Your Turkish company's paperwork for US partners and banks.

Foreign banks, partners and customers commonly ask a Turkish company to prove that it exists, who owns it and who may sign for it. Each of those questions is answered by a different Turkish document. Preparing them together, recently issued, apostilled and translated, can save time.

1. 01

   Existence

   Trade registry certificate.

   The trade registry certificate (ticaret sicil tasdiknamesi) is issued by the registry office where the company is registered, and can be obtained electronically through MERSİS. It is issued in Turkish.

2. 02

   History

   Trade Registry Gazette copies.

   Certified copies of the incorporation notice and the latest appointment notices can be ordered from ticaretsicil.gov.tr. They show the registered structure and who manages the company.

3. 03

   Signing authority

   Signature circular.

   A signature circular (imza sirküleri) drawn up by a notary shows who signs for the company and how. It reflects authority on the date it was made, so read it with the latest Gazette notice.

4. 04

   Activity and tax

   Chamber and tax certificates.

   • Activity certificate (faaliyet belgesi) from the company's chamber, which many chambers issue online and on request in a foreign language
   • Tax certificate (vergi levhası): print a current copy from GİB's internet tax office; it carries an approval code
5. 05

   Ownership

   Depends on the company type.

   For a limited company, share transfers are registered, so partners appear in registry records. For a joint-stock company, transfers are kept in the company's own share ledger (pay defteri); a notarized extract is the usual evidence.

6. 06

   Sending abroad

   Apostille and translation.

   Chamber and registry documents are generally apostilled by the governorship or district governorship; for notarized documents, check whether the governorship or the courthouse justice commission handles them. Company documents are not on e-Apostil. Many recipients prefer documents issued within the last 3 months.