· Gökçen Özkan
Primary Legal Sources — Maritime eBL & e-Signature
Every legal claim on this site links back to a primary text. This is the index — the actual laws, model laws and regulations behind electronic bills of lading and e-signatures, with a plain-language note on what each one does. Verify us against the source.
Türkiye
Law No. 5070 on Electronic Signature (2004) — Establishes that a qualified electronic signature equals a handwritten one (Art. 5). Art. 5(2) excludes transactions subject to official form or a special ceremony, and guarantee contracts other than bank letters of guarantee and surety bonds of insurers established in Türkiye. Bills of lading are not on that list.
Turkish Commercial Code No. 6102 (TTK) — Art. 1526(2) permits electronic creation and signing of bills of lading; its negotiable-instrument rules tie the transfer of rights to the transfer of possession of the document, and Turkish law does not yet define electronic possession. Together, the legal machinery of the Sovereign Bottleneck.
Law No. 7583 — OTS DEPA ratification (Official Gazette No. 33286, 20 June 2026) — Brings the Turkic States’ Digital Economy Partnership Agreement into Turkish law. A cooperation framework; not yet in force internationally (Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan pending).
International model laws
UNCITRAL MLETR (2017) — The template for making electronic transferable records legally equivalent to paper.
UNCITRAL MLETR adoption status — The live list of enacting jurisdictions. Türkiye is not on it.
UNCITRAL Working Group IV (Electronic Commerce) — Where MLETR, MLIT and MLAC are negotiated.
Comparative jurisdictions
UK Electronic Trade Documents Act 2023 — Common-law drafting; in force 20 September 2023; electronic trade documents equal paper. Governs most charterparties.
eIDAS — Regulation (EU) 910/2014 — Art. 25(2): a qualified e-signature equals handwritten across the EU.
France — Décret No. 2025-811 (with Law No. 2024-537) — Civil-law prescriptive transposition of MLETR; first EU member to fully transpose. The likelier blueprint for Türkiye.
Reform and stakeholders
Ministry of Trade–EBRD legal reform project — Phase 2 (launched 23 May 2025, Ankara) produces a draft bill transposing MLETR; implemented by D2LT and Marvas Legal.
EBRD Blueprint on the legal aspects of digitalised trade documents