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Company Formation in Turkey for UK Investors

British citizens, UK residents and UK companies can own a Turkish company outright and form it without moving to Turkey. What needs planning is the UK paperwork: an FCDO apostille or, if the consulate confirms it, a power of attorney at the Turkish Consulate General in London, a Turkish translation, and for a UK company, an apostilled registry certificate. This page sets out those steps from official sources, along with the UK–Turkey tax treaty, bank checks and the residence and work permit rules.

ServicesUpdated: Nov 1, 2026
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“UK investor” covers several different people: a British citizen living in London, a British citizen living elsewhere, a foreign national resident in the UK, and a UK company. Turkish law treats all of them as foreign investors, but two Turkish systems look at different things. The trade registry looks at your nationality and passport. The UK–Turkey tax treaty looks at your tax residence. Keep that distinction in mind as you read. For the general process, see our guide to Turkish company formation.

Choosing the company

Most UK investors choose between a limited company (LLC, limited şirket) and a joint stock company (JSC, anonim şirket). According to the Istanbul Trade Registry:

  • an LLC can be formed by one shareholder and can have up to 50; shareholders can be individuals or companies (TTK Arts. 573/1 and 574/1);
  • the minimum capital of an LLC is TRY 50,000 (TTK Art. 580), and cash capital can be paid within 24 months after registration (TTK Art. 585);
  • the minimum capital of a JSC is TRY 250,000 (TTK Art. 332); at least one quarter of the cash commitment is paid before registration and the rest within 24 months.

There is no rule requiring a Turkish co-owner. Turkey’s Foreign Direct Investment Law No. 4875 is built on notification rather than prior approval, as the Presidency’s Investment Office explains. One practical difference matters for investors who will stay in the UK: the work permit treatment of a JSC board member who lives abroad differs from that of an LLC manager (see the work section below). Our LLC ownership guide for foreigners and the LLC vs JSC comparison go further.

Preparing UK documents for use in Turkey

The FCDO apostille

The United Kingdom has been a party to the Apostille Convention since 24 January 1965 and Türkiye since 29 September 1985, according to the HCCH status table. The HCCH names the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), through its Legalisation Office, as the UK’s competent authority.

The FCDO’s own guidance on GOV.UK says it can apostille, among other things:

  • public registry records, including Companies House company certificates;
  • documents signed by a government official;
  • documents certified by a UK public official such as a UK notary or solicitor, including powers of attorney and copies of passports.

The same page says documents issued outside the UK cannot be legalised through this service. If one of your documents was issued in another country, it has to go through that country’s own apostille or legalisation process.

Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man

Some UK investors hold their investments through a company registered in a Crown Dependency. The HCCH entry for the United Kingdom lists separate apostille contacts for Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. If your holding company is registered there, check that territory’s apostille office rather than assuming the FCDO in London will act.

Electronic apostilles

GOV.UK also describes an e-Apostille service for PDF documents, which must be electronically signed by a UK notary or solicitor. Before you order one, ask us to confirm with the Turkish office that will receive the document that it accepts an electronic apostille in place of a paper original.

What happens in Turkey

Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs explains in its certification guidance that it does not re-certify an apostilled document, which goes straight to the receiving authority in any Convention country. So once the FCDO apostille is on the document, no Turkish consulate stamp is needed. What is still needed is a Turkish translation. Turkish consular guidance on powers of attorney (for example the 2026 note of the Turkish Consulate General in New York) accepts a translation made in Türkiye by a sworn translator and notarised by a Turkish notary, presented together with the apostilled original. That is the route we normally use for UK documents.

Power of attorney from the UK: two routes

Route A: the Turkish Consulate General in London

The consulate’s notary section note, dated 15 July 2026, lists powers of attorney among its services. For foreigners it says:

  • applicants who are not Turkish citizens can apply in person with their original passport and a sworn Turkish translator; the list of sworn translators is on the Ministry’s consular website;
  • notarial services are by online appointment only, and one appointment covers one notarial act;
  • the consulate estimates the fee at about GBP 30–40 per A4 page of notarial document, varying with the length of the text.

The note does not say which subjects a foreigner’s power of attorney may cover, and some Turkish consulates restrict them: the Consulate General in New York, for example, accepts powers of attorney from foreigners only for property sales and purchases and for lawyer or divorce matters. Before you book, ask the London consulate to confirm that it will draw up a company formation power of attorney for you.

The Ministry’s consular FAQ adds that a power of attorney drawn up at a Turkish consulate is written in Turkish, so no separate translation is needed afterwards. The original can be sent to Turkey. Since 6 April 2019, copies of notarial acts drawn up at Turkish missions can also be obtained from notaries in Turkey, and the Istanbul registry accepts the original power of attorney or a notarised copy.

Route B: a UK notary plus the FCDO apostille

You sign before a UK notary (or have the document certified by a solicitor), the FCDO apostilles it, and the original comes to Turkey for sworn translation. This route suits investors outside London and is the only one of these two routes open to a UK company: the Ministry’s consular FAQ says Turkish consulates cannot draw up a power of attorney on behalf of a company formed under foreign law.

What the registry accepts

The Istanbul Trade Registry states that when the articles of association are signed by proxy and the original or a notarised copy of the power of attorney is submitted, the shareholders do not need to come to the registry. A shareholder who is also a manager can avoid a separate signature declaration if the power of attorney carries their wet signature. A manager who is not a shareholder must attend in person unless their digital signature declaration is already in MERSIS. Whichever route you choose, send us the draft wording first; the remote company formation guide explains how the steps fit together.

A UK company as shareholder

If a UK limited company will hold the shares, the registry’s foreign legal-entity rules apply:

  1. Registry record. A document showing the company’s current registry records, apostilled (or certified by the Turkish consulate in the UK) and with a notarised Turkish translation (Trade Registry Regulation Art. 32/2, as cited by the Istanbul registry). Since the FCDO can apostille Companies House certificates, this is usually the starting document; tell us which certificate you hold and we will check that it shows what the registry needs.
  2. Corporate decision for a manager role. If the UK company itself is appointed as manager, the decision of its authorised body naming the individual who will act for it needs the same certification and translation.
  3. Tax number. The UK company’s Turkish tax identification number must appear in the articles of association.

The bank will then look through the UK company to the people behind it, as explained below.

Turkish tax number and founder documents

For an individual shareholder, the Istanbul registry asks for a notarised copy of the Turkish translation of the passport and a document showing either a Turkish tax identification number obtained from a tax office or a foreigner identity number. A notarised residence permit is added only if you live in Turkey. A foundation notification form (kuruluş bildirim formu) is prepared because a shareholder is a foreign national.

The Revenue Administration’s Digital Tax Office offers an online “Potential Tax Number Application for Foreigners”, which asks for your passport number, country, address and personal details. We normally include the tax number in the formation file. Formation then starts with a MERSIS application, which gives the request number used to book the registry appointment.

Bank account: what the bank must check

Turkish banks identify customers under the Regulation on Measures for the Prevention of Laundering Proceeds of Crime and Financing of Terrorism (Official Gazette, 9 January 2008), published on the MASAK website. For UK investors the key provisions are:

  • Article 6: for anyone who is not a Turkish national, the bank checks identity against a passport, a residence document or another ID the Ministry has approved.
  • Article 17/A: when the customer is a company in the trade registry, every individual with a shareholding above 25% is identified. Where no individual reaches that level, the bank must find the people who ultimately control the company.
  • Article 11: a company established abroad is identified from documents certified by a Turkish consulate or with an apostille, and on a risk-based approach, from their notarised Turkish translations.

For a Turkish company owned by a UK holding company, this means the bank will want to see who owns and controls the UK company. Prepare a simple ownership chart and identity documents for those individuals before the bank meeting. Banks make their own decisions; nobody can promise an account. More on this in our guide to bank accounts in Turkey for foreigners.

The UK–Turkey tax treaty in practice

A double taxation treaty between Turkey and the United Kingdom is in force. The Revenue Administration’s list of treaties in force (dated 23 April 2025) shows:

ItemUK–Turkey treaty
Signed19 February 1986
Official Gazette19 October 1988, No. 19964
In force26 October 1988
Applied for tax purposes from1 January 1989

The treaty text published by the Revenue Administration (Article 10/2) limits the Turkish tax on dividends paid to a UK-resident beneficial owner to:

  • 15% of the gross dividend if the beneficial owner is a company that directly or indirectly controls at least 25% of the voting power of the paying company;
  • 20% in all other cases.

Turkey’s own rate is 15%. Since 22 December 2024 (Presidential Decision No. 9286), a Turkish company withholds 15% when it pays a dividend to an individual who is not resident in Turkey (Income Tax Law Art. 94/6-b-ii) or to a foreign company with no Turkish permanent establishment (Corporate Tax Law Art. 30), according to the Revenue Administration’s rate tables and its 2026 corporate tax rates guide. On those figures, a UK company with a 25% or larger stake meets a treaty cap equal to the domestic rate, and an individual meets a cap above it. The treaty does not lower the Turkish dividend tax below 15% on current rules.

Remember the nationality and residence split from the top of this page. The treaty limit applies when the beneficial owner is a resident of the United Kingdom. A British citizen living outside the UK may need to look at the treaty between Turkey and their country of residence instead. For the procedure of applying a treaty rate in Turkey, see our guide to Turkey’s tax treaties.

UK tax is a separate question. How the UK taxes you on a Turkish company, and whether your plans affect your UK tax residence, are matters for a UK-qualified tax adviser. We do not advise on UK tax. Ask before you form, because the answer can change whether you hold the shares personally or through a UK company.

Residence and work in Turkey

A Turkish company does not give its owner a right to live or work in Turkey:

  • Residence: Law No. 6458 (Art. 31/1-c) says a short-term residence permit may be granted to foreigners who will establish business connections or set up a business. Each grant is for at most two years (Art. 31/2), and the migration authority reviews each filing under its own criteria.
  • Work: under Law No. 6735, as the Ministry of Labour and Social Security explains, a foreigner needs a work permit or an exemption in place before the first day of work, and working without one leads to penal and administrative measures.
  • Managers and board members: the same Ministry FAQ says the shareholder-manager of a limited company can work with a work permit, while a joint stock company board member who does not reside in Turkey, and a shareholder of another company without a managerial role, are assessed under the work permit exemption rules.
  • Work permit as residence: under Article 27 of Law No. 6458, a valid work permit counts as a residence permit.

If you intend to stay in the UK and oversee the company from there, raise this before choosing between an LLC and a JSC. Our work permit service page covers the application itself.

Working with us from the UK

We work with clients of every nationality. Consultations, correspondence and reports are in English (or Turkish, if preferred); official filings and correspondence with Turkish authorities are in Turkish. For a UK investor we usually:

  1. confirm the shareholder (you personally or your UK company) and the company type, after you have spoken to your UK adviser;
  2. draft the power of attorney and, for a UK company, list the Companies House and board documents needed;
  3. guide you through the London consulate appointment or the UK notary and FCDO apostille;
  4. arrange the sworn translations, the tax number and the MERSIS application, and attend the registry appointment;
  5. set up the tax office registration, the bank file and the monthly bookkeeping after registration.

Once the documents are ready, the Trade Registry stage usually takes a few business days (our estimate for a complete file is 3 to 5 business days). The total, including the apostille, tax office and bank steps, depends on appointment availability, the apostille service and the bank; we plan most files at 2 to 4 weeks, but we cannot guarantee a fixed duration and confirm the plan for your case. Official fees are itemised in our company formation cost guide. US-based founders should read the US citizen page, which covers the state apostille route. To start, contact us and tell us whether you will invest personally or through a UK company.

Frequently asked questions

Does a UK apostille need further legalisation by a Turkish consulate?

No. Both the United Kingdom and Türkiye are parties to the Apostille Convention, and the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that apostilled documents are not certified again by the Ministry and can be submitted directly to the authorities of Convention countries. A Turkish translation is still needed.

Can I sign the power of attorney at the Turkish Consulate General in London?

Possibly, as an individual. The consulate’s notary note of 15 July 2026 lists powers of attorney among its services and says foreigners without Turkish citizenship can apply in person with their original passport and a sworn Turkish translator, by appointment. The note does not say which subjects a foreigner’s power of attorney may cover, and some Turkish consulates restrict them (the Consulate General in New York accepts them from foreigners only for property sales and purchases and for lawyer or divorce matters), so ask the London consulate to confirm a company formation power of attorney before you book. A UK company cannot use this route, because Turkish consulates cannot draw up a power of attorney on behalf of a company formed under foreign law.

Which office apostilles UK documents?

The Legalisation Office of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the competent authority for the United Kingdom. The HCCH entry for the UK lists separate apostille contacts for Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.

Is there a double taxation treaty between the UK and Turkey?

Yes. The Revenue Administration’s list of treaties in force shows the treaty with the United Kingdom signed on 19 February 1986, in force since 26 October 1988 and applied from 1 January 1989. Its dividend article caps Turkish tax at 15% for a company controlling at least 25% of the voting power and at 20% in other cases; Turkey’s domestic rate on dividends paid to non-residents is currently 15%.

Can my UK limited company own the Turkish company?

Yes. Shareholders of a Turkish limited company can be legal entities. The UK company files a document showing its current registry records, apostilled and with a notarised Turkish translation, and its Turkish tax identification number is written into the articles of association.

Do I need a Turkish work permit if I manage the company?

It depends on your role and where you work. The Ministry of Labour and Social Security says a foreigner needs a work permit or an exemption before starting work in Turkey, that the shareholder-manager of a limited company can work with a work permit, and that a joint stock company board member who does not reside in Turkey is assessed under the work permit exemption rules.

Official sources