How Is Bodily Injury Compensation Calculated After a Traffic Accident in Turkey? 2026 Updated Guide

Learn how bodily injury compensation is calculated after a traffic accident in Turkey in 2026, including permanent disability, income loss, fault, actuarial calculations, insurance limits and claims by foreigners.

A traffic accident can cause financial losses extending far beyond immediate hospital expenses. A victim may be unable to work for months, suffer permanent impairment, require continuing treatment or experience a lasting reduction in earning capacity.

Under Turkish law, a person injured in a traffic accident may potentially claim compensation from the compulsory motor liability insurer of the responsible vehicle and, depending on the circumstances, from the driver, vehicle operator, owner or other legally responsible parties.

However, bodily injury compensation is not calculated according to a single fixed amount.

The calculation depends on the individual victim, the severity and permanence of the injuries, income, age, fault allocation, medical evidence and applicable actuarial rules.

Foreign nationals injured in Turkey may also have compensation rights. A foreign tourist, expatriate, international employee, student, passenger, pedestrian or motorcyclist does not lose the right to seek compensation merely because they are not a Turkish citizen.

For accidents occurring in 2026, claimants should also consider the increased compulsory traffic insurance limits and the current rules governing bodily injury compensation.

What Is Bodily Injury Compensation After a Traffic Accident?

Bodily injury compensation concerns financial losses arising because a person has been physically injured in a traffic accident.

Depending on the circumstances, a bodily injury case may involve several separate categories of loss, including:

• permanent disability;
• loss of earning capacity;
• temporary inability to work;
• treatment-related losses;
• caregiver requirements;
• future economic consequences; and
• other legally recoverable damages.

The precise scope depends on the facts of the accident and the applicable legal rules.

A claimant should therefore avoid assuming that receiving payment for one category automatically resolves every potential claim arising from the injury.

Can Foreigners Claim Bodily Injury Compensation in Turkey?

Potentially, yes.

Turkish citizenship is not generally a prerequisite for seeking compensation after a traffic accident occurring in Turkey.

Potential foreign claimants can include:

Foreign Tourists

Foreign Residents

International Students

Foreign Employees

Business Travellers

Diplomatic or Consular Personnel

Foreign Passengers

Pedestrians

Cyclists

Motorcyclists

The key questions concern liability, causation, injury, economic loss and insurance coverage rather than nationality alone.

What Is the Compulsory Traffic Insurance Bodily Injury Limit in 2026?

The Insurance and Private Pension Regulation and Supervision Agency, SEDDK, increased compulsory motor liability insurance coverage for 2026.

For the vehicle categories listed in SEDDK’s official 2026 table, the per-person limit for permanent disability and death is TRY 3,600,000.

For passenger-transport vehicles, the aggregate permanent disability and death limit is TRY 18,000,000 per accident.

Health-expense coverage is also listed at TRY 3,600,000 per person, with aggregate limits depending on vehicle category.

The TRY 3.6 million amount is an insurance coverage ceiling.

It does not mean that every person suffering bodily injury automatically receives TRY 3.6 million.

What Changed in 2026?

The increase in compulsory traffic insurance limits is one of the most important developments affecting serious traffic accident claims.

The bodily injury/death per-person coverage increased from TRY 2.7 million to TRY 3.6 million for 2026.

SEDDK also announced that the updated coverage limits apply to existing compulsory traffic insurance policies without collection of an additional premium.

Turkey’s motor insurance claims system has also continued to undergo procedural modernization during 2026, making it important for accident victims to use current claim procedures rather than relying exclusively on older online guides.

What Factors Determine Bodily Injury Compensation?

The value of a bodily injury claim can depend on numerous factors.

The most important commonly include:

Victim’s Age

Income

Occupation

Permanent Impairment

Temporary Incapacity

Fault Percentage

Medical Condition

Relationship Between the Accident and Injury

Expected Economic Life

Applicable Actuarial Methodology

This explains why two people injured in the same accident may receive very different compensation calculations.

How Does Permanent Disability Affect Compensation?

Permanent disability is one of the most important elements in serious bodily injury claims.

The victim may undergo surgery and rehabilitation but still suffer lasting impairment.

Examples can include:

• restricted limb movement;
• spinal injuries;
• neurological damage;
• amputation;
• loss of vision;
• permanent hearing impairment;
• brain injury; or
• other lasting functional limitations.

A medically established permanent impairment can affect the victim’s ability to work and earn income throughout the remainder of their economic life.

The financial consequences may therefore be substantial.

Is Compensation Calculated by Multiplying the Disability Percentage by TRY 3.6 Million?

No.

This is a common misunderstanding.

Suppose a claimant has a medically established permanent impairment percentage.

It would generally be incorrect simply to calculate:

Disability Percentage × TRY 3.6 Million

The insurance limit is not the base amount from which every disability claim is calculated.

Instead, compensation requires an individualized actuarial calculation.

The result is then considered together with the applicable insurance coverage.

What Actuarial Factors Are Used?

The compulsory traffic insurance General Conditions contain technical rules governing relevant bodily injury calculations.

The current framework refers to the TRH 2010 life table, or an updated version where applicable, and specifies a 1.8% technical interest rate, subject to regulatory changes.

These actuarial parameters are used together with case-specific factors such as income, age, disability and fault.

For this reason, online calculators that request only the victim’s disability percentage may produce misleading estimates.

Why Does the Victim’s Age Matter?

Age can materially affect compensation because permanent impairment may affect a younger victim’s economic life for a longer period.

Consider two victims with similar income and identical permanent impairment.

One is 24.

The other is 64.

The younger victim may potentially experience decades of reduced earning capacity.

The actuarial calculation therefore considers age and expected future economic consequences rather than treating all victims identically.

Why Does Income Matter?

Income is another critical factor.

A serious injury can reduce or eliminate a person’s ability to earn.

The financial impact may differ dramatically between claimants.

For example, permanent hand impairment may have particularly severe economic consequences for:

• a surgeon;
• musician;
• engineer;
• skilled technician;
• professional athlete; or
• craftsperson.

Reliable income evidence can therefore significantly affect the compensation analysis.

How Can Income Be Proven?

Evidence may include:

Payroll Records

Employment Contracts

Social Security Records

Tax Returns

Bank Statements

Employer Letters

Business Records

Professional Invoices

Accounting Records

The applicable traffic insurance framework contains rules for determining income where officially documented earnings are unavailable or fall below the relevant threshold.

Claimants should therefore preserve reliable financial evidence rather than relying only on verbal statements about their earnings.

Can Foreign Salary Be Considered?

This is an important issue for foreign accident victims.

A foreign national injured in Turkey may earn their income abroad in euros, pounds, dollars or another currency.

Potential evidence can include:

• foreign salary slips;
• employment agreements;
• tax declarations;
• bank statements;
• employer confirmation;
• social security documentation;
• company accounts; and
• professional income records.

However, the legal treatment of foreign income should be evaluated under Turkish compensation law and the applicable insurance framework.

A foreign salary should not simply be converted into Turkish lira and assumed automatically to form the calculation base without legal analysis.

What If the Victim Is Self-Employed?

Self-employed claimants can face additional evidentiary challenges.

A business owner, consultant, doctor, architect or independent professional may not receive a conventional monthly salary.

Evidence can therefore include:

Tax Returns

Company Accounts

Invoices

Bank Transactions

Professional Contracts

Accounting Records

Business Revenue Documentation

The goal is to establish reliable evidence of the claimant’s economic position rather than relying on an unsupported income figure.

What If the Victim Is Not Working?

Being unemployed does not automatically mean that permanent disability has no economic value.

The applicable compensation framework contains rules for cases where there is no qualifying documented income.

Students, homemakers, unemployed persons and others may therefore still have legally relevant claims depending on their circumstances.

Each case should be assessed individually.

What Is Temporary Incapacity?

Not every injury becomes permanent.

A person may be unable to work for several weeks or months and later recover.

This period can be described as temporary incapacity.

For example, a claimant may suffer multiple fractures, undergo surgery and remain unable to work for six months before recovering substantially.

The legal treatment of temporary incapacity should be distinguished from permanent disability.

A compensation file should therefore identify the different periods and categories of loss rather than treating all bodily injury as one single figure.

What Is Loss of Earning Capacity?

Loss of earning capacity concerns the economic consequences of reduced ability to work because of accident-related impairment.

The impact can vary significantly according to occupation.

For example, a relatively modest mobility limitation may have limited impact on some desk-based professions but a severe impact on a professional driver, construction worker or athlete.

Medical impairment and economic impairment are related but are not always identical concepts.

Does Fault Affect the Compensation Amount?

Yes, fault can materially affect compensation.

If the other driver is entirely responsible for the accident, the claim will generally be evaluated on that basis.

Where the injured person also contributed to the accident, recoverable compensation may be reduced according to the legally relevant fault allocation.

For example, if the claimant bears part of the responsibility for the collision, this can materially reduce the final compensation amount.

Incorrect fault findings should therefore be examined carefully.

Should the Initial Accident Fault Report Always Be Accepted?

Not necessarily.

Depending on the circumstances, fault may be disputed through additional evidence.

Relevant evidence can include:

• CCTV recordings;
• dashcam footage;
• photographs;
• witness statements;
• vehicle damage;
• road markings;
• traffic lights;
• braking evidence; and
• expert examination.

An incorrect fault percentage can significantly affect a high-value permanent disability claim.

How Important Is the Medical Report?

Extremely important.

The claimant must establish both the injury and its relationship with the accident.

Relevant documentation may include:

Emergency Records

Hospital Records

Surgery Reports

MRI and CT Results

Specialist Reports

Rehabilitation Records

Medical Board Reports

Permanent Impairment Documentation

A serious compensation claim should not rely merely on a hospital discharge note.

What If the Victim Had a Medical Condition Before the Accident?

A pre-existing condition does not automatically eliminate compensation.

The important question is whether the accident caused new injury or aggravated an existing condition.

Medical experts may therefore need to distinguish between:

Pre-Existing Disability

and

Additional Accident-Related Disability

Insurance companies may dispute causation where medical history is unclear.

Complete medical documentation can therefore be crucial.

Can a Passenger Claim Bodily Injury Compensation?

Potentially, yes.

Passengers injured in traffic accidents may have significant compensation rights.

The passenger could have been travelling in:

• a private vehicle;
• taxi;
• airport transfer;
• bus;
• tour vehicle;
• company car; or
• commercial transport vehicle.

Where several vehicles contributed to the accident, more than one insurer or responsible person may need to be considered.

Can a Pedestrian Claim Compensation?

Potentially, yes.

A pedestrian struck by a motor vehicle may seek compensation where the applicable requirements are satisfied.

Fault should be determined from the actual evidence.

The fact that the injured pedestrian is a foreign tourist does not prevent a claim.

Can a Motorcyclist Claim Bodily Injury Compensation?

Potentially.

Motorcycle accidents frequently cause serious orthopedic, spinal and neurological injuries.

The claimant’s fault, the other driver’s fault, protective equipment, collision mechanics and medical evidence may all become relevant depending on the case.

Motorcyclists should preserve accident-scene evidence whenever possible.

What If the Responsible Driver Has No Insurance?

An uninsured vehicle does not necessarily leave a bodily injury victim without any remedy.

Turkey’s Guarantee Account may provide protection for qualifying bodily injury claims in specified circumstances involving uninsured vehicles.

The Guarantee Account may also become relevant in certain cases involving unidentified vehicles.

Claims against the responsible driver, vehicle owner or operator may also need to be investigated.

What Happens in a Hit-and-Run Accident?

Evidence should be preserved immediately.

Important evidence can include:

CCTV

Dashcam Footage

Witness Information

Police Reports

Partial Registration Plate

Vehicle Description

Where the responsible vehicle remains unidentified, the Guarantee Account may become relevant to qualifying bodily injury claims.

CCTV should be sought quickly because recordings can be deleted or overwritten.

What If Several Vehicles Caused the Accident?

A multi-vehicle collision can involve several responsible parties.

The claimant should not automatically pursue only the vehicle that physically struck them.

Another vehicle may have created the dangerous situation or contributed to the collision.

Accident reconstruction and fault analysis can therefore be important.

Several insurers may potentially be involved.

Can Compensation Exceed TRY 3.6 Million?

Potentially, in terms of the victim’s total legal loss.

The TRY 3.6 million figure is the 2026 per-person compulsory insurance limit for permanent disability and death, not necessarily the maximum total amount of damages suffered by the claimant.

Consider a young foreign executive who suffers catastrophic permanent disability and loses the ability to continue a high-income career.

The actuarially calculated loss could potentially exceed compulsory insurance coverage.

In such circumstances, additional liability of the driver, vehicle operator, owner or other responsible persons should be investigated.

Additional liability insurance may also exist.

Can Moral Damages Be Claimed?

Potentially, against legally responsible persons where the applicable requirements are satisfied.

Moral damages should be distinguished from compensation payable within the scope of compulsory traffic insurance.

A severe accident can cause significant physical suffering and psychological consequences.

Potential non-material claims should therefore be considered separately from the compulsory insurer’s material compensation obligations.

What If the Insurance Company Offers a Settlement?

The calculation should be reviewed before a final settlement is accepted.

The claimant should understand:

What Disability Percentage Was Used?

What Income Was Used?

What Fault Percentage Was Applied?

What Actuarial Method Was Used?

What Losses Are Included?

What Claims Are Being Released?

This is especially important where medical treatment is continuing.

An early payment can be substantially different from the value of a claim after permanent consequences become clear.

Why Should Claimants Be Careful With Release Documents?

A release may affect future compensation rights.

Foreign claimants should be especially cautious about signing documents written in Turkish that they do not fully understand.

A document described informally as an “insurance payment form” may contain broader settlement provisions.

Before signing, the claimant should determine exactly which claims are being settled and whether future claims are being waived.

What If the Insurance Company Rejects the Claim?

A rejection does not necessarily end the case.

The insurer may dispute:

• fault;
• causation;
• disability;
• medical documentation;
• income;
• insurance coverage; or
• calculation methodology.

The written reason for rejection should be examined.

Additional documentation, expert analysis, insurance arbitration or litigation may be available depending on the circumstances.

Can the Insurance Arbitration Commission Be Used?

Potentially.

The Insurance Arbitration Commission provides an important dispute-resolution mechanism for qualifying insurance disputes in Turkey.

Bodily injury cases can involve complex medical and actuarial questions.

An arbitration application should therefore be supported by complete accident records, medical evidence, income documentation and compensation calculations.

Can a Lawsuit Be Filed?

Potentially, yes.

Depending on the circumstances, claims may involve:

Compulsory Traffic Insurer

Driver

Vehicle Owner

Vehicle Operator

Employer

Other Responsible Persons

Determining the correct defendants is particularly important where the victim’s losses exceed insurance coverage.

Can a Foreigner Continue the Claim After Leaving Turkey?

Potentially, yes.

A foreign tourist or resident does not necessarily need to remain in Turkey throughout the entire insurance, arbitration or litigation process.

Before leaving Turkey, the claimant should obtain:

• accident reports;
• police records;
• medical records;
• imaging;
• hospital discharge documents;
• insurance information;
• witness information; and
• available video evidence.

An appropriately authorized Turkish lawyer may potentially continue the proceedings.

What If Medical Treatment Continues Abroad?

All foreign medical records should be preserved.

The documentation should ideally establish:

Diagnosis

Treatment

Relationship to the Turkish Accident

Rehabilitation

Continuing Symptoms

Permanent Consequences

Inability to Work

Certified translation or other formal requirements may arise if foreign documents are used in Turkish proceedings.

Is There a Time Limit for Bodily Injury Claims?

Yes. Traffic accident compensation claims are subject to limitation periods.

However, the applicable period can depend on the specific circumstances, including the legal basis of the claim and whether the accident also constitutes a criminal offence.

Claimants should therefore avoid relying on generalized statements such as “all traffic accident claims have the same deadline.”

The limitation period should be assessed individually.

More importantly, evidence can disappear long before a limitation period expires.

What Documents Should Be Collected?

A bodily injury compensation file may require:

• accident report;
• police or gendarmerie documentation;
• insurance policy information;
• medical records;
• surgery reports;
• medical board reports;
• rehabilitation documents;
• disability documentation;
• income evidence;
• employment records;
• tax documents;
• fault reports;
• passport or identity documents; and
• foreign medical and employment records where applicable.

The documentation should establish both the medical injury and its financial consequences.

What Makes a High-Value Bodily Injury Claim Complex?

Serious claims often require several disciplines to be considered together.

A high-value case may involve:

Medical Analysis

Accident Reconstruction

Fault Assessment

Income Evidence

Actuarial Calculation

Insurance Coverage

Additional Civil Liability

For foreign claimants, international income and overseas medical treatment can add another layer of complexity.

A claimant should therefore focus on the complete value of the case rather than simply obtaining the fastest available insurance payment.

Frequently Asked Questions About Bodily Injury Compensation

1. How much bodily injury compensation can I receive after a traffic accident in Turkey?

There is no fixed amount. Compensation depends on factors such as injury, permanent impairment, age, income, fault and applicable actuarial rules. Insurance coverage limits also apply.

2. What is the 2026 permanent disability insurance limit?

SEDDK’s official 2026 compulsory traffic insurance limit for permanent disability and death is TRY 3.6 million per person. This is a coverage ceiling rather than an automatic compensation amount.

3. Is compensation calculated by multiplying my disability percentage by TRY 3.6 million?

No. Permanent disability compensation requires an individualized actuarial calculation. The insurance limit is not simply multiplied by the disability percentage.

4. Can a foreign tourist claim bodily injury compensation in Turkey?

Potentially, yes. Foreign nationality does not itself prevent an injured tourist, passenger, pedestrian, cyclist or driver from seeking compensation.

5. Can my foreign salary be considered when calculating compensation?

Potentially. Foreign income should be supported with reliable documentation and evaluated according to the applicable Turkish compensation framework.

6. What happens if I was partly responsible for the accident?

Partial fault may reduce the amount recoverable rather than automatically eliminating the entire claim. The accuracy of the fault assessment should be reviewed.

7. Can I claim if the responsible vehicle was uninsured?

Potentially. The Guarantee Account may provide compensation for qualifying bodily injury claims in specified circumstances involving uninsured or unidentified vehicles.

8. Can I receive compensation above the compulsory insurance limit?

Potentially, in terms of total damages. Claims against the driver, owner, operator or other responsible persons may need to be investigated where losses exceed compulsory insurance coverage.

9. Can I pursue my claim after returning to my country?

Potentially, yes. A properly authorized Turkish lawyer may continue many aspects of the claim while the foreign victim remains abroad.

10. Can I challenge a low insurance compensation calculation?

Potentially. Medical evidence, income, fault and actuarial calculations can be reviewed. Depending on the case, insurance arbitration or litigation may be available.

Legal Support for Bodily Injury Compensation After Traffic Accidents in Turkey

Bodily injury compensation should not be treated as a simple multiplication of an impairment percentage by an insurance limit. A serious traffic accident claim can involve medical evidence, future earning capacity, actuarial calculations, fault analysis, insurance coverage and claims against multiple responsible parties.

For foreign accident victims, the case may become even more complex when the claimant earns income abroad or continues medical treatment outside Turkey.

Our law office provides professional legal assistance concerning bodily injury compensation, permanent disability claims, loss of earning capacity, compulsory traffic insurance, foreign accident victims, uninsured vehicles, Insurance Arbitration Commission proceedings and traffic accident litigation in Turkey.

Fırat Fesih Kaya assists Turkish and foreign accident victims with reviewing medical documentation, accident liability, disability assessments, income evidence, actuarial calculations and available insurance coverage.

A claimant should carefully evaluate any settlement proposal before signing a final release, particularly where treatment is continuing or permanent disability has not yet been fully established. Professional legal assessment can help identify whether the insurance calculation reflects the claimant’s actual losses and whether additional claims exist against other responsible parties.

Phone: +90 312 434 22 22
Mobile: +90 532 769 22 22
Email: info@firatfesihkaya.av.tr
Address: Mevlana Boulevard No: 221, Yıldırım Tower No: 148, 06520 Balgat, Çankaya, Ankara, Turkey

For professional legal support concerning bodily injury compensation after a traffic accident in Turkey in 2026, you may contact our law office for an individual assessment of your injuries, permanent disability, income loss, fault, insurance coverage and available compensation claims.