On 4 June 2026, the General Assembly of the Constitutional Court of Turkey annulled, by a vote of 12 to 3, the phrase “for an indefinite period” in Article 175 of the Turkish Civil Code No. 4721, which governs poverty alimony. This brings to an end, as a matter of law, the indefinite-alimony regime that had been in place for 24 years.
The annulment decision does not take immediate effect. To prevent a legal vacuum, Parliament has been given a period of nine months from the publication of the decision in the Official Gazette to enact a new regulation. During this period, a regulation is expected that limits the duration of alimony payments by reference to the length of the marriage; this regulation is expected to be addressed within a broader judicial reform package that also concerns family law and enforcement law.
The existing poverty-alimony regime remains in force until the new regulation enters into effect. Parties who are going through a divorce, or who are currently paying or receiving alimony, should separately assess, as the process becomes clearer, how this change will affect their own specific circumstances.