Medical device advertising and promotion rules in Türkiye: what can you do online?

If you do marketing for a company that manufactures, imports or sells medical devices in Türkiye, the question to ask before any campaign idea is: can I advertise this device to consumers? In Türkiye, the answer largely lies in the Regulation on the Sale, Advertising and Promotion of Medical Devices.

In this guide we summarise the current version of the regulation, the difference between advertising and promotion, and what to watch out for in practice on channels such as your website, social media, Google Ads, LinkedIn, email and trade fairs. This article is for general information and does not replace legal advice.

Which text is in force?

The regulation was published in the Official Gazette No. 29001 of 15 May 2014 and has been amended several times since. The most important amendments for advertising and online sales are:

• 2 September 2020 (No. 31232): the advertising article (Article 15) and the online sales provisions (Article 26) were rewritten.
• 26 May 2023 (No. 32202): in vitro diagnostic devices were added to the scope, warranty and technical service obligations were introduced, sales at unregistered locations were banned and the Annex 3 list was renewed.
• 17 August 2023 (No. 32282): administrative sanctions related to the registration and information management system were added.
• 3 July 2026 (No. 33299): an exception was added for online sales of contact lenses to consumers.

As of October 2026, we found no new regulation repealing or replacing it. The text in force is the consolidated version including the 3 July 2026 amendment. Still, check TİTCK’s current text before acting.

Who does the regulation cover?

The regulation covers devices within the scope of the Medical Device Regulation and the In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Device Regulation. Placing these devices on the market, making them available, warranty certificates, advertising, information, clinical support, promotion, marketing and technical service activities, and the individuals or legal entities carrying out these activities, are all within scope.

In other words, it concerns not only the sales team but also the marketing team promoting the product and any agency you work with. The regulation explicitly states that advertisers, advertising agencies and media organisations must also comply with these principles.

Optical shops, hearing aid centres, custom prosthesis and orthosis centres and dental prosthesis laboratories are subject to their own legislation. However, their distance selling, advertising and promotion activities still fall under this regulation.

The difference between advertising and promotion

This distinction is the foundation of digital planning. The regulation defines the two concepts differently:

• Advertising: announcements of a marketing communication nature made in any medium to sell a good or service, or to inform or persuade a target audience. The internet is explicitly included in the definition of medium.
• Promotion: information activities about the scientific and medical properties of devices aimed at healthcare professionals or technical staff working with medical devices in healthcare organisations. The work of sales and promotion staff, ads in professional journals, direct mailing, and scientific and educational events fall within this scope.

In short, communication aimed at consumers (the public) is advertising and is subject to strict limits. Scientific information aimed at physicians, dentists, pharmacists, nurses or technical staff is promotion and follows its own rules.

Devices that can and cannot be advertised to the public

Article 15 of the regulation divides devices into three groups.

1. Devices that cannot be advertised to consumers

• Devices that are sold, fitted or applied only at hearing aid centres, custom prosthesis and orthosis centres, optical shops or dental prosthesis laboratories.
• Devices intended to be used or applied exclusively by healthcare professionals, or that require application at sales centres.

Most professional devices sold to hospitals and clinics fall into the second group. No public advertising campaign can be run for these devices.

2. Devices that can be advertised only in the online environment where they are sold

Devices that fall into neither of the two groups above and are not on the Annex 3 list can be advertised to consumers only in the online environment where the device is sold.

3. Devices on the Annex 3 list

Devices listed in Annex 3 can be advertised freely to consumers. The Annex 3 list was renewed in 2023. Check TİTCK’s current text to see whether your product is on the list.

Newspaper or magazine notices made with the Agency’s permission announcing to healthcare professionals that a device has been placed on the market, and device information on the official websites of sales centres, are outside these restrictions. All ads must also comply with Consumer Protection Law No. 6502 and other relevant legislation.

What can be done in practice on digital channels?

The recommendations below are practical conclusions based on the text of the regulation. TİTCK’s implementation guideline (TCS-KLVZ-08, last revised 30.12.2024) contains more detailed rules for social media, websites and intermediary platforms. Always read the latest revision of the guideline before setting up a campaign.

Corporate website

• Device information may be published on the sales centre’s official website; the regulation keeps this outside the advertising restriction.
• Keep content consistent with the label and instructions for use, technical and verifiable. Turning an information page into campaign language risks turning the content into advertising.

Social media

• For devices that cannot be advertised to the public (such as professional-use devices), posts and sponsored content addressing consumers should not be published.
• For devices in the second group, consumer advertising is limited to the online environment where sales take place. How social media advertising can meet this condition is set out in the guideline; check before acting.
• Non-product content such as corporate news, trade fair announcements, recruitment and company culture is lower risk.

Google Ads and other search and display ads

• For devices that cannot be advertised to the public, do not set up keyword or display campaigns open to consumers.
• For devices in the second group, the regulation limits advertising to “the online environment where sales take place”. Display ads shown on other sites may exceed this limit; do not launch campaigns without checking the guideline.

LinkedIn and B2B audience targeting

• Scientific and medical information for healthcare professionals and technical staff in healthcare organisations falls within promotion.
• Platform targeting does not guarantee that the audience consists only of healthcare professionals. If content reaches a broad audience, it may become advertising addressed to consumers. Keep the language technical, narrow the targeting and document it.

Email

• Direct mailing to healthcare professionals is included in the regulation’s definition of promotion.
• Make sure your recipient list really consists of healthcare professionals and institutional buyers.

Trade fairs, congresses and training events

• Scientific and educational events fall within promotion. There are notification and registration obligations to the Agency for meetings supported by sales centres.
• For details, review TİTCK’s guideline on scientific meetings and educational activities (TCS-KLVZ-07).

Rules for selling medical devices online

Article 26 of the regulation governs online and distance sales as follows:

1. Placing medical devices on the market or making them available to consumers through newspaper, radio, television or telephone sales, or through direct selling, is prohibited.
2. Online sales to consumers of devices in the two groups that cannot be advertised to the public are also prohibited.
3. Online sales of other devices can only be carried out by sales centres authorised under the regulation.
4. No sales centre authorisation certificate is required to sell Annex 3 devices to consumers online.
5. Under the 3 July 2026 amendment, contact lenses can be sold to consumers online only through an optical shop’s website approved by the Agency, and only with a prescription.

In addition, sales centres are prohibited from selling devices other than Annex 3 devices at locations not registered in the Agency’s registration and information management system, except for places specified in the Agency’s guideline.

Prerequisites such as sales centre and ÜTS registration

• Authorisation certificate: the regulation sets out in separate articles the authorisation of sales centres and staff requirements such as a responsible manager and sales and promotion staff.
• Registration system: sales centres must register devices in the Agency’s registration system and submit unique movement notifications for traceability. The regulation defines these as notifications made through the Product Tracking System (ÜTS).
• Training: since the 2023 amendment, staff who register devices must have completed the training specified by the Agency.
• Annex 3 exception: no authorisation certificate is required for places selling Annex 3 devices; however, this exception does not cover manufacturers and importers.

Common mistakes

• Running consumer-facing social media or Google Ads campaigns for a professional-use device.
• Advertising second-group devices on channels other than the sales website.
• Selling online without an authorisation certificate or through an unregistered channel.
• Turning an information page into campaign and persuasion language.
• Keeping the agency and media out of the process. The regulation also holds advertising agencies and media organisations responsible.

If non-compliant advertising or online sales are detected, the sales centre is warned. If the non-conformity is not corrected within three working days of notification, sales activity is suspended for 15 days. Non-compliant consumer advertising is also reported to the Ministry of Trade and relevant bodies. The regulation states that violations may also be assessed under other laws.

Frequently asked questions

Can we advertise a device we sell to hospitals on Instagram?

If the device is used exclusively by healthcare professionals or requires application at a sales centre, it cannot be advertised to consumers. On broad-reach channels such as Instagram, this risk is high.

Can we sell medical devices on marketplaces?

The regulation limits online sales of devices other than Annex 3 devices to authorised sales centres and completely bans online sales to consumers of some devices. Details on intermediary platforms are in TİTCK’s guideline; check the current text before acting.

Does publishing a product catalogue on our corporate website count as advertising?

Device information on the sales centre’s official website is kept outside the advertising restrictions. However, the assessment may change if the content turns into persuasive campaign language.

What changed in the regulation in 2026?

The amendment published on 3 July 2026 regulated online sales of contact lenses to consumers, allowing them only through an optical shop’s Agency-approved website and with a prescription.

Compliant B2B digital marketing

The right starting point in medical device marketing is to determine which group the device falls into and choose channels accordingly. At Crow Dijital, when working with medical and B2B companies, we design campaigns together with the regulation and TİTCK guidelines, and prepare content and targeting plans for healthcare professionals and institutional buyers in line with your regulatory team. For details, see our medical technology page .

Sources

• TİTCK: Regulation amending the Regulation on the Sale, Advertising and Promotion of Medical Devices (Official Gazette 26.05.2023, No. 32202)
• TİTCK: Regulation amending the Regulation on the Sale, Advertising and Promotion of Medical Devices (Official Gazette 25.07.2015, No. 29425)
• Regulation on the Sale, Advertising and Promotion of Medical Devices, consolidated text (Version 9, effective 03.07.2026)
• Regulation amending the Regulation on the Sale, Advertising and Promotion of Medical Devices (Official Gazette 03.07.2026, No. 33299)
• Regulation amending the Regulation on the Sale, Advertising and Promotion of Medical Devices (Official Gazette 02.09.2020, No. 31232), Official Gazette text
• List of TİTCK guidelines under the regulation (TCS-KLVZ-08 Rev.4, TCS-KLVZ-07 Rev.3)