Insurance is an international activity. Whenever a foreign element exists, international private law rules apply. It is important to examine the legal rules gover- ning the insurance contract containing a foreign ele- ment and the problems that a foreign insurer may face in another country. The study below deals with the basic international private law issues that may appear with re- gards to insurance in Turkey with special focus on the law applicable, jurisdiction, legal or contractual subro- gation of foreign insurers seeking recovery in Turkey, direct action against the foreign liability insurer and reinsurance.