Your company present in Türkiye without trading — a permitted liaison office with staff and an expense account
A liaison office gives head office a presence in Türkiye for market research, representation, quality control and technical support, without commercial activity. You receive the Ministry permit under Law No. 4875, tax registration, a registered office, staff on SGK, a bank account funded from abroad and the permit’s filing calendar. One manager, weekly status, reply within one business hour.
Exact fee is fixed in the contract after a short clarification of the task.
Who this is for
Manufacturer researching the Turkish market
You want people on the ground to study demand, meet distributors and prepare a decision on a subsidiary, without issuing a single invoice in Türkiye.
Buyer controlling Turkish suppliers
Head office sources from Turkish factories and needs a local team for supplier quality control, inspections and technical coordination, funded from abroad.
Group representing itself to Turkish clients and authorities
You need a formal address and representatives for communication, promotion and technical support, with contracts and sales still signed by head office.
What you have at the end
At the end you hold the Ministry liaison-office permit under Law No. 4875, the tax registration and lease filed with the Ministry within one month of opening, a registered office for twelve months, a representative with notarised powers, e-signature and KEP, staff registered with SGK through your SMMM, a bank account receiving head-office funding in foreign currency and paying rent and salaries, and the filing calendar: annual form by end of May, extension before expiry. One indexed folder.
What is included
- Scope briefing: permitted activities under Law 4875 and the line not to cross
- Head-office document chain: resolution, registry extract, activity report, apostilles, sworn translations
- Permit application to the Ministry of Industry and Technology, prepared and tracked to decision
- Representative’s notarised power of attorney, e-signature and KEP address
- Registered office for twelve months; tax registration and lease filed within a month
- SMMM engagement for payroll, withholding and the annual form by end of May
- Staff hiring: contracts, SGK registration, work-permit route for foreigners
- Bank account for head-office funding in foreign currency, rent and salaries; meetings accompanied
- Filing calendar: annual form, changes within a month, extension application before expiry
How the work runs
Weeks 1–2 · Scope and head-office documents
We agree the office’s activities, representative and budget with you, then launch the head-office chain: resolution, registry extract, activity report, apostilles and sworn translations in the form the Ministry accepts.
Weeks 3–5 · Ministry permit
The application goes to the Ministry of Industry and Technology with the representative’s power of attorney. We track it to decision and answer every request for information in writing.
Weeks 5–6 · Tax, office, e-imza, KEP
Tax-office registration, lease signed and both filed with the Ministry within one month of opening. The representative receives e-imza and the office its KEP address; the SMMM contract is signed.
Weeks 6–9 · Bank and staff
Permit, tax registration and head-office documents go to two or three banks; the account receives funding from abroad in foreign currency. Staff contracts and SGK registration run through the SMMM; foreign staff follow the work-permit route.
Weeks 9–12 · Calendar hand-over
Payroll and withholding routine with the SMMM, annual form by end of May diarised, extension application scheduled ahead of expiry, compliance calendar handed over. Monthly filings pass to the accountant.
How it is structured
| Decides to open the office, funds it from abroad, appoints the representative | Head office, with its lawyer or SMMM when advice is needed |
| Grants, extends or cancels the permit | Ministry of Industry and Technology under Law No. 4875 |
| Registers the office for tax, runs payroll and withholding, files the annual form | Tax office; licensed SMMM retained for you |
| Apostilles, certifies and translates documents | Competent authority abroad, notary and sworn translator at tariff |
| Opens the account | The bank — we prepare, present and accompany |
| Runs the whole chain, owns deadlines and communication | ROSTU |
What stays outside the package
- Legal and tax advice on permitted activities and staff — your lawyer or SMMM provides it
- Office expenses, state fees, apostille, notary and translator tariffs — paid by head office directly
- The Ministry’s decision on the permit and the bank’s decision on the account — they decide
- Work permits for foreign staff and the representative — covered by the Employer Relocation package
Questions
What may a liaison office do?
Under Law No. 4875 and its Implementing Regulation (Official Gazette 25205) it may not carry on commercial activity. Permitted activities are market research, promotion, representation, supplier quality control, technical support and communication. It cannot sign sales contracts or issue invoices; an office found trading has its permit cancelled and the authorities are notified.
How long is the permit valid?
The initial permit is granted for up to three years. Before it expires head office applies for an extension, which the Ministry assesses against the office’s past activity and its plans. We diarise the application well ahead of expiry; the Ministry decides. On closing, the office sends the tax-office closing form to the Ministry.
How is the office funded and banked?
A liaison office earns no profit and has no minimum capital: head office covers its expenses with foreign currency transferred from abroad. The bank account mainly receives that funding and pays rent and salaries, and the bank can be expected to ask for the Ministry permit and the tax registration. We prepare and accompany; the bank decides.
Can the office employ staff?
Yes. Whichever structure employs people registers with SGK, and the office runs payroll and withholding through its SMMM. Foreign staff and a foreign representative need a work permit under the employer route; the Ministry permit itself does not replace it. Our work-permit guide sets out the employer’s steps.
Tell us about the office you want to open
Describe the parent company, what the office will do in Türkiye and who will run it. A manager replies within one business hour with a plan and the next step.
Read before you start
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