Türkiye is changing how compulsory earthquake insurance contracts are handled when a home is sold. The Insurance and Private Pension Regulation and Supervision Agency published the amendment in Official Gazette issue 33347 on August 21, 2026. The new rules will take effect fifteen days after publication, on September 5, 2026.
The existing contract will end on the registration date
The amendment rewrites section C.4, “Change of the Beneficiary,” in the General Conditions for Compulsory Earthquake Insurance published in Official Gazette issue 27933 on May 13, 2011. When an insured property changes hands through a sale or an equivalent transaction, the existing insurance contract will end on the date the ownership change is registered at the land registry. The seller’s policy will therefore no longer continue automatically in the buyer’s name after the sale.
The text also addresses the unused part of the terminated contract. If the policyholder or former beneficiary applies, the premium already paid for the remaining unused days will be returned to the policyholder. The refund is not described as automatic; the regulation expressly links it to an application by the relevant party.
Authorities will check the new owner’s policy
Land registry offices, or other public bodies authorized to complete the transfer, will check whether the new beneficiary has a compulsory earthquake insurance contract. The rule separates the insurance positions of the parties to the transaction: the former owner’s contract ends at registration, while a separate policy in the new owner’s name must be verified.
The automatic termination rule is specifically tied to sales and transactions treated like sales. The amendment establishes a different process when the beneficiary changes for another reason. In those other cases, the existing insurance contract will continue with the next beneficiary rather than ending at registration.
Notification deadlines for non-sale transfers
For a change that does not arise from a sale or an equivalent transaction, the next beneficiary must notify the insurer that arranged the contract within fifteen days of learning both about the change and the existence of the policy. The insurer or agency must then deliver a policy containing the endorsement that records the beneficiary change within twenty-four hours after receiving the notice.
This distinction means that not every ownership change produces the same insurance result. Registration ends the contract in a sale or an equivalent transaction. Other changes keep the contract in force and trigger the notice and endorsement process. The official text sets out these two paths separately, identifying when termination applies and when continuation applies.
The regulation authorizes the supervisory agency to resolve uncertainties, correct implementation problems, ensure a consistent approach and determine additional procedures for applying the section. Further operational details will therefore depend on current notices issued by the regulator and authorized insurance providers.
What changes during a home sale?
From September 5, a DASK policy issued in the former owner’s name will terminate when a sale is entered in the land registry. The former policyholder will need to apply to recover the premium corresponding to the unused period. The authority handling the transfer will also verify whether a valid compulsory earthquake insurance policy exists for the buyer.
The effective date follows the fifteen-day period that begins with publication. The existing general conditions remain applicable during that interval, while the revised C.4 section takes effect on September 5. The head of the supervisory agency is responsible for implementing the amendment, and the agency has authority to address uncertainties in practice.
The published amendment does not alter the hazards covered by compulsory earthquake insurance or the amount payable for a covered loss. Its scope is limited to the treatment of the existing policy when the beneficiary changes, including termination, continuation, refunds, notifications and the duties of the institutions involved in the transfer.
