Attention to those who use commercial vehicles! Changes have been made to SGK penalties

Turkey’s Social Security Institution (SGK) has revised its penalties for uninsured drivers caught in traffic checks while operating company or commercial vehicles, ending automatic administrative fines based solely on the traffic violation report under a new circular. In cases where no employer-employee relationship is evident, both parties will now be summoned to give statements, and inspectors will examine whether the vehicle was used under friendship, family, or borrowed-vehicle arrangements. The change matters because businesses and drivers previously fined automatically over traffic stops now gain a review process before penalties apply. What to watch next is how SGK inspectors apply the friendship, kinship, and entrusted-vehicle tests in practice and whether the number of disputed fines falls.