Turkish Law in EnglishTÜRKİYE
Turkish Penal Code (Law No. 5237)

Article 205: Damaging, destroying or concealing official documents

Book Two: Special Provisions › Part Three: Offences Against Society › Chapter Four: Offences against Public Trust

(1) Any person who damages, destroys or conceals a genuine official document shall be punished with imprisonment from two to five years. Where the offence is committed by a public official, the penalty to be imposed shall be increased by one half.

Original Turkish text

MADDE 205 · Resmî belgeyi bozmak, yok etmek veya gizlemek

(1) Gerçek bir resmi belgeyi bozan, yok eden veya gizleyen kişi, iki yıldan beş yıla kadar hapis cezası ile cezalandırılır. Suçun kamu görevlisi tarafından işlenmesi halinde, verilecek ceza yarı oranında artırılır.

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.