What it means for you
A judgment from your own country has no direct force in Türkiye. Until a Turkish court grants tenfiz, you cannot use it to seize assets, garnish a bank account or open execution proceedings here. The court does not re-try the dispute; it checks whether the conditions for enforcement are met.
Commonly confused with
Tanıma (recognition) is not the same thing. Recognition gives a foreign judgment conclusive effect — enough to prove a status, such as a divorce. Tenfiz goes further and adds enforceability. Recognition does not require reciprocity; enforcement does.
Where you meet this word
In the name of a court file ("tenfiz davası"), on a lawyer's engagement letter, and whenever you ask whether a foreign judgment counts in Türkiye.
Statute: Turkish Private International Law (MÖHUK) No. 5718
How we help with this: Recognition & Enforcement of Foreign Judgments
