Your bank is holding a payment and sent a questionnaire. Here is how to answer it.
Every Turkish bank's compliance unit asks the same four things about a foreign payment: what the transaction is, where the goods come from and go to, which documents prove it, and whether anyone involved is sanctioned. We take your proforma, invoice or contract and draft the reply in Turkish, in the structure the bank expects, with every supporting document indexed. You review, sign and send it — it is your declaration, in your name.
Price — one reply
The notarial tariff is paid by you directly to the notary. We are not a notary and receive no remuneration from any notary.
Last verified: 24.10.2026 · source: MASAK — masak.hmb.gov.tr; 2026 Noterlik Ücret Tarifesi — higm.adalet.gov.trPilot price, valid until 31.12.2026, incl. KDV. Included in Desk tiers: Start up to 4 per month, Trade up to 12 with same-day turnaround, Group unlimited. See tiers.
The four blocks the bank expects
| Block (Turkish) | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| 1. İşlem mahiyeti — nature of the transaction | Who is paying whom, for what, under which contract or proforma number; whether it is advance, balance, or against documents; Incoterm |
| 2. Menşe ve rota — origin and route | Goods, their GTİP heading, country of origin, country of shipment, destination, transport mode, carrier, expected customs regime |
| 3. Destekleyici belgeler — supporting documents | Indexed list: proforma or invoice, contract, packing list, CMR/BL, origin certificate, customs declaration if cleared, counterparty registry extract |
| 4. Yaptırım teyidi — sanctions confirmation | Your factual statement that the named parties, goods and routes are not on the lists you cite (EU 833/2014 annexes, OFAC SDN, UN), with the check date |
Banks phrase questionnaires differently, but the answers they can act on are always these four. A reply in this order, in Turkish, with documents numbered to match, is what the compliance officer can file.
How it works
Send the bank's letter and your documents
The questionnaire or e-mail from the bank, plus the proforma, invoice, contract and any shipping documents for the payment in question. Scans are fine.
Extraction and draft
We extract seller, buyer, goods, GTİP, origin, route and amounts, screen the named parties against the public lists, and draft the four blocks in Turkish. Draft to you within one business day (same day on Trade and Group).
Your review
You read it in your language alongside the Turkish, correct any fact, and sign. The signatory on the signature circular signs, not us.
Send and track
You send through your bank's channel. We log the date and chase with you on a schedule until the payment is released or returned. If the bank asks a follow-up question, one revision is included.
Typical cases
- Incoming advance from a buyer in Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan for goods you export. Bank wants the contract, the proforma, and the goods' origin. Usual sticking point: the goods were manufactured in a third country.
- Outgoing payment to a Chinese or European supplier for machinery or parts. Bank wants the dual-use status of the goods confirmed by tariff heading.
- Payment through an intermediary company (a trading house in Dubai or Hong Kong) for goods that ship directly from the manufacturer. Bank wants the chain explained party by party.
- Returned payment — the correspondent bank already bounced it; your bank wants a written explanation before it will accept a resend.
- Annual KYC refresh — not a specific payment but the same four blocks about your whole business for the year.
What can go wrong
- Inconsistency between documents. Proforma says FOB, contract says CIF; invoice quantity differs from packing list. The bank reads all of them. We reconcile or tell you what to correct with the counterparty first.
- Answering in English. Many compliance units will not process it. The reply is in Turkish; you get the translation for review.
- Over-explaining. Volunteering facts the bank did not ask about creates new questions. The draft answers exactly what was asked.
- Missing the deadline. Banks often give five business days before returning funds. Send the letter the day you receive it.
- A transaction that is genuinely problematic. If the screening shows a listed party or goods, we tell you plainly and stop; what to do next is a question for a lawyer you retain directly.
Questions
Why is the bank asking at all? The payment is a normal invoice.
Because the bank's compliance unit must document the nature of the transaction, the origin and route of the goods, and the sanctions status of the parties before it releases funds — for its own regulator and for its correspondent banks abroad. A clear, structured reply with documents attached is usually released within days; a vague one triggers a second round or a return of funds.
Do you sign the letter?
No. The letter is your company's declaration about your company's transaction. We draft it from your documents; your authorised signatory reviews, signs and sends it through the bank's channel. We never send anything to a bank in your name.
Do you give a sanctions opinion?
No. We confirm facts you can confirm: the parties as named on the documents, the goods and their tariff heading, the countries of origin, shipment and destination, and that the goods are or are not on a list you can cite. Whether a transaction is permissible is a legal question — for that, retain a lawyer directly.
How fast?
One-off: draft within one business day of receiving complete documents. Desk Trade and Group: same business day if received before 14:00. The bank's own review time is the bank's.
Related: import/export document pack · bank account opening · notarised translation · our standard · back to business & companies
Payment on hold? Send the bank's letter now
Opens in WhatsApp. Documents are sent through WhatsApp or e-mail during the pilot. Reply within one business hour.