SCENE 01 / LOCATION SCOUTING SERVICES
Location Scouting Services
Locations across Istanbul, Cappadocia, Antalya and Ankara, scouted with the permit route, the controlling authority and the right season already worked out.
A location in Turkey is only useful if it can be permitted. Some of the best-known places cannot: the National Palaces procedures bar commercials, series and films at Topkapı, Dolmabahçe and Beylerbeyi, and Hagia Sophia has been an active mosque under the Presidency of Religious Affairs since July 2020, with no published procedure for crew filming inside. We tell you this at the scouting stage, along with the alternatives that work, so the creative choice is made on real options.
Every location we present comes with the body that controls it and the lead time that body needs. In Istanbul that means the district governorship, which needs at least 7 days' notice under the city's 2026 filming rules, plus the zone the street sits in. For Ministry museums it means the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums. In Cappadocia it means the Cappadocia Area Presidency, in national parks the DKMP Regional Directorate, and at Anıtkabir in Ankara a military command.
Where a landmark cannot be filmed, Turkey has built the substitutes. TİMS Hadımköy Film Studios in Arnavutköy, Istanbul, runs three film studios with sets recreating Old Istanbul on a 25,973 m² site. Beykoz Kundura, a former shoe factory on the Asian side, has served film and series as a stage since 2005. In Antalya, the former EXPO 2016 grounds at Aksu were used as temporary stages for two Guy Ritchie features.
Our Location Scouting Services
A location in Turkey is only useful if it can be permitted. Some of the best-known places cannot: the National Palaces procedures bar commercials, series and films at Topkapı, Dolmabahçe and Beylerbeyi, and Hagia Sophia has been an active mosque under the Presidency of Religious Affairs since July 2020, with no published procedure for crew filming inside. We tell you this at the scouting stage, along with the alternatives that work, so the creative choice is made on real options.
Every location we present comes with the body that controls it and the lead time that body needs. In Istanbul that means the district governorship, which needs at least 7 days' notice under the city's 2026 filming rules, plus the zone the street sits in. For Ministry museums it means the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums. In Cappadocia it means the Cappadocia Area Presidency, in national parks the DKMP Regional Directorate, and at Anıtkabir in Ankara a military command.
Where a landmark cannot be filmed, Turkey has built the substitutes. TİMS Hadımköy Film Studios in Arnavutköy, Istanbul, runs three film studios with sets recreating Old Istanbul on a 25,973 m² site. Beykoz Kundura, a former shoe factory on the Asian side, has served film and series as a stage since 2005. In Antalya, the former EXPO 2016 grounds at Aksu were used as temporary stages for two Guy Ritchie features.
Comprehensive Location Scouting Solutions
Four regions with four different permit regimes and climates: Istanbul's zone rules, Cappadocia's Area Presidency, Antalya's national parks and archaeological sites, and Ankara's mix of ministry, municipal and military sites.
Istanbul
- • Eminönü and the Grand Bazaar rooftops, where Skyfall filmed its opening chase
- • Grand Bazaar interiors on Sundays, when it is closed
- • Bosphorus shorelines and sea work, with marine clearances
- • Mosque exteriors and skylines filmed from public space
- • Zone 3 districts for unit bases without vehicle caps
Cappadocia
- • Göreme, Uçhisar, Ürgüp and Çavuşin, used by Pasolini for Medea in 1969
- • Göreme Open-Air Museum, Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı underground cities
- • Balloon mornings, subject to SHGM's daily weather call
- • Snow on the fairy chimneys from December to February
- • Cappadocia Area Presidency permission for the whole area
Antalya & the Coast
- • Kaleiçi old town, used by Operation Fortune
- • Aspendos Roman theatre, a Ministry archaeological site
- • Termessos, inside Güllük Dağı–Termessos National Park
- • Lower Düden waterfall, a 40 m drop into the Mediterranean
- • The 760 km Lycian Way between Fethiye and Antalya
Ankara & Studios
- • Hamamönü, where about 300 historic houses were restored
- • Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, a Ministry museum
- • Gordion, UNESCO-listed since 2023
- • TİMS Hadımköy and Beykoz Kundura stages in Istanbul
- • Antalya's EXPO 2016 grounds for temporary builds
How We Work With You
You send the script or a scene list and your references. We return a screened longlist within the first days, flagging anything that cannot be permitted, then scout the realistic options in person and present a package per location that a line producer can schedule from.
Brief & Permit Screen
We read the script and references, then screen every wished-for location against the rules before anyone travels. Palaces under the National Palaces administration, active mosque interiors and military zones come off the list at this point, with substitutes proposed: a stage build, an exterior from public space, or a comparable building with a cooperative owner.
Recce on the Ground
Our scouts photograph each site from the camera positions you are likely to use and log what affects the schedule: the Istanbul zone and its large-vehicle cap, power and parking, prayer times at nearby mosques, market days, ferry and traffic patterns, and where the sun falls through the day in your shoot month.
Location Package
For each shortlisted site you get photographs, the address by province, district and street as the Ministry permit requires, the controlling authority and its lead time, the fee basis, and MGM climate figures for your dates. Each package flags known conflicts such as bayram closures, festival dates or the national-park breeding-season rules.
Lock & Permit
Once you choose, we negotiate with owners, file the Ministry permit with the final location list at least 10 business days before filming, and apply to each governorship, museum, park or harbour authority in turn. The location list in the Ministry application is binding, so we lock it before we file.
One scout stays your point of contact from brief to wrap. If a location falls through, for example because an owner withdraws or a district coordination unit restricts a street, we already know the next option and its permit route.
What We Bring to the Table
The numbers that decide whether a location works: vehicle caps, set spacing and the temperatures your crew will face.
Our Resources
Permit Route per Location
Every location in our packages names its controlling body: governorship, district governorship, metropolitan or district municipality, Ministry museum directorate, National Palaces, DKMP regional directorate, Cappadocia Area Presidency, university or private owner. You see the lead time before you fall in love with the place.
On-Site Technical Surveys
We check power, truck access, parking, noise and sun path ourselves. In Istanbul we record the zone, because a Zone 1 street allows 7 large vehicles and filming until midnight from October to April, while a Zone 3 street has no vehicle or time limit.
Season Planning by Region
Istanbul is wettest in December and January and driest in July and August. Cappadocia averages below freezing on January nights and gets regular snow. Antalya stays mild in winter but takes over 225 mm of rain in each of December and January and reaches mean highs of 34.2 °C in July. We match the region to your dates.
Numbers That Shape a Scout
Why Choose Fixers in Turkey for Location Scouting
Local Expertise
We know the details that a map does not show: the Grand Bazaar closes on Sundays and on the first days of both bayrams, which is why Sunday is the realistic day for a closed set there. Haydarpaşa station is an active excavation and construction site until at least 2027. Saklıkent Canyon is in Muğla, not Antalya, which changes the permitting office.
Complete Documentation
Each location report is ready for your line producer: photographs, the official address format, controlling authority, permit lead time, fee basis, vehicle and parking limits, nearest facilities, and the weather averages for your month.
Rapid Response
When a location falls through mid-prep, we replace it with one whose permit route fits the time left. With 7 days needed for an Istanbul district governorship, the replacement is often chosen by its paperwork as much as its look.
Cultural Heritage Access
Ministry museums and archaeological sites such as Göreme Open-Air Museum, Aspendos and the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations need permission from the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, and sites answer on availability within 10 business days. We file these early, and in Cappadocia we get written approval for any set dressing, after a 2022 commercial shoot that applied material to fairy chimneys was stopped and fined about ₺2 million despite holding permits.
On Location
Istanbul, Cappadocia, Antalya and Ankara each have a different filming season and a different authority, and the right choice depends on both.
Istanbul has stood in for other cities as often as it has played itself. Argo spent about two weeks there, with the city doubling for Tehran. From Russia with Love used the Basilica Cistern, Hagia Sophia and Sirkeci station, which stood in for Belgrade and Zagreb. Skyfall filmed its opening chase in Eminönü and over the Grand Bazaar rooftops. Today the rules are tighter: the Basilica Cistern reopened in 2022 under the metropolitan municipality, Hagia Sophia is a mosque, and since January 2026 the city's zones set how many large vehicles you can bring. Spring has its own window: in April 2026 the municipality planted 3.58 million tulips at Emirgan, Gülhane, Sultanahmet, Göztepe and Hıdiv Kasrı, with blooms peaking in early to mid April.
Outside Istanbul, Cappadocia gave Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Winter Sleep two winter months of location work before it won the Palme d'Or in 2014, and the whole area, about 83,000 hectares, is managed by the Cappadocia Area Presidency created under Law 7174 in 2019. Antalya hosted The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which began filming there in February 2023, and the city's airports set a record of 105,284 foreign arrivals in one day in August 2025, so beaches and the old town are easiest to control outside peak summer. In Ankara, Behzat Ç. built a whole crime series on real city streets; Anıtkabir's filming rules are set by its military command, and Eymir Lake, on the ODTÜ university campus, needs the university's permission.
FAQ
Location Scouting FAQ
Essential information for planning your location scouting project in Turkey.
How long does location scouting take in Turkey?
Plan the scout around the permit clock. The Ministry permit must list every location by province, district and street and be complete at least 10 business days before filming, and the Ministry asks for documents two weeks before the crew enters Turkey. Istanbul district governorships need a further 7 days' notice, and Ministry museum sites take up to 10 business days to confirm availability. In practice that means locking your locations about a month before your first shoot day, so we schedule the recce to finish before that point. We give you a scouting timetable in writing once we have seen the scene list.
What permits are required for filming at Turkish locations?
Every foreign production needs the General Filming Permit from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, plus permission from the governorship or district governorship where it films. On top of that, each location type has its own authority. Ministry museums and archaeological sites need the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums. National parks need a paid permit from the DKMP Regional Directorate. Cappadocia falls under the Cappadocia Area Presidency. Sea filming in Istanbul needs the Provincial Directorate of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, and explosions or crashes need police permission. Private interiors need only the owner's agreement. We handle all of it.
What are typical location scouting costs in Turkey?
We quote scouting days and travel in writing once we know the regions involved, because a Cappadocia or Ankara scout adds flights and nights away from Istanbul. Location fees are separate and follow published rules. In Istanbul, municipal fees apply when more than 3 large vehicles stay on set and drop to one quarter for shoots with 3 or fewer; handheld shoots that do not occupy public space pay no municipal fee. National parks charge foreign crews double the standard photo and film fee and bill any part-day as a full day. Ministry museums charge under a fee list, paid at least 10 business days before use. Private owners set their own rates, which we negotiate.
Can you scout locations in remote areas of Turkey?
Yes, and the season matters more there than in the cities. Nevşehir, the province of Cappadocia, has a January mean of −0.1 °C and regular snow from December to February, with about 3 hours of sunshine a day in midwinter against nearly 12 in July. Cappadocia balloons fly only after SHGM's Nevşehir coordinators rule the weather suitable each morning; 2025 had 223 flyable days, and winter has seen runs of 13 consecutive grounded days. In national parks such as Termessos, both the DKMP and the Ministry site authority must agree, and wetland zones need Ministry permission for filming from March to June.
How many location options will we receive?
We aim to present three to five options per scene, each already screened for permit route, vehicle access and budget. A landmark that cannot be permitted, such as a palace interior, is replaced in the shortlist by an option that can, for example a TİMS Hadımköy period set or a Bosphorus exterior from public space, rather than left in to disappoint you later.
What documentation do you provide for each location?
Photographs from likely camera positions, the address in the province, district and street format the Ministry application needs, the controlling authority and its lead time, the fee basis, power and parking notes, and the Istanbul zone with its vehicle cap and filming hours. We add sun direction for your dates, MGM climate averages, and calendar conflicts such as public holidays, bayram closures, the Istanbul Film Festival in April or the Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival in September.
Related Services
Productions in Turkey that need this often pair it with Local Fixer Services, Production Budgeting Services, and Production Scheduling Services for full coverage. Most projects also draw on Pre-Production Services and Travel Coordinator.
On Set
Ready to Discover Perfect Locations?
Send us your scene list and shoot dates. We will come back with locations that can actually be permitted, and say which ones cannot.