Appeal to the Regional Court (İstinaf)

An appeal to the regional court (istinaf) is the re-examination of first-instance decisions by the regional court of appeal (Code of Civil Procedure Arts. 341-360). The appeal covers not only legal assessment but also the facts. If necessary, the regional court re-evaluates the evidence and decides the case on the merits.

Monetary Threshold

• Decisions in cases whose amount or value does not exceed the statutory threshold are final; no appeal lies.
• The appeal threshold for 2026 is TRY 50,000. It is updated each year by the revaluation rate.
• Following an amendment by Law No. 7550, whether an appeal lies is determined by the threshold on the date the case was filed. This protects parties’ appeal rights in long-running cases.
• A separate threshold applies to enforcement court decisions.

Time Limit and Filing

• The time limit is two weeks from service of the reasoned judgment.
• The appeal is filed by petition to the first-instance court that gave the decision.
• Grounds of appeal must be stated in the petition; apart from public order issues, the regional court reviews within the grounds raised.

The Regional Court’s Decision

• Dismissal of the appeal on the merits,
• Setting aside the decision and remitting the case to the first-instance court for retrial (for certain procedural defects),
• A new decision on the merits.

As a rule, new evidence cannot be submitted on appeal, except evidence that could not be submitted at first instance for reasons beyond the party’s control.

Afterwards

Regional court decisions may be appealed to the Court of Cassation in cases above the statutory threshold. An appeal does not automatically stay enforcement; a stay may be requested by providing security. For appeal costs, see Litigation Costs.