The Human Rights and Equality Institution of Türkiye (TIHEK) has fined Çanakkale Municipality in northwestern Türkiye TL 256,357 ($5,216) for charging foreign nationals higher marriage fees than Turkish citizens.

The institution launched an investigation after reports emerged that the municipality’s 2025 fee schedule set the marriage ceremony fee at TL 2,500 for Turkish citizens and TL 25,000 for foreign nationals.

The municipality told TIHEK that marriages involving foreign nationals required additional document checks through consulates, embassies and local authorities because the Interior Ministry’s e-Municipality Marriage Module did not cover foreign nationals.

It argued that the additional procedures required more staff, time and administrative resources.

The municipality also said free marriage services before 2025 had attracted a high number of applications from people outside Çanakkale seeking to marry foreign nationals. It said this had delayed marriage procedures for local residents and that the higher fee was introduced to prioritize residents.

However, TIHEK said the municipality had not provided concrete evidence showing that the additional procedures created a financial burden large enough to justify the fee difference.

The institution determined that charging foreign nationals an additional fee constituted different treatment of people in comparable situations and violated the ban on discrimination based on race and ethnic origin.

TIHEK also said the higher fee placed a disproportionate restriction on foreign nationals’ access to marriage services.

The institution imposed the maximum administrative fine on Çanakkale Municipality, citing violations under Article 3 of Law No. 6701, which protects against discrimination.