Thanks for your reply Inspector.
Today we made the journey into Fethiye to do what I've been meaning to do for months now.
First stop the new Police Station on the Antalya road coming from the main Otogar, through security and the Traffic Police are in Block C and the office is on the right just past the entrance. You go to the counter on the right. What they will do is give you a form that lists everything you need to do and supply. It's in Turkish so to save whoever follows in my footsteps that first trip to the station, below is the list in English, with running commentary in the order that it is listed on the form.
1. One colour copy of your resident permit - both sides.
2. One colour copy of your passport.
*none of the offices opposite the Police station have a colour copier so scan and print your own or the nearest place we spotted was on the right just past the traffic lights by the Tuesday market at a stationer's shop. Colour copier upstairs.
3. Notarised translation of your Driving License. Now it does say full details by which I took to mean listing your eligible categories, which generally it would seem previously notarised translations didn't always extend too. But, it does look like they will accept my previously notarised translation which fits into the not full details category.
4. 3 biometric photos that are required to be a larger size than passport photos. There are a couple of places across the road from the Police Station that will do these, just make sure they know it is for a drivers license so they do the right size.
5. Health report with an attached photo stamped and signed from your family or local street clinic. We took the opportunity to finally register at the free government clinic next to the PTT in Hisaronu. The health report is free and includes taking an eye sight test of both letters and numbers.
6. Blood group card which you can get at your local clinic or any hospital. I just photocopied mine that I always carry on me that I got from Enaf in 2004 and just provided that. If you don't photocopy it they will want the card instead. This information does go on your Turkish Drivers License something I always thought was a good idea.
7. Criminal record. This is obtained from the law court. Literally enter the building. Turn right and there is a glass hatch in the wall with a man sat on the other side. Give him your permit and passport and he will ask for your parents first names (in writing on a scrap of paper for us with our strange yabancı names), and a few seconds later he will print out, initial and stamp your criminal record sheet and hand it over to you.
8. Pay at the tax office for the categories you will have on your licence. Combined cost for both below was 536.80TL. See 11 below.
Category A1 + A2 is motorbike and electric scooter
Category B is car
9. Your finger prints will be taken at the station at the end of the process.
10. Red backed plastic folder with a clear front cover - 50 kuruş at stationers.
11. Also at the tax office and at the same time as 8 above - pay 108.50 tax.
* At the tax office go to the third floor (ground floor is first floor in this case), turn left and go to the end of the counter with two women sitting there on the right turn of the counter. They want to know what categories and will want to see your resident permit. They will give you something to take to the person sitting almost directly but just to the right of the stairs on the floor below, the second floor. This is where you make payment and get your receipts for the tax and the categories you are having on your license.
12. Pay 20tl to the Turkish Police Federation which you do at Vakıf bank in Fethiye. You need the receipt stamped and initialed.
13. N/A
14. Nufus address from the Kaymakamlık building in Fethiye. When you enter walk almost to the end and through a glass partition and give your resident permit to one of the people on the left and she will print off your official Nufus address. This needs to be initialled and stamped by someone in a nearby office on the left.
Then with all of this you go back to the Police Station only to find the brand new system isn't currently working properly for anyone, including Turkish people who are migrating over to the new drivers license. We met someone that had been three times in the past few days.
So anyway, no worries. I'm assured I can still drive the car and to come back another time when hopefully the teething problems have been ironed out.
Update to follow just so I can outline a completed process and if anything crops up in the final stages...
Finally got around to completing application this week.
While we were there the Traffic Police Captain did make an appearance and he spent a good ten minutes animatedly talking about people not making an appointment!
All the paperwork mentioned above was accepted including my two year old notarized translation. No other information or paperwork was requested.
As long as your blood group (6 above) is on the Drs health report you don't need to submit that separately.
There were some issues getting the system to recognize my signature but apparently it wasn't me, it's happened before and it was finally processed.
Fingerprints were taken, no ink and pad though!
And lastly I was given a document that states I am allowed to drive for 15 days from the date of receipt and in the meantime my new license will be delivered to me at my address.
I did question if it was absolutely necessary to take my UK license. It is, they said! It will be sent to the UK and they confirmed it was a new requirement.
