QUICK ANSWER
The legal position in one minute
Law No. 6284 provides protective and preventive measures for people exposed to or at risk of violence. Depending on urgency and authority, measures can address approaching or contacting the protected person, removal from the home, weapons, temporary protection, shelter, financial assistance, counselling and child-related safety. Immediate danger should be reported to emergency or law-enforcement services rather than handled only through an online form.
01
Where to seek urgent help
In immediate danger, contact Turkish emergency or law-enforcement services and move to a safe location if possible. Applications under Law No. 6284 may be made through authorised courts and public authorities according to the urgency and measure requested.
Do not disclose a safe address unnecessarily. Tell the authority about weapons, stalking, escalating threats, children, pregnancy, disability, language needs and any previous order or report.
02
What protective and preventive measures can address
Measures can prohibit approaching, contacting or harassing the protected person and can regulate the shared home, workplace, school or other locations. Other measures may address weapons, temporary protection, accommodation, support services and financial needs.
The request should identify the conduct, risk and practical boundary needed. Generic wording may fail to address a recurring handover, workplace contact, online harassment or third-party messaging.
- No approach to specified people or locations
- No contact through phone, messaging, social media or intermediaries
- Removal from or allocation of the shared home
- Temporary protection, shelter and support services
- Child-contact safeguards where required
03
Evidence and confidentiality
Law No. 6284 is designed for preventive protection and does not require the applicant to complete a criminal trial first. Available messages, call records, photographs, medical material, police reports and witnesses should be preserved, but lack of a perfect file should not delay an urgent safety request.
Use secure channels and limit circulation of identity, health and location data. Foreign-language evidence may need translation, but immediate risk should still be explained promptly.
04
How protection interacts with children and divorce
A protection order can coexist with a divorce, custody or criminal investigation. Contact arrangements may need supervision, limitation or suspension where the child's safety requires it. The orders should be read together rather than privately reconciled by the parties.
A protected person agreeing to communicate does not automatically cancel an existing prohibition. Formal variation or expiry must be confirmed before direct contact resumes.
05
Breach, objection and compliance
Record a breach without escalating the encounter and report it through the appropriate authority. Preserve the order, service information, message, call, location or witness evidence. The response depends on the exact term breached.
A person subject to an order should comply while using the lawful objection or variation route. Contact through relatives, new numbers or social media can still breach a broadly worded no-contact measure.
DOCUMENT PREPARATION
Documents to organise before an initial review
Do not send originals until the receiving authority and required form have been identified. Begin with legible, complete copies and retain the source, page order and verification details.
- Identity document if safely available
- Copy or details of any existing order
- Threatening messages, calls, images or location records
- Medical or police documentation
- Children's safety and routine information
- Safe contact method and confidentiality needs
COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions international families often ask
Must I first file for divorce?
No. Protection under Law No. 6284 is not conditional on filing a divorce case.
Can a foreign national apply?
The protection framework is directed to exposure or risk of violence, not only Turkish citizenship. Language, immigration and safe-contact needs should be stated.
What if I do not have medical evidence?
Do not delay an urgent application solely because one form of evidence is missing. Describe the risk accurately and provide the material that safely exists.
Can the parties privately cancel the order?
No. An official order remains effective until it is changed, lifted or expires through the lawful process.
PRIMARY MATERIAL
Official sources used for this guide
Legislation and treaty status can change. Open the official source and check the current text before relying on a rule for a live case.
Istanbul Bar Association lawyer • practising since 1999