Overview
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Region | Asia (West, South & Central) |
| ISO 3166-1 | TR / TUR |
| Registry | MERSIS / Ministry of Trade |
| Last updated | 2026-05-06 |
Identifiers
Collect two identifiers from each business customer in Turkey and submit them as strings on the application body.| API field | Local name | Issuer |
|---|---|---|
businessInfo.taxId | Vergi Kimlik Numarası (VKN) | GİB (Gelir İdaresi Başkanlığı) |
businessInfo.businessEntityId | MERSIS Numarası | MERSIS / Ministry of Trade |
Sector regulators
BDDK · TCMB · SPK · SEDDK · MASAK · BTK
Legal structures
| Local name | Abbreviation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Anonim Şirket | A.Ş. | Joint-stock company with freely transferable shares; minimum capital TRY 250,000 (Presidential Decree No. 7887, eff. 2024-01-01); governed by a board of directors (Yönetim Kurulu) and general assembly. Equivalent to a US C-Corp. |
| Limited Şirket | Ltd. Şti. | Quota-based limited-liability company; 1–50 shareholders; minimum capital TRY 50,000 (Presidential Decree No. 7887, eff. 2024-01-01); managed by one or more Müdür; the dominant SME vehicle. Equivalent to a US LLC. |
| Kollektif Şirket | — | General partnership in which all partners bear joint and unlimited personal liability for the company’s obligations; no minimum capital requirement. Equivalent to a US General Partnership (GP). |
| Komandit Şirket | — | Limited partnership with at least one general partner (komandite) bearing unlimited liability and at least one limited partner (komanditer) whose liability is capped at their contribution; capital is not divided into shares. Equivalent to a US Limited Partnership (LP). |
| Sermayesi Paylara Bölünmüş Komandit Şirket | SpBKŞ | Partnership limited by shares; at least one general partner (komandite) with unlimited personal liability and limited partners whose participation is represented by shares; classified as a capital company under TCC Book II. Closest US equivalent: Limited Partnership (LP). |
| Şahıs İşletmesi | — | Sole proprietorship operated by a single natural person; no separate legal personality; registered with the local chamber of commerce. Equivalent to a US Sole Proprietorship. |
| Kooperatif Şirket | — | Cooperative company governed by Cooperatives Law No. 1163; requires minimum seven founding members; organized on the principle of mutual aid and democratic governance (one member, one vote). Closest US equivalent: Cooperative. |
| Yabancı Şirket Şubesi | — | Branch of a foreign commercial company registered with the Turkish trade registry; no separate legal personality; must appoint a fully authorized local representative. Closest US equivalent: Branch/Rep Office. |
How documents combine
For each evidence area, this table shows whether the listed documents are alternatives (any one of) or a bundle (all required). The artifact-by-artifact lookup follows below.| Evidence area | Documents needed |
|---|---|
| Legal Registration | Ticaret Sicil Tasdiknamesi |
| Constitutive Documents | Any one of: Ana Sözleşme · Şirket Sözleşmesi |
| Tax Registration | Vergi Levhası |
| Operating Permit | İşyeri Açma ve Çalışma Ruhsatı |
| Ownership Records | Any one of: Ortaklar Defteri · Pay Defteri |
| Governance Records | Any one of: Yönetim Kurulu Üyeleri Listesi · Müdürler Listesi · Ticaret Sicil Tasdiknamesi |
| Signing Authority | Any one of: İmza Sirküleri · Yönetim Kurulu Kararı · Müdür Kararı |
| Address | Any one of: Kira Sözleşmesi · Fatura (elektrik/su/doğalgaz) · Banka Hesap Ekstresi |
Documents to collect
The physical documents you’ll collect from your customer, with the evidence area each one proves. One document can prove multiple areas — for example, Brazil’s Cartão CNPJ covers both tax and business-registration proof, so it appears once with both areas listed.| Document | Proves |
|---|---|
| Ticaret Sicil Tasdiknamesi (Trade Registry Certificate) | Legal Registration, Governance Records |
| Ana Sözleşme (A.Ş.) | Constitutive Documents |
| Şirket Sözleşmesi (Ltd. Şti.) | Constitutive Documents |
| Vergi Levhası | Tax Registration |
| İşyeri Açma ve Çalışma Ruhsatı | Operating Permit |
| Ortaklar Defteri (Partners Ledger — Ltd. Şti.) | Ownership Records |
| Pay Defteri (Share Ledger — A.Ş.) | Ownership Records |
| Yönetim Kurulu Üyeleri Listesi | Governance Records |
| Müdürler Listesi | Governance Records |
| İmza Sirküleri | Signing Authority |
| Yönetim Kurulu Kararı | Signing Authority |
| Müdür Kararı | Signing Authority |
| Kira Sözleşmesi | Address |
| Fatura (elektrik/su/doğalgaz) (≤90 gün) | Address |
| Banka Hesap Ekstresi (≤90 gün) | Address |
| Sector-Specific License | Sector-specific license from BDDK, SPK License, SEDDK License, TCMB License |
Collection notes
- Legal Registration: Issued by affiliated chamber via MERSIS; includes MERSIS No. and registration details.
- Constitutive Documents: Filed with and published in the Türkiye Ticaret Sicili Gazetesi (TTSG).
- Tax Registration: GİB-issued; shows VKN (10-digit), entity type, and tax-office assignment.
- Operating Permit: Municipal permit; required before operations commence; renewed periodically.
- Sector-Specific License: Required only for regulated sectors; fintech/e-money requires TCMB payment institution license.
- Governance Records: Current governing persons appear in MERSIS extract and Gazette publication.
- Signing Authority: İmza Sirküleri is the standard bank/counterparty authorization artifact; board/manager resolution for specific transactions.
- Address: Conduit universal policy: lease (no time bound) OR utility bill OR bank statement, with utility/bank dated within 90 days. Same evidence satisfies both registered-address and operating-address checks.
Person roles
When you submit a person on the application body, set theirrole to one of Conduit’s canonical BusinessPersonRole values. Use this table to map a local corporate-governance title onto the right canonical role.
| Local role | Canonical API role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Yönetim Kurulu Üyesi (A.Ş. board member) | CONTROLLING_PERSON | Member of the Yönetim Kurulu (board of directors) in a joint-stock company. |
| Yönetim Kurulu Başkanı (board chair) | CONTROLLING_PERSON | Chair of the Yönetim Kurulu; governance role. |
| Genel Müdür (general manager) | CONTROLLING_PERSON | Executive appointed by board for day-to-day operations; often also legal representative. |
| Müdür (Ltd. Şti. manager) | CONTROLLING_PERSON | Managing director of an Ltd. Şti.; responsible for daily operations and legal representation. |
| Temsile Yetkili Kişi (authorized representative) | LEGAL_REPRESENTATIVE | Person authorized to legally bind the entity; listed in İmza Sirküleri. |
| Vekil (attorney-in-fact / POA holder) | LEGAL_REPRESENTATIVE | Holder of a notarized Vekâletname authorizing them to act on behalf of the entity. |
Notes
- MERSIS vs. Trade Registry Number: older documents may show a legacy Ticaret Sicil Numarası (chamber-specific numeric). The MERSIS No. (16-digit) is the current universal identifier and is what GİB, banks, and customs require. Always collect the MERSIS No.
- İmza Sirküleri is mandatory: Turkish banks and counterparties universally require the notarized İmza Sirküleri listing authorized signatories with specimen signatures. A resolution without a Sirküleri is typically insufficient.
- Apostille Convention: Turkey is a Contracting Party to the Hague Apostille Convention (ratified; in force 29-IX-1985; e-Apostille system live at eapostil.gov.tr since 2019). Foreign documents destined for Turkish use and Turkish documents for foreign use can be apostilled rather than requiring full consular legalization.