--- title: "Bulk SMS in Turkey: İYS Consent, Sender ID and Turkish Text" description: "Bulk SMS in Turkey: Law 6563 and the İYS consent registry, KVKK, sender IDs, Turkish characters and Unicode, OTP vs promo and high-volume planning." canonical: "https://omnichannels.ai/blog/bulk-sms-turkey-guide/" language: "en" updated: "2026-11-03" publisher: "BroadNet Technologies" brand: "OmniChannels.ai" category: "sms" primaryQuery: "bulk sms turkey" keywords: ["bulk sms turkey", "toplu sms", "iys sms", "ileti yönetim sistemi", "sms sender id turkey", "turkish characters sms", "law 6563 sms", "kvkk sms marketing"] published: "2026-11-03" author: "OmniChannels.ai Editorial Team" reviewer: "BroadNet Messaging Solutions Team" readingMinutes: 10 answer: "To send bulk SMS in Turkey, get recipients' prior consent under Law No. 6563, register as a sender with the İYS (İleti Yönetim Sistemi) and record consents and refusals there, then send through a provider with routes to Turkcell, Vodafone Türkiye and Türk Telekom. Use an alphanumeric sender ID, and plan for Turkish letters such as ş, ğ and ı, which usually force Unicode (70 characters per message)." takeaways: ["Commercial electronic messages in Turkey need the recipient's prior consent under Law No. 6563, and consents and refusals are managed in the İYS registry run for the Ministry of Trade.", "Personal data handling falls under the KVKK (Law No. 6698), so keep consent records and a clear purpose for every number you hold.", "Our regulation data lists BTK as the regulator and a typical sender ID lead time of 5 to 7 business days, with alphanumeric IDs up to 11 characters.", "Turkish letters ş, ğ, ı, İ and lowercase ç are outside the default GSM 7-bit alphabet, so a normal Turkish message is sent as Unicode with 70 characters per single message and 67 per part.", "Keep OTPs and order alerts on a separate transactional route from promotions, and size high-volume campaigns by segments, not by messages."] faq: - q: "Do I need İYS to send bulk SMS in Turkey?" a: "If you send commercial electronic messages to recipients in Turkey, the İYS registry is where consents and refusals are recorded, and the İYS site states that recipients without a recorded consent cannot be sent commercial messages. Sender registration and brand details are handled in İYS. Confirm the exact steps for your company type with İYS and your counsel." - q: "Can I send promotional SMS in Turkey without consent?" a: "As a rule, no. Law No. 6563 allows commercial electronic messages to recipients only with their prior consent. The law lists limited exceptions, for example messages about goods or services the recipient obtained from you, and messages to tradespeople and merchants. These exceptions are narrow and recipients can still refuse, so ask your lawyer before relying on one." - q: "How long does sender ID setup take in Turkey?" a: "Our published lead time for Turkey is 5 to 7 business days for sender ID setup with the operators. That is a typical range, not a guarantee. Operator review, missing company documents and busy periods can add time, so treat approval as a dependency in your launch plan and test delivery on all three networks." - q: "Do Turkish characters make SMS more expensive?" a: "Often yes. Letters such as ş, ğ, ı, İ and lowercase ç are not in the default GSM 7-bit alphabet, so a message containing them is sent as Unicode: 70 characters in a single message and 67 per part. The same text without those letters can fit 160. Check copy with a character counter before large sends." - q: "What are the allowed sending hours for SMS in Turkey?" a: "Our regulation data records no time-of-day window for commercial messages in Law No. 6563 and its regulation, and we have not found an official window. Agree hours with your provider and operator, schedule promotions for local daytime in Türkiye, and keep OTPs and alerts on a transactional route that can run at any hour." - q: "Which networks carry SMS in Turkey?" a: "Three mobile networks: Turkcell (MCC-MNC 286-01), Vodafone Türkiye (286-02) and Türk Telekom (286-03). Our coverage data lists direct routes to all three. Test every campaign on all of them and compare delivery per network rather than looking only at the overall rate." sources: - title: "Law No. 6563 on the Regulation of Electronic Commerce, Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi" url: "https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuatmetin/1.5.6563.pdf" - title: "İleti Yönetim Sistemi (İYS)" url: "https://iys.org.tr/" - title: "Ticari Elektronik İleti Yönetim Sistemi, T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı" url: "https://ticaret.gov.tr/ic-ticaret/bilgi-sistemleri/ticari-elektronik-ileti-yonetim-sistemi-iys" - title: "Kişisel Verilerin Korunması Kurumu (KVKK)" url: "https://www.kvkk.gov.tr/en" - title: "Bilgi Teknolojileri ve İletişim Kurumu (BTK)" url: "https://www.btk.gov.tr/en" - title: "3GPP TS 23.038: Alphabets and language-specific information" url: "https://www.3gpp.org/dynareport/23038.htm" --- # Bulk SMS in Turkey: İYS Consent, Sender ID and Turkish Text Canonical: https://omnichannels.ai/blog/bulk-sms-turkey-guide/ Language: en Publisher: OmniChannels.ai by BroadNet Technologies This guide is for marketing, e-commerce, fintech and operations teams that want to send business SMS to Turkish mobile numbers: OTPs, order updates, reminders and promotions. It explains which rules apply, what the İYS registry does, how sender IDs and Turkish letters affect delivery, and how to plan very large volumes. It is a practical overview, not legal advice; confirm requirements with Turkish counsel before launch. ## What rules apply to bulk SMS in Turkey? Three layers apply: the e-commerce law for commercial messages, the data protection law for personal data, and the operators and the regulator for the traffic itself. | Layer | What it covers | Where to check | |---|---|---| | Law No. 6563 on the Regulation of Electronic Commerce | Commercial electronic messages: prior consent, content, the right to refuse, the İYS system | [mevzuat.gov.tr](https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuatmetin/1.5.6563.pdf), [iys.org.tr](https://iys.org.tr/) | | KVKK, Law No. 6698 | Personal data of recipients: purpose, retention, security | [kvkk.gov.tr](https://www.kvkk.gov.tr/en) | | BTK and the operators | Telecom regulation, sender ID setup, routes | [btk.gov.tr](https://www.btk.gov.tr/en) | A **commercial electronic message** is, in the words of the law, a message sent for commercial purposes by electronic means such as telephone, email or short message, with data, voice or image content. SMS promotions fall inside that definition. ## What does Law 6563 require before you send? You need the recipient's prior consent, which can be written or given through any electronic means. Article 6 of the law sets four more duties that matter to SMS senders: 1. **Content matches consent.** The message must fit what the person agreed to receive. 2. **Identify yourself.** The message carries information that identifies the service provider and contact details, such as a phone number or email address. 3. **Make refusal easy.** Recipients can refuse at any time without giving a reason. The sender must let them refuse by electronic means, easily and free of charge, and must stop sending within three business days of the request. 4. **Use the national system.** The Ministry of Trade may operate an electronic system for obtaining consents and exercising the right to refuse. The law says consents that are not transferred to the system within the set period are treated as invalid. The law also lists exceptions. Messages about changes, use and maintenance of goods or services the recipient obtained from you do not need a separate consent, and messages to tradespeople and merchants can be sent without prior consent. Treat both as narrow. Refusal rights still apply, and the details live in the implementing regulation, so ask counsel before relying on an exception for a mass campaign. Our regulation data adds a practical layer: opt-in must be verifiable, opt-out is one step and final until the person consents again, and double opt-in is the operator-preferred standard for marketing. The data does not report any fine amounts, and this article does not either; check the current text for penalties. ## What is İYS and how do you use it? İYS (İleti Yönetim Sistemi, the Message Management System) is the national database where senders record recipients' consents to commercial electronic messages and where recipients' refusals are recorded. The Ministry of Trade describes it as a central structure where consents given by citizens are collected and managed. From the İYS site, the points that matter operationally are: - Service providers that want to send commercial electronic messages register in İYS. Applications are made by people authorised in the company's MERSİS record. - If you send under a name other than your trade name, you define it as a brand and upload the trademark registration certificate. Consents are managed per brand. - İYS states that commercial electronic messages cannot be sent to recipients who have no consent recorded there. - The basic services needed to meet the legal obligations are free. Paid corporate services, such as an integration module, exist for companies that want to sync their own systems. A workable operating model has four parts. Upload or collect consents by brand with their source and timestamp. Check your send list against İYS before each campaign. Process refusals from İYS as well as from your own opt-out channel. Keep your consent log for every number so you can answer a complaint. ## Do OTPs and order alerts need İYS consent? The law regulates messages sent for commercial purposes, so a plain OTP or a shipping notice is not a commercial message by definition. Once a message adds an offer, a discount code or a cross-sell, treat it as commercial. Keep that boundary clean in your own set-up: | Traffic | Example | Practice | |---|---|---| | Transactional | OTP, payment confirmation, delivery update | No promotion inside; own sender ID and route; any hour | | Promotional | Sale, campaign, new collection | İYS-consented numbers only; refusal method in every message; daytime schedule | | Mixed | "Your order shipped. Get a discount on your next one" | Avoid; the promotion makes it commercial | If you are unsure where a message type falls, such as a payment reminder with a loyalty offer, ask counsel and default to the stricter treatment. For OTP content see our [OTP authentication messages guide](/blog/otp-authentication-messages-guide/). ## How do sender IDs work for SMS to Turkey? Business SMS to Turkey uses an alphanumeric sender ID, up to 11 characters, that shows your brand name instead of a number. Our regulation data lists BTK as the regulator and says the sender setup is done with the operators, Turkcell, Vodafone Türkiye and Türk Telekom. A numeric long code is also supported on some routes. Our published lead time for sender ID setup in Turkey is 5 to 7 business days. Treat it as typical, not guaranteed. 1. **Classify your traffic** as transactional or promotional and plan one sender name for each. 2. **Choose names** that match your company or registered brand. This also lines up with the brand you define in İYS. 3. **Prepare documents.** Expect company registration papers and an authorisation letter naming the sender IDs and your provider; our [sender ID letter generator](/tools/sender-id-letter-generator/) drafts one. 4. **Submit through your provider** and track approval per operator. 5. **Test** an OTP and a promotion on all three networks before the first real send. Check the current position on our [Turkey sender ID page](/sender-id/turkiye/) or with the [sender ID checker](/tools/sender-id-checker/). If you want our team to prepare and file the registration with you, see [registrations](/services/registrations/); approval decisions stay with the operators and the regulator. ## Which operators carry SMS in Turkey? Three networks cover Turkish mobile subscribers, and our coverage data lists direct routes to all of them: | Operator | MCC-MNC | |---|---| | Turkcell | 286-01 | | Vodafone Türkiye | 286-02 | | Türk Telekom | 286-03 | Read delivery reports per operator. A healthy blended rate can hide a weak network, and our guide to [improving SMS delivery rates](/blog/sms-not-delivered-improve-delivery-rate/) shows how to diagnose it. ## How do Turkish characters affect SMS length and cost? Standard Turkish text is usually sent as Unicode, so a single message holds 70 characters instead of 160. The default GSM 7-bit alphabet contains ü, ö, Ü, Ö and uppercase Ç, but not ş, Ş, ğ, Ğ, ı, İ or lowercase ç. One such letter switches the whole message to Unicode. | Encoding | Single message | Per part when concatenated | |---|---|---| | GSM 7-bit | 160 characters | 153 | | Unicode (UCS-2) | 70 characters | 67 | There is a technical alternative. 3GPP TS 23.038 defines Turkish national language shift tables that carry these letters in 7-bit mode, and each shifted letter uses an extra septet. Support depends on the network, provider and handset, so test on your target operators before you depend on it. Our [guide to SMS character limits](/blog/sms-character-limits-unicode-arabic/) explains the standard. Here are examples we checked against the limits: | Message | Encoding | Characters | Parts | |---|---|---|---| | `Doğrulama kodunuz: 482913. Bu kodu kimseyle paylaşmayın. Ornek Market` | Unicode | 69 | 1 | | `Dogrulama kodunuz: 482913. Bu kodu kimseyle paylasmayin. Ornek Market` | GSM 7-bit | 69 | 1 | | `Ornek Market: Hafta sonuna özel seçili ürünlerde fırsatlar sizi bekliyor. Detay: ornek.com/f Ret hakkınız için: ornek.com/ret` | Unicode | 125 | 2 | | `Ornek Market: Hafta sonu secili urunlerde firsatlar sizi bekliyor. Detay: ornek.com/f Ret icin: ornek.com/ret` | GSM 7-bit | 109 | 1 | Dropping the diacritics saves segments, but it also changes spelling and can hurt readability or, for names, accuracy. For brand-sensitive campaigns many senders accept Unicode; for OTPs, where length matters more than spelling, plain letters are common. Test both on real handsets and check final copy in the [SMS character counter](/tools/sms-character-counter/). ## When should you send? We have not found an official time-of-day window for commercial SMS in Turkey, and our regulation data records none. A single vendor guide quotes a daytime window, but we could not verify it against a primary source, so we do not repeat it here. Agree hours with your provider and operator, send promotions in local daytime in Türkiye (UTC+3) and avoid late evening. Transactional messages can go at any hour. The [send time planner](/tools/send-time-planner/) helps schedule campaigns. ## How do you plan high-volume SMS to Turkey? Large Turkish senders, such as banks and e-commerce platforms, should plan by segments and by window, not by headline message count. Capacity is sized per account with your provider. - **Count segments.** A 125-character Unicode promotion is 2 segments, so five million such messages are ten million segments. - **Work backwards from the window.** Five million messages in a ten-hour daytime window is about 139 submissions per second on average, before retries and before peaks. Add headroom. - **Separate lanes.** Keep OTPs on their own route and sender ID so a promotion never queues in front of a login code. - **Apply İYS before the queue.** Filter the list and refusals first; do not rely on filtering at the last moment. - **Watch DLRs per operator** and pause a campaign when one network degrades. Our [high-volume SMS guide](/blog/high-volume-sms-sending-guide/) covers SMPP binds, windowing and throughput planning in depth. ## Is WhatsApp a good complement to SMS in Turkey? Yes for conversations, order updates and opted-in marketing, as a second channel beside SMS. WhatsApp marketing also needs opt-in under Meta's policy, and Meta charges per delivered message by category and recipient market, so check Meta's current rate card or our [Turkey WhatsApp pricing page](/whatsapp-pricing/turkey/). Our guide to [choosing a WhatsApp Business API provider in Turkey](/blog/best-whatsapp-business-api-provider-turkey/) covers Turkish templates (tr), and a fallback from WhatsApp to SMS can cover customers who have not opened it. ## A worked example: a Turkish online retailer "Ornek Market" (synthetic) sells home goods nationwide and wants OTPs, shipping updates and a weekly offer. - It registers its brand in İYS and uploads consents captured at checkout, each with source and timestamp. - It sets up two sender IDs, one for transactional and one for promotional traffic, and tests both on Turkcell, Vodafone Türkiye and Türk Telekom. - Its OTP uses plain letters to stay at one segment; its offer keeps the Turkish letters and uses two segments. - Each campaign is checked against İYS the same morning and sent in local daytime. - Refusals from İYS and from its own link feed one suppression list that also covers WhatsApp and email. ## What are the common mistakes? - **No consent evidence.** Without source and timestamp you cannot answer a complaint. - **Promotion inside an OTP.** It turns the message commercial and risks the OTP route. - **Ignoring Unicode.** Turkish copy with ş or ı doubles segment counts versus plain text. - **One sender ID for everything.** Mixed traffic puts transactional delivery at risk. - **Treating lead times as promises.** Plan buffer around 5 to 7 business days. ## How OmniChannels.ai helps OmniChannels.ai is powered by BroadNet, which has direct routes to Turkcell, Vodafone Türkiye and Türk Telekom. We prepare and file sender ID registration with you, support Turkish and English content and give you per-operator delivery reports, with SMPP 3.4 for high volume. For indicative list prices, see our [Turkey SMS pricing page](/sms-pricing/turkiye/), then [book a demo](/demo/) to plan your Turkey launch.