Forming a company with foreign shareholders in Türkiye: documents and sequence

Translations, apostille, the potential tax number and post-registration obligations.

What usually delays the formation of a company with foreign shareholders is not the registration itself but the documents that must come from abroad. If the sequence is set up correctly, registration is completed within a few business days.

Documents first

For individual shareholders, a notarised Turkish translation of the passport is required. If the shareholder will not come to Türkiye, a power of attorney is issued abroad; an apostille is required in countries party to the Hague Convention, and consular legalisation in others. For corporate shareholders, the certificate of activity and the resolutions showing signing authority go through the same process.

Potential tax number

Before foreign shareholders are registered in MERSİS (the Central Registry System), a potential tax number is obtained from the tax office. This can be done together with the passport translation and is usually completed on the same day.

Company type and capital

The minimum capital is 50,000 TL for a limited company and 250,000 TL for a joint stock company. For foreign shareholders and managers for whom a work permit is planned, the capital structure and target turnover should be assessed together at the formation stage.

Registration and afterwards

Preparing the articles of association in MERSİS and submitting them for approval
A bank account for the capital deposit where required
Signature and registration at the trade registry office
Tax office inspection, e-Notification and e-ledger applications
Foreign investment notifications via E-TUYS (the Foreign Direct Investment Information System)

Practical note. The foreign shareholder must be in Türkiye for their specimen signature to be taken at a notary; if this is not possible, the scope of the power of attorney should be prepared accordingly.

For the scope of the service, see the foreign company formation page.