Before you sign with a Turkish company, check these.

Signing with a Turkish supplier, distributor or partner? Some facts are public, some you have to ask the company for, and some are not public at all. A short check before signing confirms the company exists, who may sign for it and whether it is in financial trouble. Turkish-law review is handled by the Turkish attorneys at Sonmez Partners.

1. 01

   Public · Trade Registry Gazette

   Start with the official announcements.

   The Turkish Trade Registry Gazette (ticaretsicil.gov.tr) publishes incorporation, capital changes, directors and managers, address changes, mergers and liquidation, going back to 1957. Searching is free with a free account.

2. 02

   Public · Financial distress

   Look for bankruptcy and konkordato notices.

   Konkordato (court-supervised restructuring) and bankruptcy decisions are published in the Trade Registry Gazette and on ilan.gov.tr. A filing is not the same as a granted moratorium, so read the notice itself.

3. 03

   Ask for · Who can sign

   The signature circular.

   Ask for a recent signature circular (imza sirküleri) from a notary and compare it with the latest Gazette notice of appointments. It shows who may sign, alone or jointly, and with what limits.

4. 04

   Ask for · Proof of activity

   Activity certificate and tax certificate.

   • A recent activity certificate (faaliyet belgesi) from the company's chamber, with a barcode you can check
   • The tax certificate (vergi levhası), which carries a GİB approval code
   • For a joint-stock company, the shareholder structure and share ledger extract, since share transfers are not registered
5. 05

   Not public

   Court and enforcement files.

   Lawsuits and enforcement (icra) files are visible only to the parties and their lawyers, and Turkiye has no public register of beneficial owners. Ask the company for written disclosures, or have Turkish counsel review.

6. 06

   Separate check

   Sanctions screening.

   None of the Turkish registries show sanctions. Screen the company, its directors, signatories and owners against the relevant sanctions lists as a separate step.