Criminal law

Criminal limitation period

Enter the date of the offence and the maximum statutory penalty for the offence; the tool calculates the date on which the ordinary and the extended (by interruption) limitation period for prosecution expires.

Date of the offence

For a continuing series of offences, the date of the last offence; for a continuous offence, the date on which it ended.

Penalty for the offence

Fixed-term imprisonment / judicial fineLife imprisonmentAggravated life imprisonment

Maximum statutory prison sentence (years)

If the evidence in the file points to an aggravated form, enter its maximum (Turkish Criminal Code (TCK) art. 66(3)). If only a judicial fine is provided for, enter 0.

At the time of the offence, the offender

Date of the last interrupting act (if any)

The latest of: statement or questioning before the prosecutor, pre-trial detention, indictment, or conviction.

Period during which limitation was suspended (days, if any)

For example, a period awaiting permission to prosecute or a preliminary question, or a HAGB supervision period.

Enter the details and press “Calculate”.

Limitation periods for prosecution

Penalty for the offence	Ordinary	Extended
Aggravated life imprisonment	30 years	45 years
Life imprisonment	25 years	37 years 6 months
Maximum of 20 years or more	20 years	30 years
Maximum of more than 5 but less than 20 years	15 years	22 years 6 months
Maximum of 5 years or less; judicial fine	8 years	12 years

The limitation period (zamanaşımı) starts on the day the offence is committed. Taking the suspect’s statement before the prosecutor, pre-trial detention, the indictment and a conviction interrupt the limitation period, and the period starts again; however, through interruptions the period can be extended by at most one half of the statutory period (extended limitation, TCK art. 67(4)). For offenders aged 12 to 15 at the time of the offence, half of the periods applies; for those aged 15 to 18, two thirds.

For offences committed against children by a parent or ancestor, or by a person with authority and influence over the child, the limitation period starts on the day the child turns 18. For certain serious offences committed abroad, no limitation period applies (TCK art. 66(6)–(7)).

Legal basis

Turkish Criminal Code (TCK) art. 66 (limitation period for prosecution)
TCK art. 67 (suspension and interruption)
Code of Criminal Procedure (CMK) art. 223(8) (dismissal due to limitation)

These provisions and rates were last checked against official sources on 1 October 2026.

Note: Results are for general information and are approximate. The specifics of the file, court decisions and partial payments may change the result. Rates were checked against official sources on 1 October 2026.

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