02.04.2026 00:13
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi stated that the deadline granted to citizens using APP plates has expired and called on drivers using these plates to change them. Emphasizing that there is no good faith use of APP plates, Çiftçi said, "These plates can be used in terrorist acts, in drug trafficking, in irregular migrant incidents, and in smuggling. Because these plates cannot be read by EDS or PTS, license plate recognition systems."
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi made important statements about new traffic regulations during a live broadcast on TRT News.
"OUR GOAL IS TO REDUCE ACCIDENTS"
Stating that a strategy document has been prepared with the circular signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Minister Çiftçi said, "Under the name of the Road Traffic Safety Strategy Document. According to this strategy document, our goal is to reduce fatalities and serious injuries due to traffic accidents by 50% by the year 2030. The target is this by 2030. By 2050, we aim to bring it down to zero, zero fatalities. Therefore, our goal is to reduce both fatal and injury-related traffic accidents as well as accidents with material damage by half by 2030 and to completely eliminate them by 2050. This is not an unreachable goal. We believe we can achieve our targets regarding this." he said.
Çiftçi, who stated that the number of vehicles has increased over time, said, "Of course, there is also a reality here. If we take 2019 as a basis, the number of vehicles at that time has increased compared to today. I am talking about motor vehicles among them. In 2019, our total number of vehicles was 23.4 million. Today it has risen to 34.5 million. Among these, for example, there are motorcycles. Their number has almost reached 7.2 million. This constitutes a significant total," he said.
"WE DO NOT WANT TO HURT OUR PEOPLE"
Minister Çiftçi, who said, "Recently, we have made a regulation that became law on February 27, aimed at reducing traffic accidents," continued: "This has found some response in society. Our people expressed that this is justified and correct, but it has also caused some debates in certain areas. For example, our people find the penalties given to those who run red lights, those who get out of their vehicles and block the road, or those who dance in the street, drift, or talk on their cell phones while driving to be very justified. There is no debate about that.
However, there have been some reactions from our people recently regarding the license plate issue and the sound and image systems inside vehicles. The aim here is to reduce both fatal and injury-related traffic accidents according to the Road Safety Strategy Document. This is our purpose. We do not want to hurt our people due to traffic fines. Our priority is not to impose traffic fines on people and hurt them.
"FATAL TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS HAVE DECREASED BY 40%"
There are people in society who follow the rules, as well as those who do not. For example, during the last Ramadan holiday, 87.5% of drivers complied with the traffic measures we took. We only imposed traffic fines on 12.5%. I would like to thank our people who largely comply with traffic rules in your presence. This is our goal. To ensure compliance with the rules and thus reduce traffic accidents. We also want compliance with the rules so that we do not have to fine people. We want to avoid hurting our citizens. But of course, not everyone has the same sensitivity. This should be acknowledged.
For example, during the last 4-day Ramadan holiday, the last 4-day holiday was in 2023. Last year, there was a 9-day holiday. For example, fatal traffic accidents decreased by 40%. Isn't that a good thing? We track the average daily fatalities during holiday periods over the years. We observe them as well. During this Ramadan holiday, the average daily loss of life was 7.75. We take this seriously. Our goal is to reduce these numbers even further.
A loss of life means a life left unfinished. If a family's child dies, or if their parents die, they can never overcome that trauma for a lifetime. Therefore, we take even a single loss of life on the road seriously.
THE TIME GRANTED FOR APP LICENSE PLATES HAS EXPIRED
Now we see a standard license plate on the screens. For example, this is a standard plate printed by the Drivers' Chamber. The requirements for a standard plate are also displayed on the screen. For example, it needs to have a seal, a wavy stripe, a reflective surface, and a reflector. After the changes in 2024, there are features that must be present on a plate, such as the TR hologram, QR code, and flag hologram. This is a standard plate that complies with the rules. You know that the authority to print plates has also been given to the Drivers' Chamber.
Now, some plates deviate from this standard plate. For example, in one visual, you see that the Drivers' Chamber has posted an advertisement. It says, "There is special mold plate printing." You go to the Drivers' Chamber to have a plate printed, and you are offered two options. One is a standard plate, and the other is a plate that deviates from this standard and is printed with thicker letters or numbers. This is also printed by the Drivers' Chamber. There is a third type of plate printed by the Drivers' Chamber that we cannot show on the screen.
As the Ministry of Interior, we accept standard or non-standard plates printed by the Drivers' Chamber as the General Directorate of Security and the General Command of Gendarmerie. Why? Because the citizen has gone to the Drivers' Chamber, has been offered two options for a plate, and has chosen one of them. All security elements and seals are present on this plate. The citizen has chosen according to their preference; one is cheaper, and the other is priced higher. We do not find it fair for people, drivers, or vehicle owners to be penalized for this reason. This is because the Drivers' Chamber has provided them with this option.
“THESE PLATES CAN BE USED IN TERRORIST ACTIVITIES"
The real problem with the plate is that the numbers, for example, are different; this has not been defined in the regulation, and as you can see on this plate, there is no seal. You can have this printed at any sign maker, advertising company, or by ordering online. There is no seal, no QR code, no security markings, and no gaps between the characters. What is the danger of this? The danger is that these plates can be used in terrorist activities, in drug trafficking, in irregular migration incidents, and in smuggling. Because these plates cannot be read or identified by EDS or PTS, license plate recognition systems. Therefore, since it has been determined that these are used in crimes, the legislator has imposed certain penalties for them. The penalty for this is 140,000 lira.
"THIS IS NOT A REAL PLATE"
The law came into effect on February 27. To ensure that our citizens are not victimized regarding this, as they rushed to the Drivers' Association, notaries, and traffic branches all at once, we had given a deadline until April 1. As I mentioned, there is no problem with other plates obtained from the Drivers' Association, but the APP plates I just showed, which do not carry any security features and lack a seal, needed to be changed as of today. Therefore, my advice to our drivers and vehicle owners is to immediately change their plates if they are using APP plates in this manner. The steps to change them are as follows; since these are fake plates, they need to go to the police station and report a lost plate entry. Because this is not a real plate.