ask the authorities to notify your embassy or consulate; their staff can provide important support. If you do not speak Turkish, you also have the right to a free interpreter.

4) Do Not Answer Questions Without a Lawyer:

You have the right to remain silent and to have a lawyer present during questioning. Politely decline to answer questions until your lawyer is there. If you cannot afford a lawyer, or if the law requires one for the offence in question, the state will arrange one for you — though it is worth understanding what that lawyer does, and does not do, which is explained below.

5) Insist That Your Family Is Notified:

By law, at least one relative or a person of your choice must be told of your detention. Either you should be allowed to make a phone call, or the police should make one in your presence. Use this to let your family or a friend know where you are.

6) Find Out Who Your Lawyer Actually Is:

When a lawyer comes to see you, ask whether they were appointed by the state or hired by your family. This matters more than it sounds: the two have very different roles, as explained below.

B) If a Friend or Relative Is Detained or Arrested

1) Gather Information:

Find out where they are being held — a police station, an airport holding area, or a courthouse — along with anything known about why.

2) Decide Quickly Whether to Hire a Private Lawyer:

If your relative cannot afford a lawyer, or the offence requires one, the state will appoint one. But a state-appointed lawyer has no duty to keep you, the family, informed, often does not speak your language, and will typically meet the detainee only once — the legal minimum they are paid for. If you want someone who will communicate with you and push beyond the bare minimum, you will need to retain a private lawyer, the sooner the better.

3) Contact a Turkish Criminal Lawyer:

Reach out to a reputable Turkish criminal lawyer or law firm and give them everything you have: the detainee’s full name, nationality, and any known details of the detention.

4) Share What You Know:

Tell the lawyer where the person is held and what they are accused of, if you know. If you do not, your Turkish criminal attorney will take the steps needed to find out.

Choosing the right representation early makes a real difference. Turkish criminal lawyer Baris Erkan Celebi and his criminal law firm in Turkey provide legal support to foreign nationals who are detained or arrested in Turkey. His law firm is referred by several foreign embassies, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, to their citizens seeking urgent legal assistance in Turkey.