Starting a Company in Turkey
Which legal form, how much capital, the founding steps in order and who does each, the papers a foreign founder brings, and the taxes after.
Table of Contents
A company in Türkiye is founded at the trade registry (ticaret sicili), a public record kept inside the chambers of commerce under the Ministry of Trade. Foreign and local founders follow the same rules. This page sets out the five legal forms, the capital each asks for, the founding steps in order and who does each, the papers a foreign founder brings and the corporate tax after registration.
In short · checked 31.10.2026
Which form, how much capital, in what order.
- Forms: five under the Turkish Commercial Code, no. 6102: joint stock (anonim), limited, collective (kollektif), limited partnership (komandit) and cooperative (kooperatif).
- Capital: 50,000 TL for a limited company and 250,000 TL for a joint stock company; 500,000 TL of initial capital for a non-public joint stock company in the registered capital system. A collective company has no capital requirement.
- Who registers: the trade registry directorate in the chamber of commerce where the head office will be. The founding is done on the Central Registry Record System (Merkezi Sicil Kayıt Sistemi, MERSİS).
- Order: tax number for a foreign founder, the contract on MERSİS, signing, signature declarations, the Competition Authority share, registration.
- Time: within one hour with the papers in order (Ministry of Trade); the same day (Investment Office).
- Tax: corporate tax is 25 % in general, for the 2025 and 2026 accounting periods.
- Not a company: a branch of a foreign company has no shareholder and is not a separate legal entity.
The brass plate
What does each legal form ask for?
Press a key and that form’s plate is hung on the wall. It is engraved in Turkish: ÖRNEK means sample and SERMAYE means capital. The card shows what the Ministry of Trade’s booklet says; the rail lists the founding steps. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Limited company · limited şirket
One to fifty partners, 50,000 TL at least
- Founders
- 1 to 50 partners (ortak), real or legal persons.
- Capital
- At least 50,000 TL. All cash capital may be paid within 24 months after registration.
- Liability
- Partners owe their capital shares and the extra duties in the contract. They answer for the company’s uncollectable public debts in proportion to their shares.
- Shares
- No bearer shares. A transfer needs the general assembly’s approval (genel kurul).
- Run by
- One director (müdür) or a board. At least one director is a partner. No citizenship or residence rule.
- Signing
- At the registry office. The application is due within 30 days after signing.
Capital, in steps of 50,000 TL
Arithmetic from the stated rules. The capital is a figure to try, not a quote.
Papers at the registry office, in Turkish
Kurucuların imzaları tasdik edilmiş şirket sözleşmesiThe company contract, with the founders’ signatures certified.Şirket müdürlerinin imza beyannameleriThe directors’ signature declarations.Rekabet Kurumu payının ödendiğini gösterir ödeme belgesiThe receipt for the Competition Authority share.Ortak olmayan müdürler kurulu üyelerinin bu görevi kabul ettiklerine ilişkin yazılı beyanlarıA written acceptance from each director who is not a partner.If part of the capital is paid in kind (property, rights), the registry also asks for a court-appointed expert’s valuation report and its own papers on the asset.
Ministry of Trade: booklet p.8–9 and 16; information page of 23.01.2024 · checked 31.10.2026
Joint stock company · anonim şirket
One shareholder or more, 250,000 TL at least
- Founders
- One or more shareholders (pay sahibi), real or legal persons.
- Capital
- At least 250,000 TL. A non-public company in the registered capital system starts with at least 500,000 TL of initial capital.
- Paying in
- At least a quarter of the cash shares before registration, into a bank account in the company’s name. The rest within 24 months after registration.
- Shares
- Registered and bearer shares may be issued. As a rule a transfer needs no approval.
- Run by
- A board of directors (yönetim kurulu) of one or more members. No citizenship or residence rule.
Capital, in steps of 50,000 TL
Arithmetic from the stated rules. The capital is a figure to try, not a quote.
Papers at the registry office, in Turkish
Kurucuların imzaları tasdik edilmiş esas sözleşmeThe articles of association, with the founders’ signatures certified.Nakdi olarak taahhüt edilen sermayenin en az yüzde yirmi beşinin bankaya yatırıldığını gösterir belgeThe bank’s proof that at least a quarter of the cash capital is paid in.Rekabet Kurumu payının ödendiğini gösterir ödeme belgesiThe receipt for the Competition Authority share.Şirketi temsil ve ilzama yetkili kılınan kişilerin imza beyannameleriThe signature declarations of those who may sign for the company.Where they apply: written acceptance from board members who are not shareholders, a permission letter (some kinds of company need one, see chapter 1), and papers on capital paid in kind.
Ministry of Trade: booklet p.6–7 and 15; information page of 23.01.2024 · checked 31.10.2026
Collective company · kollektif şirket
At least two real persons, no capital requirement
- Founders
- At least two partners. Only real persons may be partners.
- Capital
- No capital requirement.
- Liability
- Partners answer to the company’s creditors without limit, in the second degree.
- Run by
- Each partner has the right and the duty to manage. The contract or a majority of the partners may give management to one, several or all.
- Signing
- The steps name the registry office or any notary. The booklet’s paper list asks for a contract certified by a notary.
Papers at the registry office, in Turkish
Kurucuların imzaları noter tarafından onaylanmış şirket sözleşmesiThe company contract, with the founders’ signatures certified by a notary.Şirketi temsil ve ilzama yetkili olanların şirket unvanı altında atacakları imzaların noter onaylı örneğiNotary-certified specimens of the signatures of those who may sign for the company.Ministry of Trade: booklet p.10 and 17 · checked 31.10.2026
Limited partnership · komandit şirket
Two persons at least: one unlimited, one limited
- Founders
- At least two: an active partner (komandite, a real person, unlimited liability, manages) and a dormant partner (komanditer, real or legal person, liability limited to the capital put in or committed, does not manage).
- Capital
- No minimum capital amount.
- Two kinds
- Ordinary (adi komandit), a partnership of persons. Divided into shares (sermayesi paylara bölünmüş komandit), a capital company: at least five founders, at least one of them an active partner.
Papers at the registry office, in Turkish
Kurucuların imzaları noter tarafından onaylanmış şirket sözleşmesiThe company contract, with the founders’ signatures certified by a notary.Şirketi temsil ve ilzama yetkili olanların şirket unvanı altında atacakları imzaların noter onaylı örneğiNotary-certified specimens of the signatures of those who may sign for the company.If a dormant partner pays in kind, the registry also asks for a court-appointed expert’s valuation report.
Ministry of Trade: booklet p.10 and 17; information page of 23.01.2024 · checked 31.10.2026
Cooperative · kooperatif
At least seven partners, shares of 100 TL
- Founders
- At least seven partners, real or legal persons, without prejudice to special types.
- Shares
- Each partner commits at least one and at most 5,000 shares. A share is 100 TL.
- Liability
- If the articles say so, partners are liable beyond their shares: without limit in the second degree, or up to a stated amount.
- Run by
- A board (yönetim kurulu) of at least three Turkish citizens, real or legal persons. The general assembly elects one or more auditors for at least a year.
- Law
- The Cooperatives Law, no. 1163, applies first.
Papers at the registry office, in Turkish
Kurucuların imzaları ticaret sicili müdürlüğü tarafından onaylanmış şirket sözleşmesiThe contract, with the founders’ signatures certified by the registry directorate.Kooperatif kuruluşuna izin veren makamın izin yazısıThe permission letter of the authority that allows the cooperative.Kooperatifi temsil ve ilzama yetki verilen kişilerin noter huzurunda kooperatif unvanı altında atılmış imza beyannameleriSignature declarations of those who may sign, given before a notary.Ministry of Trade: booklet p.5 and 11 and 17 · checked 31.10.2026
Branch of a foreign company · şube
Not a new company: no shareholders, no capital rule
- What it is
- Not a separate legal entity. It has no shareholder.
- Capital
- No capital requirement.
- Registered
- Like a branch of a local business, at the registry directorate. The head office names a commercial representative with full authority who lives in Türkiye.
- Purpose
- Only the purposes of the parent company.
Papers at the registry office, in Turkish
Şirketin güncel sicil kayıtlarını içeren belgenin ve şirket sözleşmesinin onaylı birer örneği ile birer nüsha Türkçe çevirisiA certified copy of the head office’s current registry record and of its contract, each with a Turkish translation.Şirketin yetkili organının şube açma ve şubeye Türkiye’de yerleşik tam yetkili temsilci atanmasına ilişkin kararının aslı ve bir nüsha Türkçe çevirisiThe original decision to open the branch and to appoint a full-authority representative living in Türkiye, with a Turkish translation.Şubeyi temsil edecek kişilerin imza beyanlarıThe signature declarations of those who will represent the branch.The booklet’s list continues with a letter from the home country’s authority, a statement signed by the head office, a power of attorney where the decision names none, and any permission the branch needs.
Ministry of Trade: booklet p.22–23; Investment Office page · checked 31.10.2026
The founding steps: tap a dot
- Tax number
- MERSİS
- Signing
- Signatures
- Authority share
- Bank letter
- Registration
- After
1 · Tax number of a foreign partner
A foreign person first gets a tax number at a tax office (vergi dairesi) and has it registered through the registry office. Only then can the passport number be added to the contract on MERSİS. Turkish citizens are added by their ID number.
Booklet p.13 · checked 31.10.2026
2 · The contract on MERSİS
The contract is written in Turkish on the Ministry’s electronic system, MERSİS, after a free sign-up. The system leads through the items the law requires and assigns the company’s potential tax number (potansiyel vergi numarası) by itself. Founders may sign with an electronic signature (e-imza) or a mobile signature (mobil imza) and send it to the registry.
Booklet p.13; Ministry MERSİS page · checked 31.10.2026
3 · Signing the contract
Limited companies and cooperatives sign at the registry directorate where the head office will be. Other companies sign there or before any notary (noter), who needs only the tracking number from MERSİS, not a printout. Founders go in person or send a representative.
Booklet p.13 · checked 31.10.2026
4 · Signature declarations
Each person who may sign for the company gives a signature declaration (imza beyannamesi) under the company’s name. It can be made at any registry directorate in Türkiye. The booklet’s paper lists for the cooperative and the two partnerships name a notary for these signatures.
Booklet p.14 and 17; Ministry MERSİS page · checked 31.10.2026
5 · Competition Authority share
Of the capital, 0.04 % goes to the Competition Authority (Rekabet Kurumu). It can be paid at the registry directorate with the other steps, with no trip to a bank, since 01.01.2018. The booklet’s paper lists for the limited and joint stock company ask for the receipt.
Booklet p.14–16; information page of 23.01.2024 · checked 31.10.2026
6 · Bank letter (joint stock company)
At least a quarter of the cash shares goes into a special account at a bank, in the company’s name, before registration. The bank writes a letter to the registry directorate. The Investment Office page says this does not apply to a limited company.
Booklet p.6 and 14; information page; Investment Office · checked 31.10.2026
7 · Registration
The founders, or an agent with a power of attorney (vekâletname), apply to the registry directorate with the papers, and it registers the company (tescil). With the papers in order the booklet says one hour. For a limited company the application is due within 30 days after signing.
Booklet p.12 and 14; information page · checked 31.10.2026
8 · After registration
The registry directorate approves the books of a limited, joint stock or cooperative company and hands them over after registration. It notifies the tax office and the Social Security Institution (Sosyal Güvenlik Kurumu, SGK), and the trade registry gazette (Türkiye Ticaret Sicili Gazetesi) announces the company about 10 days later.
Booklet p.14; Investment Office · checked 31.10.2026
Five company forms and what each asks
The Turkish Commercial Code (Türk Ticaret Kanunu, no. 6102) names five company forms. Cooperatives fall first under the Cooperatives Law, no. 1163. Three forms are capital companies (sermaye şirketi): the limited company, the joint stock company and the limited partnership divided into shares. In them the partners owe the company only the capital they have committed. Two are partnerships of persons (şahıs şirketi): the collective company and the ordinary limited partnership. Their partners answer for the company’s debts without limit, in the second degree.
| Limited company (limited şirket) | Joint stock company (anonim şirket, A.Ş.) | |
|---|---|---|
| Founders | 1 to 50 partners, real or legal persons. | One or more shareholders, real or legal persons. |
| Minimum capital | 50,000 TL. | 250,000 TL. A non-public company in the registered capital system starts with at least 500,000 TL of initial capital. In that system the general assembly lets the board raise the capital within a set amount and time. |
| Paying in | All cash capital may be paid within 24 months after registration. The contract or the directors set the schedule. | At least a quarter of the cash shares before registration, the rest within 24 months after. The articles or the board set the schedule. |
| Shares | No bearer shares. A transfer needs the general assembly’s approval. | Registered and bearer shares. As a rule no approval is needed to transfer. |
| Public offer | May not be offered to the public. | The only form whose shares may be offered to the public and traded on the stock exchange. |
| Run by | One director or a board; at least one director is a partner. No citizenship or residence rule. | A board of one or more members. No citizenship or residence rule. |
- Shares of all companies
- As the booklet prints them, with no year: about 82 % limited companies, 13 % joint stock companies and 4 % cooperatives. The collective and limited partnerships together are about 1 %.
- Foreign founders
- Foreign real and legal persons found companies under the same rules as local investors (booklet p.12). The Investment Office adds that nationality is not restricted for shareholders and managers, except in specific sectors such as TV broadcasting, maritime and civil aviation.
Branch of a foreign company
It has no shareholder, is not a separate legal entity and has no capital requirement. It is registered at the registry directorate, with a commercial representative who has full authority and lives in Türkiye.
Liaison office
A foreign company may open one with a licence from the Ministry of Industry and Technology if it does no commercial activity in Türkiye. A first licence runs for up to three years.
Certain joint stock companies
The Ministry of Trade’s permission is needed to found some kinds of joint stock company and to change their articles. The list is below.
Joint stock companies that need the Ministry of Trade’s permission
The booklet lists banks; financial leasing, factoring, consumer finance and card services companies; asset management and insurance companies; holding companies set up as joint stock companies; companies running currency exchange offices; companies running public warehouses (umumi mağazacılık; the English booklet prints “public retailing”); agricultural products licensed warehousing, product specialised stock exchange, independent auditing and observing companies; technology development zone management companies; companies under the Capital Markets Law no. 6362; and the founder and operator companies of a free zone.
Who does what in a founding
One counter takes the founding: the trade registry directorate (ticaret sicili müdürlüğü) of the chamber of commerce where the head office will be. The Ministry of Trade (Ticaret Bakanlığı) supervises the 238 directorates that work inside chambers, and the register is open to the public.
Inside the chambers
The 238 registry directorates work inside chambers of commerce, or of commerce and industry. The Ministry’s page on the register says the records are public and that announcements appear in the trade registry gazette.
Trade registry directorate
Certifies the contract’s signatures for a limited company and a cooperative, takes the signature declarations and the Competition Authority share, registers the company and approves its books.
The electronic system
The founding is done on it. It was named on 08.10.2010, ran in all 238 directorates from 01.01.2015, and a new version followed on 06.03.2017. Its mobile app handles founding from 29.12.2023 and every registry operation from 10.01.2025.
For some contracts
Companies other than limited companies and cooperatives may have the signatures on the contract certified at a notary instead. A Turkish notary has papers that come from abroad translated and notarised.
Tax number
Gives a foreign person a tax number first. After registration the registry notifies the tax office, and a tax officer visits the head office to write a report.
Social Security Institution
Notified by the registry after registration. The company’s own social security number and the workers’ registration are separate applications.
The 0.04 % share
Receives 0.04 % of the capital. On 25.09.2017 the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (Türkiye Odalar ve Borsalar Birliği, TOBB) and the Authority signed a protocol so it can be paid at the chamber. It has been payable at the registry directorates since 01.01.2018.
The founding steps in order
With the papers in order the booklet says the founding can be completed within one hour (p.12). The Investment Office page says the same day. The booklet gives four steps (p.13–14), and the other pages add the tax number, the bank letter and what follows registration. The rail above shows which steps each form has.
- Tax number A foreign person gets a tax number at a tax office and has it registered through the registry office.
- Contract The contract is written in Turkish on MERSİS, which assigns the company’s potential tax number.
- Signing Founders sign. At the registry office for a limited company and a cooperative, at the registry office or a notary for the others.
- Declarations Those who may sign for the company give signature declarations at a registry office.
- Capital and share The Competition Authority share of 0.04 % is paid at the registry office. A joint stock company puts at least a quarter of its cash shares into a bank account.
- Registration The registry directorate registers the company on the application with the papers.
- After The registry notifies the tax office and SGK. The books are approved. The gazette announces the company about 10 days later.
Times and limits
One hour or the same day, 30 days to apply.
One hour with the papers in order, the Ministry of Trade’s booklet (p.12).
The same day, the Investment Office page.
30 days after the contract is signed at the registry, the limit to apply to register a limited company (information page).
About 10 days after registration, the gazette announcement (Investment Office).
Where the pages differ
The tax number. The booklet says a foreign person gets one first, then is added to the contract by passport number. The Investment Office says the company obtains potential tax numbers for its foreign shareholders and directors from the tax office, and needs them to open the bank account for the capital. The Ministry’s MERSİS page says MERSİS assigns the company’s potential number, which becomes its tax number at registration. Each page is printed as it stands.
After registration: the tax office, the books and the Investment Office forms
The registry notifies the tax office and SGK. A tax officer visits the head office to write a determination report that needs at least one authorised signature. The company obtains a tax registration certificate from the local tax office. At founding the registry certifies the journal, the ledger, the inventory book, the share ledger and the minute books of the managers and the general assembly. Three forms on foreign direct investment go to the Ministry of Industry and Technology through its E-TUYS system (Investment Office page).
The papers a foreign founder brings
A foreign person and a foreign company shareholder bring the papers below, on top of the form’s own list in the tool. Papers issued outside Türkiye are notarised and apostilled, or ratified by the Turkish consulate in the country where they were made. A Turkish notary then has them translated and notarised (Investment Office page).
Papers to gather
Everything on this list is gathered.
The ticks stay in this browser and are not sent anywhere. The list follows the Investment Office page; the booklet lists the forms’ own papers (p.15–17).
The notary side is on Notarization in Turkey, which covers the Ministry of Justice fee list and the sworn translator.
Capital and fees what is paid, when, to whom
The capital goes into the company’s bank account, and 0.04 % of it goes to the Competition Authority at the registry office. Founding is exempt from duties: the booklet says so (p.12), and the information page cites the Duties Law, no. 492, art. 123, for joint stock, limited, cooperative and share-divided limited partnership companies.
| Form | Minimum capital | Before registration | After registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limited company | 50,000 TL | The Investment Office says the quarter rule does not apply. | All cash capital may be paid within 24 months. |
| Joint stock company | 250,000 TL (500,000 TL initial capital, non-public, registered capital system) | At least a quarter of the cash shares. The Investment Office adds that the capital may also be paid in full. | The rest within 24 months. |
| Collective company, limited partnership | None | None stated | None stated |
| Branch of a foreign company | None | None stated | None stated |
The same figures, worked out
0.04 % of the capital for the Competition Authority, and a quarter for a joint stock company, worked from the stated rules. This is arithmetic, not a quote.
50,000 TL (limited minimum): 20 TL.
250,000 TL (joint stock minimum): 100 TL, and 62,500 TL of cash shares before registration.
500,000 TL (initial capital, registered capital system): 200 TL, and 125,000 TL before registration.
The paid-in capital seen from a work permit
The Ministry of Labour’s criteria for a work permit ask a new company for paid-in capital of 500,000 TL. That figure comes from the labour ministry’s page, as Work Permit in Turkey prints it, checked 30.10.2026.
No chamber, notary or bank charge is printed here: the pages checked state no 2026 amount for them.
Corporate tax after registration
A joint stock or limited company is a corporate taxpayer and pays corporate tax on all of its profit. The figures come from the Revenue Administration’s corporate tax return handbook (Gelir İdaresi Başkanlığı, GİB; Kurumlar Vergisi Beyan Rehberi, March 2026, no. 606), with its page numbers.
Corporate tax rates, 2025 and 2026 accounting periods
- 30 %Banks, companies under Law 6361, electronic payment and money institutions, authorised exchange offices, asset management companies, capital market institutions, insurance, reinsurance and pension companies, and companies in the build-operate-transfer and public-private health projects.
- 25 %Every other corporate taxpayer. This is the general rate.
- 24 %Companies with an industry registry certificate that carry out production.
- 23 %Companies that float at least 20 % of their shares for the first time on the Borsa İstanbul equity market.
- 22 %Companies that float at least 20 % for the first time and also hold an industry registry certificate and produce.
- 20 %Earnings from exports, including exports through foreign trade capital companies or sector foreign trade companies under an intermediary export contract.
- 18 %Companies that float at least 20 % for the first time and also export.
At least 10 % of the profit
From 2025 the tax cannot be less than 10 % of the profit before exemptions and deductions. A newly started company is outside this rule for its first accounting period and the two after it.
Three founding years
Founded in 2026: no minimum tax in 2026, 2027 and 2028. Founded in 2025: none in 2026 and 2027. Founded in 2024: none in 2026.
- 17 May Provisional tax for January to March: the return and the payment.
- 17 Aug Provisional tax for April to June.
- 17 Nov Provisional tax for July to September.
- 17 Feb Provisional tax for October to December, of the following year.
- 1–30 April The corporate tax return of the previous year and its payment, for a calendar-year company: for 2025, 1–30 April 2026. Both are filed electronically.
Provisional tax dates are those of a company whose accounting period is the calendar year (handbook p.71); the return and payment are on p.79–80. A company with a special accounting period has other dates. Personal taxes of a foreigner are on Taxes in Turkey for Foreigners.
Staff, zones and banks: where to go next
A foreign worker
A company that employs a foreign worker applies for a work permit. See Work Permit in Turkey.
Free zones
A free zone (serbest bölge) is a fenced area treated as outside the Turkish customs territory. See Free Zones in Turkey.
Technology development zones
A site on or next to a university where firms do research, software and design work. See Technology Development Zones in Turkey.
The capital account
The bank list the regulator keeps is on Turkish Banks; the tax-number form for foreigners is on Taxes in Turkey for Foreigners.
Words at the registry office to copy
Seven lines for the registry office
Şirket kuruluşu için hangi belgeler gerekiyor?Which papers are needed to found a company?Limited şirket kuruluşu için asgari sermaye ne kadar?What is the minimum capital for founding a limited company?Şirket sözleşmesini MERSİS’ten hazırladım. İmza için ne yapmam gerekiyor?I prepared the company contract on MERSİS. What do I do to sign it?Yabancı ortak için vergi numarası aldım. Sicil müdürlüğüne kaydı nasıl yapılır?I got a tax number for the foreign partner. How is it registered at the registry directorate?Rekabet Kurumu payını burada ödeyebilir miyim?Can I pay the Competition Authority share here?İmza beyannamesini bugün burada verebilir miyim?Can I give the signature declaration here today?Ticari defterler tescilden sonra ne zaman verilir?When are the books handed over after registration?Sources and limits
- «Establishing Company in Turkey», 26 pages, English — Ministry of Trade, Directorate General of Domestic Trade (İç Ticaret Genel Müdürlüğü); read with the Turkish edition, checked 31.10.2026
- Türkiye’de Şirket Kurmak, 26 pages, Turkish — Ministry of Trade, Directorate General of Domestic Trade, checked 31.10.2026
- Ticari İşletmeler, Ticaret Şirketleri ve Ticaret Sicili Uygulamaları Hakkında Bilgiler (page dated 23.01.2024) — Ministry of Trade (ticaret.gov.tr), checked 31.10.2026
- Ticaret Sicili — Ministry of Trade (ticaret.gov.tr), checked 31.10.2026
- Merkezi Sicil Kayıt Sistemi (MERSİS) (page dated 12.05.2026) — Ministry of Trade (ticaret.gov.tr), checked 31.10.2026
- «Establishing a Business» — Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye Investment Office (invest.gov.tr), checked 31.10.2026
- Kurumlar Vergisi Beyan Rehberi, March 2026, no. 606 — Revenue Administration (Gelir İdaresi Başkanlığı, gib.gov.tr), checked 31.10.2026
Limits: the figures are those of the date checked. Capital minimums, rates and dates change; the tax figures are those of the 2025 and 2026 accounting periods. The Investment Office page carries a «test version» header and no date; its lines are printed with its name beside them. No law firm, consultancy, formation agent or accountant is named or recommended, and nothing here is advice on which form to choose.
