Starting a real estate agency in Turkey requires more than incorporating a company. The business must be set up for the correct real-estate activity, meet the conditions in the Taşınmaz Ticareti Hakkında Yönetmelik, and obtain a Taşınmaz Ticareti Yetki Belgesi through the Taşınmaz Ticareti Bilgi Sistemi (TTBS). Company registration, tax registration, the TTBS authorisation certificate, workplace licensing and any work-permit position are separate compliance layers.
For foreign founders, the most important point is that Turkey does not require a Turkish shareholder merely because the company will operate as a real estate agency. However, the business still needs to satisfy the professional-qualification, training, experience and operating requirements applicable to the sorumlu emlak danışmanı and the authorised business.
Quick Answer: What Licence Does a Real Estate Agency Need?
The core sector authorisation is the Taşınmaz Ticareti Yetki Belgesi. Applications are made electronically through TTBS and are examined by the Provincial Directorate of Trade where the business is located.
Under the current Ministry of Trade rules, real-estate trading activities are carried out by businesses and contracted businesses that hold the required authorisation certificate. The certificate is issued separately for each business and is not transferable.
Official TTBS information is available from the Ministry of Trade TTBS page.
1. Separate Company Formation From Real-Estate Authorisation
Incorporating an LLC, joint-stock company or another permitted business form does not automatically authorise the company to broker property sales or rentals. The setup should be planned in two tracks:
| Track |
Main purpose |
Typical elements |
| Company setup |
Create the legal business. |
MERSIS/Trade Registry, tax registration, chamber registration, registered address, representation/signature setup. |
| Real-estate activity authorisation |
Allow the business to conduct regulated real-estate trade. |
Correct activity records, responsible real-estate adviser, professional qualification, training/experience where required, TTBS application and Provincial Directorate review. |
For the general company-formation sequence, see Company Formation in Turkey: 2026 Guide.
2. 2026 TTBS Authorisation Requirements
The current Ministry of Trade implementation lists the following core conditions for a business seeking the authorisation certificate:
- Professional chamber registration must be active.
- Income or corporate tax liability must exist.
- The business activity recorded with the chamber and tax administration must include real-estate trade.
- At least one responsible real-estate adviser must hold the required Level 5 Vocational Qualification Certificate, unless a valid exemption applies.
- The responsible adviser must meet the current age, education, insolvency and criminal-record conditions.
- The responsible adviser must complete at least 100 hours of real-estate training unless an exemption applies.
- The current professional-experience rule is generally at least 6 months for associate/bachelor/postgraduate graduates and at least 12 months for other graduates within the five years before the application, unless an exemption applies.
Graduates of specified real-estate-related secondary or higher-education programmes can qualify for exemptions from some training, experience or vocational-qualification conditions under the current Regulation. The document route should therefore be matched to the applicant’s education and exemption status.
2026 Annual TTBS Authorisation Fee
From 1 January 2026, Taşınmaz Ticareti Yetki Belgeleri became subject to an annual statutory fee under Law No. 7566. For 2026, the base annual fee for a real-estate-trade authorisation certificate is TRY 20,000. In metropolitan-municipality provinces, the fee is applied at TRY 40,000 for districts whose population exceeds 30,000 under the statutory rule. The fee also applies to branches and contracted businesses within the scope of the provision.
This is a recurring public-authority cost, not Workon pricing and not a substitute for company-formation, vocational-qualification, training or workplace costs. Confirm the current amount and payment status through the competent authority/GİB before filing or renewal because statutory fees can change by year.
3. Level 5 vs Level 4: Who Needs Which Qualification?
The Regulation distinguishes the sorumlu emlak danışmanı (responsible real-estate adviser) from an emlak danışmanı (real-estate adviser).
| Role |
Current vocational qualification rule |
Why it matters |
| Responsible real-estate adviser |
Level 5, subject to the Regulation’s education-based exemptions. |
At least one qualifying responsible adviser is central to the business authorisation file. |
| Real-estate adviser |
Level 4, subject to applicable exemptions. |
Applies to personnel performing adviser functions under the Regulation. |
The Level 5 certificate should not be described as a generic “manager exam” that every shareholder personally must pass. The correct analysis is role-based: identify who will be the responsible adviser and whether that person meets the qualification and exemption rules.
4. Training and Experience: Check the Applicant’s Exact Route
The 100-hour training and professional-experience requirements are important preparation points because the TTBS file includes professional-readiness documents as well as company documents.
Before filing, determine:
- Who will be shown as the responsible real-estate adviser?
- What is that person’s education level and field?
- Does an education-based exemption apply?
- If not exempt, is the 100-hour training certificate valid?
- Is the required 6-month or 12-month professional experience evidenced within the relevant five-year period?
- Does the SGK/professional record match the role that the Ministry expects to see?
For a 2026 agency, use the current exemption rules and confirm whether any earlier transition provision still applies to the specific applicant.
5. Can a Foreigner Open and Own the Agency?
Foreign ownership and the TTBS professional requirements are separate questions. A foreign investor can establish and own a Turkish company subject to the ordinary foreign-investment and company-law framework. The real-estate business must then satisfy the same sector authorisation rules that apply to the operating business.
The Ministry of Trade’s current FAQ states that foreign applicants can create a TTBS membership using their passport number. That is useful for the application route, but it does not waive the responsible-adviser, qualification, training, experience or other authorisation conditions.
If the foreign shareholder or manager will personally work in Turkey, the work-permit position should be analysed separately. Company ownership by itself is not a substitute for work authorisation where one is legally required.
Foreign ownership does not remove the sector-specific TTBS authorisation requirements.
6. TTBS Application: Practical Sequence
- Register the business. Complete the Trade Registry/tax/chamber setup with the intended real-estate activity correctly reflected.
- Select the responsible adviser. Confirm the person’s education, experience, training and Level 5 status.
- Collect the application evidence. Use current TTBS and Provincial Directorate requirements rather than an old generic checklist.
- Submit through TTBS. The application is electronic.
- Provincial Directorate review. The Directorate where the business is located reviews the application.
- Respond to deficiencies if raised. Keep company, tax, chamber and professional records consistent.
- Maintain the conditions after approval. Changes in responsible advisers, address or other certificate information can trigger update/renewal obligations.
Article 7 of the current Regulation provides that, when the authorisation conditions are met, the certificate is issued within 10 days from the application date. The overall launch schedule also includes company setup, professional-readiness documents and any other steps relevant to the specific application.
7. The Office and Workplace-Licence Layer
The TTBS authorisation certificate and the municipal workplace-opening licence are separate parts of the setup. The applicable workplace-opening position should be checked according to the actual premises and operating model.
See Workplace Opening License in Turkey: 2026 Requirements & Process for the premises/licensing layer.
A registered address or virtual office can be part of the setup where it suits the activity and applicable premises requirements. The operational model should be matched to the agency’s real activity and location.
8. Online Listings: EİDS and Authorisation Verification Matter
Real-estate compliance does not end when the TTBS certificate is issued. The Regulation imposes obligations on online listings and on platforms that host property advertisements. Current rules require verification of business authorisation and, for third-party property listings, verification that the advertiser is the owner or has been authorised by the owner.
This means the agency should design its listing workflow around:
- valid TTBS authorisation;
- owner/advertiser authorisation records;
- accurate property information;
- prohibition on misleading information;
- controls around unjustified price increases in online listings;
- platform verification requirements under the current electronic listing framework.
Do not build a launch plan that treats Sahibinden, Hepsiemlak or another portal as merely a marketing channel. Listing compliance is part of the regulatory operating model.
9. Client Engagement Requires Proper Authorisation Agreements
The Regulation governs the services that authorised agencies can provide and the agreements used to document those services. Before listing or brokering a property, the agency should use the required written authorisation/engagement framework and maintain the records needed to show what it was authorised to do.
Real-estate agents should not present themselves as automatically authorised to perform regulated legal, valuation, notarial or title-registry functions that legally belong to another professional or public authority. Where specialist legal, appraisal, tax or title work is required, coordinate with the appropriate licensed professional.
After authorisation, CRM, listing controls and client-authorisation records become part of day-to-day compliance.
10. 2026 Launch Plan: Use Current Rules and Role-Based Checks
- Use current market and cost data when evaluating the business model.
- Use the current LLC/JSC capital rules and a project-specific formation schedule.
- Identify which person will act as the responsible real-estate adviser and check the applicable Level 5 or exemption route.
- Treat company incorporation and the TTBS authorisation as separate steps in one coordinated launch plan.
- Check whether any current education, training or experience exemption applies to the responsible adviser.
- Build the launch schedule around the company, professional-readiness and TTBS steps that apply to the file.
- Assess work-permit and professional-qualification requirements according to the founder’s actual role.
- Set up online listings around the current owner/advertiser verification controls.
Workon can coordinate company setup and the operational-readiness sequence for international founders.
How Workon Can Support the Setup
Workon can coordinate the company-formation, registered-address/workspace, document-readiness and operational setup workstreams and help founders map the TTBS sequence before setup begins. Vocational qualification, regulatory approval, legal advice and other regulated professional services are coordinated with the competent authority or appropriately licensed provider as required.
Key Takeaways
- A real estate company needs more than Trade Registry incorporation; the sector authorisation is the Taşınmaz Ticareti Yetki Belgesi.
- Applications are made through TTBS and examined by the Provincial Directorate of Trade.
- At least one responsible real-estate adviser must meet the current Level 5 rule unless a valid exemption applies.
- Training and experience requirements depend on education and exemption status; the current standard includes 100 hours of training and, where applicable, 6 or 12 months of professional experience.
- Foreigners can create TTBS membership using passport information, but foreign ownership does not waive the professional requirements.
- If all authorisation conditions are met, Article 7 provides a 10-day certificate issuance framework from application; the overall launch schedule also reflects the company and professional-readiness steps relevant to the file.
- Online listing verification and owner authorisation are ongoing compliance issues, not just marketing choices.
- Workplace licensing, work permits and specialist legal/title/valuation work remain separate layers.
Frequently Asked Questions
The core sector authorisation is the Taşınmaz Ticareti Yetki Belgesi, applied for through the TTBS system and reviewed by the Provincial Directorate of Trade. Company registration alone does not authorise regulated real-estate brokerage activity.
No. The rule is role-based. At least one qualifying responsible real-estate adviser must meet the Level 5 vocational-qualification requirement unless a valid education-based exemption applies. Other adviser roles can have different qualification requirements.
Generally yes. Foreign ownership does not by itself require a Turkish shareholder, but the operating business must satisfy the same TTBS authorisation, professional-readiness and other sector conditions. A foreign owner who will actively work in Turkey should assess work authorisation separately.
The current general statutory minimum for an LLC is TRY 50,000. This is company capital, not the full cost of launching a real estate agency, which can also include TTBS fees, professional qualification, premises, workplace licensing and operating costs.
The current Regulation provides a 10-day certificate-issuance framework from the application date when all authorisation conditions are met. The overall launch can take longer because company setup, qualification, training, experience, premises and deficiency corrections are separate dependencies.
No. Workplace-opening requirements, work permits where applicable, client authorisation agreements, online listing and EİDS verification controls, tax and accounting and other professional or title-related requirements remain separate layers.
Note: Last reviewed 17 September 2026. This guide provides general operational information on opening and operating a real estate agency in Türkiye. Workon coordinates the business-setup and TTBS-readiness process with the relevant authority and appropriately licensed professionals according to the applicant’s operating model.
