Turkish Law in EnglishTÜRKİYE
Turkish Civil Code (Law No. 4721)

Article 769: 1. Search and public notice

Book Four: LAW OF PROPERTY › Part One: OWNERSHIP › Chapter Three: OWNERSHIP OF MOVABLE PROPERTY

A person who finds a lost thing shall be obliged to notify the owner of the thing or, if he or she does not know the owner, the law enforcement authorities or, in villages, the headman (muhtar), or to make inquiries and, where necessary, to give public notice.

Where the thing found is of considerable value, notification to the law enforcement authorities or the headman shall in any case be required.

A person who finds a thing in an inhabited house or in a workplace or in a place where a public service is performed shall be obliged to hand it over to the owner of that place or to the tenant, or to those charged with control and supervision in the place where a public service is performed.

Original Turkish text

MADDE 769 · 1. Arama ve ilân

Kaybedilmiş bir şeyi bulan kimse, malın sahibine, sahibini bilmiyorsa kolluk kuvvetlerine, köylerde muhtara bildirmek veya araştırma yapmak ve gerektiğinde ilân etmek zorundadır.

Bulunan şey önemli ölçüde değerli ise, her hâlde kolluk kuvvetlerine veya muhtara bildirmek gerekir.

Oturulan bir evde veya işyerinde ya da kamu hizmeti görülen yerde bir şey bulan kimse, bunu o yer sahibine veya kiracıya ya da kamu hizmeti görülen yerde denetim ve gözetim ile görevli olanlara teslim etmek zorundadır.

Text as of 1 October 2026 · Official source (Turkish): mevzuat.gov.tr ↗

Unofficial translation for information only. The Turkish text published in the Official Gazette is the only authoritative version. This page is not legal advice.