Do You Want to Start a Business in Türkiye?

The company establishment process shall be started on an online system, Central Registration System (MERSİS), by the system users. Following the application made through MERSİS, one shall get an appointment from Trade Registry Directorate online and be present in the Trade Registry Office at the time of the appointment. Those who shall be present in the regarding appointment are the founders or those who are given a power of attorney by the founders.

At this stage, one shall prepare the documents containing the information about the residential addresses of the shareholders and managers whether they are in Türkiye or abroad, their e-mail addresses, phone numbers, mother and father names, and passport photographs of the shareholders. The petition to be prepared for the Trade Registry Directorate shall be signed by all the company managers. If the petitions are signed by the attorneys, the original copy of the power of attorney or the certified copy of it shall be added to the petition. It is at this stage when the relevant tax office is indicated.

The articles of association is prepared at this stage. The name, capital amount, the official launch date of the company, and the activity codes at the launch date shall be indicated clearly along with the NACE code (What is NACE Code? ). The name of the company is subjected to a compliance test on the MERSİS system.

Please click here to review the points to be considered when choosing a name for your company

The minimum amount of the shareholders' share, which is indicated by law or in the articles of association, shall be paid to a bank account. The name, last name, and titles of the depositing shareholders, and the bank letter where the amounts deposited by each shareholder and the total deposited amount are indicated shall be prepared to be submitted to the institution. A temporary bank account is opened for the said transaction. In case when all the company capital or a certain amount of it is committed in cash, a minimum ¼ of the amount committed in cash shall be paid before the registration with the remaining amount being paid in the 24 months following the company registration.

A permission letter shall be prepared for the joint-stock companies whose establishments are subject to the Ministry or other official institutions. A relevant example for the said companies is banks or insurance companies.

If there are board members who do not possess any share in the Joint-Stock Company, they shall write a statement letter indicating that they are accepting the duty in the company.

If there is a manager apart from the shareholders, they shall sign a document stating that they are accepting their duty in the company

In cases when the appointed manager is a legal person, it is necessary to prepare a notarized copy of the authorized organ’s decision that includes the name, last name, residential address, nationality, and TR identity number (tax number if the said individual is foreign) of the natural person who is appointed by and on behalf of the legal person. If the legal person is foreign, the decision must be approved by the Turkish consulate of the country that the company is subject to, or according to the rules of the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents; that is, the Apostille Convention. Additionally, these documents must be translated into Turkish and notarized. In cases when the natural person appointed by the legal person is foreign and residing in Türkiye, their residence permit and a translated and notarized passport copy are necessary.

In cases when a legal person is elected as a board member, it is necessary to prepare together with and on behalf of the legal person a notarized copy of the authorized organ’s decision where the name, last name, residential address, nationality, and TR identity number (tax number or foreign identity number if the said individual is foreign) of the natural person who is determined by the legal person are visible.

registry of the legal person shall be prepared. In other words, documents indicating that the foreign company is active are necessary. It is important these documents are approved by the Turkish consulate of the country that the company is subject to, or according to the rules of the Apostille Convention, and are translated and notarized. If there is a foreign legal entity that is a partner or an authorized legal entity, the tax number shall be indicated in the articles of association.

If a board member is a legal person of foreign nationality, the decision to be made shall be approved by the Turkish consulate of the country that the company is subject to, or according to the rules of the Apostille Convention, and is translated and notarized. Additionally, in cases when a foreign natural person is appointed on behalf of the legal person and is residing in Türkiye, their residence permit and a translated and notarized copy of their passport shall be included in the application documents.

Note: The names, last names, residential addresses, nationalities, and TR identity numbers (tax number or foreigner identity number if the said persons are foreign) of all the shareholders, board members, and managers shall be included in the articles of association.

Upon the registration of the articles of association of the joint-stock company in the Trade Registry Office, a signature circular from the notary and a power of attorney for the certified public accountant must be issued under the company legal name.

It is at this stage when the legal accounting books that the Joint-Stock Company will use are ratified and other legal book transactions are conducted online.

Trade registry alone is not sufficient for a company to start commercial businesses and issue invoices in Türkiye. At this stage, one shall register in the relevant tax office. The ones who shall conduct the registry process are the certified public accountants with the power of attorney they received from the founders. Upon the application, the tax office shall send an auditor to prepare an inspection report. It is important to pass the audit that checks the sufficiency of the virtual office facilities (real address, telephone number, secretary, etc.) if the company uses a virtual office, or the adequateness of the physical office’s arrangement (tables, chairs, computers, network connection, etc.) if the company uses a physical office.

In accordance with the Social Insurance and General Health Insurance Law, if it hires an employee in the workplace (company), the company must register in the Social Security Institution and receive a number in the date of insured employment at the latest. With the Law No. 7099 Amending Certain Laws for the Improvement of the Investment Environment published in the Official Gazette dated 10/3/2018 and numbered 30356, the Trade Registry Directorate automatically notifies the workplace organization to the Social Security Institution, regardless of whether the insured person will be employed or not.

The Business Operating License is received from the relevant municipality and divides into three as Sanitary Enterprises, Non-sanitary Enterprises, and Public Recreation Enterprises. The Business Operating License application is made in person or by those who are authorized to sign on behalf of them in the Directorate of Licensing and Inspection of the relevant municipality after preparing the necessary documents. According to the activity field of the company, one shall write a letter to the Directorate of Fire Department (regarding the fire and explosion), the District Police Department (regarding the general safety and public security), the Municipality Directorate of Housing and Urban Development (regarding the development), Directorate of Municipal Police (regarding the neighborhood and noise), the Maritime and Ports Directorate (regarding the general safety and public security), the Port Authority (regarding their evaluation), and other official-private institutions and organizations when it is necessary to receive the relevant municipality’s conformity assessment.

The company establishment process shall be started on an online system, Central Registration System (MERSİS), by the system users. Following the application made through MERSİS, one shall get an appointment from Trade Registry Directorate online and be present in the Trade Registry Office at the time of the appointment. Those who shall be present in the regarding appointment are the founders or those who are given a power of attorney by the founders.

At this stage, one shall prepare the documents containing the information about the residential addresses of the shareholders and managers whether they are in Türkiye or abroad, their e-mail addresses, phone numbers, mother and father names, and passport photographs of the shareholders. The petition to be prepared for the Trade Registry Directorate shall be signed by all the company managers. If the petitions are signed by the attorneys, the original copy of the power of attorney or the certified copy of it shall be added to the petition. It is at this stage when the relevant tax office is indicated.

The articles of association is prepared at this stage. The name, capital amount, official launch date of the company, and the activity codes at the launch date shall be indicated clearly along with the NACE code (What is NACE Code? ). The name of the company is subjected to a compliance test on the MERSİS system.

Please click here to review the points to be considered when choosing a name for your company

If there is a manager apart from the shareholders, they shall sign a document declaring that they are accepting their duty in the company.

In cases when the appointed manager is a legal person it is necessary to prepare a notarized copy of the authorized organ’s decision that includes the name, last name, residential address, nationality, and TR identity number (tax number if the said individual is foreign) of the natural person who is appointed by and on behalf of the legal person. If the legal person is foreign, the decision must be approved by the Turkish consulate of the country that the company is subject to, or according to the rules of the Apostille Convention. Additionally, these documents must be translated into Turkish and notarized. In cases when the natural person appointed by the legal person is foreign and residing in Türkiye, their residence permit and a translated and notarized passport copy are necessary.

Upon the registration of the articles of association of the limited liability company in the Trade Registry Office, a signature circular from the notary and a power of attorney for the certified public accountant must be issued under the company legal name.

It is at this stage when the legal accounting books that the limited liability company will use are ratified and other legal book transactions are conducted online.

Trade registry alone is not sufficient for a company to start commercial businesses and issue invoices in Türkiye. At this stage, one shall register in the relevant tax office. The ones who shall conduct the registry process are certified public accountants with the power of attorney they received from the founders. Upon the application, the tax office shall send an auditor to prepare an inspection report. It is important to pass the audition that checks the sufficiency of the virtual office facilities (real address, telephone number, secretary, etc.) if the company uses a virtual office, or the adequateness of the physical office’s arrangement (tables, chairs, computers, network connection, etc.) if the company uses a physical office.

In accordance with the Social Insurance and General Health Insurance Law, if it hires an employee in the workplace (company), the company must register in the Social Security Institution and receive a number in the date of insured employment at the latest. With the Law No. 7099 Amending Certain Laws for the Improvement of the Investment Environment published in the Official Gazette dated 10/3/2018 and numbered 30356, the Trade Registry Directorate automatically notifies the workplace organization to the Social Security Institution, regardless of whether the insured person will be employed or not.

The Business Operating License is received from the relevant municipality and divides into three as Sanitary Enterprises, Non-sanitary Enterprises, and Public Recreation Enterprises. The Business Operating License application is made in person or by those who are authorized to sign on behalf of them in the Directorate of Licensing and Inspection of the relevant municipality after preparing the necessary documents. According to the activity field of the company, one shall write a letter to the Directorate of Fire Department (regarding the fire and explosion), the District Police Department (regarding the general safety and public security), the Municipality Directorate of Housing and Urban Development (regarding the development), Directorate of Municipal Police (regarding the neighborhood and noise), the Maritime and Ports Directorate (regarding the general safety and public security), the Port Authority (regarding their evaluation), and other official-private institutions and organizations when it is necessary to receive the relevant municipality’s conformity assessment.