What are the best practices and top local domains for email sending in Turkey and Romania?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 26 Jul 2025
Updated 12 Oct 2025
8 min read
Navigating the complexities of email deliverability across different regions can be challenging, especially in dynamic markets like Türkiye and Romania. While global best practices form the bedrock of successful email sending, understanding regional nuances can provide a significant edge. Our goal is always to help your emails reach the inbox, no matter where your audience is located.
For Türkiye and Romania, the fundamental principles of email deliverability often outweigh country-specific technical configurations, but local internet service providers (ISPs) and user behaviors can subtly influence inbox placement. This guide outlines the essential strategies you should implement to ensure your messages are consistently delivered.
We will explore core best practices that are universally applicable and discuss the role of local domains, sender reputation, and authentication in these markets. Ensuring your email infrastructure is robust and adhering to global standards while being mindful of local factors will be key to your success.
Email authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
A strong foundation in email authentication is non-negotiable for achieving high deliverability, particularly in international markets. This includes correctly configuring SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.
SPF (Sender Policy Framework): This record specifies which mail servers are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain, helping to prevent spoofing. Regularly review your SPF record to ensure all legitimate sending services are included and unauthorized ones are not.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): This method digitally signs your emails, verifying that the content has not been tampered with in transit. Proper DKIM implementation builds trust with receiving mail servers.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance): DMARC builds upon SPF and DKIM by instructing receiving mail servers how to handle emails that fail authentication. Implementing a DMARC policy with a p=reject or p=quarantine policy significantly enhances security and deliverability. Tools like Suped offer robust DMARC monitoring and reporting, essential for visibility into your email ecosystem.
Recommended DMARC policy setup
Start with a p=none policy to collect reports and gradually move to p=quarantine or p=reject as you gain confidence in your authentication setup. This phased approach allows you to identify and fix issues without impacting legitimate email delivery.
Furthermore, ensure your PTR records are correctly configured. A reverse DNS lookup (PTR record) helps to verify that the IP address sending the email is associated with your sending domain, adding another layer of trust for receiving servers.
Sender reputation and audience engagement
Sender reputation is paramount, regardless of the country you are sending to. It is the cumulative trust score assigned to your sending domain and IP addresses by mailbox providers. Factors like spam complaint rates, bounce rates, and engagement metrics (opens, clicks, replies) heavily influence this score. A poor reputation means your emails are more likely to land in the spam folder or be rejected outright.
Best practices for reputation
Clean lists: Regularly remove inactive or invalid email addresses to maintain low bounce rates and avoid spam traps.
Engagement: Send relevant content that encourages opens and clicks. High engagement signals to ISPs that your emails are valued.
Segmentation: Targeted campaigns to engaged segments can boost overall sender reputation.
Unsubscribe options: Provide clear and easy ways for recipients to unsubscribe to avoid spam complaints.
Common pitfalls
Purchased lists: These often contain spam traps and uninterested recipients, leading to immediate reputation damage.
Irregular sending: Sudden spikes in volume can trigger spam filters. Maintain a consistent sending schedule or properly warm up new domains.
Generic content: Emails lacking personalization or value are more likely to be marked as spam.
By consistently focusing on these aspects, you can build and maintain a strong sender reputation that is recognized positively by ISPs in Türkiye, Romania, and globally.
Local domains and their impact
When considering sending emails to recipients in Türkiye and Romania, the choice of your email sending domain plays a role in how your messages are perceived. While a generic .com domain is often sufficient, there can be advantages and disadvantages to using country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs) like .tr for Türkiye or .ro for Romania.
Aspect
Advantages of ccTLDs (.tr, .ro)
Disadvantages of ccTLDs (.tr, .ro)
Local trust
May enhance trust with local recipients, indicating a regional presence and commitment.
Limited global recognition if your brand also targets international audiences.
Brand perception
Reinforces local branding and cultural affinity.
Potential for higher registration costs or more stringent registration requirements.
Deliverability
Can potentially lead to better local inbox placement if ISPs prioritize local domains.
No guarantee of improved deliverability without adhering to all other best practices. It's not a silver bullet.
For email, the focus should largely remain on maintaining a stellar sender reputation and rigorous authentication. While a ccTLD might offer a minor psychological advantage for recipients, it will not compensate for poor email hygiene or a lack of proper domain authentication.
Common email providers in Türkiye include Gmail, Outlook/Hotmail, Yahoo, and local providers like mynet.com. In Romania, Gmail and Yahoo Mail are widely used, alongside local providers such as mail.yahoo.ro, rdslink.ro, and clicknet.ro. Your strategy should prioritize adhering to the best practices for successful email delivery regardless of specific domain usage.
Domain structuring and subdomains
Implementing a structured approach to your email sending domains is critical. Using subdomains for different types of email (e.g., transactional, marketing, newsletters) helps isolate reputation issues. If your marketing emails encounter a blocklist, your critical transactional emails will remain unaffected.
The value of distinct subdomains
According to M3AAWG Best Common Practices, especially for bulk sending, using distinct subdomains is an industry best practice. This isolation helps protect the reputation of your core domain and ensures continuity for vital communications.
Consider the example: transactional.yourdomain.com for order confirmations and marketing.yourdomain.com for promotional emails. This separation allows you to manage domain reputation more effectively and apply different sending strategies as needed. It is also good practice for email click tracking.
For corporate and marketing mail, consider segmenting your sending domains and IPs. This helps to protect your primary domain from reputation issues that might arise from bulk marketing efforts. Maintaining consistent sending volumes and adhering to strict opt-in practices for all types of emails will also contribute to better deliverability in both Türkiye and Romania.
Compliance and local regulations
Beyond technical configurations, understanding local compliance requirements is essential. For Türkiye and Romania, like many EMEA countries, GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is a critical framework governing email marketing practices. While local laws may have additional specifics, GDPR sets a high standard for data privacy and consent.
Consent: Ensure you have explicit, verifiable consent from all recipients before sending marketing emails.
Transparency: Clearly state who you are, why you are emailing, and how recipients can unsubscribe.
Data protection: Protect personal data and handle it securely, in line with GDPR requirements.
Unsubscribe options: Make the unsubscribe process simple and prompt, respecting recipient preferences.
While there is a specific guide on EMEA GDPR requirements, remember that local consumer protection laws might exist. Staying informed about these regulations is crucial to avoid legal issues and maintain a positive sender reputation. Respecting recipient privacy and preferences is a global best practice that resonates strongly in any market.
Monitoring and continuous improvement
Regularly monitoring your email performance is not just a good idea, it is essential. This includes tracking bounce rates, spam complaints, open rates, and click-through rates. Tools that provide comprehensive DMARC reports, like Suped, are invaluable for gaining insight into your email flows and identifying any authentication or deliverability issues early.
You can also use email deliverability testing tools to check how your emails are performing with various mailbox providers. This proactive approach allows for quick adjustments to your sending strategy, ensuring optimal inbox placement in Türkiye, Romania, and other markets.
In the end, successful email delivery in Türkiye and Romania hinges on the same core principles that apply globally: strong authentication, a healthy sender reputation, and a commitment to sending valued content to engaged recipients. By implementing these practices and continuously monitoring your performance, you can confidently reach your audience in these important markets.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Always prioritize DMARC, SPF, and DKIM authentication for any region to build fundamental trust.
Segment your email lists based on engagement levels to improve overall deliverability metrics.
Use distinct subdomains for transactional versus marketing emails to protect core brand reputation.
Maintain consistent sending volumes; sudden spikes can trigger spam filters.
Ensure clear unsubscribe options are prominent in all emails to reduce spam complaints.
Common pitfalls
Failing to regularly clean email lists can lead to high bounce rates and spam trap hits.
Ignoring DMARC reports means you miss critical insights into authentication failures.
Purchasing email lists often results in low engagement and immediate reputation damage.
Not warming up new sending domains or IPs can lead to initial blocklists.
Overlooking local data privacy laws can result in compliance issues and penalties.
Expert tips
Local ccTLDs may offer a slight advantage in some markets, but global best practices are more impactful.
Monitor your sender reputation metrics diligently using tools like Google Postmaster Tools.
Engage with local email deliverability forums if specific regional issues arise.
Consider local cultural preferences for content and design, which can influence engagement.
Test your emails thoroughly using an email deliverability tester before sending to large segments.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks mentioned they were seeking insider knowledge, resources, or sites with information on sending best practices and top local domains in Turkey and Romania.
2022-01-25 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks noted that Turkey has requested to be called "Türkiye" in English.
2022-01-25 - Email Geeks
In summary
For successful email deliverability in Türkiye and Romania, the core focus remains on robust technical setups, particularly DMARC, SPF, and DKIM authentication. Maintaining a strong sender reputation through clean lists, high engagement, and consistent sending patterns is equally vital. While local ccTLDs might offer subtle advantages, global best practices provide the most reliable path to the inbox.
Continuous monitoring of your email performance and adherence to data privacy regulations like GDPR are crucial for long-term success. By diligently applying these strategies, you can ensure your emails consistently reach their intended recipients, fostering trust and engagement in these important markets.
Gmail, 
Outlook/Hotmail, 
Yahoo, and local providers like mynet.com. In Romania, Gmail and Yahoo Mail are widely used, alongside local providers such as mail.yahoo.ro, rdslink.ro, and clicknet.ro. Your strategy should prioritize adhering to the best practices for successful email delivery regardless of specific domain usage.
