Inheritance Law Law
This section addresses certificates of inheritance, wills, reduction (tenkis) and testator-collusion actions, and the partition of estates under the Turkish Civil Code.
Reduction Action: Protecting the Reserved Share of Forced Heirs
Limits on freedom of disposition under TMK arts.560-571
What is a reduction action, who may bring one, and what is the limitation period? Reserved-share ratios and reduction of the testator's dispositions.
The reduction (tenkis) action is an inheritance-law remedy by which dispositions made by the testator, either inter vivos or by way of testamentary disposition, that encroach upon the reserved shares of forced heirs are clawed back to the extent of the reserved share.
Forced Heirs and Reserved-Share Ratios
TMK art.506 lists the forced heirs exhaustively: descendants, parents and the surviving spouse. The reserved share is calculated as a fraction of the statutory share. For descendants it is one-half of the statutory share; for each of the parents it is one-quarter; for the surviving spouse it is the entirety of the statutory share where the spouse inherits with the descendants or the parents' branch, and three-quarters in the other cases.
Siblings previously held a reserved share under the law in force before Code No. 4721, but their reserved share was abolished by the 2007 amendment. Siblings are therefore no longer forced heirs today and have no standing to bring a reduction action.
Dispositions Subject to Reduction
TMK art.560 provides that the dispositions of the testator may be reduced to the extent that they exceed the disposable portion. Both testamentary dispositions (wills and succession contracts) and certain inter vivos transfers are subject to reduction.
Under TMK art.565, the following are subject to reduction: inter vivos transfers credited to the heir's share; transfers intended to settle inheritance entitlements before death; gifts that the testator made reserving the right freely to revoke them, and gifts other than the customary gifts of the year preceding death; and transfers visibly intended to defeat the reserved-share rules.
In calculating the reduction, the active and passive of the estate, the transfers subject to clawback (denkleştirme) and the reserved-share ratios are considered together; bank records, land-registry transfers and gift documents are accordingly important.
Forfeiture Periods
Under TMK art.571, the right to bring a reduction action lapses one year from the date on which the heirs learned that their reserved shares had been encroached upon, and in any event ten years from the opening date of the will or, in the case of other dispositions, from the opening of the succession. These periods are periods of forfeiture (hak düşürücü süre).
The court of subject-matter jurisdiction is the Civil Court of First Instance; the court of territorial jurisdiction is the court of the last domicile of the testator (TMK art.576).
Practical Considerations
In inheritance disputes, the first step is to clarify the status of the heirs, the scope of the estate and any dispositions on death. Civil-registry records, certificates of inheritance, land-registry records, bank correspondence, the records of the opening of a will and any transfers made by the deceased during their lifetime should be reviewed together.
The time limits and types of action for matters such as reduction, testator collusion, renunciation of inheritance, annulment of a will and inheritance waiver differ from one another. Correctly identifying the date of knowledge, the opening of the estate, the opening of the will and the date of any renunciation declaration prevents the loss of rights.
Because intra-family transactions are often conducted without written documents, bank receipts, the values reflected in the deed, the testator's economic needs, witness accounts and patterns of actual use are particularly important. The earlier the evidence is prepared, the more soundly the legal framework of the dispute can be established.
Relevant Statutory Provisions
- TMK m.505Disposable portion
Original (Turkish, official):
Madde 505- (Değişik birinci fıkra: 4/5/2007-5650/1 md.) Mirasçı olarak altsoyu, ana ve babası veya eşi bulunan miras bırakan, mirasının saklı paylar dışında kalan kısmında ölüme bağlı tasarrufta bulunabilir. Bu mirasçılardan hiç biri yoksa, mirasbırakan mirasının tamamında tasarruf edebilir.
English summary (non-binding):
Article 505- A testator who has as heirs descendants, parents or a spouse may make testamentary dispositions over the portion of the estate other than the reserved shares. In the absence of any such heir, the testator may dispose of the entire estate.
Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12
- TMK m.506Forced heirs and their reserved-share ratios
Original (Turkish, official):
Madde 506- Saklı pay aşağıdaki oranlardan ibarettir: 1. Altsoy için yasal miras payının yarısı, 2. Ana ve babadan her biri için yasal miras payının dörtte biri, 3. (Mülga: 4/5/2007-5650/2 md.) 4. Sağ kalan eş için, altsoy veya ana ve baba zümresiyle birlikte mirasçı olması hâlinde yasal miras payının tamamı, diğer hâllerde yasal miras payının dörtte üçü.
English summary (non-binding):
Article 506- The reserved share consists of the following ratios: 1. For descendants, one-half of the statutory share; 2. For each of the parents, one-quarter of the statutory share; 3. (Repealed by Law No. 5650 of 4/5/2007.) 4. For the surviving spouse, the entirety of the statutory share where inheriting together with the branch of descendants or of parents, and three-quarters of the statutory share in the other cases.
Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12
- TMK m.560Conditions and scope of reduction
Original (Turkish, official):
Madde 560- Saklı paylarının karşılığını alamayan mirasçılar, mirasbırakanın tasarruf edebileceği kısmı aşan tasarruflarının tenkisini dava edebilirler. Yasal mirasçıların paylarına ilişkin olarak tasarrufta yer alan kurallar, mirasbırakanın arzusunun başka türlü olduğu tasarruftan anlaşılmadıkça, sadece paylaştırma kuralları sayılır.
English summary (non-binding):
Article 560- Heirs whose reserved shares have not been satisfied may bring an action for the reduction of the testator's dispositions to the extent that they exceed the disposable portion. Provisions in the disposition that concern the shares of statutory heirs are treated as mere rules of partition, unless a contrary intention of the testator is apparent from the disposition.
Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12
- TMK m.565Inter vivos transfers subject to reduction
Original (Turkish, official):
Madde 565- Aşağıdaki karşılıksız kazandırmalar, ölüme bağlı tasarruflar gibi tenkise tâbidir: 1. Mirasbırakanın, mirasçılık sıfatını kaybeden yasal mirasçıya miras payına mahsuben yapmış olduğu sağlararası kazandırmalar, geri verilmemek kaydıyla altsoyuna malvarlığı devri veya borçtan kurtarma yoluyla yaptığı kazandırmalar ya da alışılmışın dışında verilen çeyiz ve kuruluş sermayesi, 2. Miras haklarının ölümden önce tasfiyesi maksadıyla yapılan kazandırmalar, 3. Mirasbırakanın serbestçe dönme hakkını saklı tutarak yaptığı bağışlamalar ve ölümünden önceki bir yıl içinde âdet üzere verilen hediyeler dışında yapmış olduğu bağışlamalar, 4. Mirasbırakanın saklı pay kurallarını etkisiz kılmak amacıyla yaptığı açık olan kazandırmalar.
English summary (non-binding):
Article 565- The following gratuitous transfers are subject to reduction in the same way as testamentary dispositions: 1. Inter vivos transfers made by the testator to a statutory heir who has lost his or her status as heir on account of his or her share in the inheritance; transfers of property or releases from debt made in favour of descendants on a non-returnable basis; and out-of-the-ordinary dowries and start-up capital; 2. Transfers made for the purpose of settling inheritance entitlements before death; 3. Gifts made by the testator subject to a reserved right of revocation, and gifts (other than the customary gifts) made within the year preceding death; 4. Transfers manifestly intended by the testator to defeat the reserved-share rules.
Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12
- TMK m.571Forfeiture periods for the reduction action
Original (Turkish, official):
Madde 571- Tenkis davası açma hakkı, mirasçıların saklı paylarının zedelendiğini öğrendikleri tarihten başlayarak bir yıl ve her hâlde vasiyetnamelerde açılma tarihinin, diğer tasarruflarda mirasın açılması tarihinin üzerinden on yıl geçmekle düşer. Bir tasarrufun iptali bir öncekinin yürürlüğe girmesini sağlarsa, süreler iptal kararının kesinleşmesi tarihinde işlemeye başlar. Tenkis iddiası, def'i yoluyla her zaman ileri sürülebilir.
English summary (non-binding):
Article 571- The right to bring a reduction action lapses one year from the date on which the heirs learned that their reserved shares had been encroached upon, and in any event ten years from the opening date in the case of wills, or from the opening of the succession in the case of other dispositions. Where the annulment of one disposition brings an earlier one into effect, the periods run from the date the annulment becomes final. The defence of reduction may be raised by way of objection at any time.
Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12
- TMK m.576Court of jurisdiction
Original (Turkish, official):
Madde 576- Miras, malvarlığının tamamı için mirasbırakanın yerleşim yerinde açılır. Mirasbırakanın tasarruflarının iptali veya tenkisi, mirasın paylaştırılması ve miras sebebiyle istihkak davaları bu yerleşim yeri mahkemesinde görülür.
English summary (non-binding):
Article 576- The succession is opened at the testator's domicile in respect of the entire estate. Actions for the annulment or reduction of the testator's dispositions, for the partition of the estate, and for claims arising out of the inheritance are heard at the court of that domicile.
Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12
The statutory provisions are reproduced for information purposes only. The current and official text on mevzuat.gov.tr is authoritative.
Conclusion
In a reduction action, the calculation of the reserved share, the order in which dispositions are subject to reduction and the forfeiture periods must be assessed together. The date of knowledge and the type of disposition must be separately established for limitation purposes.
This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you would like professional assistance on a specific matter, you may request a consultation.
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