June 2025 – On 21 June 2025, Presidential Circular No.2025/10 ("Circular") was published in the Official Gazette, setting forth a legal framework for the accessibility of websites and mobile applications for a wide range of public and private sector entities in Türkiye. This Circular reinforces the principles of Law No. 5378 on Persons with Disabilities, requiring that all websites and mobile applications be accessible to all users, particularly persons with disabilities and the elderly.
What Does the Circular Require?
The Circular imposes a compliance obligation for websites and mobile applications to be made accessible in accordance with the following technical standards:
- The Web Accessibility Checklist – Level A; published by the Ministry of Family and Social Services on its official website; and
- The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, published by the World Wide Web Consortium ("W3C") as an international web accessibility standard.
To oversee implementation and monitor compliance, the Ministry has established two bodies:
- A "Monitoring Commission" responsible for collecting reports through "Review Commissions" to be formed within each institution, organisation, university, or legal entity; and
- An "Advisory Commission", which may invite representatives from public and private institutions, universities, professional organisations, civil society organisations, and private sector stakeholders to participate in its activities.
The Monitoring Commission, when preparing the Annual Accessibility Monitoring Plan—which identifies the websites and mobile applications to be monitored and resolves any ambiguities that arise during implementation—will also seek the opinion of the Advisory Commission.
Websites and mobile applications found to be compliant with the applicable standards following an audit will be entitled to display the official "Accessibility Logo" for a period of two years.
Compliance Timeline
The Circular sets out deadlines for compliance, based on the nature of the entity. Entities are required to bring their websites and/or mobile applications into compliance with the "Web Accessibility Checklist – Level A" and "WCAG 2.2" standards within the following timeframes:
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Deadline |
Entities Required to Comply |
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Within 1 year |
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Within 2 years |
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The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
