Company registration in Turkey tailored to your business objectives
A company in Turkey can serve as a basis for purchasing from local manufacturers, selling goods, establishing a business presence in the market or organising international supplies. The choice of structure depends on where clients, the team and goods will be located, who will enter into contracts and through which banks payments will be processed.
The legal form, bank account and subsequent accounting should be planned together. For example, a trading company needs consistent documents for purchasing and reselling goods, while a service business needs a clear description of services, agreements with clients and evidence of their performance. Such preparation helps avoid a situation where the company has already been registered but the required settlements still cannot be organised.
Who can gain practical value from opening a business in Turkey
- Importers and distributors. For purchasing products from Turkish manufacturers, working with dealers and organising regular supplies.
- Manufacturing companies. For establishing local production, ordering products under their own brand or coordinating contractors.
- Export and logistics businesses. For building supply routes and working with partners in different markets.
- Trade and e-commerce. For local sales, warehouse operations, accepting payments and contractual arrangements for delivery and returns.
- Service and technology companies. For working with Turkish clients, building a team or establishing a regional division.
- Owners of existing businesses. For acquiring a company, bringing in a partner, changing the ownership structure or arranging support for an already registered legal entity.
We assess whether registration is appropriate based on the specific business model. If the objective is limited to a one-off purchase, establishing a separate company may be unnecessary. If ongoing local operations, personnel and contracts are planned, having your own legal entity may provide a more consistent structure for operations.
Advantages of Turkey for international business
Working close to suppliers
A local company provides an organisational basis for purchases, negotiations, monitoring fulfilment of orders and developing a partner network. This is particularly useful when the business regularly works with Turkish manufacturers and distributors.
Transport infrastructure
Seaports, road and air connections make it possible to consider Turkey as one of the links in an international supply chain. The city of registration and warehouse location should be selected taking into account the actual movement of goods.
Corporate banking tools
Banks offer domestic and international settlements, foreign currency accounts, online payment management and foreign trade instruments. The specific range of services is selected taking into account the company’s activities and the results of its review.
Possibility of foreign ownership
For many ordinary types of activity, a company with wholly foreign capital is possible. The need for permits, sector-specific restrictions and management requirements are reviewed before the constitutional documents are prepared.
For trade with Europe, the Turkey–EU Customs Union is important, covering primarily industrial goods. However, Turkey is not a member of the European Union, and company registration does not eliminate customs clearance, product requirements or the need to review the conditions of a specific shipment. Customs benefits are determined by the goods regime and documents, not merely by the seller’s country of registration.
Which company form to choose: Limited Şirket or Anonim Şirket
For commercial activities, Limited Şirket — Ltd. Şti. and Anonim Şirket — A.Ş. are usually compared. The decision depends on the number of partners, plans to attract investors, management and future sale of an interest.
| Criterion |
Limited Şirket |
Anonim Şirket |
| Form |
Limited liability company. |
Joint-stock company. |
| Number of founders |
From one to 50 participants. |
May be established by a single shareholder. |
| Minimum share capital |
50,000 Turkish lira. |
250,000 Turkish lira for the standard model; for a non-public company using the registered capital system — 500,000 Turkish lira. |
| When to consider |
For a business with a relatively stable ownership structure and clear management model. |
For projects where shareholding structure, investment and the possibility of future scaling are important. |
Share capital is the company’s property, and the procedure for contributing it depends on the form and type of contribution. For cash contributions, Ltd. Şti. permits payment within 24 months after registration. For A.Ş., the general rule provides for payment of at least 25% of cash capital before registration and the remainder within the following 24 months. Certain types of activity may have additional requirements.
The establishment of a branch of a foreign company or acquisition of an existing business in Turkey can also be considered. Before acquisition, corporate documents, debts, agreements and tax history are reviewed. An existing account of the acquired company requires the data held by the bank to be updated after the owners change.
What needs to be prepared for company registration
First, we determine the composition of founders, ownership interests, manager, address and types of activity. We then prepare the list of documents in accordance with the selected form and registry requirements.
- For an individual founder: passport details, required translations and tax identification number.
- For a corporate founder: registration documents, confirmation of current status and a resolution of the authorised body on establishing the company.
- For the future company: name, address, types of activity, capital structure and constitutional provisions.
- For management: manager’s details, representatives’ authority and documents relating to signatures.
- For actions through a representative: a power of attorney covering the specific procedures.
Documents issued abroad may require an apostille or consular certification, translation into Turkish and notarisation. The application is prepared in the MERSİS system, while registration is carried out by the trade registry. The existence of an electronic system does not mean that the entire launch, including the bank account, takes place automatically online.
The address must correspond to the way the business operates. Office work, a shop, warehouse or manufacturing require different premises and organisational arrangements. The address issue is also coordinated with the accountant and considered in light of bank checks.
Advantages of opening a corporate bank account in Turkey
The main advantage of a Turkish account is the ability to combine the company’s local operations and international payments. It is a practical tool for a business that purchases, sells, hires employees or performs contracts in Turkey. Its usefulness is assessed based on the required currencies, payment directions and available banking products.
Settlements with local partners
An account with a Turkish bank allows payments to suppliers, rent and other expenses to be organised through the local banking infrastructure. For regular activities, this reduces the need to make every payment from a foreign account.
Working with different currencies
Foreign currency accounts help align incoming and outgoing payments in the contract currency. For example, receiving payments in euros and using them for agreed foreign currency payments without converting every receipt where there is no operational need. Available currencies and mandatory foreign exchange operations are checked separately.
International payments
The bank may enable receipt of revenue and payment under international contracts through SWIFT and other available channels. Before opening an account, it is important to check support for the required countries, currencies and payment purposes.
Remote management of transactions
Corporate online banking provides access to statements, balances and payments. Depending on the bank’s system, users, limits and transaction approvals can be configured — convenient when the owner, manager and accountant work in different locations.
Accepting payments from customers
For trade, POS terminals and online acquiring can be considered separately. This helps organise acceptance of card payments in a shop or on a website. Connection depends on the business review and approval of the relevant product.
Foreign trade instruments
For supplies involving documentary terms, banks offer letters of credit, collections and guarantees. They make it possible to link settlements to fulfilment of specified conditions and provision of documents. Availability of instruments, security and limits are assessed separately by the bank.
Another practical advantage is the organisation of regular payments and salaries. Where relevant services are available, batch payments can be prepared and their execution monitored. The accountant receives statements for reconciliation with agreements, invoices and primary documents.
For example, a company purchasing products in Turkey and selling them to foreign clients may use a local account for settlements with the manufacturer and a foreign currency account for receipts from customers. This is an illustrative scenario: the specific flow of funds must be aligned with banking and foreign exchange rules, including requirements relating to export proceeds.
More information about the separate service is available on the page opening a bank account in Turkey for a legal entity. The general application procedure is also considered in the article “How to Open a Bank Account in Turkey?”.
Which bank to choose for a company in Turkey
Banks should be compared based on your company’s transactions. The presence of a required product on a bank’s website does not mean that it is automatically available to a new client. Below are examples of banks and areas that should be checked during selection.
| Bank |
What it offers businesses |
What to clarify for your company |
| Türkiye İş Bankası — İşbank |
Services for companies with foreign capital, corporate online banking, international transfers and documentary settlements. |
Document package, signatories’ authority, required payment directions and online access options. |
| Garanti BBVA |
Accounts in Turkish lira and foreign currencies, management of payments and receipts, POS and foreign trade products. |
Availability of required currencies, acquiring connection, settlement procedure with suppliers and bank limits. |
| Ziraat Bankası |
Corporate online banking, letters of credit and other foreign trade services. |
Acceptability of the company profile, document requirements for contracts and conditions for access to documentary products. |
The priority is the suitability of the account for your transactions. During selection, we clarify currencies, countries of counterparties, expected turnover, the procedure for supporting payments and whether the manager’s personal participation is required. The decision to open an account is made by the bank after reviewing the client.
What the bank checks before opening an account
The bank needs to establish who owns the company, who has the authority to manage it and what its activities will be. For example, İşbank publishes for Turkish legal entities a list including constitutional and registration documents, tax information, signatories’ documents and evidence of their authority.
We separately prepare an explanation of the business model, ownership structure, source of funds and future transactions. Depending on the situation, agreements, invoices, information about suppliers, customers and the company’s presence in Turkey may be required. The information in the questionnaire must correspond to the documents and actual activities.
A prepared package helps provide consistent answers to the bank’s questions. At the same time, company registration, a tax number or capital contribution do not in themselves guarantee account opening. We explain the approach to reviewing international structures in the article “Offshore Does Not Mean Protection: What Do Banks Actually Check?”.
Can a company be registered and an account opened remotely
Some registration actions can be performed through a duly authorised representative. The format depends on the founders’ documents, the manager’s authority and the requirements of the relevant registry. Before executing a power of attorney, it is necessary to determine exactly which actions it must cover.
For a bank account, the procedure is determined by the particular bank: personal identification of the manager or another signatory may be required. Remote use of an opened account and remote account opening are different procedures. Therefore, the possibility of proceeding without travel is checked before planning the launch.
Taxes, accounting and reporting for a company in Turkey
The basic corporate tax rate under the general regime is 25%. Special rules apply to certain categories of activity. The standard VAT rate is 20%, while rates of 10% and 1% apply to specified transactions. The specific taxation depends on the type of income, goods or services and fulfilment of the conditions of the relevant regime.
For manufacturing, exports and investment projects, current incentives, including changes introduced in 2026, should be checked separately. A tax benefit should not be included in the financial plan until its conditions, application date and the documents the company must hold have been confirmed.
Even before the first transaction, accounting for agreements, invoices, bank statements, employee settlements and supporting documents must be organised. Requirements for electronic invoices and accounting systems, tax returns and notifications are also determined. The absence of sales does not automatically mean the absence of obligations.
Assistance with ongoing operations can be agreed within accounting support for business in Turkey. For transactions between related companies and payments to owners, tax implications and documentary arrangements are additionally reviewed.
What a Ukrainian company owner should take into account
Establishing a Turkish company does not automatically change the owner’s tax residence. If the founder remains a Ukrainian tax resident and meets the control criteria, CFC obligations should be reviewed. Where there is a statutory ground, the notification is submitted within 60 calendar days from the relevant event.
At the launch stage, it is advisable to coordinate submission of a CFC notification, and subsequently — preparation of CFC reporting. Turkish accounting and the Ukrainian controller’s obligations require consistent source data.
If the owner plans to work personally in Turkey, the right to work and stay is reviewed separately. Registration of a legal entity does not replace the necessary immigration procedures. Likewise, before contributing funds, the permitted method of financing the company from the country from which the transfer will be made should be checked.
Legal support for the company after registration
After the business is launched, new tasks arise: entering into agreements, hiring employees, changing the manager’s authority, bank requests or bringing in a partner. Legal support for business in Turkey can be organised for regular operations or a separate project.
- Corporate matters: participants’ resolutions, changes of manager, address, ownership composition and provisions of constitutional documents.
- Contract work: review of delivery, payment, acceptance of goods or services, liability and dispute resolution terms.
- Bank requests: preparation of explanations and documents regarding activities, counterparties and transactions.
- Coordination with the accountant: document flow, corporate resolutions and documentation of business transactions.
- Business development: bringing in a partner, acquiring assets, reviewing a company before a transaction and formalising changes.
For regulated activities, we first determine the necessary permits and specialist professionals. Before starting work, we agree which matters are included in legal support, which are handled by the accountant and which require a separate local procedure.
Stages of cooperation with a lawyer
01
We discuss activities and future payments
We clarify what the company will sell, where clients and suppliers will be located, and who will become the owner and manager. We determine whether local premises, employees, acquiring or trade finance are required.
02
We agree the structure and launch plan
We compare legal forms, determine ownership interests and authority, and analyse tax and banking matters. We prepare the list of documents and identify the stages at which your personal participation may be required.
03
We prepare documents and support registration
We coordinate preparation of constitutional documents, powers of attorney and translations within the agreed scope. We review consistency of the data and support registration actions taking into account the requirements of local authorities.
04
We support the bank application
We prepare the corporate document package and explanations about the business. We help handle additional requests and clarify available currencies and services. After the bank’s decision, we agree the next steps regarding the account.
05
We organise ongoing support
We determine the procedure for transferring documents to the accountant and working with agreements and corporate changes. For a Ukrainian controller, we separately coordinate CFC matters and the list of data that should be collected throughout the year.
Advantages of working with Prikhodko & Partners
- Preparation based on actual activities. We link the company structure to goods, services, counterparties and future payments.
- Banking matters at the planning stage. We determine in advance what information needs to be prepared for the bank application.
- Consistent documents. We review the consistency of constitutional data, authority, agreements and explanations about the business.
- Connection between Turkish and Ukrainian obligations. We help take CFC matters into account and prepare the required information.
- Support after launch. Further assistance with agreements, corporate changes and bank requests can be agreed.
A well-planned company launch in Turkey begins with understanding how the business will operate. It is important to align the legal structure, manager’s authority, banking transactions and accounting in advance. The documents can then form a consistent basis for contracts, settlements and company development.
Legal support helps the owner see the entire process: which decisions need to be made now, what should be prepared for the bank and what obligations will arise after registration. Submit a request to discuss your business project in Turkey and determine the sequence of actions for its launch and ongoing operations.
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