Getting a driving licence in Turkey could cost up to 50,000 lira next year

Planning to get your licence in Turkey? You might want to hurry. Driving schools are asking for big price rises in the new year, and the practical exam is about to get tougher as well.

What happened?

Driving schools have started submitting their proposed tariffs for the new year. The requests go to provincial commissions, led by the ones in Istanbul and Ankara.

The schools want course fees to rise by 50% to 80%. They point to higher fuel, vehicle maintenance, rent and staff costs. According to industry representatives, fuel and building rent make up the biggest share of training costs.

In big cities, fees that now sit between 20,000 and 25,000 lira are expected to climb to around 35,000 lira once the commissions decide.

What else will you pay?

The course is not the only bill. Exam fees, licence duties and the cost of the official security paper are added on top. For example, the duty for an A1-A2 (motorcycle) licence is 2,240 lira.

These duties will also go up at the start of the year through the annual revaluation (an automatic yearly inflation adjustment). Put together, the total cost of getting a licence is expected to come close to 50,000 lira.

Unsurprisingly, candidates who want to finish before the changes kick in have caused a rush of new course registrations.

How is the exam changing?

The exam rules are changing too. Candidates will no longer memorise a fixed route. Instead, the exam will use free routes, and you will be assessed in flowing traffic.

The parking manoeuvre between two cones is being scrapped. From now on, you will need to park between real cars.

The curriculum will also require learners to practise driving on ring roads.

What's next?

The provincial commissions will now decide the final tariffs. Until then, the 35,000 lira figure is an expectation, not an official price.