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Türkiye · Certification

ISO/IEC 27701 certification in Türkiye

Achieve ISO 27701 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

Clients include

  • Allianz
  • Emirates Flight Catering
  • Etihad Rail
  • Haier
  • Whirlpool
  • Emerson
In short

ISO 27701 certification in Türkiye at a glance

Law No. 6698 on the Protection of Personal Data (KVKK) is the instrument itself: it applies to the organisations within its scope, and buyers and partners in Türkiye ask for evidence that you meet it.

Law No. 6698 asks Turkish organisations to inform people, answer their requests, protect their data and register with the Data Controllers' Registry, and it offers no certificate for doing so. ISO/IEC 27701, the privacy extension to ISO/IEC 27001, is the closest certifiable structure: it organises records of processing, notices, rights handling and processor and transfer controls into a management system an auditor can test. It does not replace the Law, and Global ACI's entry for TÜRKAK shows no ISO/IEC 27701 line, so the certification body's accreditation needs checking. Sterling's Dubai office helps teams build the system alongside ISO/IEC 27001, on-site or remotely, drawing on 20+ years of delivery and 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included with the engagement.

The need

Who needs ISO 27701 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.

  • Controllers and processors that handle personal data at scaleThe Law's duties on notices, rights, security and records can be organised through a privacy information management system.
  • Software, cloud and outsourcing firms acting as processorsOverseas and Turkish clients ask processors to show how personal data is controlled.
  • Groups with Turkish and EU operationsA single privacy system can serve both the Turkish law and other regimes, when mapped carefully.
  • Firms preparing for customer privacy auditsEnterprise customers ask for evidence beyond a security certificate.

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 27701 readiness check
Requirements

ISO 27701 requirements in Türkiye

Strip away the vocabulary and ISO/IEC 27701 requires a company to prove six things about how it handles personal data.

You know whose data you hold and whyYou know what personal data you process, for which purposes and on what basis, and whether you act as controller, processor or both.
Privacy has an ownerManagement assigns responsibility for privacy and sets objectives, so everyone who handles personal data knows their role.
You assessed the privacy risksRisks to the people whose data you process are assessed and treated, including when new products and processes are designed.
People can exercise their rightsRequests to access, correct or delete data, and other individual rights, run through a defined and timely process.
Sharing and suppliers are controlledDisclosures, transfers and processors are governed by agreements and checks, so data is used only as agreed.
You can demonstrate itRecords of processing, notices and decisions are kept, and the privacy system is audited and reviewed like any management system.

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 27701 explained →

How Sterling gets a Turkish company certified

How to get ISO 27701 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.

  1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
  2. Gap assessment against ISO/IEC 27701 and the Turkish requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
  3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
  4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
  5. Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.
Included in every engagement
  • 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.

Time

How long does ISO 27701 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.

  • Records of processing to compile
  • Privacy notices, rights procedures and processor contracts to align
  • Existing ISO/IEC 27001 maturity
  • Certification body scheduling around holiday periods

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

Cost

How much does ISO 27701 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 processing activities, entities and data subjects in scope
  • Legal review of notices and processor and transfer contracts
  • Certification body audit fees, quoted separately
  • Combination with ISO/IEC 27001

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

Choosing a partner

ISO 27701 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 27701 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 27701 in Türkiye (3)

    InstrumentHow it treats the standard
    Law No. 6698 on the Protection of Personal Data (KVKK)The instrument itself
    It creates no certificate and cites no ISO standard; ISO/IEC 27701 is a voluntary way to organise the controls and evidence behind its duties.
    Personal Data Protection Authority — registry, breach, complaint and standard contract channelsRegulator tools
    VERBİS, breach notification, complaints and the standard contract for transfers; the Authority runs no ISO/IEC 27701 scheme.
    TÜRKAK recognition entries (Global ACI)Accreditation
    Global ACI's TÜRKAK entry shows ISO/IEC 27001 but no ISO/IEC 27701 line, so confirm accreditation for this standard with any certification body.

    Accreditation, audit language and remote audits in Türkiye

    Use a certification body accredited for ISO/IEC 27701, or for ISO/IEC 27001 with the privacy extension, by an accreditation body within the international mutual recognition arrangements (Global ACI — Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated, formerly the IAF MLA). Global ACI's entry for TÜRKAK does not show an ISO/IEC 27701 line, so ask each body for its accreditation certificate and scope. An ISO/IEC 27701 certificate is not proof of compliance with Law No. 6698. The certification body decides, not Sterling. Edition and transition details: ISO/IEC 27701 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

    Remote audit elements are at the certification body's discretion under its accreditation rules; plants and operational sites are normally visited on-site.

    ISO 27701 in Türkiye: questions clients ask

    Does ISO/IEC 27701 make a company compliant with Law No. 6698?

    No. The Law sets its own duties, such as informing data subjects, answering requests, securing data, notifying breaches, registering unless exempt and following the transfer rules, and a certificate does not discharge them. The standard helps organise controls and evidence. Ask counsel or the Authority how your processing stands under the Law.

    Can a Turkish certification body issue ISO/IEC 27701?

    Check the body's accreditation first. Global ACI's TÜRKAK entry shows ISO/IEC 27001 but no ISO/IEC 27701 line, so ask whichever body you consider for an accreditation certificate that covers the privacy extension. Sterling does not certify. Written confirmation of scope before you start avoids surprises later.

    Do I need ISO/IEC 27001 before ISO/IEC 27701?

    ISO/IEC 27701 extends an information security management system, so in practice you need one in place or built at the same time. Companies with existing ISO/IEC 27001 certification add the privacy controls and records, while others run both projects together. Discuss the plan with the certification body at application.

    Does ISO/IEC 27701 help with transfers abroad?

    It helps you document your controls and contracts, but it is not one of the transfer routes in the Law. After the 2024 amendment those routes are adequacy decisions, appropriate safeguards such as standard contracts or binding corporate rules, and incidental exceptions. Use the standard to organise evidence, and ask counsel which route fits each transfer.

    Read more

    More on ISO 27701 for Turkish organisations

    Explore

    Other standards Turkish businesses ask Sterling for

    Organisations in Türkiye often combine ISO/IEC 27701 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

    All 21 standards Sterling delivers in Türkiye →

    Next step

    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

    1. Law No. 6698 on the Protection of Personal Data (KVKK) — kvkk.gov.tr (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
    2. Personal Data Protection Authority — registry, breach, complaint and standard contract channels — kvkk.gov.tr (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
    3. TÜRKAK recognition entries (Global ACI) — global-aci.org; turkak.org.tr (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
    4. TÜRKAK (Turkish Accreditation Agency) — global-aci.org; turkak.org.tr (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
    5. Public procurement under the Public Procurement Law and the Public Procurement Authority — kik.gov.tr; dosyalar.kik.gov.tr (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
    6. Defence and aerospace programmes — ssb.gov.tr (accessed 11 Oct 2026)

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