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Country Information Turkey

Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, is a transcontinental country, located mostly on Anatolia in Western Asia, and on East Thrace in Southeastern Europa. Turkey's location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia makes it a country of significant geostrategic importance.

Turkey is a democratic, secular, unitary, constitutional republic with a diverse cultural heritage since 1923. The Parliament is the unique Executive Body and performed the legislation. The Parliament is re-established every four years by elections. Head of State is President who is elected every five years by public. Turkey covers an area of 783.562 square km, and the population is about 77 million. The country has 81 provinces which are administrated by a Governor. Turkey is a member of the Council of Europa, NATO, OECD, OSCE and the G-20 Major economies. Turkey has been accepted as a candidate country for EU by the EU Member States since 1999 and began full membership negotiations with the European Union in 2005, having been an associate member of the European Economic Community since 1963 and having joined the EU Custom Union stated on the decision 1/95 adopted by the Turkey-EU Association Council on 6 March 1995.

Directorate General for Metrology and Standardization of the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology (MSIT) is responsible for the implementation of legal metrology in TURKEY. Activities are performed under the provisions of Law No. 3516 "Measurements and Calibration", Law No. 4703 "Preparation and Implementation of the Technical Legislation Regarding Products" and Tasks of the General Directorate under the Decree Law No.635, published in the Official Gazette no. 27598 on 8/6/2011. Turkey accepted SI unit system in 1931 by Law of Measures (Law no 1782). After the decisions No: 1/95 and 2/97 between EU and Turkey, EU directives on legal metrology were transposed into Turkish law as regulations and manufactured products to be placed on the market and to be put into service have to be manufactured in accordance with the provisions of these new regulations.

In scope of the measuring instruments, there are two main new approach directives that were harmonised by DG for Metrology and Standardization.
These are:

  • Measuring Instrument Directive (MID-2004/22/EC) which was harmonised as Regulation On Measuring Instruments and put into force on 07.08.2008.
  • Non-Automatic Weighing Instruments Directive(NAWI-2009/23/EC) which was harmonized as Regulation On Non-Automatic Weighing Instruments and put into force on 01.01.2004.

Harmonised Regulation from MID covers following measuring instruments:
Water meters, gas meters and volume conversion devices, active electrical energy meters, heat meters, measuring systems for the continuous and dynamic measurement of quantities of liquids other than water, automatic weighing instruments, taximeters, material measures, dimensional measuring instruments and exhaust gas analysers.

In addition these new approach directives there are also old approach directives which were harmonised as regulations listed below.

  • Regulation On Common Provisions for Both Measuring Instruments and Methods of Metrological Control(ex71/316/EC- 2009/34/EC) which was put into force on 01.01.2004.
  • Regulation On International Units of Measurement Systems(ex80/181/EC-2009/3/EC) which was put into force on 01.01.2004.

Related with the prepackages, 3 EU Directives were harmonised as regulations.

These are:

  • Regulation On The Making-up by Weight or by Volume of Certain Prepackaged Products (76/211/EC ) which was put into force on 30.06.2004.
  • Regulation On The Bottles Used As Measuring Containers (75/107/EC) which was put into force on 30.06.2004.
  • Regulation Laying Down Rules On Nominal Quantities for Prepacked Products (2007/45/EC) which was put into force on 4.02. 2011.


DG for Metrology and Standardization is also responsible for the type approval of the digital and analogue tachograps and certification of the tachograph services as The Workshops Approval Authority according to the Regulation Recording Equipment Used International Road Transport(3821/85) which was put into force on 21.05 2010.

DG for Metrology and Standardization performs market surveillance activities together with the inspectors employed at the 81 provincial offices in the field of legal metrology, prepackaged products and petroleum market. Market surveillance and inspection are performed as proactive and reactive inspections. Most of the inspections are realized through the annual programmes. In these programmes, target fields/products are determined taking the following issues into account:  previous results of the MS activities, complaints, press reviews, country of origin, accidents.

National type approval is provided according to the Type Approval Regulation to the measuring instruments that are not covered by the Regulation On Measuring Instruments and Regulation On Non-Automatic Weighing Instruments which are harmonising MID and NAWI by the DG for Metrology and Standardization.

National initial verification is carried out for the instruments which have national type approval.

Re verification is required where an instrument has been repaired or adjusted, normally evident by breaking the official security seal. 

According to Law No. 3516, Measuring instruments are subject to initial verification and periodical, sudden, in complaint and stock inspection by the Ministry’s Measurement and Calibration Organization established within the 81 Provincial offices and private verification services authorised by the Ministry. Complying ones are either stamped or they receive certificates.

Also the persons who want to work in the repairment of measuring instruments have to receive “Measuring Instruments Repairman Authorization Certificate” from the provincial offices.

Periodical verification duration for the electrical energy meters, water meters and gas meters is in every 10 years and for the others is in every 2 years.

Ministry has 10 mass etalon and crane-equipped trucks for the inspection of the high capacity non automatic weighing instruments.

Turkey is one of the founder members of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), with Meter Convention signed in 1875. Turkey has become full member of International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) and also an associated member of European Cooperation of Legal Metrology (WELMEC) in 2005.

In addition to those membership for the Confederation of Organizations in Road Transportation Enforcement (CORTE) was realised in September 2008. The regular attendance to the committee meetings and working group meetings of the mentioned organisations is being performed by the Ministry and UME.

Mehmet Bozdemir
DG for Metrology and Standardization
Mustafa Kemal Mahallesi Dumlupınar Bulvarı 2151. Cadde No. 154, 06510 Cankaya Ankara, Turkey
Phone : +90 312 201 54 50

LAST UPDATE: MARCH 2018

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