ETBİS registration: the first step for selling online
Who must register with the Electronic Commerce Information System, the registration steps, the information required, update and notification obligations, the position of marketplace sellers and other tax-related steps in e-commerce.
Setting up a website and starting to sell can technically take a few days. Legally, however, the first step is registering with the Electronic Commerce Information System (ETBİS). This system, run by the Ministry of Trade, keeps records and statistics of electronic commerce activity in Türkiye.
Who registers?
| Who? | Example |
|---|---|
| Service provider | Businesses selling goods or services from their own website or mobile app |
| Intermediary service provider | Marketplace platforms on which others sell |
| Marketplace sellers | Businesses selling products through a marketplace (registration status and scope should be checked against the legislation) |
Registration must be made before starting business.
Registration steps
- Obtain a KEP address. Registration requires a registered e-mail address suitable for notification: e-Signature, financial e-seal and KEP
- Log in to e-Devlet. Individuals act themselves or through authorised representatives; legal persons act through their authorised representatives.
- Identity verification. Merchants are verified with their MERSİS and tax numbers, tradesmen with their ID and tax numbers. Registrations that cannot be verified cannot be made.
- Enter the information.
- Website domain names and mobile app details,
- Type of electronic commerce,
- Types of goods and services offered,
- Payment methods,
- Whether second-hand goods are sold,
- Other commercial activities.
- Complete the registration. When registration is complete, the system generates registration details.
After registration
- Notification of changes: if information such as domain name, payment method or type of products sold changes, it is updated within 30 days from the date of the change.
- End of activity: if the electronic commerce activity ends, this is notified within 30 days from the end date.
- Cross-border sales: if sales are made abroad, annual transaction volume by country and payment method is reported.
Other obligations in e-commerce
ETBİS registration alone is not enough. When starting to sell online, the following steps should also be planned:
| Subject | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Tax registration | Tax registration as a sole proprietorship or company; conditions for working from a home address |
| e-Documents | e-Invoice and e-Archive thresholds are lower for e-commerce: Switching to e-Invoice · e-Document obligation check |
| Marketplace withholding | Withholding deducted by the platform on marketplace sales: Marketplace withholding |
| Consumer law | Distance sales contract, pre-contractual information, right of withdrawal |
| KVKK | Privacy notice, cookie policy, VERBİS registration if required |
| Young entrepreneur exemption | Income exemption for those meeting the conditions: Young entrepreneur exemption |
| Advertising expenses | Withholding and VAT on advertising paid to platforms abroad: Foreign advertising invoices |
Checklist
- Is tax registration complete?
- Has a KEP address been obtained?
- Was ETBİS registration made before starting to sell?
- Is the e-Archive invoice infrastructure ready?
- Are the distance sales and KVKK texts published on the site?
- Has a person been made responsible for notifying changes within 30 days?
Legal basis: Law No. 6563 on the Regulation of Electronic Commerce; Communiqué on the Electronic Commerce Information System and Notification Obligations.