The Communiqué numbered 575, published in the Official Gazette dated November 30, 2024, and numbered 32738 (“Communiqué”) has recently introduced certain amendments to the General Communiqué. The amended provisions are effective as of November 30, 2024.

• The New Upper Limit for Cash Payments

Pursuant to the previous provisions of the General Communiqué, payments for goods and services exceeding TRY 7,000 were required to be made through banks or financial institutions. With the recent amendment, such threshold has been increased to TRY 30,000. Accordingly, all collections and payments exceeding TRY 30,000 must now be made via financial institutions and supported by documents issued by these institutions. This rule applies not only to the supply of goods and services to consumers but also to all collections and payments made between businesses, including transactions with partners or other legal entities.

• Divisions of Payments

The rule prohibiting the division of payments for a single good or service into multiple transactions below the specified limit remains unchanged. To elaborate, if the total amount of transactions conducted on the same day with the same individual or entity exceeds TRY 30,000, all payments must be made through financial intermediaries, starting from the transaction that causes the limit to be exceeded, even if individual transactions fall below the limit. Similarly, payments for amounts exceeding TRY 30,000 that are divided into instalments and paid on different dates must also be processed via financial institutions.

• Transactions Involving Foreign Nationals

A new provision has been introduced regarding transactions not subject to the cash payment limit. Accordingly, for transactions involving foreign nationals and/or individuals not resident in Turkey, attaching a copy of the passport to the invoice will no longer be required; however, the obligation to include the passport number on the invoice is maintained. In addition, the previous requirement to deposit collected amounts to a financial institution by the next business day has been removed for such transactions.

For the Communiqué: https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2024/11/20241130-10.htm