Advertising Board rules on 161 files: new ad rules in force

Turkey's Ministry of Trade has published the results of the Advertising Board's 374th meeting, held on 8 October 2026. The Board ruled on 161 files, ordered a cease-and-desist in 136 of them and issued administrative fines totalling 17 million 176 thousand 744 lira.

What did the Ministry announce?

• In the first 9 months of the year more than 33 thousand applications were reviewed, and fines totalling over 249 million lira were decided.
• The Board reviewed discount claims as high as 75 percent that did not reflect reality. It found that crossed-out prices were not based on the lowest price applied in the ten days before the discount began.
• In 32 social media accounts the Board opened reviews on its own initiative, posts had not been labelled as advertising or promotion. A cease-and-desist was ordered for those posts.

Rules in force since 1 August 2026

The amendment to the Regulation on Commercial Advertising and Unfair Commercial Practices was published in the Official Gazette on 1 July 2026 and took effect on 1 August 2026. Its main provisions:

• Influencer posts (article 23/A): when a post promotes an advertiser's goods or services, directs people to the advertiser, or involves financial gain or free or discounted goods or services, it must clearly say it is advertising. One of the words "Reklam" (advertisement) or "Tanıtım" (promotion) is mandatory. It must come with the advertiser's name or trade name, or a statement such as "provided by @brand". The label must be easy to read and visible without scrolling.
• Discounts: for goods, the price before the discount is the lowest price applied in the ten days before the discount started. For services, the price immediately before the discounted price is used.
• Artificial intelligence: if AI or other software is used in a way that significantly affects consumers' economic behaviour, or if digital characters indistinguishable from humans appear, this must be stated clearly, understandably and distinguishably.

What it means for a small business

Businesses that print discount posters, work with an influencer or use AI-generated visuals in ads may want to check these provisions against their own posts once. A practical start: record the lowest price of the last ten days, put the label wording in the influencer brief, and mark AI-generated visuals.

The Ministry's announcement does not give fines for individual businesses; the 17 million 176 thousand 744 lira figure is the meeting total. This note is not legal advice. For your own situation, read the regulation or ask a professional.

Source: Ministry of Trade announcement and Official Gazette, 1 July 2026.