Update Immigration & relocation
Law No. 7582 gives individuals who become Turkish tax residents a full 20-year exemption from Turkish tax on their foreign-source income, together with a flat 1% inheritance tax. There is no fee and no minimum investment. To qualify, you must not have had a domicile or a tax liability in Türkiye in the previous three calendar years. The exemption is not automatic: you must obtain an Exemption Certificate from your tax office within a short deadline, or the right is lost.
Update Corporate & international tax
Each January, Türkiye updates the figures that drive payroll and tax: the minimum wage, income tax brackets, social security floor and ceiling, and dozens of TRY thresholds revalued by the annual revaluation rate. In 2027 there is also a structural change: income from manufacturing and agricultural production is taxed at 12.5% instead of 25%.
Company set-up
The main cost of a Turkish company is its minimum capital: TRY 50,000 for a limited company (LLC) and TRY 250,000 for a joint stock company (JSC). On top of that come one-off registration costs — notary, trade registry, translations and adviser fees — and monthly running costs such as accounting and a registered address. Capital is not a fee: it stays in the company and can be used for its business.
Company set-up
Most foreign investors choose a limited liability company (Ltd. Şti.): it needs less capital (TRY 50,000) and is simpler to run. A joint stock company (A.Ş.) needs TRY 250,000 but makes share transfers easier and is the only form that can list on Borsa Istanbul, so it suits larger investments, many shareholders or a planned exit.
Doing Business · Tax
Transactions between a Turkish company and its related parties must be priced at arm's length, following OECD methods. Companies document this in an annual transfer pricing form and report; larger groups also prepare a master file and a country-by-country report. Non-arm's-length profit is treated as a disguised profit distribution.
Doing Business · Run
If you want people in Türkiye before setting up a company, or want to run a Turkish company without building a local back office, you have three options: an employer of record (EOR) arrangement, setting up your own company and outsourcing payroll and accounting, or a combination of the two. Turkish law regulates temporary agency work closely, so EOR arrangements need careful structuring.
Doing Business · Live
Moving to Türkiye involves a few official steps in the right order — permit, address registration, foreigner ID number — and a set of practical ones: health insurance, a bank account, schools and a phone. This checklist covers the first months. Rules on driving licences, phones and belongings change from time to time, so check the current requirements before you move.
Doing Business · Run
A Turkish company is closed through a formal liquidation: the shareholders decide to dissolve it, a liquidator settles its affairs, creditors are invited to claim, and only then is the company struck off the trade registry. Because of the mandatory creditor waiting period, a standard liquidation usually takes a year or more. Unpaid tax and social security debts can pass to managers and shareholders, so closing properly matters.
