Mobile App Incentives in Turkey 2025: Tax Breaks, Cashback & Growth Support

Mobile app incentives in Turkey 2025 are reshaping the global app development landscape. Turkey is quickly making a name for itself as a serious player, supported by government-backed programs that cut costs, refund ad spend, and fuel international growth.

This guide will walk you through everything, from getting cash back on your ad spend and app store commissions to unlocking massive tax breaks, with a detailed breakdown for 2025.

Your Guide to Turkey’s Mobile App Incentives

Let’s get straight to it: Turkey isn’t just a great place to find development talent; it’s a place where the government actively invests in your app’s success. A powerful set of financial programmes are in place specifically to ease the financial pressure on publishers.

The basic idea is brilliantly simple. If you’re building an app or game aimed at users outside of Turkey, the government wants to help you pay for it.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a homegrown startup or an international company setting up a local office. Getting to grips with these benefits is your first step toward saving a serious amount of money and fuelling your growth. The whole system is designed to cover the real-world costs of running an app business, letting you worry less about burn rate and more about building a fantastic product.

A Support System That Actually Covers Your Costs

These incentives aren’t just a token gesture. They form a complete support package that targets the biggest expenses you face as a developer.

• Advertising and Marketing: Imagine getting a huge chunk of your user acquisition budget handed right back to you.
• Platform Commissions: Claw back 50% of the fees you pay to Apple and Google.
• Essential Software & Development Tools: Get help paying for the analytics platforms and core development software you rely on every day.
• Tax Advantages: Enjoy incredibly low corporate tax rates and exemptions from VAT.

The Push for Global Competitiveness

A major piece of this puzzle is a government initiative squarely aimed at making Turkish-based app publishers more competitive worldwide. As of 2025, this programme officially reimburses 60% to 70% of approved advertising costs on major platforms like Meta, Google, TikTok, and Apple Search Ads.

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This isn’t just a small subsidy; it’s a direct injection of cash to fund your export-focused marketing. For anyone trying to acquire users in competitive international markets, this is a massive advantage.

Think of this guide as your roadmap. We’ll show you who’s eligible, how to apply, and what you can expect to get back. By tapping into these programmes, you can take a lot of the financial risk out of your expansion plans and pour those savings back into what matters: improving your product, innovating, and growing your user base around the world.

Let’s break down exactly how each of these incentives works.

Getting Your Ducks in a Row: Core Eligibility Requirements

Before you can tap into Turkey’s impressive mobile app incentives, your company needs to have a few key things in order. Think of this as the groundwork – the essential checklist you must complete before anything else. Getting these core criteria right is the crucial first step to a successful application and accessing those valuable benefits.

Visual guide to financial incentives for app developers in Turkey

It’s important to remember that the entire programme is built with one goal in mind: export. This means every single lira you spend and get subsidised for must be aimed at international markets. This is the guiding principle behind all mobile app incentives in Turkey, designed to bring in foreign currency and put Turkish tech on the global map.

Your Corporate and Financial Setup

First things first: your business has to be legally set up in Turkey. This isn’t a minor detail; it’s a hard-and-fast rule. The government only recognises two types of companies for these incentives: a Joint-Stock Company (A.Ş.) or a Limited Liability Company (Ltd. Şti.). If you’re just starting out, getting a handle on how to establish a company in Turkey is your first port of call.

Keeping your finances clean is just as critical. Every expense you claim support for must be paid directly from your company’s official bank accounts. This creates the clear, auditable paper trail that government officials need to see to sign off on your claims. Using personal accounts or other third-party payment methods is a definite no-go.

Publishing and Association Requirements

Your apps and games need to be published on store accounts – think Google Play or the App Store – that are registered directly in your Turkish company’s name. This is how you prove that all the revenue and user data are tied to the business applying for the funds. If your accounts are in an individual’s name or belong to a foreign parent company, you’ll find yourself ineligible.

The final piece of the puzzle is membership. Your company must be an official, registered member of the relevant Exporters’ Association in Turkey. This cements your status as a legitimate exporter and is an absolute must before you can even think about submitting an application for these supports.

Nailing these conditions lays a rock-solid foundation for your application. Each requirement is there for a reason – to make sure the programme helps genuine, export-driven businesses that are playing by Turkey’s rules. Once you’ve ticked all these boxes, you can move forward with confidence to claim the specific financial perks on offer.

Scaling User Acquisition with Advertising Support

One of the most powerful tools in Turkey’s incentive arsenal for mobile app developers is direct financial support for advertising and user acquisition (UA) campaigns. Think of it as the government co-investing in your growth. This programme lets you reclaim a huge slice of your marketing budget, giving you the fuel to scale your global reach far more quickly than you could on your own.

The support isn’t limited to obscure platforms either. It covers your spending on the heavy hitters—Meta, Google, TikTok, Apple Search Ads, and AppLovin. This means your core UA activities get a direct subsidy, which drastically lowers your effective customer acquisition cost.

So, how does it work? For companies that have been up and running for at least a year, the government offers a 60% reimbursement on advertising costs from the past six months. It gets even better. If your campaigns are aimed at specific countries the government has designated as ‘target markets,’ that rate jumps to an impressive 70%. That’s a serious leg-up for strategic international expansion.

Understanding the Generous Financial Caps

The financial caps on this support are generous and clearly designed to back both individual app growth and broader brand-building efforts. For developers with a portfolio of apps, the numbers get pretty exciting.

• Per-App Support: You can claim up to $380,000 USD each year for your first three apps. That alone creates a potential support framework of over $1.1 million USD annually just for UA on your main products.
• General Promotion: On top of that, there’s a separate pool of $380,000 USD available for general brand promotion that isn’t tied to a specific app.
• Portfolio Expansion: Have more than three apps? For your fourth through tenth applications, you can claim an additional $45,000 USD per app, which is a great little bonus for diversifying your portfolio.

This structure allows a mature app company with three primary products to access a total advertising support framework of up to $1.8 million USD annually. This level of non-dilutive funding is a massive advantage in the competitive global app market.

Of course, direct advertising is just one piece of the puzzle. To really make the most of these subsidised campaigns, you need to understand the bigger picture. It’s a good idea to dig into these essential mobile app marketing strategies to build a well-rounded approach.

Visual breakdown of Turkey’s leading mobile app incentive types for scaling user acquisition

As you can see, direct financial rewards are a highly effective way to engage users. This insight lines up perfectly with the government’s strategy of providing direct cash reimbursements to developers.

Summary of Key Financial Incentives and Limits

This table provides a snapshot of the reimbursement rates and annual limits for the main support categories available to mobile app developers in Turkey.

These figures show just how committed the programme is to fuelling growth at every stage, from launching a single app to managing a whole portfolio.

Documentation and Proof Requirements

To get your hands on these funds, you have to be meticulous with your paperwork. There’s no way around it. The process is retrospective, meaning you spend your money first and then file a claim to get it back. This makes keeping perfect records from day one absolutely critical.

You’ll need to pull together a solid file for your application, including:

• Proof of Advertising: This means screenshots from your ad platform dashboards, detailed campaign reports, and official invoices that show every penny spent.
• Proof of Payment: You’ll need official bank receipts (kaşeli banka dekontu) stamped by the bank. This is non-negotiable proof that the payment came from your Turkish company’s bank account.
• Official Paperwork: All the required forms and documents must be submitted correctly through the government’s official channels.

This thorough documentation process is there for a reason—it ensures transparency and confirms that the funds were used for their intended purpose of driving exports.

Navigating the Process with Expert Help

Let’s be honest: while the benefits are huge, the application process can be a real headache. Gathering the right documents, hitting strict deadlines, and communicating with the Exporters’ Association all require a sharp eye for detail.

This is where getting some expert help can make all the difference. Services like Workon can step in and manage the entire journey for you. They can handle everything from the initial setup—like forming a company or acquiring a compliant, ready-made one—to getting your DUNS number and setting up developer accounts. Once you’re ready, they manage the whole incentive application process, making sure you maximise every claim and successfully scale your user acquisition with Turkey’s powerful government backing.

Building a Stronger Tech Stack with Software Support

Getting your app in front of users is one thing, but building a world-class product is another battle entirely. The mobile app incentives in Turkey go beyond just advertising credits and actually help you build a better app by subsidising the software that makes it all happen.

This support is cleverly split into two key areas. First, there are the marketing and analytics tools you need to figure out who your audience is and what they want. Second, it covers the core development software your team relies on to build, test, and polish your app. It’s a smart approach that recognises a great app needs a solid foundation, not just a big marketing budget.

Powering Decisions with Marketing and Analytics Tools

In this game, data is everything. If you’re not tracking, you’re just guessing. The Turkish government gets this, which is why they offer a substantial reimbursement for your subscriptions to top-tier marketing, mobile measurement partner (MMP), and analytics platforms.

You’ll find many of the industry-standard tools on the approved list, including:

• MMP Platforms: Adjust, AppsFlyer
• Market Intelligence: Sensor Tower, Mobile Action
• Subscription Analytics: Adapty

The programme covers a massive 60% of what you spend on these tools, up to a yearly cap of $50,000 USD per company. This funding makes it possible for smaller studios to afford the kind of data infrastructure that was once only available to the big players.

Heads up—this is one of the incentive categories that needs pre-approval. You have to apply to the Exporters’ Association and get the green light before you sign any contracts or send any money. Once you’re approved, you have a six-month window to incur the expenses and claim them back.

Subsidising Your Core Development Software

The support doesn’t stop with marketing. It also extends right to the software your developers and designers live in every day. A slick, high-performing app doesn’t just appear out of thin air; it’s built with professional-grade tools, and this programme helps foot the bill.

You can claim back 60% of your expenses on core development and design software like Unity for game development or Figma for crafting beautiful user interfaces. The annual limit here is even more generous, at $75,000 USD per application. Unlike the marketing tools, this is claimed retrospectively, so you have up to six months after paying for the software to submit your application.

What’s really interesting is how open this programme is. Turkey’s mobile app incentives aren’t just for local companies. Foreign-owned businesses can access the very same support, no matter where their owners are from. This has turned Turkey into a magnet for app developers in hot sectors like fintech, health tech, and education, not just gaming. You can dig deeper into how non-gaming app companies benefit from these incentives to see the bigger picture.

For both marketing and development software, getting your paperwork right is crucial. You’ll need to have your contracts, invoices, and stamped bank receipts ready to submit through the official KEP system to prove your expenses.

Getting Back Your Platform Commissions and Market Entry Costs

Let’s be honest, two of the biggest drains on any app’s profitability are the relentless platform commissions and the sheer cost of breaking into new international markets. The good news is that Turkish government incentives tackle both of these head-on, essentially putting money back in your pocket and taking a lot of the risk out of global expansion.

First up, those unavoidable app store fees. Every time you make a sale on the App Store, Google Play, Steam, Epic Games Store, or other major platforms like Origin, GOG, and Itch.io, a chunk of that revenue goes straight to them. The government’s programme refunds a staggering 50% of those commission fees, based on sales from your own company accounts over the last six months. This incentive comes with a yearly cap of $95,000 USD for each app, which can seriously boost your bottom line.

Taking on the World with Market Entry Support

Expanding into a new country isn’t just about swapping out a few words. Proper localisation means completely adapting your app for a new culture, language, and user base. This gets expensive fast, but it’s another area where these incentives can be a game-changer.

The government will cover 50% of your costs for a whole host of essential market entry activities. We’re talking about things like:

• Localisation and Translation: Adapting your app’s text, visuals, and overall feel for different regions.
• Voice-overs and Dubbing: Getting professional audio work done so your content connects with local users.
• Hosting: Covering server costs needed to deliver your app to a worldwide audience.
• Emerging Tech: Getting support to integrate features like NFTs, Metaverse elements, AR, or Blockchain to keep you competitive.

This support has a generous annual limit of $200,000 USD per company. But here’s the critical part: this support requires pre-approval. You have to apply and get the green light from the Exporters’ Association before you spend a single lira on these activities.

Think of it this way: one incentive pads your profit margins on the sales you’re already making, while the other slashes the upfront cost of going after new ones. It’s a powerful one-two punch for growth.

The government’s approach really covers all the bases. They refund 50% of the commissions from major platforms like Google Play and the Apple App Store, up to a certain limit each year for every app. This is paired with support for other promotional efforts, like attending fairs, sponsorships, and hosting, all handled through a pre-approval system at the Ministry of Trade. You can find more details on this supportive ecosystem for mobile app growth in Turkey on finahukuk.com.

When the programme covers these fundamental operational costs, it frees up your cash. That’s capital you can then reinvest into making your product better, acquiring more users, or expanding even further. On top of these direct incentives, looking into proven ways to reduce software development costs can stretch these financial benefits even further, setting you up for more sustainable growth.

Navigating all of this, especially the pre-approval steps, takes careful planning. It’s easy to make a misstep. This is where getting some expert help really pays off. A partner like Workon can handle the entire process for you—from setting up your company and getting a DUNS number to managing the specific incentive applications. This ensures you not only qualify for the funds but actually get them in your bank account, ready to fuel your global ambitions.

Capitalising on Tax Advantages and Additional Support

Beyond direct cash-back for marketing and software, the real financial magic of running a mobile app company in Turkey lies in its tax advantages. These incentives aren’t just minor perks; they fundamentally reshape your company’s financial health, letting you keep more of your hard-earned revenue and plough it back into growing the business.

One of the biggest wins for app publishers is the complete exemption from Value Added Tax (VAT) on international sales. Think about it: every dollar or euro you earn from users outside of Turkey through the App Store or Google Play comes to you free of VAT. This alone gives your net earnings an immediate and substantial boost.

Illustration of developers and users engaging with mobile apps under Turkey’s 2025 tax incentive system

This kind of tax efficiency is a cornerstone of the mobile app incentives in Turkey. It’s all part of a deliberate strategy to position the country as a powerhouse for global tech exports.

A Radically Lower Corporate Tax Rate

The tax breaks don’t end with VAT. For companies exporting technology—which includes pretty much any successful app—Turkey slashes the corporate income tax rate to a mere 4%. Compared to standard corporate tax rates, this is a game-changer and a powerful reason to base your export-focused app business here.

Such a low tax burden has a direct, positive impact on your bottom line. It frees up a significant amount of capital that you can then use for crucial activities like R&D, user acquisition campaigns, or expanding your talented team.

Extra Savings in Specialised Zones

Looking for even more ways to cut costs? Consider setting up shop in one of Turkey’s designated technoparks or free zones. Operating from one of these hubs unlocks another layer of financial benefits, especially when it comes to your biggest expense: people.

These zones provide major discounts on social security (SGK) payments and income tax withholdings for your employees. This directly lowers your payroll costs, making it that much easier to attract and keep the best developers, designers, and marketers.

To get the full picture of the financial landscape and the strategic edge you can gain, it’s worth taking a closer look at how to invest in Turkey and what it offers tech companies.

Support for Your Global Expansion

The government also understands that real growth often means putting boots on the ground in other countries. If you’re planning to expand your physical footprint, Turkey offers a very generous overseas office rent support programme.

Here’s what that looks like:

• Coverage: The government covers 60% of the gross rent (including taxes) and any associated commission fees for an office abroad, based on the previous 6 months of expenses.
• Annual Cap: You can receive up to $100,000 USD per office, per year.
• Scale: This support extends to a maximum of 10 overseas offices.

This programme makes it far more feasible to establish local teams in your key international markets, helping you connect with users and accelerate your global growth. The main requirement is that the overseas office must have a clear “organic bağ” (organic tie) back to the parent company in Turkey and be set up after the Turkish company was founded.

Navigating all these tax laws, zones, and support programmes can feel overwhelming. That’s where a service like Workon comes in. They offer complete, end-to-end management—from helping you form the right kind of company that’s eligible for incentives to handling the entire application process for you. Getting that kind of expert guidance ensures you don’t miss out on any of the financial advantages on the table.

Navigating the Application Process From Start to Finish

Knowing about these fantastic benefits is one thing, but actually getting your hands on them is a different ball game. Let’s walk through the practical journey, from setting up your company to getting that reimbursement, giving you a clear roadmap for accessing Turkey’s mobile app incentives.

First things first, you need a legal foundation. The process always starts with establishing a Turkish company—either a Joint-Stock (A.Ş.) or a Limited Liability (Ltd. Şti.) company. Critically, all your app store and advertising accounts must be registered under this specific Turkish company’s name. No exceptions.

From Spending to Submission

Once your business is up and running and you start spending on eligible activities, your focus has to pivot to meticulous record-keeping. For every single claim you make, you’ll need a complete file of supporting documents.

Here’s what that file typically looks like:

• Stamped Bank Receipts: This is the official, bank-stamped proof (known locally as kaşeli banka dekontu) that shows payments went directly from your company’s account.
• Invoices and Contracts: You’ll need clean, clear documentation that details exactly what services you paid for, whether it’s ad spend, a tool subscription, or consultancy.
• Reports and Proof of Work: This is your proof of advertising (platform screenshots, reports) or proof of service (tool reports, localization files).

With all your paperwork perfectly in order, it’s time for the formal submission. All applications have to be sent to the correct Exporters’ Association using Turkey’s official Registered Electronic Mail system, which is called KEP. Just a heads-up: they won’t accept submissions sent through a standard email account.

While the reimbursement process is reliable, it isn’t quick. You’ll need to be patient. On average, you can expect to see the payment land in your account about five months after you’ve submitted a successful and complete application.

Streamlining a Complex Journey

Let’s be honest—the administrative side of things can be a heavy lift, especially if you’re not familiar with the Turkish business environment. Juggling all the documents, hitting strict deadlines, and communicating through official channels can feel pretty overwhelming.

This is exactly where getting some expert guidance can make all the difference. Professional services, like those offered by Workon, provide end-to-end management of the whole process. They can handle everything, starting with the initial steps of company formation—whether you need to open a business in Turkey from scratch or prefer to acquire a compliant ready-made company—and see you through getting a DUNS number and setting up developer accounts.

By taking the entire incentive application process off your plate, they free you up to do what you do best: focus on building a great app while ensuring you claim every bit of support you’re entitled to.

Got Questions? We’ve Got Answers

Answers to Common Questions About Turkey’s App Growth Support

Here are some of the most common questions we hear about Turkey’s mobile app incentives. We’ve put together some straightforward answers to help you get started.

Can Foreign-Owned Companies Apply for These Incentives?

Yes, they absolutely can. The key requirement is that your business must be legally set up in Turkey as either a Limited (Ltd. Şti.) or Joint-Stock (A.Ş.) company.

Once that’s done, you’re eligible for the full range of incentives. The nationality of the owners doesn’t matter, which is a big reason why Turkey is becoming such a hotspot for international developers.

What’s the KEP System, and Why Is It So Important?

Think of KEP (Kayıtlı Elektronik Posta) as Turkey’s official Registered Electronic Mail system. It’s the government’s legally binding channel for official communication.

You can’t just send in your application from a regular email address. All your documents and submissions for these incentives must go through your company’s official KEP address to the appropriate Exporters’ Association. It’s a non-negotiable step.

How Long Does It Take to Get the Money Back?

Once you’ve submitted a perfectly prepared application with all the right documents, you can generally expect the review and payment process to take about five months.

Getting every detail right upfront is crucial. Any mistakes on paperwork like stamped bank receipts or invoices will cause delays, so it pays to be meticulous.

Do I Need to Get Approval Before I Spend Any Money?

For some things, yes. This is a critical point to remember.

If you’re planning to claim support for marketing and analytics tools (like Adjust or Sensor Tower) or for market entry activities (like localisation or hosting), you need pre-approval. You have to get the green light from the Exporters’ Association before you spend the money.

Advertising support, commission refunds, and development tool support, on the other hand, work differently. You claim those expenses after the fact, for costs you’ve incurred over the past six months.

Trying to piece all this together can feel overwhelming. At Workon, we handle the entire journey for you. From company establishment or acquiring a ready-made, incentive-compliant company, to obtaining a DUNS number, setting up Apple Developer accounts, and managing the entire incentive application process, we ensure you get the maximum support you’re entitled to.

Learn more about how Workon can help you succeed in Turkey.