The TİO authorisation certificate is the operating licence issued by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure (Ulaştırma ve Altyapı Bakanlığı) to freight transport organisers. The holder may have road, rail, sea, air and combined transport carried out in its own name and for its own account, and issue transport invoices. Its legal basis is the Regulation on Freight Transport Organisers (Taşıma İşleri Organizatörlüğü Yönetmeliği) of 27 August 2022; the certificate is valid for 5 years.
Who is a freight transport organiser?
Under Article 4 of the Regulation, a freight transport organiser (taşıma işleri organizatörü, TİO) is a natural or legal person deemed to be a carrier even though it does not carry out the transport itself. It has the transport performed in its own name and for its own account by licensed carriers, by foreign-registered vehicles in accordance with international agreements, or by other modes of transport, and issues the transport invoice to the customer itself. It is the organiser that assumes carrier liability towards the customer; it is the equivalent of freight forwarding in Turkish legislation.
Which activities does it cover?
- Organisation of road, rail, sea and air transport of goods and cargo
- Combined and multimodal transport using more than one mode together
- Transport-related storage, packing, labelling and packaging
- Order management, insurance, distribution and other logistics operations
The Regulation covers both national and international transport. The 2025 amendment explicitly sets out two cabotage limits: a TİO may not use foreign-registered vehicles to carry goods between two points within Turkey, nor foreign-flagged ships to carry goods between Turkish ports.
Why is it important?
Article 5 of the Regulation makes it mandatory for anyone carrying out this activity to obtain a TİO authorisation certificate. The certificate also gives the customer tangible safeguards:
- The TİO is liable for loss, damage and theft from the moment it takes over the cargo until delivery (Art. 17/4).
- It may not have cargo carried without a transport document (Art. 17/3).
- It must take out carrier's liability insurance (Art. 19).
- It may not subcontract work to carriers holding C1 and K2 authorisation certificates (Art. 17/5).
- It must comply with personal data protection legislation (Art. 17/8).
What are the requirements for obtaining the certificate?
| Requirement | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| For natural persons, Turkish citizenship; for legal persons, a company established under the TTK and registered in the trade registry | Art. 7/1-a, b |
| Professional good repute of managers and shareholders | Art. 7/1-c |
| Capital of at least TRY 1,000,000 (2025 amendment; for those already holding a certificate at that date, required at the first renewal) | Art. 7/1-ç, provisional Art. 6 |
| Head office address, active tax registration, chamber of commerce membership, electronic notification registration | Art. 7/1-d, e, g, ğ |
| At least one ÜDY3 certificate of professional competence at the head office and at least one ODY3 at each branch, within 45 days of the certificate being issued | Art. 16, Art. 17/7 |
Diplomas of graduates of programmes such as logistics and maritime business management, and of those who have successfully completed IRU and FIATA training programmes, can be used in place of ÜDY and ODY certificates. The application steps are described in the entry how to obtain a TİO certificate.
Validity and fee
The certificate is valid for 5 years; on first application, a one-off 1-year certificate may also be obtained. Renewal applications are made within the 90 days before expiry, and the renewal fee is 15 per cent of that year's certificate fee. The Regulation set the certificate fee at TRY 273,244; the amount is increased each year by the revaluation rate, and a 1 per cent discount applies to applications via e-Devlet.
Relationship with other authorisation certificates
Former R1 certificates were converted ex officio into TİO authorisation certificates under a provisional provision of the Road Transport Regulation (Karayolu Taşıma Yönetmeliği); the differences are in the entry difference between TİO and R1. Companies carrying goods internationally with their own vehicles use Road Transport Regulation certificates such as C2 or L2, the international logistics certificate. Who is obliged to obtain the certificate is covered in a separate entry.
How does Voltim Global support you?
Voltim Global operates under TİO authorisation certificate no. IST.U-NET.TİO.33.10568 issued by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure; the certificate is valid until 27.03.2031. Project logistics and international transport are organised within the framework of this authorisation.