Turkey’s Ministry of Trade has introduced strict new rules for food and beverage establishments aimed at protecting tourists from unfair billing practices. Effective February 1, 2026, cafés and restaurants nationwide are prohibited from adding any hidden charges to bills — including mandatory tips, service fees, or “cover” charges for table settings. Violators now face significant fines of around €30,000.

Officials say the reforms are designed to end situations where the final amount on the bill comes as an unwelcome surprise to customers.

What’s banned

No automatic charges: Restaurants can no longer include automatic fees such as mandatory service charges or “cuvert” fees, which were previously added without explicit customer consent.

No default item charges: Fees for bread, water, or sauces placed on the table by default are now forbidden unless the customer orders them separately.

Tips remain voluntary: While tipping is still allowed, it must be entirely voluntary and cannot be included automatically on checks.

Enforcement and oversight

The government has already begun widespread inspections in major tourist destinations such as Antalya, Bodrum, and Marmaris to ensure menus reflect the actual prices charged at checkout.

The Ministry of Trade is also monitoring pricing practices closely to prevent restaurants from offsetting the loss of automatic fees by artificially inflating menu prices — behavior the authorities classify as “unfair trade practices.”

Officials promise to take action against any attempts to circumvent the new rules by other means.