Company registration in Türkiye step by step: name, MERSİS, articles, capital, tax office, SGK and bank
Registering a company in Türkiye is a fixed sequence: check the name, file in MERSİS, sign the articles, settle the capital, register with the trade registry, then deal with the tax office, SGK, electronic books and the bank. This guide follows that order, marks what an official source confirms, and says plainly where we found no official figure, such as a processing time, so we do not invent one.
Steps 1–2: check the name, then file in MERSİS
Start with the trade name, because it is protected across the whole country. The Istanbul Trade Registry guidance tells applicants to search MERSİS and the Trade Registry Gazette using the core word plus the first sector word. A limited or joint-stock company name must contain at least one business-purpose word and the company-type wording, both in Turkish; the rest of the name may be foreign. A name that matches an existing core word and sector word needs a distinguishing addition, and merging words or altering punctuation to pass the check is treated as improper. Words such as Türk, Türkiye, Cumhuriyet and Milli need a presidential decision. We found no official name-reservation period, so we quote none. The formation application itself is filed in MERSİS, the Ministry of Trade’s central registry system. Login is by e-Devlet, MERSİS account, e-signature or mobile signature, and MERSİS issues a 16-digit number. During formation it also obtains a potential tax number, which becomes the tax number once the company is registered.
Step 3: articles of association and who signs
MERSİS generates the founding contract from the data you enter: the company agreement (şirket sözleşmesi) of a Ltd, the articles (esas sözleşme) of an AŞ. Founders may sign it with an e-signature or mobile signature; the Ministry adds that limited companies can also have signatures certified at the trade registry office, and that signature declarations are produced in MERSİS for each company official. A 2016 communiqué, as summarised by KPMG, lets founders sign at the registry in person (a foreigner with a valid passport), through a representative, or through an attorney holding the original power of attorney issued by a competent authority or notarised. A foreign founder who cannot attend therefore needs a power of attorney. If it is signed abroad, expect an apostille and a Turkish translation, and ask the registry in advance which form it accepts. A foreign company as founder brings an apostilled, translated registry extract and board resolution.
Step 4: capital and registration with the trade registry
The minimum capital since 1 January 2024 is 50,000 TL for a Ltd and 250,000 TL for an AŞ (Presidential Decision No. 7887, Official Gazette 32380 of 24.11.2023). Payment differs. In an AŞ at least one quarter of the cash capital is paid before registration into a bank account opened in the company’s name (TTK Art. 345), and the remainder within 24 months. In a Ltd, Law No. 7099 lifted the 25 percent pre-registration rule, so cash capital may be paid within 24 months of formation; the Bar Association commentary notes that where early payments go is not spelled out, so ask your registry. The company acquires legal personality on registration, and the bank releases the deposited capital once the registry confirms it. We found no official processing time for the registry, so we give none. We read the Commercial Code through consolidated copies; check the current text.
Steps 5–6: tax office and SGK
The tax number reserved through MERSİS becomes valid on registration. Since 1 February 2023 (VUK General Communiqué No. 546) a company registered at the trade registry no longer files a separate start-of-business notice with the tax office; the revenue brochure says the registry sends it within 10 days. The same brochure lists duties for a new corporate taxpayer: the tax plate (vergi levhası) within 1 month of registration, e-Tebligat registration within 15 days of the start date, the beneficial-owner form within 1 month, and books approved before the start unless kept electronically. It does not describe an address inspection (yoklama), so ask your accountant whether your office plans a visit. For SGK, the employer must file the workplace declaration at the latest on the day it starts employing an insured worker (Law No. 5510 Art. 11(3)), electronically through e-Devlet; MERSİS also passes the e-declaration authorised person to SGK.
Steps 7–8: electronic books, e-invoice and the bank account
Books kept as e-Defter need no paper printing or approval, and the revenue brochure sets five years’ retention. Whether e-Fatura or e-Defter is compulsory for your company depends on criteria set by the Revenue Administration; we did not verify current thresholds, so check gib.gov.tr or ask your accountant before the first invoice. The bank account comes last because banks ask for the registration documents: the Trade Registry Gazette issue, signature circular, tax plate and activity certificate. No statute fixes a period for opening a corporate account, and a foreign shareholder means a closer review of who stands behind the company. Our corporate bank account guide lists the document set and the beneficial-owner checks. Plan the order, collect the foreign documents in parallel, and keep names spelt identically everywhere.
Sources
- ticaret.gov.tr — Ministry of Trade: MERSİS functions (formation, potential tax number, e-signature, signature declarations)
- gib.gov.tr — Revenue Administration brochure No. 539 for new corporate taxpayers (January 2025)
- ito.org.tr — Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, Trade Registry: trade name rules (TTK Arts. 41, 42, 46)
- kpmgvergi.com — consolidated copy: minimum capital 50,000 TL (Ltd) and 250,000 TL (AŞ), Presidential Decision No. 7887
- kpmgvergi.com — consolidated copy: communiqué on signing the founding contract at trade registry offices (6 December 2016)
- tbbdergisi.barobirlik.org.tr — Turkish Bar Association journal: Law No. 7099 and capital payment in limited companies, TTK Arts. 345 and 585
- alomaliye.com — consolidated copy: workplace declaration to SGK, Law No. 5510 Art. 11(3)
- mevzuat.gov.tr — Turkish Commercial Code No. 6102 and Law No. 5510 (the site blocked our fetcher, so the consolidated copies above were used; check the current text before filing)
Questions
Must capital be paid into a bank before registration?
For an AŞ, at least one quarter of the cash capital is paid into a bank account in the company’s name before registration. For a Ltd, Law No. 7099 removed that rule and cash capital may be paid within 24 months of formation. Confirm the practice with your registry.
How long does registration take?
We found no official processing period for the trade registry, so we do not quote one. Speed depends on a complete file, correct signatures and, for foreign founders, the time needed for apostilles and translations.
Can a foreign founder sign without travelling to Türkiye?
A founder may sign through an attorney who holds the original power of attorney, issued by a competent authority or notarised. A document signed abroad usually needs an apostille and a Turkish translation; ask the registry which form it accepts.
Do I still notify the tax office that the company has started?
Not separately. Since 1 February 2023 the registry’s record replaces that notice for companies; you still have duties such as the tax plate within 1 month and the beneficial-owner form within 1 month.
When must the employer register with SGK?
The workplace declaration is due at the latest on the day the first insured employee starts work (Law No. 5510 Art. 11(3)). A company without employees has no such declaration to file yet.