Türkiye · Certification
ISO/IEC 27001 certification in Türkiye
Achieve ISO 27001 certification in Türkiye with Sterling: 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, 20+ years.
- Accredited certification
- Dubai office team
- Effivity software included
- Academy training included
Who asks for ISO 27001 in Türkiye
Clients include
ISO 27001 certification in Türkiye at a glance
Presidential Circular No. 2019/12 on Information and Communication Security Measures refers to ISO/IEC 27001, yet none of the Turkish instruments checked makes it compulsory. Buyers in Türkiye ask for it anyway.
Turkish banks work under the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency's regulation on information systems, public bodies under a Presidential circular and a security guide, and every organisation operating in cyberspace now falls within the Cyber Security Law of 2025. None of them names ISO/IEC 27001, which is why the standard is usually bought as customer assurance rather than imposed. It also gives a software or outsourcing firm a recognised answer to an overseas client's security questionnaire. TÜRKAK is shown by Global ACI as recognised for ISO/IEC 27001 certification since 2018, and the certificate comes from an accredited body. Sterling's Dubai office helps with scoping, risk assessment and evidence on-site or remotely, and Effivity and Sterling Academy come with the engagement; the certification body decides.
Who needs ISO 27001 in Türkiye, and what happens without it
In Türkiye the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.
- Banks and payment institutionsSupervisors set minimum information-systems controls, and customers and partners increasingly ask for an independently certified management system on top.
- Software, cloud and outsourcing firms serving overseas clientsForeign clients routinely ask for ISO/IEC 27001 certification as a condition of data-processing contracts.
- Public-sector suppliers and critical-infrastructure vendorsPublic bodies follow an information and communication security guide, and suppliers are asked to meet comparable controls.
- Companies that process personal data at scaleThe data protection law demands technical and organisational measures, and an ISMS gives a structured way to evidence them.
- Technology-zone start-ups and scale-upsEnterprise buyers ask young companies for certification before signing.
Not sure which of these applies to you?Answer a short set of questions and your readiness report arrives by e-mail.
Take the ISO/IEC 27001 readiness checkISO 27001 requirements in Türkiye
Strip away the vocabulary and ISO/IEC 27001 requires a company to prove six things about how it protects the information it holds.
In Türkiye these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: ISO/IEC 27001 explained →
How to get ISO 27001 certified in Türkiye
One team from the Dubai office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Clients across Türkiye are served from Sterling's Dubai office, on-site where the work needs it and remotely otherwise.
- Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
- Gap assessment against ISO/IEC 27001 and the Turkish requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
- Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
- Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
- Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.
- End to end, from one team
- Effivity ISO & GRC software
- Preferential Sterling Academy access, with complimentary awareness training for your people
- Internal auditor training for your audit team, as applicable to your standard
- Vulnerability assessment on ISMS engagements
The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.
How long does ISO 27001 certification take in Türkiye?
There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Türkiye these are the factors that set the timeline.
- Scope boundary: business units, locations and cloud services included
- Risk assessment and Statement of Applicability to complete
- Evidence of controls running over time, such as access reviews and incident logs
- Certification body scheduling around holiday periods
Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.
How much does ISO 27001 certification cost in Türkiye?
The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the certification body’s audit fees, which are quoted separately. In Türkiye these factors move both.
- Number of locations, staff and information assets in scope
- Technical testing and remediation, including penetration tests
- Certification body audit fees, quoted separately
- Combination with ISO/IEC 27701 or ISO 22301
Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.
ISO 27001 consultants and certification bodies in Türkiye
Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; an accredited certification body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.
- Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers ISO 27001 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
- Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Türkiye are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
- Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
- Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.
Laws and regulations that drive ISO 27001 in Türkiye (4)
| Instrument | How it treats the standard |
|---|---|
| TÜRKAK recognition entries (Global ACI) | Market driver Global ACI shows TÜRKAK recognised for ISO/IEC 27001 (with ISO/IEC 27006-1) management systems certification from 5 April 2018, so an accredited local route exists; this is not a mandate. |
| BDDK Regulation on Information Systems of Banks and Electronic Banking Services | Does not name the standard It sets minimum procedures for banks' information systems, cyber incident management, penetration testing and outsourced services without naming ISO/IEC 27001. |
| Presidential Circular No. 2019/12 on Information and Communication Security Measures | Refers to / expects Public bodies and critical-infrastructure operators follow a graded Information and Communication Security Guide; no ISO standard is named. |
| Cyber Security Law No. 7545 | Framework law Gives the Cyber Security Presidency audit and criteria-setting tasks; it creates no ISO/IEC 27001 duty. |
Accreditation, audit language and remote audits in Türkiye
Use a certification body accredited for ISO/IEC 27001 by TÜRKAK or by an accreditation body within the international mutual recognition arrangements (Global ACI — Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated, formerly the IAF MLA); check that the accreditation scope covers the standard and your sector. Global ACI lists TÜRKAK as recognised for ISO/IEC 27001 management systems certification from April 2018. The accredited certification body decides, not Sterling. Edition and transition details: ISO/IEC 27001 hub →
Audit language
Turkish is the usual working language and the audit is normally run in it; agree the audit language, any interpreter and the language of controlled documents with the certification body at application, and say early if records will be in English.
Remote and on-site
Documentation review and parts of the stage audit can be remote at the certification body's discretion; data centres, offices and key operational sites are normally visited.
ISO 27001 in Türkiye: questions clients ask
Do Turkish banks need ISO/IEC 27001?
No bank-specific rule names it. The supervisor's regulation on information systems and electronic banking sets minimum procedures on information systems management, cyber incident handling, penetration testing and outsourced services without naming ISO standards. Counterparties and customers may still ask for certification, and an ISMS can organise the evidence. Banks should confirm supervisory expectations with the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency.
Does the Cyber Security Law make ISO/IEC 27001 mandatory?
Not on its face. The Law, in force since March 2025, gives the Cyber Security Presidency tasks such as cyber security audits and technical criteria for products and services, and names no ISO standard. Implementing regulations may add detail, so check them with counsel or the Presidency before treating certification as a legal route to compliance.
Which body certifies an ISMS in Türkiye?
Your appointed certification body issues it, not Sterling. TÜRKAK, the national accreditation body, has been recognised in Global ACI for ISO/IEC 27001 since April 2018, and certification bodies accredited elsewhere may certify Turkish sites too. Before you sign, ask for the accreditation certificate, confirm it names ISO/IEC 27001 and check that the sector scope fits.
Is a certificate enough to meet the personal data law?
No. The data protection law creates its own duties, such as informing data subjects, registering with the Data Controllers' Registry unless exempt, notifying breaches and following transfer rules, and an ISO/IEC 27001 certificate does not discharge them. It does evidence security measures. Ask counsel how the two fit together for your processing.
More on ISO 27001 for Turkish organisations
- ISO/IEC 27001: the complete guide
- Watch: How to implement ISO/IEC 27001
- Banking and financial services: ISO/IEC 27001 for the sector
- BPO and shared services: ISO/IEC 27001 for the sector
- Government and public sector: ISO/IEC 27001 for the sector
- Healthcare and health data: ISO/IEC 27001 for the sector
- Professional and legal services: ISO/IEC 27001 for the sector
- Software, SaaS and technology: ISO/IEC 27001 for the sector
- Telecoms and data centres: ISO/IEC 27001 for the sector
- ISO 27001 certification in Türkiye and every other standard Sterling delivers there
Other standards Turkish businesses ask Sterling for
Organisations in Türkiye often combine ISO/IEC 27001 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.
Start with a free discovery call from the Dubai office
A Sterling consultant goes through your entities, your regulators and your target date with you. No proposal until the scope is agreed.
Sources
- TÜRKAK recognition entries (Global ACI) — global-aci.org; turkak.org.tr (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- BDDK Regulation on Information Systems of Banks and Electronic Banking Services — resmigazete.gov.tr (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- Presidential Circular No. 2019/12 on Information and Communication Security Measures — resmigazete.gov.tr (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- Cyber Security Law No. 7545 — resmigazete.gov.tr (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- TÜRKAK (Turkish Accreditation Agency) — global-aci.org; turkak.org.tr (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- Public procurement under the Public Procurement Law and the Public Procurement Authority — kik.gov.tr; dosyalar.kik.gov.tr (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- Defence and aerospace programmes — ssb.gov.tr (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
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