How to start a business in Turkey as a foreigner (2026)
Starting a business in Turkey as a foreigner: easy.
Turkey grants foreign investors equal treatment with domestic investors under FDI Law No. 4875, permitting 100% foreign ownership in most commercial sectors without prior governmental approval. Company formation is handled through the MERSIS online system and can be completed in 5-10 business days once documents are ready. Minimum capital thresholds are modest, TRY 50,000 for an LLC and TRY 250,000 for a joint-stock company, and the overall regime is among the more open in the region.
Legal framework
Foreign Direct Investment Law No. 4875 (2003) and Turkish Commercial Code No. 6102 (TCC), administered via MERSIS (Central Registry Record System) under the Ministry of Trade
Key points: starting a business in Turkey
Equal Treatment & 100% Foreign Ownership
FDI Law No. 4875 guarantees equal treatment for foreign and domestic investors. Foreign nationals may own 100% of a Turkish company with no local-partner requirement; sector-specific exceptions apply only to TV/radio broadcasting, maritime cabotage, and civil aviation.
Notification-Based (Not Approval-Based) Regime
Turkey operates a notification-based FDI regime. No prior governmental approval is required to establish a company; foreign investors submit post-establishment notifications to the General Directorate of Incentive Implementation and Foreign Investment for statistical purposes only.
Minimum Capital Requirements
Effective 1 January 2024 (Presidential Decree), minimum share capital is TRY 50,000 for a Limited Liability Company (LTD ŞTİ) and TRY 250,000 for a Joint-Stock Company (AŞ). At least 25% must be deposited into a Turkish bank account before trade registry submission; the balance may be paid within 24 months.
Key Formation Steps for Foreign Founders
Steps are: (1) obtain a Foreign Identification Number (YKN) from a Turkish tax office; (2) reserve company name and draft Articles of Association through MERSIS (mersis.gtb.gov.tr); (3) notarise documents in Turkish; (4) deposit minimum capital in a Turkish bank; (5) file with the relevant Trade Registry Directorate; (6) complete tax office and social security (SGK) registration.
Typical Timeline
Document preparation, including passport translations, apostilles, and notarisation, takes 1-2 weeks for foreign nationals. Trade registry processing and tax registration add approximately 5-10 business days. Total end-to-end timeline for a foreign founder is typically 3-4 weeks.
Restricted Sectors
Beyond the default open regime, majority ownership or operational licences in TV/radio broadcasting require Turkish citizenship; maritime cabotage and civil aviation impose nationality conditions on operators. All other commercially significant sectors permit unrestricted 100% foreign ownership.
Timeline of decisions
- LawLaw No. 7511 Amends Turkish Commercial Code, Sets Dec 2026 Compliance Deadline
Published in the Official Gazette on 29 May 2024, Law No. 7511 codifies higher minimum capital thresholds (TRY 250,000 for joint-stock companies; TRY 500,000 under the registered-capital system) and requires all existing under-capitalised companies to raise their capital or face automatic dissolution by 31 December 2026, creating a sector-wide re-registration wave.
Esin Attorney Partnership
- DecisionPresidential Decree No. 7887 Raises Minimum Share Capital Five-Fold
Signed 24 November 2023 and effective 1 January 2024, the Decree increases minimum paid-in capital for newly incorporated limited liability companies from TRY 10,000 to TRY 50,000 and for joint-stock companies from TRY 50,000 to TRY 250,000, reflecting years of inflation erosion and significantly raising the cost of entry for all new business founders.
Computershare CGS Registered Agent Services
- Decision · officialWorld Bank Doing Business 2020: Turkey Ranked 33rd Globally (Up 10 Places)
The World Bank's Doing Business 2020 report placed Turkey at 33rd out of 190 economies, a 10-place improvement driven partly by streamlined property registration and tax compliance reforms; the 'Starting a Business' sub-indicator reflected single-day registration via MERSIS and Trade Registry one-stop shops.
World Bank Doing Business Archive
- LawLaw No. 6728 Abolishes Notary Requirement and Stamp Duty for Company Formation
Published in Official Gazette No. 29796, the Investment Environment Improvement Law allows founders to sign articles of association directly before the Trade Registry Manager without a notary, eliminating a significant cost and multi-day procedural step; the law also abolished stamp duty on incorporation documents for all company types.
Inal Law Office
- DecisionMERSIS Electronic Trade Registry System Completes Nationwide Rollout
The Central Registry Record System (MERSIS) became operational at the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce on 25 February 2014, completing its phased national rollout (Ankara and İzmir had joined c. 2012); all trade registry filings are now processed digitally through a central database, enabling same-day company formation for most incorporation types.
org-id.guide (TOBB/Ministry of Trade registry)
- LawTrade Registry Regulation Establishes One-Stop Shop Company Formation
Published in Official Gazette No. 28541, the Regulation operationalised the TCC's mandate by designating Trade Registry Offices within Chambers of Commerce as single points of contact for all incorporation procedures, consolidating tasks previously spread across multiple agencies and enabling completion within one business day.
Erdem & Erdem
- Law · officialNew Turkish Commercial Code No. 6102 Enters Into Force
Enacted February 2011 and effective 1 July 2012, the TCC replaced the 1956 Commercial Code; it mandated MERSIS electronic registration, introduced European-aligned corporate governance rules, required company websites for statutory disclosures, and modernised formation requirements for all company types, the foundational legislation underpinning today's business formation framework.
WIPO Lex
- Law · officialForeign Direct Investment Law No. 4875 Creates Equal-Treatment Regime for Foreign Founders
Enacted 5 June 2003, the FDI Law replaced Turkey's decades-old approval-based foreign investment regime with a notification-based system; foreign investors gained equal rights with domestic founders to establish any company form without prior government screening or approval, removing the single biggest barrier to foreign-owned business creation.
UNCTAD Investment Policy Hub
Sources
- invest.gov.tr/en/investmentguide/pages/establishing-a-business.aspx
- invest.gov.tr/en/whyturkey/top-reasons-to-invest-in-turkey/pages/liberal-investment
- investmentpolicy.unctad.org/investment-laws/laws/33/turkey-foreign-investment-law
- ticaret.gov.tr/data/5d3e935313b87607d8feeffc/rehber_Eng.pdf
- iclg.com/practice-areas/foreign-direct-investment-regimes-laws-and-regulations
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