Setting up a company in Turkiye with foreign shareholders.

Planning a company in Turkiye with US shareholders? Limited (Ltd. Şti.) and joint stock (A.Ş.) companies follow the same incorporation route, starting on the MERSIS system. The parts that usually take longest happen before registration: tax numbers for each foreign shareholder and board member, and documents prepared in the US, apostilled, then translated and notarized in Turkiye. Turkish-law work is handled by the Turkish attorneys at Sonmez Partners.

1. 01

   Same route

   Ltd. Şti. and A.Ş. follow one procedure.

   Limited and joint stock companies are incorporated the same way. The articles of association are prepared on MERSIS, the online trade registry system.

2. 02

   Signatures

   Signed before the registry or a notary.

   All founders sign the articles of association before trade registry staff or a Turkish notary, in person or through a power of attorney.

3. 03

   Tax numbers

   Each foreign founder needs one.

   Foreign shareholders and board members obtain a potential tax number. The company needs these to open its bank account.

4. 04

   Foreign documents

   Prepared abroad, finished in Turkiye.

   • Individuals: passport copy, notarized and translated
   • Companies: certificate of activity and a board resolution
   • Apostilled abroad, then translated and notarized in Turkiye
5. 05

   Registration

   One filing, several notifications.

   The trade registry registers the company and notifies the tax office and the Social Security Institution (SGK). Legal books and signature circulars follow.