Türkiye’s Foreign Direct Investment Law makes foreign investment free and gives foreign investors the same treatment as Turkish investors, unless an international agreement or a special law says otherwise. A Chinese or Hong Kong individual, or a company such as a Hong Kong holding company, can therefore own a Turkish company outright. Some regulated sectors have their own rules, which we check first.
This guide follows the route from the first documents to the first tax return, for founders who will run the Turkish company from mainland China or Hong Kong.
Three decisions before you start
- Company type. The usual choice is between a limited company (Ltd. Şti.) and a joint-stock company (A.Ş.). Since 1 January 2024 the minimum capital has been TRY 50,000 for an Ltd. Şti. and TRY 250,000 for an A.Ş. See Ltd. Şti. or A.Ş.?
- Owners and managers. Shareholders can be individuals or companies. In an Ltd. Şti., at least one shareholder must hold management and representation rights; a company in that role names one individual to act for it.
- How you will sign. In person in Türkiye, or through a representative under a power of attorney (POA).
Step 1: Prepare your documents at home
- Individual shareholder: a copy of the passport, translated into Turkish and notarised.
- Corporate shareholder: a certificate showing that the company exists and who may sign for it (a certificate of good standing or similar); a resolution of its competent body approving the Turkish company; a power of attorney if a representative will act; and notarised signature declarations of its signatories.
Apostille instead of consular legalisation
Mainland China joined the Hague Apostille Convention on 8 March 2023, and the Convention has applied to China since 7 November 2023; the competent authority is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Hong Kong has been covered since 1965, with apostilles issued through the High Court Registry. Türkiye has been a party since 1985.
So a document from mainland China or Hong Kong needs an apostille, then a sworn translation into Turkish and certification by a Turkish notary in Türkiye. Legalisation at a Turkish consulate is not needed for apostilled documents, even though some Chinese-language guides still describe it.
Step 2: Get a Turkish tax number for each foreign shareholder
Every non-Turkish shareholder and board member needs a Turkish tax number (a “potential tax identification number”) before formation. The bank also needs it to open the account for the capital.
- An individual can apply at any tax office with a notarised copy of the passport, or the original with a copy.
- A foreign corporate shareholder applies with its incorporation document, apostilled in mainland China or Hong Kong.
- Foreigners who have entered Türkiye can also apply online through the Digital Tax Office. If you stay abroad, we apply for you under a power of attorney.
On our site this is the ITIN service. Both annual packages include the application for one foreign partner; each additional partner is USD 500.
Step 3: Sign the articles of association
- Ltd. Şti.: the founders sign in front of authorised trade registry staff. The notary option for limited companies was abolished in 2018.
- A.Ş.: signatures can be certified by a notary or given in front of trade registry staff.
Route A: you sign in person in Türkiye. The founder, or the person authorised to sign for a corporate shareholder, comes to Türkiye for the signing. This is the formation included in our Professional package, and it is also available on its own as company formation for USD 1,250.
Route B: we act for you under a power of attorney. You sign a POA before a notary in mainland China or Hong Kong; it is apostilled, couriered to Türkiye, translated and notarised, and our team completes the formation for you. This power of attorney add-on costs USD 3,000 without a package and covers the complete formation, with no separate USD 1,250 fee. Professional clients pay the full USD 3,000 on top of the package (USD 4,950). Government fees are separate in both routes.
The registry also needs a signature declaration from each person who will sign for the company. Turkish public databases usually hold no signature record for a foreign manager, so the declaration is given in front of registry staff or, if made abroad, notarised and apostilled there and then translated and certified in Türkiye. We confirm the format for your structure before you sign anything.
Step 4: Capital and the bank
- Ltd. Şti.: nothing has to be paid before registration; the capital is paid within 24 months after registration.
- A.Ş.: at least 25% of the cash capital is paid into a special bank account before registration and released after registration; the rest follows within 24 months.
- At formation, 0.04% of the capital is paid to the Turkish Competition Authority.
Banks run their own know-your-customer checks, including the beneficial owner and the source of funds. There is no statutory deadline for opening a corporate account, and the bank decides. You choose the bank. With our bank account application service, we sign the bank documents for the company under a power of attorney, start the process and follow it up; approval remains the bank’s decision. For China-headquartered companies we recommend ICBC Turkey (ICBC Turkey Bank A.Ş.).
Step 5: Registration
The application is filed in MERSİS, the central registry system, and completed at the trade registry office, which works as a one-stop shop. The registry then notifies the tax office and the Social Security Institution (SGK), the registration is announced in the Turkish Trade Registry Gazette (TTSG), and the tax office inspects the company’s address to confirm the start of business (yoklama). The Professional package includes a virtual office address in Istanbul.
How long it takes
The official Invest in Türkiye guide says registration is completed within the same day once the file is complete. For a founder abroad, the overall time depends mostly on what comes before: tax numbers, notary appointments, apostille, courier and translation. We give you a schedule after seeing your documents.
First obligations after registration
- e-Tebligat: a company registered after 11 October 2026 joins the electronic notification system within 15 days of starting business. A notice counts as served at the end of the fifth day after it arrives; e-mail and SMS alerts are optional.
- Beneficial owners: a new taxpayer reports them within one month.
- Books: companies registered since 1 January 2026 keep their share ledger and general assembly book in the Ministry of Trade’s electronic system (ETDS); the journal and general ledger are kept as an e-Ledger, signed with a financial seal or e-signature. To obtain a financial seal, the company needs a manager who is a Turkish citizen or a foreign national with a Turkish foreigner identity number (starting with 9, for example issued with a residence permit), so plan for this when you choose the managers.
- Foreign investment reporting: an annual activity information form through E-TUYS by the end of May, and changes in shareholders or capital reported within one month.
- Office lease: stamp duty of 0.189% of the total rent for the lease term.
- Tax returns: see Turkish taxes for foreign-owned companies.
What it costs
Our fees are fixed and listed on our pricing page. The Professional package (USD 4,950 per year, plus government fees) includes formation without a power of attorney, the Istanbul virtual office address, the e-Tebligat application, the tax number application for one foreign partner, a year of bookkeeping (up to 500 transactions) and tax filings, and a quarterly consultation with your accountant. The bank account application, financial seal, the one-time e-ledger set-up, e-invoice registration and lease stamp duty filing are separate add-ons. Formation under a power of attorney costs the full USD 3,000 on top of the package, or USD 3,000 in total without a package. Prices exclude VAT: no VAT for clients invoiced outside Türkiye; 20% VAT is added for clients in Türkiye.
Government and third-party costs come on top: trade registry and chamber fees, the Competition Authority share, notary and sworn translation in Türkiye, and apostille, notary and courier costs at home. They change over time, so we confirm them in writing before you commit.
What this means for you
Decide on the company type and how you will sign, then send us passport scans or your company documents. We reply with a document checklist and a written quote that shows our fees and government fees separately. Read more about company formation, formation with power of attorney and the tax number for foreign partners, or contact us.
You can write to us in Chinese or English: WeChat ID etitax, e-mail info@etitax.com, WhatsApp +90 532 061 99 83 (it may not be reachable from mainland China; WeChat or e-mail works better there), office +90 442 213 94 04.
