A foreign national can open a company in Türkiye without being a Turkish citizen or resident. Turkish commercial law places foreign and domestic investors on an equal footing: you may hold 100% of the shares and act as the sole director. Most non-residents establish a limited liability company (LLC, or Limited Şirket) because it offers full liability protection, a modest capital requirement and — importantly — it can be formed entirely from abroad through a representative.
The process starts with a Turkish tax identification number, which every foreign shareholder and director must obtain. This is a free, ten-digit number issued by any tax office and it is the key that unlocks every later step, from signing the articles of association to opening a bank account. If you are working with an advisor, they can obtain it on your behalf under a power of attorney.
Next comes the company itself. In practical order, the steps are: (1) choose the company type and reserve a trade name; (2) obtain tax numbers for all shareholders and directors; (3) draft and sign the articles of association, defining the capital, shareholders, activity and managers; (4) register the company through the MERSIS online system and the local Trade Registry Directorate at the Chamber of Commerce; (5) have the statutory books certified and appoint a licensed accountant (mali müşavir); (6) open a corporate bank account and deposit the share capital; and (7) complete tax-office registration and, if you will employ people, register with the Social Security Institution (SGK).
You do not have to be in Türkiye for most of this. A notarised and apostilled power of attorney lets your accountant or lawyer sign documents, file the registration and obtain your tax number while you remain in your home country. The main step that can require your presence — or a video interview — is opening the bank account, because banks apply their own know-your-customer rules.
How long does it take? With complete, correctly translated documents, a straightforward LLC is usually registered within two to four weeks. Delays almost always come from missing apostilles, inconsistent name or address details, or slow document legalisation abroad, so preparing the paperwork properly at the start is the single biggest time-saver.
What do you need to have ready? At a minimum: a valid passport, a Turkish tax number, a residential address, and the power of attorney if the setup is remote. Corporate shareholders (a foreign company owning the Turkish entity) additionally provide an apostilled certificate of incorporation and a board resolution authorising the investment. Everything issued abroad must be apostilled and translated into Turkish by a sworn translator.
Formation is only the beginning. From the month it is registered, a Turkish company has ongoing monthly and annual filing duties — VAT, withholding, provisional corporate tax and the annual return — regardless of whether it has started trading. This is why working with a licensed mali müşavir is effectively mandatory rather than optional, and it is exactly the service P&B Global provides to non-resident owners.
Key facts (2026)
Official & authoritative sources
- https://www.invest.gov.tr/en/investmentguide/pages/establishing-a-business-in-turkey.aspx
- https://www.ticaret.gov.tr/
- https://www.gib.gov.tr/