Temporary Activity Certificate in Turkey: How to Apply
Who Is This Guide For?
How to obtain a Geçici Faaliyet Belgesi (temporary activity certificate) is one of the first questions facing businesses that are commissioning a facility subject to environmental permitting, or changing an existing one. This guide is written for owners and managers of operations that require an environmental permit, such as production plants, waste facilities or hotels running their own wastewater treatment plant. We cover what the certificate is, where it sits on the road to an environmental permit, how to apply, and where applications tend to get stuck in practice.
What Is a Temporary Activity Certificate and Which Businesses Does It Affect?
The Geçici Faaliyet Belgesi (GFB) is an interim certificate that allows a business subject to environmental permitting to keep operating lawfully while it completes the measurements and documents needed for its permanent permit. In short, the GFB is not a destination; it is a bridge that takes the business to an environmental permit (çevre izni) or an environmental permit and licence (çevre izin ve lisans belgesi). It is issued under the Çevre İzin ve Lisans Yönetmeliği (Environmental Permit and Licence Regulation) with a limited period of validity.
The certificate concerns the activities listed in the annexes of the regulation. These lists cover a wide range, including energy generation, mining and stone processing, chemicals, metals, food and agri-based industry, and waste processing. Under the regulation in force, applications for activities in Annex 1 (Ek-1) are assessed by the Ministry, while those in Annex 2 (Ek-2) are assessed by the provincial directorate.
The environmental permit covers matters such as emissions, wastewater discharge and noise. The licence applies to waste activities such as collection, sorting, recovery and disposal. A business may need permits for more than one matter, and the GFB application determines which ones are included in the file.
If you are not sure whether your activity appears on the lists, you need to settle that question first.
How to Obtain a Temporary Activity Certificate: Step by Step
The temporary activity certificate is obtained through an electronic application on UÇBS, the Ministry's environmental information system (Ulusal Çevre Bilgi Sistemi, National Environmental Information System); however, the EIA process and the facility's infrastructure must be in place before you apply. The process broadly follows the steps below.
1. Define the scope of the activity and the permit matters
The first task is to establish which heading of the regulation's annexes the activity falls under and which permit matters it triggers. A combustion system that produces flue gas may bring emissions into scope, while a facility discharging to a receiving environment may bring wastewater into scope. If this assessment is wrong, the file is flawed from the outset.
2. Complete the EIA process
The GFB application requires a decision issued for the activity under the ÇED Yönetmeliği (Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation), or a letter confirming that the activity falls outside the EIA scope. A GFB application will not progress for a facility whose EIA process is incomplete. If capacity or the production process has changed, you should also check whether the existing EIA decision still covers the new situation.
3. Complete company and facility registration on UÇBS
The application is submitted through the system by a user authorised on behalf of the business. The facility address, coordinates, type of activity and capacity must be entered accurately and consistently with the other documents.
4. Prepare and upload the application file
The file includes a description of the business, the production process, raw material and product information, fuel and energy use, and waste and wastewater management. The documents required vary with the nature of the activity, so it is important to check the current list before applying.
5. Follow the authority's review
The application is reviewed by the competent authority; a file found incomplete or inconsistent is returned for correction. Where it considers it necessary, the authority may also carry out an on-site inspection. If the file is found satisfactory, the temporary activity certificate is issued.
6. Complete the environmental permit file within the GFB period
The real work begins once the GFB is issued: measurements and analyses for the permit matters are carried out by authorised laboratories, reports are prepared, and the environmental permit application is submitted before the certificate expires. If this deadline is missed, the business may find itself operating without a permit.
Pre-Application Checklist
Before uploading your application, make sure the following information and documents are ready and consistent with one another:
The EIA decision or the letter confirming the activity falls outside the EIA scope
The facility's address, land registry block/parcel and coordinates
The business opening and operating licence (işyeri açma ve çalışma ruhsatı), or other permits from the relevant authorities depending on the nature of the activity
A capacity report or a document showing production capacity
A process flow diagram and a short description of the production process
Raw material, product, fuel and energy consumption data
Technical information on stacks, discharge points and noise sources
Where there is a wastewater treatment plant, its project approval and operating information
Waste management information: types of waste generated, temporary storage area, contracts with licensed companies
An up-to-date company registration and an authorised user on UÇBS
Where required, a service contract with an environmental officer or an environmental consultancy firm
Common Mistakes and Points to Watch
Problems commonly encountered in the GFB process relate to how the file is prepared and how the deadline is managed. Paying attention to the points below reduces the risk of returns and delays.
Capacity stated differently across documents: if the EIA decision, capacity report and the capacity on UÇBS do not match, the file may be returned.
Permit matters defined incompletely: for example, applying only for emissions and leaving out a wastewater line that discharges.
Treating the GFB as a permanent permit: postponing measurements after receiving the certificate leaves the environmental permit file unfinished when the period ends.
Planning measurements late: laboratory schedules and the need for the facility to run at representative capacity can delay measurements; planning should start as soon as the GFB is issued.
Not reporting changes: a capacity increase, a new stack or a new permit matter may require a fresh application.
Neglecting the waste side: if waste management information is missing or out of date, the review takes longer.
Another point to watch is fragmented responsibility. When one person handles the application, another department the measurements and a third person the waste contracts, inconsistencies between documents become more likely. Having a single person track the process against a timetable reduces this risk.
Notes for Businesses in Antalya
In Antalya, the GFB is particularly relevant to quarries, crushing-screening and ready-mixed concrete plants, food and agri-based processing facilities, and waste collection and recovery facilities. The permit matters differ for each of these; dust emissions, wastewater or noise may come to the fore.
For hotels and other accommodation, it depends on how the facility is set up. Facilities discharging from their own wastewater treatment plant or running large combustion systems may face permit matters, so each facility needs to be assessed individually against the lists.
The measurement schedule also matters for seasonal operations in the region. During busy periods such as the tourist season or harvest time, measurements need to reflect the facility's actual operating conditions; the schedule should be built with both the GFB period and the season in mind. Businesses seeking support with scope assessment, the UÇBS application and measurement planning can review our environmental consultancy services.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business operate without a temporary activity certificate?
If an activity subject to environmental permitting is carried out without a GFB or an environmental permit, the business is in breach of the legislation. In that case it may face administrative sanctions and suspension of the activity. Clarifying the scope before starting operations is the safest route.
What is the difference between a temporary activity certificate and an environmental permit?
The GFB is a temporary certificate that allows the business to keep operating while it completes the measurements and documents needed for the environmental permit. The environmental permit is the actual permit granted once those measurements and assessments are complete. The purpose of the GFB is to get the business to its environmental permit.
How is a temporary activity certificate obtained, and who applies?
The application is made electronically on UÇBS by a user authorised on behalf of the business. The business's environmental officer or an authorised environmental consultancy firm can support the preparation of the file. The EIA process must be completed before applying.
What happens if the GFB expires?
If the environmental permit application is not submitted within the validity period, the business may find itself operating without a permit. For this reason, the measurement and reporting schedule should be planned as soon as the GFB is issued. The current legislation should be checked for the period and any extension conditions.
Final Word
The temporary activity certificate is the starting point on the road to an environmental permit; a well-prepared GFB file helps the later steps run smoothly too. Get in touch with us to plan your business's GFB and environmental permit process together.
Written by Selin Sevinç, Environmental Engineer (MSc), Asel Çevre Danışmanlık.
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