Main developments and key milestones (in reverse chronological order)

Last updated: November 2011

For the latest developments, see: ePractice news for eGovernment

Recent News

November 2011

The Government Decree-Law on Organisation and Duties of the Ministry of Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communication is published in the Official Gazette of 1 November 2011. Among other new responsibilities laid down in the Decree-Law, the Ministry of Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communications will be tasked with the coordination and supervision of the objectives and strategies of the relevant public authorities in the field of eGovernment. To fulfil this mission, the Ministry will oversee the cooperation between public authorities and make the necessary arrangements, determine principles and procedures, as well as action plans for eGovernment services, coordinate the implementation of eGovernment services, and supervise and monitor the activities conducted.

October 2011

In October 2011, the first phase of the eCorrespondance project, which is aimed at exchanging official documents online among public authorities, is completed. The outcome of the first phase is the common set of rules for the implementation of the secure exchange of electronic documents among public institutions through the use of electronic signature and encryption mechanisms. The report explaining the common set of rules will be published on the project's website.

June 2011

The State Planning Organisation, which was responsible for information society and eGovernment policies, has been re-organised as part of the Ministry of Development. The Ministry of Development is now responsible for the formation of policies, aims and strategies regarding the information society. It ensures the coordination among public institutions and organisations, non-governmental organisations and the private sector. Furthermore, it orientates implementation efficiently, based on Art. 2/j entitled “Missions” of the “Decree-Law on the Establishment and Duties of the Ministry of Development”, which is dated 3 June 2011 and numbered KHK/641, published in the reiterated Official Gazette on 8 June 2011 and numbered 27958. 

May 2011

The 'Public Information and Communication Technologies Investment Report' for 2011, is published. According to the report, annual allowance assigned to projects carried out on information and communication technologies is more than 2 billion Turkish Lira (TL) in 2011. The total project amount of 210 projects included in the 2011 Investment Programme is TL 4.9 billion. While the education and other public services sectors took the largest share from the 2011 ICT investment allocations, transportation, communication, and health sectors constituted the sectors to which the largest amounts of ICT investment allowance were allocated.

April 2011

• On 15 April 2011, the website of the 'eCorrespondence' project, which aims at making official communications between Turkish public authorities electronic, is launched at www.e-yazisma.gov.tr. The eCorrespondence project (e-Yazışma, in Turkish), which is currently in the pilot stage, is intended to develop a common set of rules for the implementation of the secure exchange of electronic documents between state institutions, thus entailing the use of electronic signature and encryption mechanisms. Six public authorities take part in the pilot to date. The project's steps comprise the following:
  • For the purpose of secure exchange of electronic documents between state institutions, a common set of rules, an electronic signature and an encryption mechanism will be defined in detail in a technical specification document.
  • This technical specification will then have to be implemented by all public institutions and organisations willing to participate.
  • A software API for Java and .NET platforms implementing the eCorrespondence Package will be developed for organisations wishing to integrate their electronic document management system.
  • The API system will be tested under pilot implementation.
  • Legal regulation will be drafted to support the resulting solution.

• The Survey on eGovernment Practices in Local Governments is published. It was conducted during 2011 by the Ministry of Interior General Directorate of Local Administrations aiming at determining the ICT usage and the current state of local administrations in Turkey in eGovernment service provision as well as local demands. The survey revealed that the percentage of local administrations operating websites, as assessed on population basis, is 97 %. An Interactive City Guide is operated in 80 % of municipalities’ websites. Furthermore, 36 municipalities and 70 special provincial administrations use electronic signature in their transactions and service provision, while 73 municipalities and 2 special provincial administrations use mobile electronic signatures. Both electronic and mobile electronic signatures are used in 6 municipalities. Electronic signature is used in such transactions as debt inquiry and payment, business license application, zoning status application, marriage application, sanitation tax declaration, announcement and advertisement declaration, declaration of real estate, submission of proposals in tenders, application process stage inquiry, and current value inquiry.

March 2011

On 7 March 2011, the first public eProcurement is performed as a pilot application in the health sector (medical equipments) by Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine Hospital, through 1.2 version of EKAP which aims to build and serve as the eProcurement platform for Turkish public agencies.

February 2011

The Working Report on the Share and Re-use of Public Sector Information is published. The report scrutinises the possibilities for re-use of the digital information possessed by the public sector and puts forward a proposal on the development of the content industry and on making public institutions more transparent and participative.

News 2010-2001

2010

• On 8 December 2010, a Prime Ministry Circular (2010/25) regarding the Transition Plan of the public institutions and organisations to IPv6 is published in the Official Gazette. According to the transition plan within the Circular, public institutions and organisations will ensure all public services provided through the internet support IPv6 until 31 August 2011 at the latest.
• On 22 November 2010, the signature ceremony of the FATİH Project, aiming to increase the equality of opportunity in education and the quality of education, is performed with the participation of Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Minister of National Education, Nimet Çubukçu and Minister of Transportation, Binali Yıldırım. FATİH, is among the most important educational investments in Turkey. The project covers the equipment of nearly 620 thousand classrooms with most recent technology (interactive boards, broadband access etc.), distribution of tablet PCs to students, in-service training activities of teachers and harmonisation of curriculums with this technology. The project has a budget of nearly TL 3 billion and will be completed in three years.
  On 10 November 2010, Turkey signs the Convention on Cybercrime (CETS No. 185). Its main goals are to efficiently combat cybercrimes in the international arena and to adopt a common perception when combating these crimes.

• In September 2010, with the changes made in Article No. 20 of the Constitution, citizens are granted the right to request the protection of their personal data. The right entails being informed about his/her own personal data, accessing these data, requesting to be corrected or deleted and learning whether it has been used for the purposes they were obtained in the first place. Hereinafter, individual data can be processed only in the circumstances envisaged in the law or with the consent of the citizen.
  A Working Report of the eCorrespondence Project, launched within the context of the activity 'Constitution of Common Services', taking place in the Information Society Action Plan and aiming to transfer official correspondences among public authorities to electronic environment, is published. The Working Report has been prepared in order to underline the importance of eCorrespondence in public authorities, to shed light on relevant studies in public institutions, organisations and the private sector, and to scrutinise technical and legal requirements for realising eCorrespondence.

• On 1 June 2010, ePassport practice is launched with the cooperation of the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Applications for the new passports can be made from 191 application centres domestically and from embassies and consulates abroad. The ePassport contains a chip involving biometric data as photograph, finger print and signature. Online services as appointment requests, application monitoring and information requests, are provided through ePassport Information System addressed at www.epasaport.gov.tr.
  As of June 2010, the Social Assistance Information System - SAIS (Sosyal Yardım Bilgi Sistemi - SOYBİS, in Turkish) is being used to determine eligibility for the Green Card and pensions for the elderly and people with disabilities. The decision was drafted by the Economic Coordination Committee and signed by the Minister of State, Hayati Yazıcı in the General Directorate of the Social Assistance and Solidarity. Eligibility requirements are set forth according to Law No. 2022. SAIS allows the relevant government authority to access all personal information that is stored in multiple institutions on potential beneficiaries from a central database. This inter-institutional online data-sharing prevents citizen misuse of state resources, and ensures that only the most needy receive social assistance.

• On 11 May 2010, representatives of the Social Assistance and Solidarity General Directorate (GDSAS) and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) sign the technical details of the Integrated Social Assistance Services Project contract at the GDSAS main building. Mr Aziz Yildirim, General Manager of the above mentioned General Directorate and the President of TUBITAK Prof. Dr Nükhet Yetiş, signed the technical details of the project. The project will provide all kinds of social assistance from a single access point database. The infrastructure of the project and the technology used are similar to that of the Social Assistance Information System (SAIS). In addition to SAIS, the project will have a database shared with all government institutions, municipalities and finally with the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) which have a social assistance programme.
  Via the Vehicle and Driver Information System (ASBİS), sale, transfer and registration of vehicles in second-hand sales can be performed online at notaries starting from 1 May 2010.

• In April 2010, the Ministry of Trade and Industry opens a Consumer Information System. Thanks to the System, consumers are able to have all information on their rights, to send their complaints to relevant authorities online and to search for the state of their applications through http://www.tuketici.gov.tr.
  The Ministry of Trade and Industry starts pilot implementation of Central Legal Entity Information System in Mersin Trade Registry Office on 19 April 2010. The System, creating a central database for trade registries, will depend on a unique identification number for all legal entities and will enable the online application for trade registry services.
  The Ministry of Environment and Forestry starts pilot implementation of Online Environmental Licences Project. Starting from 1 April 2010, businesses are able to conduct their work related to environmental permits and transactions online from a single portal in 14 provinces. The implementation was scaled to all 81 provinces as of July 2010.

• Council of Ministers conveys the 'Draft Law on Amendment of Some Laws and Decree Laws to Accelerate Public Services' to the Parliament on 13 March 2010. The Draft Law, pending on the relevant Parliamentary Commissions, proposes amendments in 28 Laws and aims to remove the legislative barriers in several electronic public services.
  The Revenue Administration puts the electronic invoice project that was at pilot stage earlier, into implementation. Accordingly, electronic invoices signed with a secure electronic signature, can be stored in electronic form and relayed between relevant parties in electronic environment.

• In January 2010, the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen' Association (TUSIAD) in collaboration with the Turkish Informatics Foundation (TBV) organises the 7th eTürkiye (eTR) Awards in Ankara, under the auspices of the Turkish President, Abdullah Gül. Social Assistance Information System (SAIS) project of Social Assistance and Solidarity General Directorate is awarded in Government to Government (G2G) services while Söke Municipality has been awarded with Smart City Automation System in Government to Citizen (G2C). Government to Business (G2B) award has been given to Undersecretariat of Customs and DG Public Accounts of Ministry of Finance for GÜMKART Project.

2009

• In November 2009, the National Judiciary Informatics System (UYAP) and the SMS Information System are selected as finalists for the 4th European eGovernment Awards 2009, while Prime Ministry Communication Centre and eCertification for Guarantee and After Sale Services Certificates are labelled as Good Practices. SMS Information System is awarded with Public Prize. The SMS judicial information system, which is a part of UYAP, provides an outstanding service for citizens and lawyers, enabling them to receive SMS messages containing legal information.
• On 27 October 2009, the ‘Social Assistance Information System’ (SAIS, known as SOYBİS in Turkish) is being presented to the public by Minister of State Hayati Yazıcı in the General Directorate of the Social Assistance and Solidarity. Thanks to SAIS, the government can access the applicant's personal information from central databases that are stored in several government institutions.
  At that same month, according to the Turkey 2009 progress report, progress in the area of electronic communications can be reported in efforts to align national legislation with the EU framework.

• On 31 July 2009, the Directive on Specification of Rules and Procedures on Provision of Public Services is issued in the Official Gazette by the Council of Ministers. The Directive specifies a number of provisions dictating public agencies to share data and databases, not to request citizens to provide data or documents that are already available to public authorities and to relay all documents regarding service provision to electronic environment.
  The Authorisation process regarding 3G services is completed and 3 operators are granted relevant licenses. These services are launched at the end of July 2009.

• In June 2009, the Ministry of National Education retrieves the ID and address information of kids, which were to begin primary school in 2009-2010 education year, from the MERNIS system. It enrols them automatically to the most suitable school in terms of distance around their residence, thanks to the interoperability and data sharing amongst three different databases and projects namely MERNIS, Address Record System and the eSchool project.
• In March 2009, the Supreme Election Council conducts an important eGovernment project called SEÇSİS(Computer Aided Central Electoral Register System), which is legally based on Law No. 298 about essential provisions of elections and electoral registers. In the 2009 Local Government Elections, the Supreme Election Council automatically updated elector’s registry by retrieving citizen’s identity data from Identity Sharing System so that new electors would not have to inform public agencies and provide any further documents themselves.
• In February 2009, in accordance with the measures foreseen in the Information Society Strategy and Law No. 5838 concerning Internet services, the Special Communication Tax rate is reduced to 5 %. In the past, the tax rate was 15 % for fixed services and 25 % for mobile.
  On 28 February 2009, the Interoperability Framework, whose first version was delivered in August 2005, is updated and published as version 2.0 by the Information Society Department of State Planning Organisation.

2008

• On 18 December 2008, ‘e-Devlet Kapisi’, Turkey’s eGovernment gateway, is launched. The portal aims to provide citizens and enterprises with a single point of access to eGovernment services. The gateway will serve a third group of users – the public sector agencies themselves – allowing them to interact with each other and exchange information.
• On 5 December 2008, the amendment of the Public Procurement Law with Law No. 5812, aimed to enable the implementation of electronic public procurement, is published.
• On 10 November 2008, the Electronic Communications Law No. 5809 is enacted and put into force. The law aims to provide the basis for alignment with the EU framework.
  According to the Turkey 2008 progress report, in November 2008, certain progress can be reported in the field of electronic communications and information technologies in Turkey.

• On 21 May 2008, the Prime Ministry issues a Circular regarding the Address Record System. This Circular requires all public agencies to use the address records in the Address Record System through ISS (Identity Sharing System) in electronic form. The Circular also stipulates that public agencies will not ask citizens to provide a certificate of residence, nor a copy of identity registration.
• The Revenue Administration paves the way for electronic invoice with a Circular on 14 May 2008. This Circular sets the procedures on storage and declaration of the electronic invoice. According to the Circular, invoices signed with a secure electronic signature shall be stored in electronic form. The Circular also states that there shall be no obligation to document invoices in paper-based form.

2007

• According to the seventh Global eGovernment report of August 2007, which evaluates public websites in 198 countries worldwide, Turkey’s public websites rank 9th. They share the top ten with Asian and North American leaders as well as the United Kingdom (5th) and Portugal (7th). In comparison to last year’s results, Turkey gained 18 ranks. The findings of the report are based on the assessment of 1 697 national government websites regarding executive, legislative and judicial bodies but also of state agencies responsible for health, taxation, education and more.
• A Prime Ministry Circular on an electronic citizenship card pilot project is issued on 4 July 2007. Electronic citizenship cards including biometric elements will be used for identification purposes. Thereby, biometric data will be integrated on a single electronic card. A pilot implementation will start in the social security system and deployment efforts will be carried out according to the results of this pilot implementation.
• In June 2007, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) publishes a study on eGovernment in Turkey. According to the study, Turkey is making strong progress in implementing eGovernment. OECD places return on investment, a comprehensive regulatory approach thus improving Internet access and broadband development as challenges to eGovernment development in Turkey.
• In May 2007, Law No. 5651, under the tile ‘Regulation of Internet Publications and Combating Crimes Committed through such Publication’, enters into force with its promulgation in the Official Gazette of 23 May 2007, issue 26530. The Law aims to combat some specific crimes, determined in the Turkish Criminal Code, committed through the Internet by banning the accession to websites. The decision of banning accession is made by the judge, unless the case is about child exploitation or obscenity, when the Telecommunications Authority-Department of Communication directly bans the website.
• Turkey’s institutional set up on information society is reorganised with a Prime Ministry Circular on 3 April 2007, in accordance with the Information Society Strategy. The eTransformation Turkey Executive Board is strengthened with the participation of the Minister of Education and high level representatives from key public institutions. In addition, the Council of Transformation Leaders is set up. Its members are assigned to direct eTransformation efforts at policy level in public agencies. Moreover, the Advisory Council is reformed. It consists of NGOs representatives, universities and the private sector, and aims at ensuring effective participation in and support of all segments of the society in the process of transition to information society.
• The Education Inservice Teacher Training Program (IEITP) is launched on 20 March 2007, at national level in Turkey. The programme's objective is to enable teachers to use ICT tools in the production of educational material for the classroom. Teachers who complete this programme are able to produce their own ICT based learning materials and share them with other colleagues.
• A Prime Minister’s Circular on public web sites standardisation is issued on 27 January 2007. The Circular’s annex, entitled as Guide to Public Web Sites, sets the general principles for visual quality, security, authentication and usability standardisation for public agency web sites.

2006

• In July 2006, the Turkish Investment Portal is established. This portal is an easy-to-navigate information platform for international entrepreneurs considering why and how to invest in Turkey. Entrepreneurs can find the facts on how best Turkey fits in their international business strategies.
  On 28 July 2006, the National Information Society Strategy comes into force. According to the Strategy, Turkey’s process of transformation into an information society will be carried out around the following 7 basic strategy priorities: Social Transformation; Adoption of ICT by Business; Citizen-centred Service Transformation; Modernisation in Public Administration; A Globally Competitive ICT Sector; Competitive, Widespread and Affordable Communication Infrastructure and Services and Improvement of R&D and Innovation. The strategy has an action plan with 111 actions under 7 strategic priorities.

• The Ministry of National Education launches the comprehensive 'eSchool' (e-Okul) project in May 2006. Within the framework of this project, identification information stored in the Central Population Management System, namely MERNIS, of the Ministry of Internal Affairs along with school registration information, is recorded into the central information system by the schools. eSchool platform which consists of the information of schools, students and parents, informs parents and students through alternative channels.
• In April 2006, progress on ‘eGovernment Gateway’, Turkey’s first eGovernment gateway, is well under way. With a Decree dated 20th of April, the responsibility of the Project is transferred to the government company Turksat. Hence, the legal and administrative barriers, which emerged after Turkish Telekom’s privatisation, are removed.

2005

• In November 2005, Turkish Telecom signs with Oytek Technologies and their Singapore-based partner CrimsonLogic a € 20 million contract for the development of Turkey’s first eGovernment portal. The portal aims to provide Turkey's 70 million citizens with a single point of access to the eGovernment services. The gateway will also serve a third group of users – the public sector agencies themselves – allowing them to interact with each other and exchange information.
  At that same month (November 2005), the Telecommunication Authority, as mandated by the 2004 law on electronic signatures, authorises three electronic certificate service providers (later on, the number raised to four). Of those, the 'Public Certificate Centre' is responsible for the provision of electronic certificate services to all public institutions.

• In August 2005, the Interoperability Framework is published by the Information Society Department of State Planning Organisation. The framework shall enable public entities to establish information systems capable of sharing information and documents on electronic media.
• On 25 May 2005, the contract for the preparation of the National Information Strategy of Turkey is signed between the State Planning Organisation and Peppers and Rogers Group. The strategy will cover the period 2006-2010 and an action plan will be implemented by public entities.
• In April 2005, the eTransformation Turkey 2005 Action Plan is published as a follow-up of the Short Term Action Plan 2003-2004. This plan contains 50 actions.
• In February 2005, the Identity Sharing System is launched. The system allows sharing of MERNIS information (based on a unique ID number, pertaining to citizens) between the Ministry of Interior and other ministries and public entities.

2004

• In October 2004, the collection of tax statements through the Internet becomes operational. Income and corporate tax returns are expected to be sent via the Internet by the beginning of 2005.
• In July 2004, the Ministry of Finance launches a nationwide communication network that would streamline administrative workflows, allow citizens to submit their tax returns online, and help combat the informal economy. The € 52 million project will integrate 326 government offices into a nationwide communication network and implement the necessary hardware and software for the use of electronic signatures. The project is to be completed by the summer of 2005.
• In May 2004, the social security project for employers eFilling (eBildirge) becomes operational in the entire country for the private and the public sectors. 'e-Bildirge' is a portal which enables employers to send the insurance premium documents of employees via the Internet and to make cost payments via automatic payment, or Internet banking.
• On 26 April 2004, the Right to Information Act comes into force. The purpose of this Act is to lay down the guidelines and procedures for individuals to exercise their right of information in accordance with the principles of equality, neutrality and openness which are the fundamentals of democratic and transparent administration.

2003

• On 4 December 2003, the Short Term Action Plan, drawn in the framework of the eTransformation Turkey Project and covering 2003-2004, is approved by the Government and published with a Prime Minister’s Circular. There are 73 action items under 8 sections; 23 of those refer to eGovernment.
• In October 2003, the Turkish Parliament enacts the Right to Information Act (Law No. 4982). It was initially prepared by the Ministry of Justice and introduced to the Parliament on 25 June 2003.
• On 14 June 2003, the  Consumer Protection Amendment Law comes into force. The law contains, among other provisions, particular arrangements regarding eCommerce.
• A Prime Minister’s Circular, dated 27 February 2003, clarifies the objectives and principles of the newly launched eTransformation Turkey Project (e-DTr). After the launch of the project, policy and coordination responsibility is delegated to the newly established Information Society Department of the State Planning Organisation (SPO) in February 2003.
• In January 2003, the Central Population Management System Project ‘MERNIS’, on automating census events and storing census information, becomes operational.

2002

In December 2002, the Government initiates the Urgent Action Plan to remedy long lasting economic problems and to improve social and economic welfare in the country. One of the basic components of this plan is the 'eTransformation Turkey Project', aiming to move Turkey to the information society. High level responsibility for all aspects of the project belongs to one of the Deputy Prime Ministers, who is designated as the eMinister, and coordination to the State Planning Organisation (SPO).

News 2000 and before

Initiated in 1998, the Internet tax project of the Ministry of Finance ‘VEDOP’ is one of the first eGovernment projects. VEDOP started as a country-level automation project for tax offices by the Ministry of Finance.

The central population management system ‘MERNIS’ is initiated in 1998. The data entry for approximately 120 million people was completed in 1999. Implementation starts in the same year, where every Turkish citizen is given a unique 11-digit ID number.