Turkish Firearms Licence Photo — 50×60 mm, Dark Clothing, Law 6136 Rules

Firearms Licence Photo Rules: Why Dark Clothing?

The firearms licence photo is defined by the Gendarmerie General Command Firearms Licence page and provincial Police directorates (Ankara, Antalya, etc.): **50×60 mm biometric**, portrait, and taken **within the last 1 year in dark clothing**. This size is shared with the Turkish ID card and passport photos, but the **photo-age rule is different — 6 months for ID/passport, 1 year for firearms**.

Dark clothing is stated word-for-word in the Ankara Police official text: a biometric photo "taken within the last 1 year in **dark clothing**". The reason is practical: for high-security documents like firearms licences, the biometric face recognition needs a clear shoulder line; a white or light top merges with the white background and produces a "floating head" effect, misleading the scanner during card production. The private security ID photo uses the opposite rule (light clothing) — the two must not be confused.

Licence Types, Fees and Validity (2026)

The fee gap is striking: **the possession licence costs about a third of the carry licence**. But possession only authorises keeping a firearm at home or a workplace — transporting it requires a separate movement document. The carry licence allows physical carriage and is granted for life-safety or profession-based reasons.

Public-officer carry (prosecutor, judge, superintendent, etc.) is valid while the officer is in service; on retirement a "Retired Public Officer Carry" licence is issued and remains **unlimited** (no renewal). For rifled hunting rifles the Police is competent; for smooth-bore hunting rifles the Gendarmerie General Command has been the authority since 7 December 2001. Profession-based carry applications can be filed by lawyers (with bar-association membership), doctors, veterinarians, notaries, judges/prosecutors and certain business owners above a defined annual income threshold.

Where to Apply: Police or Gendarmerie?

A firearms licence application goes to **two different authorities depending on your residence address**. **If your address is in a Police zone**: the Provincial/District Police **Firearms and Explosives Branch**. **If it is in a Gendarmerie zone** (rural, village, outside the metropolitan zone, etc.): the Provincial/District **Gendarmerie Command**. Which zone your address belongs to can be checked with the civil registry or your neighbourhood muhtar. The petition is addressed to the provincial governor and delivered to the relevant branch.

Even in metropolises like Ankara, some districts (Beypazarı, Çubuk, Kızılcahamam, Elmadağ, Polatlı, Şereflikoçhisar) fall into the Gendarmerie zone; choosing the wrong authority may require the file to be prepared again. The size and clothing-colour rule are identical in both authorities (50×60 mm biometric + dark clothing + 1-year age); however the Gendarmerie asks for **6 photos** while the Police may ask for 1-3 depending on the province. The system places **4 prints** on each 10×15 sheet; order a second sheet when the unit requires 6.

Health Report and Impediments: Law 6136

The most critical prerequisite for a firearms licence is a **health-board report**, and the requirement is very specific: only a **state hospital or a university hospital** health-board report is valid — private hospitals, family doctors and health centres are **NOT accepted**. The report must state that "there is no impediment to a firearms licence in bodily, psychological, neurological or physical health terms". Booking a state-hospital appointment can add 2-4 weeks; it should be arranged before the application.

Article 16 of Law 6136 and Regulation 91/1779 lists impediments: **imprisonment for an intentional offence**, **mental illness** (determined by the health report), **substance addiction**, and **overdue public debt exceeding ₺5,000** (Law 6183, Article 22/A). The age limit is **21** — Turkish citizens under 21 cannot apply for a possession licence. If any of these apply, the file is rejected even if all documents are ready; before applying, check "Judicial Record" and "Revenue Administration Tax Debt Lookup" on e-Devlet. The private security ID process that shares the same photo size is much more flexible — impediments are limited to a simple criminal-record check.

From At-Home Shot to Printed File: The Full Flow

Shoot 30-50 cm in front of a plain white wall, phone vertical at eye level, wearing a **dark top**. vesikalik.com.tr auto-frames the head to the 32-36 mm band with MediaPipe FaceLandmarker's 478-point mesh, moves the background to white with BiRefNet, and runs a clothing-vs-background contrast check: a light top triggers a red flag. The output is a 600×720 pixel (300 DPI) digital JPEG; each 10×15 sheet carries **4 prints of 50×60 mm** with cut marks. Order two sheets if the unit requires 6 photos.

From the same source photo, versions for the Turkish ID card, passport and driving licence can be produced, because the size is the same 50×60 mm — only clothing colour tolerance differs (mid-tone for ID/passport, dark for firearms, light for ÖGG). vesikalik.com.tr's "document mode" handles this automatically; see the 50×60 mm photo guide for the general background.