Documents Required to Set Up a Company in Turkey: Domestic and Foreign Shareholders

The documents required to set up a company in Turkey vary according to the company type and who the shareholders are, but the backbone of every file is the same: the signed articles of association, the signature declarations of the authorized persons, the Competition Authority payment receipt and, depending on the case, additional bank, valuation or permit letters. Formation documents are all the documents the trade registry office requires at the time of application in order to register a company. This list is set out separately for limited liability and joint stock companies in the Trade Registry Regulation.

We prepared this article as a checklist. We explain not the order of the formation steps but which paper needs to be on the table at each step. We also show why, for structures with foreign shareholders, the file should be opened two to three weeks in advance.

What do you need to set up a company? Divide the documents into three groups

The practical answer to what you need to set up a company is three groups of documents: documents relating to individuals, documents relating to the company, and documents added depending on the case. Making this distinction from the start lets you see missing documents before the signing day.

Documents relating to individuals show the identity and authority of the shareholders and managers. Documents relating to the company are the articles of association prepared in MERSİS and the declarations made at the registry. Case-dependent documents are added to the file when there is contribution in kind, an activity permit, a corporate shareholder or a foreign shareholder.

Most of our clients come to the first meeting with only a copy of their ID and learn the rest of the list from us. This is natural. The real loss of time occurs when the need for documents in the third group is noticed only a few days before the signing appointment.

Documents required to set up a company: the core set in every file

Whatever the type, the documents required to set up a company include a core that appears in every file. The following items are required for both limited liability and joint stock companies:

• Identity details: According to the Trade Registry Regulation, the Turkish ID number for Turkish citizens, and the foreign identity number or tax identification number for foreign nationals
• Articles of association: The text created in MERSİS and signed by the founders (for a joint stock company it is called the articles of incorporation, esas sözleşme)
• Signature declaration: The document prepared under Article 40 of the Turkish Commercial Code for each person authorized to represent the company
• Competition Authority payment receipt: The receipt for the amount paid under Article 39 of Law No. 4054, which according to the Ministry of Trade has been payable at the registry office since January 1, 2018
• Declarations of acceptance of office: Written acceptance for managers who are not shareholders or board members who do not hold shares

No single item in this set is difficult on its own. The difficulty is that the items come from different people and different institutions. That is why we recommend writing down a responsible person and a date for each document.

The amount of capital also determines the contents of the file. According to the Ministry of Trade, the minimum capital for limited liability companies newly established in 2026 is 50,000 TL, and for joint stock companies 250,000 TL. If the amount written in the articles of association is below this minimum, the file is returned by the registry.

Documents required to set up a limited liability company

The documents required to set up a limited liability company are listed in Article 90 of the Trade Registry Regulation. The application is made within thirty days following the day on which all founders sign the articles of association in person at the registry office. The file contains the following documents:

• The articles of association signed by the founders in person at the registry office
• Written statements of managers who are not shareholders that they accept the role
• If one of the managers is a legal entity, a notarized copy of the resolution of its authorized body designating the individual who will act on its behalf
• The managers' signature declarations
• If the articles of association provide for capital payment before registration, a bank letter showing that this amount has been deposited in a bank
• Competition Authority payment receipt
• Contracts concluded with the founders and other persons in connection with the formation

The notable item on the list is the bank letter. Since the entire capital of a limited liability company can be paid within 24 months following registration, this document is not included in most files. If you put a provision in the articles of association stating “this much will be paid before registration”, the bank letter becomes mandatory.

We explain in detail the order in which formation proceeds and the legal basis of each step in our article how to set up a limited liability company . In this article we focus only on the contents of the file.

Joint stock company formation documents

Joint stock company formation documents are governed by Article 69 of the Trade Registry Regulation and differ from the limited liability company list in two respects. The first is the signing option: the founders may sign the articles of incorporation in person at the registry office or have their signatures notarized. The second is capital payment: a bank letter is mandatory for every cash subscription.

In addition to the core set, a joint stock company file contains the following documents:

• The articles of incorporation with the founders' signatures notarized or signed in person at the registry
• A bank letter showing that at least twenty-five percent of the share price has been deposited in a bank
• Declarations of acceptance of office by board members who do not hold shares
• If there is a legal entity on the board, a notarized resolution of its body showing the individual who will act on its behalf
• If the formation requires permission from the Ministry or another official institution, the permit or approval letter
• The signature declarations of persons authorized to represent the company

For joint stock companies subject to Ministry permission, the thirty-day application period starts after the permit is obtained. For other joint stock companies, the period runs from the day following the notarization or the signing at the registry. According to the Ministry of Trade, the first 25% is paid before registration, and the remaining capital within 24 months following registration.

Additional documents for foreign shareholders

For companies with foreign shareholders, the list itself does not change; what changes is the form in which each document is submitted. Under the Trade Registry Regulation, all documents on which registration is based must be in Turkish. A document issued in a foreign country is certified by a Turkish consulate or under the Apostille Convention and submitted with a notarized Turkish translation.

Foreign individual shareholder

For a foreign national shareholder, the passport and tax identification number are at the center of the file. The Turkish translation and notarization of the passport ensure that the identity details in the articles of association match this document exactly. For a shareholder without a foreign identity number in Turkey, the tax identification number must be obtained before the MERSİS registration.

If the shareholder will not be in Turkey on the day of formation, the power of attorney becomes the most important document in the file. The power of attorney must expressly list setting up the company, signing the articles of association and registry procedures. A general power of representation is often not considered sufficient.

Foreign corporate shareholder

When the shareholder is a foreign company, the chain of documents gets longer. Three documents are usually required: a current document showing the company's registration in its own country, a resolution of its authorized body containing the decision to set up a company in Turkey, and a power of attorney granted to the representative who will implement the decision. All three must meet the certification and notarized translation requirements.

The problem we see most often in practice is the company's name being spelled differently in the translations of these documents. If the name appears one way in the registry record and another way in the corporate resolution, the registry office may ask for an explanation. Giving the translator a single reference spelling reduces this risk.

How should the certification chain be planned?

The certification chain starts in the country where the document is issued and ends at a notary in Turkey. The sequence is usually: issuing the document, apostille or consular certification, sending it to Turkey, sworn translation and notarization. Since the duration of each link varies by country, we recommend planning this chain backward from the signing date.

Additional file for contributions in kind and activities requiring a permit

If you will contribute real estate, machinery, a trademark or a business as capital instead of cash, three more documents are added to the file. These are the valuation report of an expert appointed by the court, a registry letter showing there are no restrictions on the asset, and a document showing that an annotation has been entered in the registry where the asset is recorded. The Trade Registry Regulation requires these three documents for both limited liability and joint stock companies.

The valuation report may be the item that takes longest in the formation timeline. The court application, the appointment of the expert and the delivery of the report are separate stages. If you are considering a contribution in kind, we recommend putting this document at the top of the list.

For activities requiring a permit, the permit or approval letter of the relevant institution goes into the file. If this letter is required, registration is not made unless it is in the file. Whether your field of activity requires a permit needs to be clarified before the MERSİS application.

Documents required to set up a company: checklist in one table

The table below brings together, in one place, the list of documents required to set up a company by company type and by where each document is obtained. As you prepare your file, you can tick each row according to your own structure.

The requirements in the table are based on Articles 32, 69 and 90 of the Trade Registry Regulation. You can access the current text of the Regulation via the Trade Registry Regulation on mevzuat.gov.tr page.

Which order in document preparation saves time?

Putting the document that takes longest first saves time. Foreign documents, valuation reports and permit letters can take weeks, whereas the articles of association and signature declaration can be prepared on the same day. Ordering by duration prevents the signing appointment from being postponed.

The order we follow in formation files is as follows:

• Step 1: Finalize the list of shareholders and managers; note each person's nationality and whether they will be in Turkey.
• Step 2: Request the documents and powers of attorney to come from abroad; start the certification chain.
• Step 3: If a contribution in kind or a permit is required, run these applications in parallel.
• Step 4: Complete the tax identification number procedure for foreign shareholders.
• Step 5: Create the application via Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Trade MERSİS (Central Registry System) and have the shareholders approve the draft articles of association.
• Step 6: For a joint stock company, deposit the first quarter of the capital and obtain the bank letter.
• Step 7: Bring all originals and certified translations to the signing appointment.

When you proceed in this order, the last two steps are usually completed within a few days. Every item of document preparation is a cost item; we examine the effect of translation, notary and certification fees on the overall budget in our cost of setting up a company article.

Which documents are required after registration?

Registration is not the end of the paperwork. At the business start inspection, the tax office wants to see that the company operates at the declared address. At this stage, having the basis for the address with you, such as a lease agreement, title deed or virtual office agreement, makes things easier.

On the bank side, opening a company account usually requires the trade registry gazette, the signature circular and the tax certificate. Since these documents vary from bank to bank, we recommend obtaining the list in advance from the bank where you will open the account.

Seven gaps that get a file returned by the registry

The gaps that lead the registry office to return a file are often small but time-consuming. The ones we encounter most often in practice are:

• The name in the foreign passport translation not matching the spelling in the articles of association
• A foreign document arriving without an apostille having been translated and notarized in Turkey
• The power of attorney not expressly stating authority to sign at the registry
• Bringing a non-notarized photocopy of the corporate resolution for a legal entity manager
• For a joint stock company, the amount in the bank letter being below one quarter of the capital
• Forgetting the declaration of acceptance of office for a manager who is not a shareholder
• Booking the signing appointment before the valuation report is ready in the case of a contribution in kind

Every item on this list can be caught with a single check before the signing day. That is why we check the file document by document, placing the original and the translation side by side.

How do you adapt the document list to your own structure?

The list here is a general framework; your file is determined by your shareholder structure, type of capital and field of activity. While the file of a single-shareholder limited liability company with cash capital is completed with a few documents, the file of a joint stock company with a foreign corporate shareholder and a contribution in kind can run to dozens of pages. The rule is the same for both files: choose documents according to your structure, not according to the list.

Last updated: 17.10.2026