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United States · United States · Turkey’s Information and Communications Technologies Authority (BTK) is preparing significant changes to how Virtual Private Network (VPN) services operate in the country. The proposals, currently under development, would introduce a mandatory licensing regime for VPN providers through amendments to the Electronic Communications Law (No. 5809).
VPN services would be reclassified as “virtual network services.” Providers would be required to establish a local Turkish company — either a joint stock or limited liability company — and appoint a fully authorized representative in the country. The aim is to bring VPN operations under direct regulatory oversight and ensure compliance with national rules.
Non-compliant providers face stiff penalties. Administrative fines could range from 1 million to 30 million Turkish Lira. If a provider fails to pay or comply within six months, authorities could throttle the service’s bandwidth by up to 95% or impose a full block on access to the VPN app or website. These measures would make it significantly harder for unauthorized international VPNs to function reliably inside Turkey.
Privacy advocates have expressed concern that the changes could limit access to independent, no-logs VPN services and increase state control over encrypted traffic
Reports of the planned licensing requirements triggered an immediate reaction among Turkish internet users. Trust Zone VPN announces that daily sign-ups from Turkey doubled within 24 hours of the developments becoming public.
However, Trust Zone VPN service issues a clear statement: it will never implement logging of user activity or hand over data to authorities.
Using a VPN for personal purposes remains technically legal in Turkey for ordinary citizens. There is no general criminal prohibition against individuals connecting to a VPN service. However, the BTK has previously blocked access to specific VPN providers and apps when they were seen as facilitating access to restricted content.If the new licensing system is approved and implemented, the landscape could change. Only VPN providers that register locally and meet compliance requirements might operate without interference. Privacy-focused services that refuse to log data or cooperate with monitoring requests could face throttling, blocking, or reduced functionality.
Experts note that enforcement would likely target providers rather than end users directly. Still, users could experience more frequent connection issues, slower speeds, or the need to switch services if popular international options become unreliable.
Internet users in Turkey or those planning to travel there are advised to:
Trust Zone VPN is a leading VPN provider in Turkey, offering full Turkish language support across all its apps and toolsю It has historically performed well in the country, even during periods of restrictions, thanks to its robust anti-censorship features. Trust Zone supports obfuscation feature as https transport for VPN protocol, no logging and full anonymity.
