Documents Required to Start a Business in Türkiye
The most intimidating side of company formation is the document list; yet the list is not long, it is scattered. The same documents appear in different orders across sources, which makes them look complex. This guide gathers them in the order they are obtained.
If the legal form is undecided, read the business types guide first, because the list follows the form. The whole map is in the complete guide.
The Shared Core: What Everyone Obtains
Whatever the form, three items are shared: the start-of-business filing, the tax certificate and registry and chamber registration. Activity-specific permits stack on top.
Identity documents, an address declaration and any lease are the unchanging attachments. A signature declaration and a power of attorney let your accountant act on your behalf — essential when you are managing formation from abroad.
The Sole Proprietorship File
The sequence is short: engage an accountant, file the start-of-business notification through the digital tax office, pass the site check and receive the tax certificate, then register with the craftsmen’s or trade registry and the chamber.
If the place of business is a physical unit, an operating licence joins the file. The licence side is covered fully in the shop-opening guide.
Social security starts automatically
With the tax registration, your self-employed social security (Bağ-Kur, 4B) coverage begins; no separate application is needed. It is one of the first fixed costs and belongs in the budget from day one.
The Limited Company File
A company adds a layer: the articles of association, shareholders’ identity and signature documents, the capital declaration, trade registry registration and chamber of commerce membership. After registration come the tax office and the certification of statutory books.
Most steps run through the central MERSIS system and the trade registry as a single point, which has visibly shortened the process. For expectations on timing, see the duration guide.
Permits Added by Activity
A sector layer sits on top of the core file. Food production and sales need a business registration certificate and hygiene training; health, education and tourism require ministry permits; import and export bring customs registrations tied to the tax number; craft trades require mastery certificates.
What decides this layer is the activity code. A wrong NACE code means a wrong document list and sometimes a wrong tax regime; choose it with your accountant, thinking of future activities too.
If You Hire: the Social Security Layer
With the first employee an SGK workplace file opens and the hiring notice is filed before work begins. Occupational health and safety duties follow headcount and hazard class.
A business that does not postpone this layer meets its first inspection calmly. For the timing of the hire itself, the first-employee guide offers a separate frame.
Digital Obligations: E-Invoice and E-Ledger
The document list no longer ends on paper. Depending on turnover thresholds and sector, e-invoice, e-archive and e-ledger applications become mandatory; businesses below the threshold may join voluntarily.
Voluntary adoption pays off in practice: collections are easier to track and corporate clients expect it. The build order is in the digital setup guide; to hand this floor over, the contact page is open.
Field Note
An e-commerce founder completed formation and won a first corporate order; at invoicing they discovered they had no e-invoice registration or integrator in place. The order waited three days and the client said “let’s buy elsewhere”. The paper file looked complete; what was missing was the digital side.
Quick Summary
Shared core: start-of-business filing, tax certificate, registry and chamber. Sole proprietorship files are short; companies add articles and registration. Activity permits follow the NACE code, so choose it carefully. Open the SGK file before any employee starts. Set up e-invoicing before the first invoice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sık Sorulan Sorular
You can, but an accountant handles most of it in a day by proxy, for a fee below the cost of one procedural error.
A residential address can serve as the business address, with limits in some activities and buildings. Conditions are in the home and virtual office guide.
It can be changed and extended; still, choosing correctly at the start prevents surprises on both documents and tax.
Next step: Draw the list for your form and close it with your accountant in one session; for the money side, continue with the 2026 cost guide.