Sending Money, Prison Visits & Legal Rights in Turkey: Complete Guide for Foreign Families

When a foreign relative is arrested or remanded in a Turkish prison — such as Maltepe No. 3 L-Type in Istanbul, Marmara (Silivri), Bakırköy Women's Prison, or regional institutions — families abroad face urgent, frightening questions. How do you deposit money so your loved one can buy drinking water, food, and basic necessities from the prison canteen? How do international prison visits, phone calls, and video systems work? What are their rights to an interpreter and a consular visit? This comprehensive English guide explains the official Turkish Ministry of Justice prison banking mechanisms (Vakıfbank / PTT canteen accounts), visitor permission rules under the Prison Visiting Regulation, weekly phone protocols, and how an Istanbul criminal defense attorney can access the file immediately.

How the Turkish Prison Canteen Account System (Kantin Hesabı) Works

In Turkish closed and high-security penal institutions, inmates are strictly prohibited from holding physical cash. Any physical currency found on an inmate is seized as contraband. Instead, all internal commerce — buying clean bottled water, food items, tea, toiletries, clothing, stationery, phone cards, and television rental — is conducted electronically through the prison's internal canteen account system (Kantin Hesabı).

Every inmate has a personalized account managed under the oversight of the prison administration and the state-owned Vakıfbank. When an inmate makes a purchase at the prison canteen or uses the biometric card system, funds are automatically deducted from their balance.

The Ministry of Justice sets periodic weekly and monthly spending limits (harcama limiti) to prevent extortion or internal trading. While you can deposit a lump sum into their account, the inmate is permitted to spend only up to the official weekly ceiling (adjusted periodically for inflation).

Step-by-Step: How to Send Money to an Inmate in Turkey from Abroad

Sending money to an inmate in Turkey from abroad can be confusing because international banks cannot transfer directly into Turkish prison sub-accounts without specific routing identifiers. The three primary methods are:

Method 1: Lawyer Trust Account & Direct Prison Deposit (Fastest for Families Abroad)

Because foreign bank transfers to Turkish prison accounts often fail or bounce due to missing Turkish ID formats, the safest and fastest route for families in the UK, USA, Europe, or the Gulf is transferring funds via international SWIFT or wire into their lawyer's official Bar-registered client trust account. The attorney then immediately executes the domestic bank transfer into the inmate's specific prison institution account with the exact court/inmate routing code.

Method 2: Vakıfbank ATM Cardless Deposit (Within Turkey)

If a family member or contact is physically in Turkey, money can be deposited 24/7 without a bank card at any Vakıfbank ATM:

• Select Kartsız İşlemler (Cardless Transactions) → Ödemeler (Payments) → Cezaevi ve Adalet Ödemeleri (Prison & Justice Payments).
• Enter the inmate's Foreigner ID Number (Yabancı Kimlik No - starts with 99...) or Turkish ID Number.
• Select the exact prison facility (e.g., Maltepe 3 No'lu L Tipi Kapalı Ceza İnfaz Kurumu).
• Deposit the cash into the ATM. The machine issues a receipt and the funds reflect in the inmate's canteen account within 24–48 hours.

Method 3: PTT (Turkish Post) Postal Money Order

Funds can be sent via PTT post office branch by addressing the money order to the exact prison administration, stating the inmate's full name, father's name, and prisoner registration number. This method is slower (3–5 business days) than the electronic bank transfer.

Visiting a Foreign Inmate: Closed Visits, Open Visits & Visitor Rules

Inmate visits in Turkey are strictly governed by the Regulation on the Visiting of Convicts and Remand Prisoners (Hükümlü ve Tutukluların Ziyaret Edilmeleri Hakkında Yönetmelik) under Law No. 5275. There are two categories of visits:

1. Closed Visits (Kapalı Görüş)

Held on a fixed weekly schedule (specific day and hour assigned to the inmate's ward/dormitory). The visitor and inmate are separated by a secure glass partition and communicate via a monitored telephone intercom system. Physical contact is not permitted.

2. Open Visits (Açık Görüş)

Held once a month and during designated Turkish national and religious holidays. Inmates and approved visitors sit in an open visitation hall without a glass barrier, permitting physical contact, handshakes, and embraces under the supervision of prison officers.

Who Is Permitted to Visit?

• First-Degree Relatives: Spouse, parents, children, grandchildren, grandparents, and siblings have statutory visitation rights.
• The "3 Non-Relative Friends List" (3 Kişilik Arkadaş Listesi): Upon entering prison, an inmate may submit a list of up to three non-relative friends. Once security-vetted by the prison administration, these individuals are permitted to visit during regular visiting hours.

Required Documentation for Foreign Family Members Traveling to Turkey

Foreign family members arriving in Turkey to visit a detained relative must bring specific documentation. Do not arrive at the prison gates with only a passport, as foreign visitors will be turned away without certified proof of relationship:

1. Original Valid Passport (with a valid Turkish entry stamp/visa).
2. Apostilled Proof of Family Relationship: An official Birth Certificate (for parents/children) or Marriage Certificate (for spouses), issued by your home government, bearing an official Hague ApostilleApostilApostilleA certificate added to a public document in its own country so that it is accepted as genuine in Türkiye, without consular legalisation.Glossary → Certificate.
3. Notarized Turkish Translation: The Apostilled certificate must be translated into Turkish by a certified sworn translator in Turkey and notarized by a Turkish Notary Public.
4. Special Permit from the Prison Prosecutor (Cezaevi Savcılığı İzni): For remand prisoners (tutuklu), foreign visitors often require a written visiting permit issued by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office supervising the prison. An attorney can obtain this permit on your behalf before you travel.

Phone Calls, Video Kiosks (ACEP) & Letters

Communication channels between the prison and foreign families include:

• Weekly Telephone Calls: Inmates are entitled to one 10-minute telephone call per week (subject to security classification). Calls can only be made to phone numbers registered in the inmate's file. To register a foreign mobile number, the family must provide an official telecommunications certificate (bill/contract) proving the phone number is registered in the visitor's legal name, translated into Turkish.
• ACEP Smart Kiosks (e-Görüş Video Calls): Modern Turkish prisons equipped with the ACEP digital network allow biometric-verified video calls on tablet kiosks for inmates whose families have registered compliant mobile applications.
• Letters & Postal Correspondence: Inmates may send and receive uncapped physical letters. Letters are screened by the prison reading committee (Mektup Okuma Komisyonu). Letters in foreign languages may experience slight translation delays before delivery.

Immediate Legal Defense: How an English-Speaking Lawyer Takes Action

While family visits and canteen deposits ensure physical welfare, the priority is securing legal defense. A defense attorney registered with the Istanbul Bar Association has immediate statutory access to the prison:

• Confidential Lawyer-Client Visits (Law 5275 Art. 59 & 114): Attorneys can visit foreign inmates on any working weekday without time restrictions, in private, confidential consultation rooms without glass partitions or intercom recording.
• Objections to Pre-Trial Detention (Tutukluluğa İtiraz): Filing urgent legal objections to pre-trial detention under Criminal Procedure Code (CMK) Art. 101/104 to seek immediate release, bail, or judicial control (travel ban instead of prison).
• Consular & Medical Petitions: Ensuring the inmate receives necessary chronic medical care, dietary requirements, and consular welfare visits.

To appoint legal counsel, families can issue an Apostilled Power of Attorney from abroad, or our lawyers can obtain direct written authority inside the prison facility.

Frequently asked questions