Turkey refrigerant rules: the 2024 F-gas regulation, certification and Kigali

Its own regulation, not EU law

Turkey is a candidate country but not an EU member, and it is not part of the EEA either. The EU F-gas Regulation therefore does not apply in Turkey. The country has its own regulation, Florlu Sera Gazlarına İlişkin Yönetmelik (the Regulation on Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases), published in the Resmî Gazete on 15 October 2024, issue 32693. It entered into force the same day and repealed the regulation of 29 June 2022 (No. 31881) ^[1][2].

The regulation is based on the Environment Law (Çevre Kanunu No. 2872) and on the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. It was drafted to align with EU legislation, so much will look familiar: labelling, leak checks, registers, quotas, bans on placing certain products on the market, recovery and destruction, and training and certification. Recovery of refrigerant from vehicle air conditioning is not covered ^[2].

Authority and registers

The regulation is issued by Çevre, Şehircilik ve İklim Değişikliği Bakanlığı, and İklim Değişikliği Başkanlığı is the unit responsible for it ^[2]. The authority runs two electronic systems ^[2][3]:

• EKOMVET (Ekipman Operatörleri Merkezi Veri Tabanı, the central database of equipment operators): equipment is registered here, together with activities such as installation, servicing, leak checks and decommissioning.
• FARAVET (Faaliyet Raporları Veri Tabanı, the activity reports database): companies that import, export, use, recover or destroy the gases submit their annual reports here, and HFC quotas are handled here.

Operators of stationary refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump equipment, fixed fire protection systems or refrigeration units on refrigerated trucks and trailers with 5 t CO2e or more must register in EKOMVET ^[3]. On request, the operator must be able to present an up-to-date copy of the equipment logbook in EKOMVET ^[2].

Leak checks

The intervals depend on the quantity in tonnes CO2e. Note that systems with 500 t CO2e or more are checked every six months and must always have a leakage detection system. Under the 2022 regulation the interval was three months ^[2].

Hermetically sealed systems with less than 10 t CO2e do not need leak checks if they are labelled as hermetically sealed. Newly installed equipment must be checked within 30 working days of installation. If a leak is found, it must be repaired without delay and checked again within 30 working days of the repair. The results are entered in EKOMVET ^[2][3].

Certification of technicians and companies

Anyone who installs, services, repairs, leak checks, recovers refrigerant from or decommissions stationary refrigeration and air conditioning equipment, heat pumps, fire protection systems or refrigeration units on refrigerated trucks must hold a Mesleki Yeterlilik Belgesi (vocational qualification certificate). It is issued by certification bodies authorised by MYK (Mesleki Yeterlilik Kurumu, the Vocational Qualifications Authority) after an exam under the national qualification Florlu Sera Gazlı Cihazlar Teknik Personeli (technical personnel for equipment containing fluorinated greenhouse gases) ^[2].

Companies carrying out the work must hold a Hizmet Yeterlilik Belgesi (service competence certificate) from TSE (Türk Standardları Enstitüsü, the Turkish Standards Institution) under standard TS 13905. All technical staff with tasks involving fluorinated gases must hold a vocational qualification certificate. Detailed rules are set out in a tebliğ (communiqué) on certification, published in the Resmî Gazete on 24 September 2020 (No. 31254) ^[2][4].

Fluorinated gases may not be sold to individuals without a vocational qualification certificate, nor to companies that are not registered in FARAVET or lack a service competence certificate ^[2][3].

Bans on placing products on the market

The regulation contains bans with their own Turkish dates (article 14). Examples relevant to refrigeration and air conditioning ^[2]:

Also from 1 January 2027: technical aerosols and extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam with HFCs; other foams follow in 2029. From 1 January 2031, multipack centralised refrigeration systems for commercial use of 40 kW or more may not use F-gases with a GWP above 150, except in the primary circuit of a cascade, where the limit is 1500. From 1 January 2031, gases with a GWP of 2500 or more may not be used to service refrigeration equipment with 40 t CO2e or more, except equipment for below −50 °C. Labelled reclaimed or recycled gas and essential uses are exempt until 2033. Non-refillable (single-use) containers for fluorinated gases and products that are not properly labelled may not be placed on the market ^[2].

Kigali and the HFC phase-down

Turkey ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol in November 2021, and the amendment entered into force for Turkey on 8 February 2022 ^[5]. Turkey counts as a developing country under Article 5 of the Protocol. This means that HFC consumption was frozen in 2024, must be at least 10% lower in 2029 and must be reduced by more than 80% by 2045 ^[6]. HFC imports take place within quotas that the authority allocates to companies ^[2]. A Kigali Implementation Plan (KIP) for 2024–2029 is run by İklim Değişikliği Başkanlığı with support from the Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund ^[6].

News on waste gases

On 3 November 2025, İklim Değişikliği Başkanlığı published a draft circular on the management of waste fluorinated greenhouse gases (Atık Florlu Sera Gazlarının Yönetimine İlişkin Genelge). It covers waste codes, temporary storage, collection points and facilities for reclamation and destruction. The consultation closed on 17 November 2025 ^[7]. Check whether the final version has been adopted.

Practical checklist

• Work from the 2024 Turkish regulation, not from the EU's 2024/573 ^[1][2].
• Make sure every technician holds a Mesleki Yeterlilik Belgesi and the company holds a Hizmet Yeterlilik Belgesi from TSE ^[2][4].
• Register systems with 5 t CO2e or more in EKOMVET and record every leak check ^[2][3].
• Carry out the first leak check within 30 working days of installation ^[2].
• Choose the refrigerant for new systems with the bans from 2027 and 2031 in mind ^[2].