- A stolen vehicle can be seized on the basis of on an entry in the Turkish database of stolen motor vehicles. Information about vehicles stolen in other countries is entered in this database if they are received through Interpol channels. A personal application to the public prosecutor's office is another way of ensuring that a stolen vehicle found in Turkey is seized. The stolen motor vehicle database is linked to the vehicle registration system and can be consulted by every police department in the whole of Turkey.

- Interpol channels and some private channels (for example the Turkish Mercedes Benz and BMW offices, etc.) are used to notify the owner of the vehicle's location.

- The public prosecutor's office is responsible for the storage of seized vehicles. Municipal administrations, the customs and police departments (if they have room in their car parks) can supply storage facilities.

- Parking costs associated with storage of a seized stolen vehicle are paid by the rightful owner if the latter recovers the vehicle. No fee is payable if the vehicle is stored by the police or public prosecutor's office in their parking lots.

a) Do the police have authority to restore the vehicle?

- If a stolen vehicle is found abandoned, the police have the authority to restore it to its owner.

b) Is it the local court who authorises release of the vehicle?

- In any other circumstances, the decision about releasing the vehicle is taken by the local criminal court.

c) Is it necessary to have a "commission rogatoire" to recover the vehicle?

- Letters rogatory are needed for recovery of the vehicle. If the registered rightful owner applies directly to the appropriate court, that court may be able to order restitution.

d) What documentation does the owner have to provide in order to recover the vehicle?

- The documents may vary from case to case, depending on decisions taken by the courts concerned. In general, however, the following documents are required:

• a certified copy of the police report making it clear that the motor vehicle in question was stolen
• proof of ownership (title, registration document, etc.)
• an identity document issued to the owner (bearing a photograph)
• the original keys (if available)
• insurance documents.

- The time limit for recovering the vehicle is set at three months after the final court decision.

- The procedure is based on the following:

• the Turkish criminal code
• the Turkish code of criminal procedure
• the Code for prevention and prosecution of smuggling
• the Customs code
• the regulations on criminal assets
• the European Convention on Mutual Assistance in criminal matters ( Strasbourg 1959).

- As in many countries, acquisition of the vehicle by a bona fide purchaser precludes its restitution to the rightful owner except on the basis of a court decision.

- We do not have any bilateral agreements, conventions or treaties with other countries. The European Convention on Mutual Assistance in criminal matters is most commonly applied.