Can Foreigners Recover Money Sent to the Wrong Bank Account in Turkey? | 2026

Foreigners who accidentally transfer money to the wrong Turkish bank account may be able to recover it through bank procedures, repayment demands, unjust enrichment claims and enforcement proceedings. Learn what evidence to preserve and what to do immediately.

Yes. A foreign individual or company that accidentally sends money to the wrong bank account in Turkey may generally have legal remedies to recover the payment. The fact that the transfer was completed electronically does not automatically give the recipient a legal right to keep money that was transferred without a valid legal basis.

Under the Turkish Code of Obligations, a person who becomes enriched from another person’s assets without a valid legal basis is required to return that enrichment. The same rules specifically address payments made by a person who mistakenly believed that a debt existed.

For foreign investors, property buyers, companies and individuals transferring substantial amounts to Turkey, speed is critical. The sender should contact the sending bank immediately, preserve all transaction evidence, request recall or return of the transfer and identify the recipient account accurately. If the recipient refuses to return the money, formal recovery proceedings may become necessary.

This problem can arise in transactions involving Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, Mersin, Bursa and throughout Turkey, particularly where foreign buyers are transferring deposits, purchase prices, investment funds or commercial payments.

What Happens If Money Is Accidentally Sent to the Wrong Account in Turkey?

The first question is whether the bank can still stop or reverse the transaction.

If the payment has not yet been finally processed, immediate contact with the sending bank may provide the fastest solution. Once the funds have been credited to another person’s account, however, the situation becomes more complicated.

The sender should not assume that the bank can simply remove money from the recipient’s account without an appropriate legal basis.

At that point, recovery may require cooperation from the recipient or legal proceedings against the person who received the funds.

Does the Recipient Become the Legal Owner of Money Sent by Mistake?

Receipt of the money and having a legal right to retain it are different questions.

A transfer may place funds into the recipient’s bank account, but that does not necessarily mean the recipient has a substantive legal entitlement to keep them.

The Turkish Code of Obligations provides that a person enriched from another person’s property or labor without a valid legal basis must return the enrichment. The obligation particularly applies where the supposed legal basis was invalid, never materialized or subsequently ceased to exist.

The Constitutional Court has also recognized, in the context of an erroneous payment, that money credited to a person’s bank account becomes subject to that account holder’s control, while recovery of an erroneous payment may still be sought through the rules governing unjust enrichment where applicable.

This distinction explains why the sender may need a legal recovery mechanism rather than expecting the bank to unilaterally seize the funds.

What Should the Sender Do Immediately?

The sender should first contact the bank through an official channel and report the transfer as erroneous.

The bank should be given the transfer date, amount, currency, transaction reference, sending account, recipient account and any other identifying information.

The sender should request that the bank investigate whether the transaction can be recalled, cancelled or returned.

All communications with the bank should be preserved.

A foreign sender should avoid relying exclusively on telephone conversations. Written records can later become important evidence showing when the mistake was discovered and what steps were taken.

Can the Bank Automatically Reverse the Transfer?

Not necessarily.

Whether a transaction can be stopped depends partly on its processing stage.

If the funds have already been credited to another customer’s account, the bank may not simply be able to transfer the money back merely because the sender states that a mistake occurred.

The recipient’s rights, banking rules and the legal basis for recovery must be respected.

Accordingly, a failed bank recall does not necessarily mean that the money is permanently lost. It may simply mean that the dispute has moved from a banking problem to a legal recovery problem.

What If the Recipient Voluntarily Returns the Money?

That is usually the fastest outcome.

Once the recipient is informed that the transfer was accidental, the recipient may agree to return the amount.

The repayment should be properly documented.

The sender should verify that the entire amount has been returned and should consider currency differences, bank charges and any other amounts involved before confirming that the dispute is resolved.

For substantial transfers, a written repayment arrangement may be preferable to informal messages.

What If the Recipient Refuses to Return the Money?

A refusal can justify formal legal action.

The sender may issue a formal repayment demand and, depending on the circumstances, pursue an unjust enrichment claim or other appropriate debt-recovery procedure.

The exact route depends on why the payment was made, whether there was any contractual relationship between the parties, whether the recipient disputes the mistake and whether additional wrongdoing is alleged.

The Ministry of Justice’s legal materials distinguish unjust enrichment from contractual repayment claims: where the transfer of wealth is governed by a contract, contractual remedies may take priority; unjust enrichment operates where the enrichment lacks the required legal basis.

Therefore, correctly identifying why the money must be returned is important before commencing proceedings.

What Must the Sender Prove?

The sender should be prepared to establish that the payment was made and that the recipient did not have a valid legal basis to retain it.

Useful evidence may include bank transfer receipts, account statements, payment instructions, transaction references, correspondence with the intended recipient, invoices, purchase agreements, emails, WhatsApp messages and communications with the bank.

If the mistake resulted from entering the wrong account information, evidence identifying the intended recipient can be particularly useful.

For example, if a foreign property buyer intended to send EUR 50,000 to a developer but entered another person’s account information, the underlying property agreement and correspondence with the developer can help demonstrate the true purpose of the payment.

What If the Sender Entered the Wrong Account Number?

The fact that the sender personally made the typing mistake does not automatically mean that the unintended recipient may lawfully keep the money.

The central issue is whether there was a legal basis for the recipient to receive the payment.

The Turkish Code of Obligations expressly recognizes recovery in circumstances involving performance of an obligation that was not actually owed, subject to the statutory requirements.

The sender’s error therefore does not necessarily eliminate the repayment claim.

What If the Wrong Recipient Has the Same or Similar Name?

The sender should preserve all evidence showing the intended beneficiary.

This can happen when a person has multiple saved beneficiaries, when business names are similar or when an old account remains in the sender’s banking application.

The underlying commercial or personal transaction becomes important evidence.

If the sender owed Company A EUR 20,000 but accidentally selected Company B from a beneficiary list, the contract and invoice from Company A can help establish why Company B had no legal basis to receive the money.

What If Money Was Sent to an Old Bank Account?

The situation depends on who owns the account.

If the old account still belongs to the intended recipient, the issue may be resolved directly with that recipient or bank.

If the sender mistakenly used details belonging to another person, the ordinary mistaken-transfer analysis may apply.

The sender should obtain precise information before assuming that the transfer has disappeared.

What If the Money Was Intended as a Property Deposit?

Foreign property transactions create a particularly important category of mistaken payments.

A foreign buyer may intend to send a deposit to the registered owner but accidentally transfer the money to a broker, employee, intermediary or unrelated account.

The buyer should immediately determine:

who legally owns the recipient account, why that account was provided, whether the seller authorized payment to that account, and whether the payment was actually credited toward the purchase price.

This distinction can determine whether the case involves an accidental transfer, contractual repayment dispute, unauthorized collection of money or possible fraud.

What If a Real Estate Agent Provided the Wrong Account?

This can create claims beyond an ordinary typing mistake.

Suppose a foreign buyer purchasing an apartment in Istanbul asks an agent where to send a EUR 30,000 deposit. The agent supplies account details, but the account does not belong to the seller.

The legal investigation should establish whether the agent was authorized to receive the deposit, whether the seller recognized the payment and what representations were made to the buyer.

The buyer should not assume that sending money to an account supplied by an agent automatically constitutes payment to the property owner.

What If the Recipient Withdraws or Spends the Money?

Spending the money does not automatically eliminate every repayment obligation.

The Turkish Code of Obligations addresses the extent of the recipient’s restitution obligation. A recipient may in certain circumstances rely on the fact that the enrichment is no longer retained, but the position is materially different where the recipient was not acting in good faith or should have anticipated having to return the enrichment.

This makes timing important.

Once the recipient knows that the payment was erroneous, continued disposal of the funds may materially affect the legal analysis.

Can an Urgent Court Measure Be Requested?

Potentially, depending on the circumstances and evidence.

Where a substantial amount has been transferred and there is a concrete risk that assets will disappear before recovery can be achieved, interim judicial protection may need to be considered.

However, an erroneous transfer does not automatically entitle the sender to freeze every asset belonging to the recipient.

The applicable requirements, supporting documents, amount claimed and urgency must be assessed individually.

For large mistaken transfers, early legal assessment can therefore be significantly more effective than waiting months for voluntary repayment.

Can Foreigners Start Debt-Recovery Proceedings in Turkey?

Yes, foreign nationality does not by itself prevent a creditor from pursuing a monetary claim in Turkey.

Depending on the nature of the claim, the sender may pursue the appropriate enforcement or court procedure against the recipient.

The precise procedure should be selected according to the evidence and legal basis of the repayment obligation.

If the recipient disputes the debt, further judicial proceedings may be required to establish the sender’s entitlement.

Is Mediation Required Before Filing a Lawsuit?

It depends on the legal characterization of the dispute.

Not every mistaken-transfer dispute is automatically subject to mandatory pre-litigation mediation.

However, where the dispute qualifies as a commercial monetary claim or falls within another category subject to mandatory mediation, the mediation requirement must be considered before filing the relevant lawsuit.

The Ministry of Justice confirms that monetary claims and compensation claims qualifying as commercial litigation are subject to mandatory mediation before court proceedings.

Accordingly, whether mediation is mandatory depends on the parties and the legal nature of the dispute rather than merely on the fact that a bank transfer occurred.

What Is the Limitation Period for an Unjust Enrichment Claim?

This is one of the most important issues.

Under Article 82 of the Turkish Code of Obligations, an unjust enrichment claim generally becomes time-barred two years after the claimant learns that a right to restitution exists and, in any event, ten years after the enrichment occurred.

These periods should not be treated casually.

The applicable claim may also arise from another legal basis, so the relevant limitation analysis should be conducted according to the specific facts.

Foreign senders should therefore avoid waiting simply because the recipient has promised informally to return the money “later.”

Does Reporting the Error to the Bank Stop the Limitation Period?

A sender should not assume that making a bank complaint automatically preserves every legal claim indefinitely.

Bank correspondence, formal repayment demands, enforcement proceedings, mediation and litigation can have different procedural effects.

Where a significant amount is involved, limitation issues should be evaluated independently rather than relying solely on the bank’s internal investigation.

Can Interest Be Claimed?

Potentially.

The availability and commencement of interest depend on the legal basis of the claim, the recipient’s default and the circumstances surrounding the demand for repayment.

This is another reason to make the repayment request formally and preserve evidence of when the recipient was notified.

For substantial transfers, interest can become economically significant if litigation lasts for an extended period.

What If the Transfer Was in Euros, Dollars or Pounds?

Foreign-currency transfers require additional analysis.

The sender should preserve the original currency amount, transfer documentation and bank charges.

The appropriate repayment claim may involve issues concerning the original foreign currency, conversion and applicable monetary rules.

The sender should not automatically accept repayment of an arbitrary local-currency amount without determining whether it fully satisfies the original obligation.

What If the Recipient Claims the Money Was a Gift?

This is a common evidentiary dispute.

The sender may say:

“I accidentally transferred EUR 25,000.”

The recipient may respond:

“No, it was a gift.”

The court may then need to examine the parties’ relationship, communications, transfer description, financial circumstances and events before and after the payment.

A clear transfer description and preserved correspondence can be extremely important.

What If the Recipient Claims There Was a Debt?

The sender should demand evidence of the alleged debt.

If the recipient claims that the transfer satisfied a loan, invoice or another obligation, the existence and amount of that obligation become central issues.

The dispute may then no longer be a simple banking-error case.

Contracts, invoices, account records and correspondence may need to be examined.

Can a Criminal Complaint Be Filed?

An accidental receipt of money is not automatically a criminal matter.

A mistaken bank transfer should not be converted into a criminal allegation merely because the recipient is slow to cooperate.

However, if the facts indicate deliberate deception, fraudulent account instructions, identity fraud or another independent criminal act, criminal-law remedies may need to be evaluated separately.

Civil recovery of the money and criminal responsibility are distinct legal questions.

Can the Sender Sue the Bank?

Possibly, but only where there is an appropriate legal basis.

If the transfer occurred because the sender personally entered incorrect account information, the existence of a claim against the bank should not be assumed.

The analysis may be different where the bank failed to follow a valid instruction, processed a transaction contrary to applicable obligations or made an independent operational error.

The bank’s transaction records and payment instructions should therefore be obtained before liability is attributed.

What If the Bank Made the Error?

A bank-generated error should be distinguished from a customer-generated error.

If the customer gave correct instructions but the bank credited a different account because of the bank’s own operational mistake, potential contractual and banking-law issues arise in addition to any claim against the recipient.

The customer should immediately make a formal written complaint and request the complete transaction history.

Can the Recipient’s Identity Be Discovered?

In many mistaken-transfer disputes, the sender knows only limited information displayed in the banking application.

Banks are subject to confidentiality and data-protection obligations, so the sender should not assume that the bank will simply disclose all personal information about another customer upon request.

Where litigation or enforcement proceedings become necessary, the recipient’s identity and address may need to be established through legally authorized procedures.

Can a Lawyer Handle the Recovery While the Foreigner Is Abroad?

Generally, yes.

A foreign sender does not normally need to remain physically in Turkey throughout the recovery process.

With appropriately prepared authority, legal representation can be used for formal demands, negotiations, mediation where applicable, enforcement proceedings and litigation.

This is particularly useful for foreign property buyers or investors who discover the erroneous transfer only after returning to their home country.

Practical Example: Foreign Buyer Sends Deposit to Wrong Account

A British buyer purchasing an apartment in Istanbul intends to transfer EUR 40,000 to the seller but accidentally selects an old beneficiary.

The buyer should immediately contact the bank, request recall of the transfer, preserve the purchase agreement and transfer confirmation and document the intended seller’s correct account details.

If the unintended recipient refuses repayment, a formal recovery strategy can be pursued.

Practical Example: Agent Gives Incorrect Bank Details

A foreign investor purchasing property in Mersin receives bank details from a real estate agent and transfers USD 75,000.

The seller later says the payment was never received.

The buyer should determine who owns the recipient account and whether the agent had authority to direct payment there.

The case may involve contractual liability, unjust enrichment or fraud depending on the evidence.

Practical Example: Company Pays the Wrong Supplier

A foreign company conducting business in Ankara owes EUR 100,000 to Supplier A but accidentally transfers the funds to Supplier B.

Supplier B has no outstanding invoice against the company.

The underlying contracts, invoices and bank records can provide strong evidence concerning the absence of a legal basis for Supplier B to retain the payment.

Because the dispute is commercial, mandatory mediation requirements may also need to be examined before litigation.

Practical Example: Recipient Refuses After Being Notified

A foreign individual accidentally sends money to an account in Izmir. The recipient initially acknowledges the mistake in messages but later refuses to return the funds.

Those communications should be preserved.

They may become particularly valuable because they can undermine a later argument that the payment represented a gift or repayment of an existing debt.

Practical Example: Large Transfer Is Immediately Withdrawn

A foreign investor sends a substantial amount to the wrong account connected with a transaction in Bursa and learns that the recipient is attempting to dispose of the funds.

Immediate legal assessment may be necessary to determine whether interim protection can be sought before recovery becomes more difficult.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can a foreigner recover money accidentally sent to a Turkish bank account?

Potentially, yes. Turkish law recognizes restitution claims where a person has been enriched without a valid legal basis.

2. Should the sender contact the bank first?

Yes. The bank should be contacted immediately because stopping or recalling the payment may be easier before the transaction has been fully processed.

3. Can the bank simply take the money back from the recipient?

Not necessarily. Once money is credited to another person’s account, recovery may require the recipient’s cooperation or an appropriate legal procedure.

4. What if the recipient spends the money?

Spending the money does not automatically eliminate liability. The recipient’s good faith, knowledge of the mistake and circumstances of disposal can affect the extent of restitution.

5. Can the sender start enforcement proceedings?

Potentially, yes. The correct recovery procedure depends on the evidence, legal basis of the claim and any objection raised by the recipient.

6. Is mandatory mediation always required?

No. It depends on the legal nature of the dispute. Commercial monetary claims are among the categories for which mandatory mediation may apply before litigation.

7. How long does the sender have to claim repayment?

For an unjust enrichment claim, Article 82 generally provides a two-year period from learning of the restitution right and an absolute ten-year period from the enrichment.

8. Can a foreigner recover money after leaving Turkey?

Potentially, yes. Appropriate legal representation can be arranged so that physical presence in Turkey is not required for every procedural step.

9. Can interest be claimed on the money?

Potentially, depending on the legal basis, default and circumstances of the repayment demand.

10. Is keeping an accidental bank transfer automatically a crime?

Not automatically. Civil repayment obligations and potential criminal responsibility are separate issues. Criminal remedies require an independent legal basis supported by the facts.

What Should Foreigners Do After Discovering a Wrong Transfer?

The first priority is speed and evidence preservation.

The sender should immediately contact the bank and request recall or cancellation if technically possible. The transaction confirmation, account statement, payment reference and communications with the bank should be preserved.

The sender should then establish exactly why the payment was erroneous. If the money was intended for another person, documents identifying the intended beneficiary should be collected.

The recipient should be formally requested to return the funds where appropriate. Informal telephone conversations should not be the only evidence of the demand.

If voluntary repayment does not occur, the legal basis of the claim should be identified. Depending on the circumstances, this may involve unjust enrichment, contractual repayment, enforcement proceedings or another civil remedy. The Turkish Code of Obligations expressly provides for restitution where enrichment lacks a valid legal basis and establishes specific limitation periods for unjust enrichment claims.

For large payments, foreign senders should also assess whether there is a genuine risk that the recipient will transfer, withdraw or conceal assets before recovery.

Most importantly, a sender should not wait for months merely because the bank says it has “contacted the recipient.” A bank recall request and a legally enforceable repayment claim are not necessarily the same thing.

Legal Assistance for Foreigners Recovering Mistaken Bank Transfers in Turkey

Firat Fesih Kaya Law Office provides legal assistance to foreign individuals, investors, property buyers and companies seeking recovery of money mistakenly or improperly transferred to bank accounts in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, Mersin, Bursa and throughout Turkey.

Legal assistance may include review of bank-transfer records, formal repayment demands, investigation of the legal basis of the payment, unjust enrichment claims, enforcement proceedings, mandatory mediation where applicable, litigation, foreign-currency claims, disputes involving property deposits, unauthorized payments to agents and urgent assessment of measures intended to protect recovery.

Foreigners who have transferred a substantial amount to the wrong account should act quickly because delay can create evidentiary problems and may allow the recipient to dispose of assets.

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

The key 2026 principle is straightforward: sending money to the wrong Turkish bank account does not automatically mean that the money is permanently lost. Where the recipient has no valid legal basis to retain the payment, restitution may be pursued. The sender should contact the bank immediately, preserve evidence, formally demand repayment and move to the appropriate recovery procedure if the recipient refuses to return the funds.