MINISTRY OF TRADE GRANTED NEW AUTHORITY OVER INSTALLMENT SALES
The Regulation Amending the Regulation on Principles and Rules Applicable to Retail Trade, published in the Turkish Official Gazette dated 15 October 2026 and numbered 33401, revised the framework governing installment sales of goods and services carried out by retail businesses, excluding residential property sales. Under the amendment, the Ministry of Trade is authorized to determine installment periods and impose additional restrictions.
Ministry May Determine Installment Periods and Impose Additional Restrictions
Under the new rules, the Ministry of Trade may determine installment periods or introduce additional restrictions for installment sales of goods and services other than residential property sales, whether or not negotiable instruments are issued. The scope also includes periods in which, after the sale of a good or service, the debt is rescheduled in installments for a fee or payment is deferred.
Fixed Installment Limitations in the Regulation Repealed
While the first and second paragraphs of Article 12/B were rewritten, the third, fourth and fifth paragraphs of the same article were repealed. Accordingly, the framework moves away from keeping product- and transaction-specific installment limitations fixed in the Regulation and toward a more flexible mechanism under which the Ministry of Trade may issue decisions in response to changing economic conditions and financial market practices.
Alignment with BRSA Decisions Is Intended
According to the Ministry of Trade’s announcement, the amendment is intended to ensure consistency between installment periods determined by the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BRSA) for sales made through credit cards, shopping loans and consumer financing, and other installment methods used in the retail sector. The new structure will allow retail rules to be updated more rapidly following future BRSA decisions.
Ministry Decisions Will Be Published on Its Website
Under the revised Article 12/B, decisions taken by the Ministry of Trade within this authority will be published on the Ministry’s official website and communicated to the relevant umbrella professional organizations. Retail businesses should therefore monitor not only amendments to the Regulation but also subsequent decisions published by the Ministry.
Practical Considerations for Retail Businesses
Businesses making installment sales are advised to review their sales, collection and payment-deferral processes under the new framework and to ensure that installment periods applied through contracts, POS systems, financing arrangements and ERP systems remain consistent with current decisions announced by the Ministry of Trade. As changes in BRSA decisions may now be reflected rapidly in Ministry rules, regular monitoring of official announcements will be particularly important. The amendment entered into force on 15 October 2026.
