Foreigners wishing to establish a company in Turkey should apply to the Trade Registry Directorate where the company headquarters will be located, together with the following documents, taking into account the other explanations made according to the relevant company type.
Although some of this process can be carried out by logging in through MERSIS within the framework of some changes and digitalisation, all company founders must be present at the competent authority for the signature process.
If the application is made through MERSIS, after the articles of association is prepared, the potential tax identification number (PVKN) and tax office for the company can be viewed on the screen. In this respect, it has been made easier to prepare the articles of association and go to the bank with the PVKN and obtain a blocked bank letter.
In addition, the documents must be translated so that the foreign partner can understand the documents.
Joint-Stock Company Documents |
Limited Company Documents |
| The articles of association of the company duly prepared, signed by the founders and their signatures certified, | Company contract in which the signatures of the founders of the company are certified by the competent authorities, |
| A document showing that at least 25% of the committed capital has been deposited in cash to the company bank account, | Written declarations of the members of the board of directors, who are not shareholders of the company, regarding their acceptance of their duties |
| Certificate of payment of the Competition Authority’s share | Receipt showing that the Competition Authority share has been paid |
| In the event that the company has capital in kind or if businesses or assets in kind are to be taken over during the establishment, expert valuation reports on the valuation of assets in kind | Signature declarations of the company directors, |
| In the event that capital in kind is provided as company capital, a document obtained from the registry showing that there is no restriction on the said capital in kind, | If there is a legal entity in the board of directors, the name and surname of a person determined by and on behalf of the legal entity. A notarised copy of the resolution of the corporate body authorised to make this determination, |
| In the event that capital in kind is determined as the capital of the company, a document showing that the immovable property, intellectual property rights and other values put as capital in kind are annotated to the registries where they are registered, | In the event that the company has capital in kind or if businesses or assets in kind are to be taken over during the establishment, expert valuation reports on the valuation of assets in kind |
| Contracts signed between the joint stock company being established and the founders or third parties, | If the capital in kind is determined as the company capital, a letter stating that there is no limitation on the capital in kind |
| For the types of companies whose establishment depends on the preliminary authorisation obtained by the Ministry, the preliminary authorisation certificate or the letter of approval, | In the event that capital in kind is determined as the capital of the company, the document showing that the immovable property, intellectual property rights and other values put as capital in kind are annotated to the registries where they are registered, |
| If one of the members of the board of directors is a legal person, the name and surname of the legal person and a real person designated by the legal person on behalf of the legal person and a notarised copy of the authorised body decision regarding the designation | Contracts concluded between the company being established and the founders or between the company and other persons and related to the establishment of the company. |
| Signature declarations of the persons authorised to represent and bind the company. | |
| Written declarations of the non-shareholder members of the Board of Directors accepting this duty, |
In addition to the documents listed above, additional documents may be requested by the relevant registry office or other competent authorities for foreigners to establish a company in Turkey. In order to complete the procedures, all requested documents must be submitted in due time. Documents to be obtained from abroad must be submitted with apostille annotation and notarised Turkish translation.
