Starting a Business in Turkey as a Foreigner

Numerous outsiders need to set up business in Turkey. They are divided into three gatherings.

There are global business visionaries who see business openings in Turkey as rather basic. They see the areas of the nation that are less evolved than Europe. They see Turkey’s fast modernization, expanding populace and abundance of them, and its developing mixture with Europe. All seem like open doors for fast business development with benefits to them. They can also be seen as a good starting point for trade in a wider region including Turkey.

Additionally, there are individuals who visited Turkey and cherished it, looking for a way to stay here. There are not very many work opportunities for the majority of these individuals, and those that do find a job will generally earn less money. So starting a business seems logical to them.

The third group would normally be willing to work as a freelancer without any formal business structure, but find out that it is difficult to do it legally in Turkey.

In general, Turkey is an inviting nation to numerous individuals.

However, certain sectors in Turkey restrict the participation of foreigners. For example, you cannot establish a school as a foreigner ; be a dentist or get involved in patient care; be a veterinarian, pharmacist, hospital manager, lawyer, notary or security guard; engage in fishing or becoming a customs agent or tourist guide.

There are a large number of vocations in Turkey that requires proficiency in as professional. These include many activities that are not restricted in other countries. For example:

• Hairdresser
• Pharmacist assistant
• Tailoring
• Beauty salon employee

Despite all of these, there has been a lot of government activity and incentives in the past years to encourage foreigners to start businesses. For example:

• Foreigners have the right to own Turkish firms and are subject to the same rules that apply to a Turkish owner of the company
• There are certain tax exemptions and social security contributions

Import of certain items is now free of customs duty and other taxes and restrictions.

However, there are also a few main areas of business that are particularly unavailable for foreign-run businesses for historical reasons that are now irrelevant but still protected by law, unless they obtain special permission from you.

There is not a list of these restrictions issued by the government. Instead, you can find them on the websites of various Turkish ministries.

In Turkey, although you’ll need a few vocational qualifications (for example, as a lawyer), there are rarely legal obstacles in the same field (for example, as a legal advisor).