Company formation with power of attorney

How the power of attorney route works

Turkish law lets founders act through an attorney holding a notarised power of attorney. A power of attorney signed abroad must carry an apostille (or a Turkish consular certification), and in Türkiye it is translated by a sworn translator and certified by a notary. Our team then signs and files for you, so formation does not wait for anyone’s travel plans.

The apostille is what makes this practical for our clients. Mainland China joined the Apostille Convention in March 2023 and it has applied there since 7 November 2023. Since then, documents notarised in China need only an apostille for use in Türkiye, with no consular legalisation. Hong Kong has been covered by the Convention since 1965: a power of attorney signed before a Hong Kong notary public is apostilled by the High Court Registry.

Each document goes through the same chain: signature before a notary, apostille, courier, sworn translation, Turkish notary. A mistake in the wording or a missing page can mean repeating the chain from the start. That is why we draft every text and check your scans before anything is sent.

Managers who are not in Türkiye

The trade registry needs a signature declaration from each person who will sign for the company. Turkish public databases usually hold no signature record for a foreign manager, so the signature has to be given in a form the registry accepts. For a manager abroad, it is signed before a notary there, apostilled, and then translated and certified in Türkiye, just like the power of attorney. We confirm the exact format with the trade registry before you sign, so that, where possible, one notary visit covers all the documents.

If a company will be a manager or board member, its resolution names the natural person who acts for it. We prepare the resolution wording together with the power of attorney.

One practical point for the management structure: to obtain a financial seal, the company needs a manager who is a Turkish citizen or a foreign national with a Turkish foreigner identity number (starting with 9, for example issued with a residence permit). Take this into account before the managers are appointed.

Price and how it relates to the packages

Formation by power of attorney is an add-on of USD 3,000. Without a package, this is the complete formation service: you pay USD 3,000 and do not also pay the USD 1,250 fee for formation without a power of attorney. Government fees, notary, apostille, translation and courier costs come on top, as in every formation.

The Professional package includes formation in which the founder signs in person in Türkiye. Professional clients who prefer the power of attorney route pay the package fee of USD 4,950 plus the full USD 3,000 add-on, and government fees; the formation included in the package does not reduce it. Tax numbers for foreign partners are a separate service at USD 500 per person, with one foreign partner included in each package; see tax number (ITIN) for foreign partners.

After registration

Registration starts the company’s first deadlines, including e-Tebligat within 15 days of starting business and the beneficial ownership notification within one month. The company formation page explains them. A corporate bank account is a separate add-on, and its timing depends on the bank’s compliance review. For the full sequence from documents to the first tax return, see our company formation guide.