Translations for Companies House

Where Turkish documents reach the registrar

Companies House is the registrar of companies for the UK. Turkish businesses meet it in two ways. A Turkish company that opens a branch or place of business in the UK registers a UK establishment and must deliver a certified copy of its constitution, its latest accounts if it files them at home, and details of its directors and secretary; all of that starts in Turkish. A UK company set up by Turkish residents does not file Turkish documents with the registrar as a matter of course, but the accountant forming it, the bank opening its account and, since identity verification began, the registrar’s own checks all look at documents about the Turkish shareholders, the Turkish parent company or a corporate director. A Turkish company acting as a corporate director or person with significant control brings its trade registry gazette entry and signature circular into the file.

What Companies House requires

The rule sits in the Companies Act 2006. Documents delivered to the registrar must be in English, with limited exceptions for documents that may be delivered in another language provided they are accompanied by a certified translation, and the Act defines a certified translation as one certified in the prescribed manner to be a correct translation. The regulations set out who may give that certificate. We have summarised this in the box rather than quoting, because the precise text of the certification requirement should be read on legislation.gov.uk before you file. The GOV.UK guidance for registering an overseas company is the practical reference: it states that documents not in English must be accompanied by a certified translation. Our certificate names the company, its Ankara trade registry number and address, states that the translation is a true and accurate translation of the original, and is dated and signed, which is the form accountants and formation agents have filed with Companies House to date.

Turkish documents that come up

• Articles of association (ana sözleşme), usually the consolidated text from the trade registry.
• Trade registry gazette (ticaret sicil gazetesi) entries showing incorporation, capital and directors.
• Certificate of activity (faaliyet belgesi), the Turkish equivalent of good standing.
• Signature circular (imza sirküleri) showing who binds the company.
• Board resolutions authorising the UK establishment, and Turkish financial statements where accounts must be filed.
• Turkish ID cards and passports of directors for identity checks, which are in Latin script and rarely need translation.

Common reasons filings are rejected or queried

• The company’s legal form is translated into a UK form. A limited şirket (Ltd. Şti.) and an anonim şirket (A.Ş.) are Turkish legal forms; we keep the Turkish designation and add a description, rather than calling either a plc.
• Only the first page of the gazette entry is translated, without the capital, share and director details that the registrar needs.
• Share capital in lira is converted to sterling in the translation; the registrar wants the original figure and currency.
• The certification does not say who translated it or how to contact them.
• Outdated articles are filed; the consolidated text from the trade registry (MERSİS) is the one to translate.

How we prepare Companies House translations

Translators with commercial and legal experience translate; a second linguist checks capital figures, share numbers, dates and every director’s name against the original. Terminology is kept consistent across the set, with a short glossary of Turkish corporate terms on request. Each page carries our certification statement with the company details, the date, stamp and signature, and the original is attached; hard copies for the registrar go by courier from Ankara (£30) or UK Special Delivery (£8). A gazette extract runs to 2–5 pages (£20–50); a signature circular 1–2 pages; a faaliyet belgesi one page (£10); full articles 10–25 pages, which we quote on the economy tier when the filing date allows (from £8 per page). A typical UK-establishment bundle comes to £150–300 and takes 3–5 working days. No UK VAT is charged. Our guide to starting a UK business with Turkish company documents covers the bank and accountant side, and business and company document translation describes the terminology policy.