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When a company resident in Türkiye opens an office abroad, acquires a foreign brand or runs promotional activity in a target market, a substantial share of those costs is reimbursed by the Ministry of Trade. The legal framework is Decree No. 5973 on Export Supports, published in the Official Gazette on 18 August 2022.
The Decree contains no line item called "company formation fee". Support is built around the real cost components of an international structure: rent, promotion, financial and legal consultancy, trademark registration, market research and the interest on acquisition financing. That distinction matters in practice. Registering an OÜ in Estonia or a free zone entity in Dubai is not reimbursed; the office that entity rents, the campaigns it runs and the brand it acquires are.
Article 9, which governs company and brand acquisition support, was redrafted in 2026 and the ceilings were raised sharply. Many pages online still quote the figures from the original 2022 text, such as TRY 3,000,000 and TRY 45,000,000. Every amount below is taken from the consolidated version of the Decree published by the Ministry of Trade.
Two variables drive every calculation: the support rate (what share of the expense is covered) and the upper limit (the maximum payable per year). The base rate in the Decree is 50%. For expenses directed at target countries designated by the Ministry, the rate may be increased by up to 20 points, with a further 5 points where the expense falls within a target sector in those countries. Under no circumstances may the payment exceed 75% of the eligible expense.
| Base rate All eligible expenses | 50% |
| + Target country Countries designated by the Ministry | up to +20 points |
| + Target sector Priority sectors in target countries | +5 points |
| Maximum applicable rate | 75% |
The TRY ceilings in the Decree are not fixed. They are revised at the beginning of every calendar year by (CPI + D-PPI) / 2. To find the current ceiling for a given item, the Ministry's annual "Support Upper Limits" tables should be consulted rather than the nominal figure in the Decree. In the first year of support the full annual ceiling applies; in the final year, amounts already received in previous years are offset against the remaining entitlement.
The fastest route into a foreign market is often buying an operating business rather than building one. Article 9 targets exactly that scenario and carries the highest ceilings in the entire support package.
| Support item | Rate | Upper limit |
|---|---|---|
| Financial and legal consultancy for acquiring advanced-technology companies abroad | 50% | TRY 28,000,000 / year |
| Interest on the acquisition loan | 5 points on TRY loans 2 points on FX loans | TRY 171,000,000 |
| Rent and shared-office fees of the acquired company's foreign units | 50% | TRY 7,500,000 / unit / year |
| Promotion in the country where the unit is located | 50% | TRY 9,500,000 / country / year |
| Promotion in countries without a unit (trademark registration required) | 50% | TRY 9,500,000 / year |
| Promotion by companies with no foreign unit but a registered trademark | 50% | TRY 15,000,000 / year |
Figures are the nominal amounts in the consolidated text of Decree 5973 and are indexed at the start of each calendar year.
Due diligence, valuation, contract drafting and tax structuring in a cross-border deal reach seven figures quickly. The Decree covers half of these costs, up to TRY 28,000,000 per year. The decisive condition is that the target company must be advanced-technology and capable of transferring technology. That characteristic is not established by the applicant's own declaration; it is confirmed through the Ministry's evaluation process.
Where the acquisition is debt financed, part of the interest is also covered: 5 points on Turkish Lira loans and 2 points on foreign currency and FX-indexed loans, up to a total of TRY 171,000,000. Three limits apply together:
In practice, a TRY 100 million acquisition can generate interest support on no more than TRY 50 million of financing.
Companies benefiting from the rent and promotion items of Article 9 cannot at the same time claim unit rent support, promotion support, design support, the brand and TURQUALITY® programmes or export consortium support. The route has to be chosen before the spending starts.
For companies building their own structure rather than buying one, unit rent support is the core item. Rent for foreign units marketing goods produced in Türkiye, together with shared-office membership fees, is supported at 50% up to TRY 2,000,000 per unit per year. The inclusion of coworking memberships lowers the entry cost considerably for companies not yet ready to sign a physical lease.
Rent support is available for a maximum of 4 years per country, and a company may claim support for at most 25 units in total. Because the four-year clock runs per country, a company that exhausts it in Germany can start a fresh four-year period in the Netherlands. Sequencing target markets deliberately has a direct effect on the total amount received.
The legislation defines the beneficiary as a "company" and in practice applies the framework to capital companies. A documented ownership or control relationship between the foreign unit and the applicant in Türkiye is required.
Unit and promotion supports are administered through capital companies; sole proprietorships fall outside them. A sole trader planning to expand abroad should convert to a limited or joint stock company before applying.
The organic link is the ownership or control relationship between the unit abroad and the applicant company in Türkiye. The unit may be a branch of the applicant, may belong to a foreign company in which the applicant holds shares, or may be a branch of that foreign company. The link must be evidenced through commercial registry records, shareholding documents and official foreign paperwork bearing consular or apostille certification.
Applications are filed electronically through the Support Management System (DYS). Files are examined by the Secretariats General of Exporters' Associations.
1 Eligibility Company form and organic link | 2 Planning Cost items and prior approvals | 3 Spending Bank payment and documentation | 4 Filing Via DYS within 6 months | 5 Payment In TRY after review |
An application must be filed within 6 months of the payment document date. Where missing information or documents are identified during the review, the period to complete them is 3 months. Interest support claims are submitted in quarterly batches. These are strict deadlines; a late file cannot be cured by reapplying.
Support is paid in Turkish Lira. For expenses incurred in foreign currency, the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye indicative rate on the payment document date applies. Cash payments and transfers routed through third parties are not accepted; every expense must map to a traceable bank movement. Setting up the payment infrastructure correctly is therefore part of the process itself, as explained in our guide on setting up a company and opening a bank account abroad.
While the Ministry of Trade schemes address export-driven and larger-scale items, KOSGEB's Foreign Market Support Programme targets the first-step costs of small and medium-sized enterprises. The programme ceiling is TRY 300,000, of which 70% is a grant and 30% is repayable. Project duration runs from 8 to 24 months.
Applicants must hold a domestic trademark registration certificate as at the application date, keep books on a balance sheet basis in the last approved financial year, and apply under at least two different expense categories. The project budget may not exceed net sales revenue for that year. The two schemes are not alternatives; used in sequence according to scale, they materially reduce the total cost of going abroad.
Which support a company can claim depends on the legal nature of the structure it builds abroad. That choice determines tax treatment, liability and support eligibility at the same time.
| Structure | Separate legal entity | Primary support |
|---|---|---|
| Branch | No | Unit rent and promotion support |
| Subsidiary / affiliate | Yes | Rent, promotion and trademark registration |
| Representative office | No | Market research and promotion items |
| Acquisition of a company or brand | Yes | Consultancy and interest support |
Country choice belongs in the same analysis. Manufacturers serving Europe often use the United Kingdom and the Netherlands as distribution hubs, digital service exporters lean towards Estonia, and companies targeting the Gulf and Africa favour the United Arab Emirates. For North America, company formation in the United States comes into play. A comparison of effective tax burdens can start with our review of the countries with the lowest taxes.
To identify the right combination of supports for your expansion plan, you can request a quote and consultancy.
Rates and amounts were verified against official sources on 26 August 2026. Because upper limits are indexed at the start of every calendar year, the Ministry's current tables should be confirmed before applying.
Treated as a reimbursement to be remembered after the money has been spent, these incentives are largely lost. Prior approval requirements, the six-month filing window and the non-duplication rule all have to be considered alongside the expansion decision itself. Sequencing target countries, planning the number of units and structuring the financing correctly can multiply the total amount received over a four-year cycle.
Spreading rent, promotion and trademark items across calendar years instead of compressing them into one, using the target country and target sector uplifts, and aligning acquisition financing with the interest support rules allow a far wider international structure to be built on the same budget.
Let us plan together which country and structure to use, which support items you qualify for and when to file. Company formation, bank account opening, accounting and tax advisory are handled from a single point of contact.
Formation fees and registration costs are not reimbursed directly. However, under Decree No. 5973 on Export Supports, rent for offices, stores and warehouses abroad, promotion and marketing spend, trademark registration, market research, financial and legal consultancy and the interest on acquisition loans are all supported. In effect, most of the real cost of an international structure falls within scope.
Capital companies resident in Türkiye. A documented ownership or control relationship, known as the organic link, must exist between the unit abroad and the applicant company. Goods marketed through the unit must be produced in Türkiye, and promotion supports additionally require a trademark registration certificate.
Unit and promotion supports are administered through capital companies, so sole proprietorships fall outside them. A sole trader planning to expand abroad should convert to a limited or joint stock company before filing an application.
Under the nominal figure in the Decree, rent and shared-office membership fees for foreign units marketing goods produced in Türkiye are supported at 50%, up to TRY 2,000,000 per unit per year. Because ceilings are indexed at the start of each calendar year by (CPI + D-PPI) / 2, the Ministry's current upper limit table should be checked before applying.
The organic link is the ownership or control relationship between the unit abroad and the applicant company in Türkiye. The unit may be a branch of the applicant, may belong to a foreign company in which the applicant holds shares, or may be a branch of that foreign company. It is evidenced through commercial registry records, shareholding documents and foreign paperwork bearing consular or apostille certification.
Applications are filed electronically through the Support Management System (DYS). Files are examined by the Secretariats General of Exporters' Associations. An application must be submitted within 6 months of the payment document date, and missing information or documents must be completed within 3 months.
A lease or shared-office membership contract, bank receipts and account statements showing payment through the banking system, an invoice or equivalent expense document, shareholding and registry documents establishing the organic link, consular or apostille certification for documents issued abroad, a trademark registration certificate for promotion support, and a valuation report for company and brand acquisitions.
Rent support is available for a maximum of 4 years per country, and a company may claim support for at most 25 units in total. Since the four-year period runs country by country, a company that exhausts it in one market can start a fresh period in another.
The base rate in the Decree is 50%. For expenses directed at target countries designated by the Ministry, the rate may be increased by up to 20 points, with a further 5 points where the expense falls within a target sector in those countries. The payment may never exceed 75% of the eligible expense.
Financial and legal consultancy costs for acquiring advanced-technology companies abroad that will transfer technology are supported at 50%, up to TRY 28,000,000 per year. Interest on the acquisition loan is covered by 5 points on Turkish Lira loans and 2 points on foreign currency and FX-indexed loans, up to a total of TRY 171,000,000. The advanced-technology status is confirmed through the Ministry's evaluation process.
Three limits apply together: interest support may not exceed 50% of the interest actually paid, it is granted for payments made within 5 years of the first interest payment date, and the eligible loan amount is capped at 50% of the acquisition price.
The two programmes address different cost items and different scales. The KOSGEB Foreign Market Support Programme has a ceiling of TRY 300,000, of which 70% is a grant and 30% is repayable, with a project duration of 8 to 24 months. The same expense cannot be claimed twice, but using the programmes in sequence for different items lowers the overall cost of expansion.
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