The Constitutional Court has decided to invalidate Article 187 of the Turkish Civil Code, titled "Woman's Surname," through the regulation published in the Official Gazette on April 28, 2023. The reason for the annulment was stated as "the different treatment towards women and men lacks an objective and reasonable basis, thereby violating the principle of equality."
The annulment of the article will take effect on January 28, 2024. Consequently, in practice, a woman's right to use her own surname without resorting to legal action will be granted even before initiating a lawsuit.
The invalidated article read as follows:
Article 187 Woman's Surname - A woman takes her husband's surname upon marriage; however, she can also use her previous surname before her husband's surname by submitting a written application to the marriage officer or later to the civil registry. A woman who previously used two surnames can only benefit from this right for one surname.
