Quick answer: A Turkish Activity Certificate (Faaliyet Belgesi) is a chamber-issued company document used to evidence current chamber membership/activity information. In Istanbul, İTO members can obtain it as a wet-signed document from Membership Services or as an electronically signed document through İTO Online Transactions. It is not the same as a certificate of incorporation, Trade Registry Gazette, signature circular or municipal business licence.
This guide covers Faaliyet Belgesi / current chamber-document. For published company history, use Trade Registry Gazette Search in Turkey. For signing authority, use Signature Circular in Turkey.
A Faaliyet Belgesi is a current chamber-issued company document, not a business licence or incorporation certificate.
What an Activity Certificate Is — and Is Not
| Document |
Main purpose |
Do not confuse it with |
| Activity Certificate (Faaliyet Belgesi) |
Current chamber membership/activity evidence |
Certificate of incorporation or operating licence |
| Trade Registry Gazette |
Published history of registered company events |
A current one-page status certificate |
| Trade Registry Certificate / Sicil Tasdiknamesi |
Trade Registry certification of registered company information |
Faaliyet Belgesi |
| Signature Circular / representation evidence |
Who can represent/sign for the company and how |
General activity/status evidence |
| Municipal workplace-opening licence |
Permission for premises/activity where legally required |
Chamber membership certificate |
Document rule: Ask what the receiving institution wants to prove before ordering a document. “Company document” is not one universal category.
What a Faaliyet Belgesi Can Prove
The exact fields depend on the issuing chamber and certificate format. In general, a Faaliyet Belgesi is used as current evidence tied to the company’s chamber registration and activity record.
Depending on the issuing chamber/document version, it can show company-identification and membership-related information such as the legal title, registration information and activity-related data. Do not assume that every Faaliyet Belgesi necessarily contains a complete shareholder list, all signatories, full beneficial-ownership data or every historical change.
If the recipient specifically needs current signing authority, beneficial ownership, historical capital changes or incorporation history, use the appropriate additional document rather than forcing the Activity Certificate to answer a different question.
How to Get an Activity Certificate from Istanbul Chamber of Commerce
Current Istanbul Chamber of Commerce guidance provides two main routes for İTO members:
- Wet-signed certificate: obtain it through İTO Membership Services counters.
- Electronically signed certificate: request it through İTO Online Transactions under the e-signed Activity Certificate service.
İTO’s current FAQ states that an electronic request can be created using the company’s trade registry number and the completed certificate is sent electronically signed to the specified email address. The service is subject to the chamber’s current fee.
This means an Istanbul company should not be told that the certificate must always be downloaded from MERSİS or that the user must personally hold an e-signature simply to request an İTO e-signed Activity Certificate.
For an Istanbul company, check the current İTO online and counter-service routes before preparing unnecessary documents.
Can You Get the Activity Certificate in English?
Yes, in Istanbul. Current İTO information states that Faaliyet Belgesi can be issued in Turkish, English, German and French.
This can be useful when the receiving bank, parent company, foreign authority or business partner accepts the chamber-issued foreign-language version. If another authority requires a sworn translation, notarisation, apostille or another authentication route, that requirement comes from the receiving process—not from a universal rule that every Faaliyet Belgesi must be translated and apostilled.
Does a Faaliyet Belgesi Expire After 30 Days?
Do not use a blanket rule such as “the certificate expires after 30 days” or “no bank accepts an older copy.” The cited İTO service information does not establish one universal statutory 30-day expiry for every use.
What matters in practice is document recency required by the recipient. A bank, tender authority, foreign parent, consulate, customer or regulator may ask for a certificate issued within its own specified period because it wants a recent snapshot of the company’s status.
Before ordering the certificate, ask the receiving institution:
- How recent must the document be?
- Is an e-signed copy accepted?
- Is a wet-signed original required?
- Which language is accepted?
- Is additional certification/legalisation required for overseas use?
When Banks May Ask for an Activity Certificate
A corporate bank can request a recent Faaliyet Belgesi as one element of its company KYC file, but the bank decides its own document list and recency rules.
The Activity Certificate does not replace:
- Trade Registry documents;
- current representation/signature evidence;
- shareholder/UBO information;
- tax information;
- source-of-funds/source-of-wealth evidence;
- business-model and expected-transaction information.
For the complete banking file, see How to Open a Business Bank Account in Turkey.
When Other Institutions May Request It
A recent Activity Certificate can be requested in commercial, administrative or cross-border workflows such as:
- bank onboarding or periodic KYC refresh;
- supplier/customer due diligence;
- tenders and contracting files;
- certain licence or membership applications;
- overseas parent-company compliance;
- foreign authority or counterparty document packs.
Applicability varies. Do not state that every SGK, municipal, notary, customs or licence procedure universally requires the same Faaliyet Belgesi.
Activity Certificate vs Trade Registry Gazette
The Gazette is not published only once at incorporation. It also publishes later registrable corporate events such as changes in capital, address, management, representation and other matters.
| Question |
Better source |
| What was registered at incorporation? |
Formation Gazette announcement |
| What corporate changes were published later? |
Later Gazette announcements |
| Do I need a recent chamber-issued activity/status document? |
Faaliyet Belgesi |
| Who can currently sign for the company? |
Current representation/signature evidence plus latest registry records |
Activity Certificate vs Sicil Tasdiknamesi
İTO also provides a separate Sicil Tasdiknamesi / Trade Registry certification service. It should not be treated as another name for Faaliyet Belgesi.
If a foreign authority or bank asks for a “registry certificate,” “certificate of incorporation,” “company status certificate” or “activity certificate,” confirm the exact required document before ordering. English terminology is often used inconsistently across jurisdictions.
Remote Foreign Founder: What Actually Matters
A foreign shareholder does not automatically need to travel to Türkiye merely to obtain every company certificate. If the company’s chamber provides an electronic document service and the authorised user/process requirements are met, the document can often be obtained without the shareholder personally appearing at the chamber.
Do not add a passport translation, apostille or power of attorney to the certificate-order checklist unless the chamber’s process or the receiving institution actually requires it for that case.
Five Checks Before Ordering a Faaliyet Belgesi
- Identify the receiving institution and purpose.
- Ask how recent the certificate must be.
- Confirm e-signed vs wet-signed acceptance.
- Choose the accepted language.
- Confirm whether the recipient needs Faaliyet Belgesi, Sicil Tasdiknamesi, Gazette, signature evidence or a combination.
Workon coordinates company-document workflows according to the receiving institution and the agreed scope.
How Workon Coordinates Company Documents
Workon supports foreign founders and overseas companies with company setup and operational coordination in Türkiye. Depending on the agreed scope, this can include identifying which current company document is required, coordinating chamber/Trade Registry workflows, preparing connected bank or authority files and sequencing translation/notarial steps where genuinely necessary.
Legal opinions, regulated accounting/tax work and other licensed professional services are handled by the appropriately authorised professionals. Banks, chambers and public authorities retain their own document and approval requirements.
Review Workon’s company registration and operational coordination service.
Official Source
Last reviewed: 17 September 2026. Chamber procedures and receiving-institution recency requirements can change; confirm the current requirement for the specific use.
Frequently Asked Questions
A Faaliyet Belgesi is a chamber-issued company document used as current evidence of chamber membership and activity information. It is not the same as a certificate of incorporation, Trade Registry Gazette, signature circular, Sicil Tasdiknamesi or municipal workplace licence.
Current Istanbul Chamber of Commerce guidance provides a wet-signed route through Membership Services and an electronically signed route through İTO Online Transactions. The current service requirements and fee should be checked when ordering.
Not as a universal rule. The article notes that İTO's current online process can create the request using the company's Trade Registry number and deliver the completed e-signed certificate electronically. Follow the chamber's current user and authentication procedure rather than assuming a personal e-signature is always required.
Yes. Current İTO information states that the certificate can be issued in Turkish, English, German and French. Whether a foreign recipient also requires translation, notarisation or legalisation depends on that recipient's process.
No universal statutory 30-day expiry should be assumed from the cited İTO service. In practice, banks, authorities and counterparties can impose their own recency requirements because they want a recent company-status snapshot.
Not necessarily. If the purpose is current signing or representation authority, use the appropriate current signature or representation evidence together with the relevant registry records. A Faaliyet Belgesi should not be forced to prove information outside its actual fields and purpose.
Disclaimer: This guide provides general information, not legal, regulatory, banking or document-authentication advice. Chamber formats, fees, delivery channels and recipient recency, language or legalisation requirements can change. Verify the live issuing-chamber service and the receiving institution’s exact requirement before ordering or relying on a Faaliyet Belgesi for a material transaction.
