We help foreign founders set up the right company structure in Turkey with clear guidance on capital, timing, documents, and post-formation compliance.
Full legal support for limited liability company setup
Tax-advantaged free zone company establishment
Establish a branch of your existing international company
Choose the structure that fits your growth, compliance load, and capital expectations before any paperwork starts.
The default choice for small and mid-sized foreign-owned businesses entering Turkey.
Better suited for scale, investment rounds, or businesses needing a heavier corporate structure.
A direct extension of an existing foreign company instead of a separate Turkish legal entity.
Useful for export-heavy structures where zone-specific incentives matter more than simplicity.
Use this short check to frame the right starting route before you spend money on the wrong company type.
The company objective in the articles must match what you actually plan to do in Turkey.
A valid registered address is needed at incorporation, even if the business operates lean at first.
Passport copies, powers of attorney, and foreign corporate documents must line up cleanly.
Bank KYC, notarisation, and regulated activity checks can shift the setup window.
We collect shareholder details, verify passport consistency, and obtain Turkish tax numbers where required before the file moves to drafting.
We define whether an LLC, JSC, branch, or free-zone route makes sense, then draft the articles around ownership, activity, and governance.
We align the minimum capital, signing flow, and POA path. For LLCs, committed capital can generally be paid within 24 months; upfront banking steps depend on the structure and registry workflow.
The final file is submitted through the trade-registry workflow, including notarisation, MERSIS alignment, and publication steps.
After registration, we complete chamber registration, tax-office coordination, signature circular, and the first compliance setup steps.
We close the loop with bank-account coordination, bookkeeping handoff, and the next compliance steps your company will face after day one.
A faster way to compare structure, capital, timing, and operating fit side by side.
LLC (Ltd. Sti.) | JSC (A.S.) | Branch Office | Free Zone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum capital | 50,000 TRY | 250,000 TRY | No separate statutory minimum | Varies by zone and activity |
| Founders | 1-50 shareholders | 1 or more shareholders | Parent company driven | Depends on licence type |
| Setup time | 5-7 business days | 7-10 business days | 10-15 business days | 15-20 business days |
| Foreign ownership | Up to 100% | Up to 100% | Parent-company dependent | Often up to 100% |
| Main tax baseline | 25% CIT + VAT regime | 25% CIT + VAT regime | 25% CIT + VAT regime | Incentive-led, zone specific |
| Best fit | SMEs, services, trade | Scale, investors, governance | Existing foreign operations | Export and incentive planning |
Where documents come from abroad, apostille and certified Turkish translation must be checked early.
This is needed in formation and banking workflows and can usually be obtained before travel plans are final.
If the founders will not be present in Turkey, the POA route should be designed before notarisation starts.
A lease, virtual-office agreement, or other valid address basis must match the incorporation route.
Trade registry extracts, board resolutions, and signature authority documents often need extra legalisation.
Minimum capital, manager/director structure, and signing powers should be decided before the final registry filing.
For a standard LLC file that is document-ready. JSC, branch, and regulated activity files usually take longer.
Service fees usually cover drafting and coordination. Government charges, translations, bookkeeping, and capital itself are separate.
These are the points that usually create delays, rework, or hidden cost after founders think they are ready.
Small spelling differences across passports, powers of attorney, and translations often trigger rework.
If the bank cannot understand the ownership structure or business model, the process can slow down even after incorporation.
Many founders start with a company form that feels cheap upfront but creates tax or governance friction later.
Finance, health, logistics, education, and some digital activities may need authority-specific steps.
Formation is only the first milestone; address, accounting, filings, and payroll obligations begin quickly.
This page is designed to reduce avoidable friction before you commit to a company structure.
We help choose the right entity before documents are drafted, so you do not rebuild the setup later.
Where legally possible, we design the process around apostilled POA and low-friction document handling.
Company setup, bank account, tax-accounting, and work-permit coordination can be planned together.
We review these reference points before publishing or refreshing the Turkish content on this page.
If you are moving beyond incorporation, these are the next layers founders usually need.
Contact our team to learn more about how we can help you.