Quick answer: The process of establishing a company in Türkiye is best managed as a sequence of dependent stages: define the structure, prepare foreign-founder documents, secure the registered address, draft the company in MERSİS, complete Trade Registry registration, then move into tax and licensed CPA/SMMM follow-up, banking and activity-specific operational readiness.
This page owns the step-by-step sequence and dependencies: what comes first, what each stage depends on and when the project can move forward. For the institution-by-institution responsibility map, use Company Formation Procedures in Turkey: Institution Guide. For detailed MERSİS filing mechanics, use Company Registration in Turkey: MERSİS & Filing Guide. For the broad legal/operational guide, use Company Formation in Turkey: Complete 2026 Guide.
Workon coordinates company establishment and connected operational steps according to the agreed scope.
Process Map: From Decision to Operational Readiness
| Stage |
Main output |
Do not move forward until |
| 1. Structure |
Entity, owners, managers, activity and capital model |
The real operating model is clear |
| 2. Foreign documents |
Usable founder/shareholder/authority records |
The correct Turkish-use proof documents are identified |
| 3. Registered address |
Supportable Turkish company address |
Right-to-use and activity suitability are checked |
| 4. MERSİS drafting |
Company data and articles ready for filing |
Identity, ownership, capital and representation are consistent |
| 5. Trade Registry |
Legally registered company |
The incorporation file is accepted |
| 6. Tax / licensed CPA/SMMM follow-up |
Tax-facing compliance responsibilities and professional authorisations organised |
Trade Registry handoff is followed through and required professional authorisations are in place |
| 7. Banking |
Corporate account application/activation |
The bank completes its own KYC and approval |
| 8. Operating requirements |
Digital, employment and licence readiness |
The company meets the rules applicable to its actual activity |
Step 1: Define the Company Before Preparing Documents
Decide the company type, shareholder structure, managers/directors, registered address, capital, representation rules and planned activities first. For foreign founders, this also includes deciding whether the company will be formed remotely and whether an overseas company will be a shareholder.
Current minimum capital is TRY 50,000 for an LLC and TRY 250,000 for an ordinary JSC. A non-public JSC that adopts the registered-capital system has a current minimum starting-capital threshold of TRY 500,000. For an ordinary JSC, at least 25% of subscribed cash capital is generally paid before registration and the balance within 24 months; LLC subscribed capital may generally be paid within 24 months after registration.
Use Types of Companies in Turkey if structure choice is still open.
Step 2: Prepare the Correct Foreign-Founder File
A foreign individual and a foreign corporate shareholder do not have the same document pack.
| Scenario |
Core preparation question |
| Foreign individual shareholder |
Are identity, tax-number and PoA records prepared consistently? |
| Foreign corporate shareholder |
Do current-status, constitutional, signatory and investment-resolution records prove ownership and authority? |
| Remote founder |
Does the power of attorney cover the acts needed for the chosen process? |
Legalisation depends on the issuing country and document type. Do not assume apostille is the universal route. Confirm which record is needed before legalising or translating it.
Step 3: Secure the Registered Address
The company needs a Turkish registered address. Resolve this before the final MERSİS draft because the address becomes part of the official company record.
The address may be a conventional office or another suitable arrangement, including a virtual office where the activity and premises requirements allow it. Right-to-use documentation, tax-office verification readiness and activity suitability should be checked separately.
See Registered Business Address in Turkey.
Step 4: Draft the Company in MERSİS
The Ministry of Trade describes MERSİS as the central electronic system used for company and commercial-enterprise registration and change processes. The company’s core data and articles are prepared through this workflow.
The important point is consistency. MERSİS should match the supporting file on:
- founder/shareholder identity;
- company name;
- registered address;
- capital and ownership;
- manager/director appointments;
- representation/signature rules;
- company purpose and activity scope.
Step 5: Complete Trade Registry Registration
The relevant Trade Registry reviews the incorporation file and completes registration when the requirements are met. Before or within this registration stage, handle the financial prerequisites that apply to the chosen entity: current guidance requires at least 25% of subscribed cash capital to be paid before registration for a JSC, while the same pre-registration 25% rule does not apply to an LLC; the 0.04% Competition Authority contribution is paid through the Trade Registry process. The registry stage can move efficiently once the file is complete, but no fixed universal duration should be promised because document readiness and registry review vary.
For schedule planning, use Company Formation Timeline in Turkey.
Step 6: Follow Through the Tax and Licensed CPA/SMMM Handoff
Registration is the legal-entity milestone, not the end of the project. The Trade Registry/MERSİS framework transmits company-incorporation information to the tax administration; current Revenue Administration guidance states that a company registered through that statutory route does not file a duplicate commencement notification merely because it was incorporated. The company still has ongoing tax, bookkeeping and filing obligations, and the practical compliance calendar should be organised with a licensed Turkish CPA/SMMM.
Tax-office address verification and any required follow-up should still be planned. These are tax-administration processes, not a repeat of the Trade Registry filing.
See Turkish CPA Requirement.
Step 7: Apply for the Corporate Bank Account
Corporate banking is a separate institution-controlled process. Banks review ownership, controllers, managers/directors, business activity, expected transactions and source-of-funds information.
Corporate bank onboarding follows the selected bank’s current KYC and activation procedure. Since 27 June 2026, the MASAK remote-identification framework allows eligible non-Turkish individuals and foreign-national representatives of trade-registry-registered legal entities to be identified remotely under the applicable conditions, including the use of a suitable NFC-enabled passport. This creates a legal route for remote identification; it does not require every bank to offer remote onboarding or approve every file. In-person attendance can still be required under the selected bank’s own process.
See How to Open a Business Bank Account in Turkey.
Step 8: Complete the Operating Requirements That Actually Apply
Not every company needs the same post-registration checklist. Depending on the activity and staffing model, the business may need:
- KEP and/or e-signature;
- financial seal or e-invoicing registration where applicable;
- SGK employer/workplace follow-up where employees or the operating model require it; MERSİS can transmit authorised e-notification data and employees declared at formation to SGK electronically, while later hires and other obligations follow the applicable SGK rules;
- work permits for foreign personnel where required;
- municipal workplace-opening licences;
- sector-specific permits, memberships or product registrations;
- customs/exporter registrations for relevant trading activities.
Registration does not automatically authorise a regulated activity. Check the actual business model rather than relying on a generic “company is now open” assumption.
Where the Sequence Commonly Breaks
| Problem |
Why it creates rework |
| Documents prepared before structure is final |
Corporate resolutions or PoA wording may need to be redone |
| Address chosen at the last minute |
MERSİS and supporting records may need correction |
| Different spellings across records |
Identity consistency can fail at filing or later KYC |
| Banking treated as automatic |
Launch depends on an institution that has its own review process |
| Work permit confused with ownership |
A founder may own the company but still need separate work authorisation |
| Every post-registration item treated as mandatory |
Unnecessary cost and incorrect compliance assumptions can follow |
Remote Formation: Where It Fits in the Sequence
Remote incorporation can often be coordinated by using a properly drafted power of attorney and correctly prepared supporting documents. The remote route should be designed before the documents are signed so the PoA contains the necessary authority.
Remote registration and remote banking are separate. The same is true for work permits and sector-specific approvals.
How Workon Coordinates the Establishment Process
Workon coordinates end-to-end business setup and operational-readiness workflows for foreign founders and overseas companies entering Türkiye. Depending on the agreed scope, this includes structure/file planning, registered address, foreign-document and power-of-attorney sequencing, MERSİS/Trade Registry coordination, licensed CPA/SMMM onboarding coordination, tax-office follow-up/address-verification preparation, bank-application support, work/residence-permit coordination and adjacent operating requirements.
Where the setup requires regulated legal, tax, immigration, customs or other professional work, Workon coordinates the relevant workstream with appropriately licensed or authorised professionals and keeps it aligned with the wider establishment sequence. Banking and public-authority decisions remain subject to the relevant institution’s own procedures and approval powers.
Review Workon’s company registration and operational coordination service.
Official Sources
The process normally starts with defining the company structure, shareholders, management, activity and capital. The foreign-founder documents and registered address are then prepared, the company is drafted in MERSIS, Trade Registry registration is completed, and the company moves into tax and licensed CPA\/SMMM follow-up, banking and any activity-specific operating requirements.
Current Ministry of Trade guidance sets the minimum statutory capital at TRY 50,000 for an LLC and TRY 250,000 for an ordinary JSC. A non-public JSC using the registered-capital system has a current minimum starting-capital threshold of TRY 500,000. Payment timing differs: LLC subscribed capital may generally be paid within 24 months after registration, while an ordinary JSC generally requires at least 25% of subscribed cash capital before registration and the balance within 24 months.
Usually no. The company type, ownership, managers or directors, representation model and planned activity should be clear first. Otherwise powers of attorney, corporate resolutions or other foreign documents may need to be prepared again.
It can be suitable where the company’s activity and premises requirements allow it. The right-to-use documentation, tax-office verification readiness and any activity-specific physical-premises requirements should be checked separately.
No. Corporate banking is a separate institution-controlled process. Since 27 June 2026, the MASAK framework allows eligible non-Turkish individuals and foreign-national representatives of trade-registry-registered legal entities to be identified remotely under specified conditions, but that does not require every bank to offer remote onboarding or approve the application.
Not necessarily. The Trade Registry\/MERSIS framework can transmit incorporation information to the tax administration and SGK, but tax and licensed CPA\/SMMM follow-up, banking, e-document tools, later SGK or payroll obligations, work permits, licences, customs or exporter registrations and other activity-specific requirements can still remain.
Current-rule note: Last reviewed 14 September 2026. This guide explains the operational sequence for establishing a company in Türkiye. Capital thresholds, bank onboarding routes, tax follow-up and activity-specific requirements can change; Workon coordinates the setup workflow with the relevant institutions and appropriately licensed or authorised professionals according to the company’s structure and activity.
