A2P SMS regulations in Türkiye.
Compliance with Law No. 6563 and İYS.
Commercial SMS in Türkiye is governed by Law No. 6563 on the Regulation of Electronic Commerce and its Commercial Communication regulation, enforced by the Ministry of Trade (Ticaret Bakanlığı). Before sending any commercial message ("ticari elektronik ileti"), senders must register recipient opt-in in İYS (İleti Yönetim Sistemi — the national Message Management System). Every message must carry a working opt-out, and personal data is governed by KVKK (Law No. 6698). BTK, the telecoms regulator, oversees the operators that carry the traffic.
Who regulates A2P SMS in Türkiye?
Commercial electronic messages in Türkiye are governed by Law No. 6563 on the Regulation of Electronic Commerce and its implementing Regulation on Commercial Communication and Commercial Electronic Messages. The competent authority is the Ministry of Trade (Ticaret Bakanlığı): it set up İYS and it imposes the administrative fines. BTK (Bilgi Teknolojileri ve İletişim Kurumu), the Information and Communication Technologies Authority, regulates the operators that carry the traffic.
- Competent authority: Ministry of Trade (Ticaret Bakanlığı).
- Legal basis: Law No. 6563 on the Regulation of Electronic Commerce.
- Implemented via the Commercial Communication / Commercial Electronic Messages regulation.
İYS: the national consent registry
Türkiye's defining requirement is İYS (İleti Yönetim Sistemi — the Message Management System), a centralised registry of commercial-message consent. Before sending any "ticari elektronik ileti" (commercial electronic message), the sender must have the recipient's opt-in recorded in İYS; if the consent is not in İYS, the message may not be sent. Recipients can review and withdraw their consents centrally through İYS, and senders must reconcile their lists against it.
- İYS records commercial-message consent nationally.
- Opt-in must be present in İYS before sending.
- Recipients can view and revoke consents centrally in İYS.
- Senders reconcile their permission lists against İYS.
Sender-ID registration
Alphanumeric sender IDs (originators) are used for A2P and are registered/whitelisted through the operators before traffic will deliver; the sender ID should reflect the registered brand. Registration is handled with the mobile operators (Turkcell, Vodafone Türkiye and Türk Telekom) or via a licensed local channel. Unregistered or dynamic sender IDs are liable to blocking.
- Alphanumeric sender IDs registered via the operators.
- Sender ID should match the registered brand name.
- Operators: Turkcell, Vodafone Türkiye, Türk Telekom.
- Confirm current documentation and lead time with your provider.
Promotional vs. transactional messages
The rules focus on "commercial electronic messages" — marketing, promotion and campaigns — which require İYS-registered consent, timing compliance and an opt-out. Messages that are not commercial in nature — one-time passwords, order and delivery notifications, and other service/transactional messages tied to an existing obligation — generally fall outside the İYS consent requirement, but must still be genuinely non-promotional.
- Commercial (marketing): İYS consent + sender identification + opt-out.
- Transactional/service (OTP, order/delivery notices): outside İYS consent.
- Mixing marketing into a service message removes the exemption.
- Keep marketing and transactional flows clearly separated.
Content, timing and opt-out rules
Neither Law No. 6563 nor its regulation sets a time-of-day window for commercial messages; operators and brands often apply their own sending hours, so agree yours with your provider. Every commercial message must identify the sender and offer an easy, free opt-out ("ret" / reply to unsubscribe). Opt-out requests must be honoured promptly (within a few business days), after which no further commercial messages may be sent to that recipient.
- No statutory time-of-day window for commercial messages.
- Agree sending hours with your provider and the operators.
- Every message must identify the sender and offer free opt-out.
- Opt-outs honoured promptly (within a few business days).
- Alcohol advertising is banned under Law No. 4250 (Article 6, as amended in 2013), so keep alcohol promotions out of commercial SMS.
Data protection: KVKK (Law No. 6698)
Personal data used for messaging is governed by KVKK — the Kişisel Verilerin Korunması Kanunu (Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698) — supervised by the Personal Data Protection Authority (KVKK / KVKK Kurumu). Processing mobile numbers for marketing needs a lawful basis, typically explicit consent, and data subjects have rights of access, correction and erasure. KVKK also governs the data-controller registry (VERBİS) and cross-border transfer conditions.
- Law: KVKK, Law No. 6698, supervised by the KVKK Authority.
- Explicit consent is the usual basis for marketing processing.
- Data-subject rights: access, correction, erasure.
- VERBİS registration and cross-border transfer rules may apply.
Enforcement and operator landscape
Non-compliance is enforced on two fronts: the Ministry of Trade can impose administrative fines under Law No. 6563 for sending commercial messages without İYS-registered consent or without a valid opt-out, and the KVKK Authority can penalise unlawful processing of personal data. Türkiye has three MNOs — Turkcell, Vodafone Türkiye and Türk Telekom — and reaching all subscribers means registering the sender ID with each. Confirm current fine bands and İYS onboarding steps at registration.
- Administrative fines for missing İYS consent or opt-out.
- Separate KVKK penalties for unlawful data processing.
- Three MNOs: Turkcell, Vodafone Türkiye, Türk Telekom.
- Confirm current fine amounts and İYS steps with your provider.
- Submit your KYC packTrade licence, authorisation letter and sample messages
- BroadNet files the applicationWith the operators or the regulator, as the market requires
- Review and approvalTypical lead time5-7 business days
- Send under your brandYour approved sender ID on every message
Technical facts for Türkiye
Network codes, message lengths and sender-ID rules in one table. Segment lengths are the GSM standard values (3GPP TS 23.038).
| Mobile country code (MCC) | 286 |
|---|---|
| Dialling code | +90 |
| Operators (MCC-MNC) |
|
| SMS length, GSM-7 (Latin alphabet) | 160 characters in a single SMS; 153 per part when concatenated |
| SMS length, UCS-2 (Arabic, Cyrillic and other scripts) | 70 characters in a single SMS; 67 per part when concatenated |
| Regulator | BTK (Bilgi Teknolojileri ve İletişim Kurumu) |
| Sender-ID rules | Alphanumeric sender IDs (originators) are set up with the operators. İYS (İleti Yönetim Sistemi) opt-in registry mandatory for commercial messages. Turkish diacritics in UCS-2. |
| Sender-ID lead time | 5-7 business days |
More on Türkiye
Compare A2P SMS rules across the region.
Each market pairs a regulatory playbook with its live coverage and operator-direct routing detail.
Türkiye rules: commercial vs. transactional SMS
| Capability | Commercial / marketing | Transactional / service (OTP, alerts) |
|---|---|---|
| Registered sender ID required | ||
| İYS-registered opt-in required | — | |
| Sender identified in the message | — | |
| Free opt-out (ret) required | — | |
| KVKK lawful basis for processing | ||
| Opt-out also reflected in İYS | — |
Common questions
What is İYS and do I need to register in it?
Which law governs commercial SMS in Türkiye?
Do OTP and transactional messages need İYS consent?
What hours can I send marketing SMS?
How does opt-out work?
What does KVKK require for SMS marketing?
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