Setting up a company in Turkey with UK documents

Who registers a company in Türkiye

Companies are formed online through MERSİS, the central registry system of the Ministry of Trade, and registered by the trade registry directorate (ticaret sicili müdürlüğü) of the chamber of commerce in the city where the company will sit. A limited company (limited şirket) or joint-stock company (anonim şirket) can be owned entirely by foreign persons or by a foreign company; there is no local partner requirement. A lawyer quoted below reports that a foreigner's incorporation takes about seven days once the documents are in order. The days are spent on two things a UK founder cannot do from a laptop: getting a Turkish tax number and producing documents the registry can read.

Where the shareholder is a UK company rather than a person, the registry wants proof that the company exists, that it is in good standing, that the person signing has authority, and that its board has resolved to form the Turkish subsidiary. Where the founder is an individual, the passport and a signature declaration do the work.

Apostille, then translation, then notary

The registry checks foreign documents in a fixed order, and the source quoted below puts it in six words: apostil şerhi ve noter onaylı Türkçe tercümesi. In practice:

1. FCDO apostille on each UK document. Companies House documents, notarised board resolutions and solicitor-certified copies are all eligible for the e-Apostille (£35, usually within two working days), which suits a corporate file. A certificate of good standing is ordered from Companies House first.
2. Turkish translation sworn before an Ankara notary. The translation covers the document, any notarial certification and the apostille. The registry accepts a translation certified by a Turkish notary; a translation certified by a UK translator or a UK notary is not enough on its own.
3. Signature declaration and power of attorney. The person who will sign the articles either attends a Turkish notary or trade registry in person, or gives a power of attorney. A POA made at the Turkish Consulate in London needs no apostille or translation; one made before a UK notary needs both.
4. Tax number and MERSİS. A foreign company and each foreign director obtain a potential tax number (potansiyel vergi numarası) from a Turkish tax office, usually through the lawyer or accountant, and the application is drafted in MERSİS.

Documents you will need

• Certificate of incorporation of the UK shareholder company
• Certificate of good standing, normally less than a few months old when filed
• Companies House extract or confirmation statement showing current officers and shareholders
• Articles of association, in full or the extract the registry specifies
• Board resolution to establish the Turkish company and appoint its manager, notarised in the UK
• Power of attorney for the lawyer or accountant in Türkiye
• Passport of each foreign shareholder and director, translated and notarised for the tax office and the bank

Common pitfalls

• A board resolution signed by one director where the articles require two, or one that does not name the Turkish company's capital, address and manager.
• A certificate of good standing that has aged past the registry's tolerance by the time the translation arrives; order it last.
• A UK POA without a photograph or without the specific powers (capital subscription, bank deposit, registry filings) the trade registry checks.
• Translating a company name or object clause loosely; the Turkish articles must mirror the resolution word for word or the registry queries them.
• Opening the capital-deposit bank account before the passport translations are ready; banks in Türkiye ask for the notarised translation as well as the tax number.

How we help and what it costs

A UK corporate shareholder file is typically 8 to 15 pages of 1,000 characters across the incorporation certificate, good standing, a registry extract, a short board resolution and a POA. Translation is £6.50 per page, so £50 to £100 for the set; the Ankara notary tariff of about £13.50 per page plus £5 handling per document is added at cost. Full articles of association run to 20 to 40 pages and are quoted separately; many registries accept an extract, so ask your lawyer which articles they need. No UK VAT is charged. Scans arrive within 2 to 4 working days; the notarised originals go by courier for £30 to your lawyer or accountant in Türkiye, who files them, or to you in the UK. We do not offer collection. Once the company exists, we translate its trade registry gazette, signature circular and certificate of activity into English for UK banks, HMRC and Companies House from £10.00 per page, with the certification statement included.