Why does MASAK investigate or freeze bank transactions in Turkey? Learn what foreigners should do about suspicious transfers, frozen accounts, fraud-linked money, cryptocurrency transactions, prosecutor seizure orders and asset restrictions.

A foreign national who suddenly discovers that a Turkish bank account has been frozen or transactions have been restricted may immediately be told that the problem is “MASAK.” In practice, however, this expression can describe several legally different situations. The bank may be carrying out its own compliance review, a suspicious transaction may have been reported to the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), a particular transaction may have been temporarily suspended under Turkey’s anti-money-laundering legislation, or a prosecutor or court may have imposed a judicial measure during a criminal investigation. Distinguishing these possibilities is critical because not every bank restriction is a MASAK asset freeze, and not every MASAK-related review means that the account holder has committed a crime. Under Law No. 5549, obliged institutions must report suspicious transactions, while Article 19/A separately permits qualifying transactions suspected of links to money laundering or terrorism financing to be suspended or prevented from being completed for up to seven working days for analysis. (Hazine ve Maliye Bakanlığı)

What Is MASAK?

MASAK is Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board and operates within the country’s framework for preventing laundering of criminal proceeds and terrorism financing.

Why Do Foreigners Encounter MASAK-Related Banking Problems?

Foreign nationals often conduct transactions that are inherently international. They may receive salary or investment funds from abroad, transfer savings into Turkey, purchase real estate, establish companies, receive family support, trade internationally or transfer funds between foreign and Turkish bank accounts. None of these activities is inherently illegal. However, cross-border financial activity can require additional customer and transaction analysis where the bank cannot readily establish the source, purpose or ultimate beneficiary of the funds.

Is MASAK Investigation the Same as a Criminal Investigation?

No. This distinction should be understood from the beginning. A bank’s suspicious transaction report or MASAK-related financial analysis does not itself amount to a criminal conviction or even necessarily mean that the foreign account holder will be prosecuted.

What Is a Suspicious Transaction Report?

Under Turkey’s AML framework, obliged institutions must submit suspicious transaction reports where the statutory suspicion conditions are met. MASAK General Communiqué No. 13 states that suspicious transactions are reported without a monetary threshold and that several transactions can be assessed together when their combined pattern creates suspicion. (Hazine ve Maliye Bakanlığı)

There Is No Simple “MASAK Amount Limit”

Foreigners sometimes ask whether receiving TRY 100,000, TRY 500,000 or TRY 1 million automatically triggers MASAK. That is the wrong way to understand suspicious transaction reporting. The relevant framework does not simply say that every transaction above one universal amount is automatically suspicious.

Context Matters

A EUR 300,000 transfer may be entirely normal for a foreign investor purchasing real estate, while repeated unexplained payments of much smaller amounts from dozens of unrelated individuals can generate significant compliance concerns.

Why Would a Bank Consider a Transaction Suspicious?

The bank may examine whether a transaction has a reasonable legal and economic purpose, whether it corresponds with the customer’s financial profile and whether the supporting information is consistent.

Unexplained Incoming Transfers

Repeated payments from unrelated people without an apparent commercial or personal explanation can generate scrutiny.

Rapid Movement of Money

Funds entering an account and being transferred elsewhere almost immediately can make the account appear to function as a pass-through account.

Large International Transfers

A large cross-border transfer is not illegal merely because it is large. However, the bank may ask for evidence explaining the source and purpose.

Multiple Transfers Instead of One Payment

Artificially dividing a transaction without a reasonable explanation can be a red flag. MASAK guidance identifies the unexplained splitting of transactions that would ordinarily be carried out together as a suspicious pattern. (Hazine ve Maliye Bakanlığı)

Transactions Without an Apparent Economic Purpose

MASAK guidance also identifies transactions lacking a normal or reasonable legal or economic rationale as potentially suspicious. (Hazine ve Maliye Bakanlığı)

Cryptocurrency Transactions

Transfers between Turkish bank accounts and cryptocurrency service providers can receive enhanced scrutiny depending on their pattern, source and destination.

Cryptocurrency Is Not Automatically Suspicious

Buying, selling or transferring cryptocurrency does not itself establish money laundering.

But the Complete Chain May Be Examined

Where disputed money moves through cryptocurrency, investigators may reconstruct Bank Account → Crypto Platform → Asset Purchase → Wallet → Subsequent Wallet → Exchange/Cash-Out.

2026 Risk-Based Compliance Environment

MASAK updated several suspicious transaction reporting guides in September 2025 using sector-specific risks and the updated 2025 National Risk Assessment. It also updated its Enhanced Measures Guide later that month, including guidance concerning higher-risk customers and transactions, technological risks, risky-country financial relationships, crypto-asset service providers, and payment/e-money institutions. These developments remain relevant to the 2026 compliance environment. (Hazine ve Maliye Bakanlığı)

Why Is My Turkish Bank Account Frozen?

The first question should not be “How do I remove the MASAK freeze?” The first question should be: Who imposed the restriction and what is its legal basis?

Possibility 1: Bank Compliance Restriction

The bank itself may restrict certain services while performing customer due diligence or compliance checks.

Possibility 2: Transaction Suspension Under Article 19/A

Article 19/A of Law No. 5549 allows qualifying transactions suspected of links with money laundering or terrorism financing to be suspended or prevented from being completed for seven working days so that the suspicion can be verified and analyzed and, where necessary, the results can be transmitted to competent authorities. (Hazine ve Maliye Bakanlığı)

Seven Working Days Does Not Mean Every Frozen Account Must Automatically Open After Seven Days

This is one of the most important points for foreigners. Article 19/A concerns a particular statutory transaction-suspension mechanism. A separate criminal investigation may result in another judicial measure governed by different rules.

Possibility 3: Prosecutor or Court-Related Seizure

If a criminal investigation has begun, an account may be affected by a judicial seizure or another criminal-procedure measure.

Therefore Ask the Bank the Right Question

Rather than simply asking “Why did MASAK freeze me?”, determine whether the bank can identify the type of restriction and whether there is a prosecutor’s office, court, investigation number or formal decision connected with the account.

Can the Bank Tell Me Whether It Reported Me to MASAK?

Do not expect the bank to confirm a suspicious transaction report. Turkish AML rules impose confidentiality restrictions concerning such reporting.

Why Would My Account Be Investigated After Receiving Money?

One of the most common scenarios involves money later alleged to be connected with fraud.

Example

A person contacts a foreign national and says: “My customer will send money to your Turkish account because mine is temporarily unavailable. When it arrives, send it to this other IBAN.”

The Money Arrives

TRY 400,000 enters the foreign national’s account.

The Money Is Forwarded

TRY 380,000 is immediately transferred elsewhere and TRY 20,000 is retained.

The Original Sender Reports Fraud

The account holder can quickly become part of the criminal investigation because their IBAN is visible in the victim’s banking records.

Does This Automatically Mean the Foreign Account Holder Committed Fraud?

No. Investigators should examine the account holder’s actual knowledge, conduct and role.

But the Circumstances Can Be Serious

Providing an account knowingly for receiving criminal proceeds or acting as an intermediary in return for payment can create substantial criminal exposure depending on the evidence and applicable offense.

“I Did Not Know” Must Be Examined Against the Evidence

A simple denial may not resolve the issue.

What Did You Believe the Payment Was?

This should be established.

Who Gave the Sender Your IBAN?

This can be crucial.

Did You Know the Sender?

Investigators may examine communications between the parties.

Who Told You Where to Send the Money Next?

Preserve those communications.

Did You Keep a Commission?

A retained amount may generate questions about the economic reason for the payment.

Had Similar Transactions Happened Before?

Repeated patterns can materially change the evidentiary picture.

Never Rent Your Turkish Bank Account

Foreign students, employees and newcomers can be targeted by people offering payment in exchange for use of their bank account.

Typical Offer

“Receive payments and keep 5%.”

This Is Extremely Risky

The account holder may unknowingly become an intermediary in fraud, illegal betting or another financial-crime scheme.

Do Not Give Anyone Mobile Banking Access

Never give another person your banking password, authentication code or unrestricted control of your account.

What If Someone Else Actually Controlled the Account?

This becomes an evidentiary question.

Preserve Device and Banking Evidence

Login information, authentication records, communications and device evidence may help determine who executed transactions.

What If Your Account Was Hacked?

Notify the bank promptly and preserve the security record.

Unauthorized Access Evidence

Relevant evidence can include login notifications, password-change records, device information, transaction objections and communications with the bank.

What If the Transfer Was Legitimate?

Then the defense should document the real transaction.

Property Purchase or Sale

Keep the sale agreement, title documentation, valuation information and payment records.

Company Investment

Keep corporate resolutions, capital documentation and bank records.

Commercial Payment

Keep contracts, invoices, delivery documents and accounting records.

Salary

Keep the employment agreement, payroll records and corresponding banking history.

Loan

Keep the original loan agreement and evidence of the lender’s transfer.

Inheritance

Keep inheritance and banking documentation.

Family Support

For substantial transfers, preserve evidence showing the relationship, purpose and source of funds.

Foreign Savings

Historical foreign bank statements can demonstrate that the money accumulated legitimately over time.

Sale of a Foreign Business

Keep the share purchase agreement, corporate documentation and bank trail showing receipt of the sale proceeds.

Source of Funds and Source of Wealth Are Different Questions

Source of funds asks where a particular payment came from. Source of wealth examines how the person accumulated their overall financial position.

Both Can Become Important

A foreign investor transferring EUR 1 million into Turkey may need to demonstrate not only which bank account sent the money but how that EUR 1 million was legitimately acquired.

Build a Documentary Chain

A useful structure is: Employment/Business/Asset → Income or Sale → Foreign Account → International Transfer → Turkish Account → Final Investment/Purchase.

Why Are Foreign Documents Important?

A foreign national may have no Turkish employment history because all legitimate wealth was accumulated abroad.

Foreign Bank Statements Can Be Central Evidence

Do not assume only Turkish documents matter.

Corporate Documents

Foreign company ownership and dividend records can establish legitimate income.

Tax Documentation

Foreign tax records can support the source-of-wealth explanation.

Property Documents

Evidence of a foreign property sale can explain a large transfer into Turkey.

Translation May Be Necessary

Foreign-language documentation may need to be presented appropriately during Turkish proceedings.

Do Not Fabricate Turkish Documents to Replace Foreign Evidence

Use the genuine foreign evidence and establish the actual financial chain.

MASAK and Fraud Investigations

A financial analysis may intersect with a prosecutor’s fraud investigation where money from an alleged victim reaches the foreign national’s account.

Follow the Money

Investigators may reconstruct Victim → Account A → Account B → Crypto Exchange → Wallet → Final Recipient.

Your Position in That Chain Matters

An organizer, knowing intermediary and genuinely unaware recipient cannot simply be treated as though they performed identical acts.

Company Accounts

Foreign investors can also encounter MASAK-related issues through Turkish companies.

Suspicious Company Transfers

Large unexplained transfers, payments to unrelated third parties or transactions inconsistent with the company’s commercial activity may generate scrutiny.

Foreign Director Liability Is Not Automatic

Being registered as a company director does not automatically establish personal responsibility for every banking transaction.

Who Controlled Internet Banking?

This can be critical.

Who Approved the Payment?

Corporate authorization records should be examined.

Who Communicated With the Counterparty?

Emails and messages may help establish actual responsibility.

Who Received the Economic Benefit?

Follow the funds beyond the company account.

Foreign Shareholder Versus Local Manager

Where daily financial management was delegated to a local director or partner, preserve evidence showing the actual division of authority.

Cryptocurrency and MASAK

Crypto-related financial relationships are specifically within the modern risk-based AML environment. MASAK’s September 2025 Enhanced Measures Guide update expressly addressed measures concerning relationships with crypto-asset service providers. (Hazine ve Maliye Bakanlığı)

Keep Exchange Records

Export transaction histories before access becomes unavailable.

Keep Wallet Addresses

Record the wallets connected with disputed transactions.

Keep Transaction IDs

Blockchain transaction identifiers can help reconstruct the movement of funds.

Connect Bank and Blockchain Evidence

Do not submit unrelated screenshots. Create a chronological financial chain.

Example

EUR 40,000 foreign transfer → Turkish bank account → TRY conversion → Turkish crypto platform → USDT purchase → Wallet X.

What If the Cryptocurrency Was a Legitimate Investment?

Produce the account-opening information, purchase history and investment records.

What If Crypto Was Sent to Another Person?

Explain why and preserve evidence identifying that person.

Real Estate and MASAK Investigations

Foreigners frequently move significant funds into Turkey to purchase real estate.

Large Property Payments Are Not Automatically Money Laundering

But the bank may require evidence of the origin and purpose of the funds.

Keep the Complete Property File

Purchase agreement, title documentation, payment records and relevant correspondence should be retained.

Cash Purchases Can Be Harder to Explain

Where substantial cash movements are involved, contemporaneous evidence becomes particularly important.

Company Share Purchases

Foreign investors acquiring Turkish companies should preserve share purchase agreements and payment records.

Capital Increases

Corporate resolutions and capital contribution records should correspond with banking transactions.

Related-Party Transfers

Payments between companies under common ownership should have a genuine commercial or corporate explanation.

Loans Between Group Companies

Document the loan rather than relying on vague transfer descriptions.

Can MASAK Investigate Foreign Bank Accounts?

Cross-border financial information can become relevant where investigators are attempting to establish the origin or destination of funds.

Foreign Evidence Can Also Protect You

The same international financial trail may prove that funds were legitimate.

Can the Authorities Investigate Property?

Potentially, where a criminal investigation concerns whether assets are connected with criminal proceeds.

Can Company Shares Be Affected?

Potentially, depending on the applicable judicial measure and evidence.

Can Cryptocurrency Be Affected?

Crypto assets can likewise become relevant to asset-tracing investigations.

A Frozen Account Is Not the Same as Confiscation

This distinction matters enormously. A temporary restriction or judicial seizure is not itself a final judgment permanently transferring ownership of the property.

Do Not Assume the Money Is Lost

The legal basis and procedural remedies must first be identified.

Can Legitimate Money Be Mixed With Disputed Money?

Yes, and this creates a difficult evidentiary problem.

Example

A Turkish account contains EUR 250,000 accumulated from documented foreign business income. A disputed TRY 500,000 transfer later enters the same account.

Separate the Sources

The defense should demonstrate the origin of the pre-existing balance rather than allowing the entire account to be characterized as unexplained funds.

Prepare an Account-by-Account Analysis

For every restricted account identify: Opening Balance → Legitimate Income → Disputed Transactions → Subsequent Payments → Current Balance.

Prepare an Asset-by-Asset Analysis

For significant property identify: Asset → Purchase Date → Purchase Price → Source of Funds → Supporting Evidence → Connection Alleged by Authorities.

Do Not Transfer Assets After Learning of the Investigation

Moving money to relatives, foreign accounts or cryptocurrency after discovering a criminal investigation can create additional suspicion.

Do Not Empty Other Bank Accounts

Seek legal analysis before taking actions that may later appear designed to frustrate asset tracing.

Do Not Delete Messages

Messages may demonstrate that you had no knowledge of the alleged criminal origin of money.

Do Not Destroy Banking Records

Preserve complete statements.

Do Not Create Backdated Agreements

A fictitious loan or consultancy agreement can create far more serious problems than an initially unexplained payment.

Do Not Produce Fake Invoices

Investigators can examine whether the underlying goods or services actually existed.

If It Was a Real Commercial Transaction, Prove Performance

For goods, preserve orders, transportation and delivery records.

For Services

Preserve reports, correspondence and actual work products.

Why Did My Bank Ask for Documents?

A document request does not automatically mean a criminal case exists. Banks conduct customer due diligence and transaction monitoring as part of AML compliance.

Respond Accurately

Do not provide an improvised explanation merely because the bank requests an immediate response.

Make Sure Documents Match

Contract, invoice, bank payment and accounting record should describe the same genuine transaction.

Bank Compliance and Prosecutor Investigation Must Be Distinguished

This distinction determines strategy.

If It Is Only a Bank Compliance Review

The immediate focus may be source-of-funds and customer documentation.

If Article 19/A Applies

The statutory temporary transaction mechanism must be identified correctly. (Hazine ve Maliye Bakanlığı)

If There Is a Prosecutor Investigation

The defense must determine the alleged offense and obtain the relevant procedural information.

If There Is a Judicial Seizure

The specific order and available procedural remedies must be examined.

Why Is “Wait Seven Days” Sometimes Bad Advice?

Because it assumes every banking restriction is an Article 19/A postponement.

A Judicial Restriction May Continue

The correct response depends on the legal basis.

First Question to the Bank

Ask what information can be provided concerning the authority and nature of the restriction.

Investigation Number

Where a prosecutor’s investigation exists, identifying the relevant file can be essential.

Police Summons

A foreign national may later be summoned concerning transactions.

Determine Your Procedural Status

Are you being questioned as a witness, complainant or suspect?

Do Not Guess About the Transfer

Review the bank statement before explaining an old transaction.

Prepare the Timeline

For every questioned payment: Date → Sender → Amount → Purpose → Supporting Evidence → Subsequent Transfer → Final Known Beneficiary.

Interpreter Rights

A foreign national who cannot adequately understand Turkish should ensure that statements and proceedings are properly understood.

Never Sign a Statement You Do Not Understand

Financial investigations can depend heavily on precise explanations concerning account ownership and transfer instructions.

What If You Were Used as a Money Mule?

Foreign nationals can be recruited through fake employment or investment opportunities.

Typical Scheme

“You will process customer payments from home and keep a commission.”

Preserve Recruitment Evidence

Keep advertisements, emails, WhatsApp conversations, Telegram messages, usernames and payment instructions.

You May Also Be a Victim

Being deceived into participating in a payment chain can be highly relevant to knowledge and intent.

But Do Not Assume Victim Status Automatically Ends Criminal Exposure

The entire evidence should still be analyzed.

Travel Restrictions

A MASAK-related banking problem does not automatically prohibit a foreigner from leaving Turkey.

Criminal Investigation Is Different

If a criminal investigation develops, a court may separately impose judicial-control measures where the legal requirements are met.

Passport Possession Does Not Answer the Question

A person can physically possess a passport while being subject to a judicial travel restriction.

Residence Permit

A MASAK review does not automatically cancel a foreign national’s residence permit.

Criminal and Immigration Proceedings Are Separate

However, serious financial-crime allegations can potentially create immigration consequences depending on the circumstances.

Deportation Is Not Automatic

A foreign national should not assume that a frozen bank account automatically means deportation.

But Immigration Status Should Be Monitored

Where the matter develops into a serious criminal investigation, criminal and immigration strategies may need to be coordinated.

What Should You Do During the First 24 Hours?

Determine which accounts and transactions are restricted, obtain available information from the bank, preserve statements and transaction records, and identify whether a prosecutor or court file exists.

What Should You Do During the First 48 Hours?

Reconstruct the source and movement of the disputed money.

Build the Money Flow

Original Source → Sender → Your Account → Reason → Subsequent Recipient → Final Known Destination.

What Should You Do During the First 72 Hours?

Collect contracts, invoices, bank statements, company documents, property records, cryptocurrency history and relevant communications.

Obtain Foreign Records Early

Foreign banks may take time to provide historical statements.

If the Money Came From Business Income

Collect corporate and tax records.

If It Came From a Property Sale

Collect ownership and sale documentation.

If It Came From Family

Document the relationship, purpose and source.

If It Came From Cryptocurrency

Export exchange and wallet records.

If Another Person Used Your Account

Preserve access and communication evidence.

If the Account Contains Fraud-Linked Money

Do not independently move the funds simply to remove them from your account.

If the Bank Requests an Explanation

Provide a factually accurate explanation supported by genuine records.

If Police Contact You

Identify the allegation and relevant transactions before giving a detailed substantive explanation.

If the Account Is Affecting Business Operations

Document payroll, rent, suppliers, taxes and contractual payments that cannot be made because of the restriction.

2026 MASAK Enforcement Environment

Turkey’s financial compliance framework continues to develop. MASAK introduced and updated sector-specific suspicious transaction guidance during 2025 and expressly incorporated updated national risk assessment and sector-specific risk considerations. (Hazine ve Maliye Bakanlığı)

Enhanced Measures

MASAK’s September 2025 update also emphasized risk-based enhanced measures for higher-risk customers and transactions, technological risks, risky jurisdictions, crypto relationships and payment-sector risks. (Hazine ve Maliye Bakanlığı)

What Does This Mean for Foreigners in 2026?

International transactions should be documented before a bank asks questions rather than reconstructed afterward.

Maintain a Source-of-Funds File

Foreign investors moving significant capital into Turkey should retain evidence showing exactly where the funds originated.

Maintain a Source-of-Wealth File

Where substantial investments are involved, preserve evidence explaining how the underlying wealth was accumulated.

Keep Property Transaction Records

Do not discard documents after title transfer.

Keep Company Investment Records

Capital injections and shareholder loans should be properly documented.

Keep International Transfer Records

Maintain the complete chain between foreign and Turkish accounts.

Keep Cryptocurrency Records

Do not rely on exchange access remaining available indefinitely.

Avoid Third-Party Accounts

Payments should generally follow the actual commercial relationship.

Avoid Unexplained Pass-Through Transactions

Do not allow your account to be used merely to receive and forward someone else’s money.

2026 Legal Strategy for Foreigners Facing a MASAK-Related Bank Account Freeze

The correct strategy begins by identifying what has actually happened legally. A foreign national should not assume that every restricted Turkish bank account has been “frozen by MASAK.” First determine whether the issue is an internal bank compliance restriction, suspicious transaction reporting, an Article 19/A temporary transaction suspension or a judicial measure connected with a prosecutor’s investigation. Next, identify the exact transactions that triggered scrutiny and reconstruct their economic purpose using contemporaneous evidence. For legitimate international wealth, establish both source of funds and, where necessary, source of wealth through foreign banking, corporate, employment, property and tax documentation. If fraud-linked money entered the account, determine who supplied the IBAN, what the account holder knew, who instructed subsequent transfers and who ultimately benefited. If cryptocurrency was involved, connect banking records with exchange and blockchain evidence. If a company account was involved, establish who actually controlled banking operations rather than assuming responsibility from corporate title alone. Where an account contains both legitimate funds and disputed transfers, separate those categories through a detailed transaction analysis. The practical roadmap is therefore: identify the type of restriction → identify the authority responsible → determine whether a prosecutor file exists → obtain the relevant decision where possible → identify the questioned transactions → document source of funds → document source of wealth → reconstruct the complete money trail → identify ultimate beneficiaries → preserve communications → obtain foreign banking records → preserve cryptocurrency evidence → establish actual account control → separate legitimate assets from disputed funds → challenge judicial restrictions through the appropriate procedure where available → monitor travel restrictions separately → assess immigration consequences where relevant → maintain a complete evidence file until the matter is resolved.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why would MASAK investigate a foreigner’s bank account in Turkey?

A transaction may attract scrutiny because of its source, destination, economic purpose, relationship with the customer’s financial profile or connection with other suspicious transactions. Foreign nationality alone does not make a bank transaction suspicious.

2. Does a large transfer automatically trigger a MASAK investigation?

No. MASAK’s suspicious transaction framework is not based on one universal monetary threshold. General Communiqué No. 13 states that suspicious transactions are reported without regard to a monetary limit where the applicable suspicion criteria are satisfied. (Hazine ve Maliye Bakanlığı)

3. Why has my Turkish bank account been frozen?

Possible explanations include an internal bank compliance restriction, an AML-related temporary transaction suspension or a judicial measure connected with a criminal investigation. The legal basis should be identified before deciding how to challenge the restriction.

4. Is every MASAK-related account freeze limited to seven working days?

No. Article 19/A of Law No. 5549 provides a specific mechanism allowing qualifying transactions to be suspended or prevented for up to seven working days. A separate judicial measure can have a different legal basis and duration. (Hazine ve Maliye Bakanlığı)

5. Does a suspicious transaction report mean I committed money laundering?

No. A suspicious transaction report reflects the statutory suspicion-based reporting mechanism. It is not a finding of criminal guilt.

6. What documents can help explain a large international transfer?

Depending on the transaction, useful evidence can include foreign and Turkish bank statements, employment records, company accounts, contracts, invoices, property-sale documentation, inheritance records, loan agreements, tax documents and investment statements.

7. Can cryptocurrency transactions cause a MASAK investigation?

Crypto-related transactions can form part of AML monitoring and financial investigations, particularly where their source or destination raises concerns. Cryptocurrency ownership or trading does not by itself establish criminal activity.

8. Can a foreigner challenge a judicial freeze on a Turkish bank account?

Potentially. The appropriate remedy depends on the legal nature of the restriction, the authority that imposed it and the procedural stage. The actual decision should therefore be identified before an objection is prepared.

9. Can a MASAK investigation lead to deportation?

A MASAK-related financial review does not automatically result in deportation. Criminal proceedings and immigration measures require separate legal assessment, although serious criminal allegations can potentially create immigration consequences.

10. What should a foreigner do immediately after discovering that a Turkish bank account is frozen?

Determine the nature and authority of the restriction, preserve bank statements and communications, identify the questioned transactions, document the source and purpose of the funds and determine whether a prosecutor or court file exists. Avoid transferring assets, deleting messages or creating retrospective documents to explain transactions.

Legal Support for Foreigners Facing MASAK Investigations and Frozen Bank Accounts in Turkey

Foreign nationals and international businesses facing MASAK-related banking problems in Turkey may encounter blocked transactions, frozen bank accounts, source-of-funds investigations, fraud allegations, cryptocurrency tracing, prosecutor proceedings, asset seizure and related immigration concerns.

Fırat Fesih Kaya Law Office provides legal assistance to foreign nationals, foreign investors, company shareholders, directors and international businesses dealing with MASAK investigations and financial-crime proceedings in Turkey.

Fırat Fesih Kaya can assist with determining the legal basis of bank restrictions, MASAK-related proceedings, frozen bank accounts, suspicious transfer investigations, source-of-funds documentation, cryptocurrency investigations, prosecutor proceedings, judicial seizure objections and related immigration matters.

Phone: +90 312 434 22 22
Mobile Phone: +90 532 769 22 22
Email: info@firatfesihkaya.av.tr
Address: Mevlana Boulevard No: 221, Yildirim Tower, Balgat, Cankaya / Ankara, Turkey