Maintenance
Legal context
Provide a coherent period of earnings and obligations rather than one isolated payslip. Separate gross pay, deductions, net receipts, variable income, benefits and necessary expenses. Explain employment changes and currency conversions with dates. Use records obtained lawfully; a photograph of a lifestyle or an unsupported estimated salary does not replace reliable financial evidence.
Children and finances are separate workstreams, not automatic by-products of divorce.
Turkish courts assess custody and contact through the child’s interests and the facts of the case. A passport does not decide custody. Habitual residence, daily care, schooling, health, safety and each parent’s relationship with the child may matter. A cross-border removal or retention can also raise a separate Hague Convention return issue.
There is no universal fixed percentage for maintenance in Turkish law. The type of support, needs, resources, living conditions and evidence are assessed. Matrimonial property is mapped by regime, acquisition date, funding source, title and debt; Turkish and foreign assets may need different proceedings or enforcement measures.
Prepare for a consultation
Prepare income records, a monthly budget and a table of payments already made.
- Prepare a one-page timeline and list of existing proceedings.
- Separate immediate needs from final financial and parenting arrangements.
- Discuss representation, attendance and international service.