E-TUYS reporting for foreign-capital companies
E-TUYS authorisation for companies covered by the Foreign Direct Investment Law, the annual Activity Information Form, the Capital Information Form, updating the shareholder list, deadlines and common mistakes.
Foreign investors who set up a company in Türkiye, or who buy into an existing Turkish company, must keep reporting to the Ministry of Industry and Technology after incorporation. These reports are not filed on paper: they are submitted through the Ministry's E-TUYS system (the electronic incentive and foreign capital information system) using a qualified electronic certificate (e-signature).
Who is covered?
Under the Foreign Direct Investment Law, companies with a foreign shareholder and the Turkish branches of foreign companies fall within these obligations. A wholly Turkish-owned company also becomes subject to them once it takes on a foreign shareholder through a share transfer or a capital increase. A small foreign stake does not remove the obligation.
First step: E-TUYS authorisation
Only a user authorised by the Ministry can file on the company's behalf. The company sends the Ministry an authorisation petition, a notarised undertaking, a user authorisation form and its signature circular. Once the authorisation is in place, the following fields must be completed in E-TUYS within one month:
- Investor details,
- Shareholder List (the stakes of foreign and Turkish shareholders),
- Subsidiaries, if any.
Time-bound filings
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Every year by the end of May | Complete the Activity Information Form for the previous year |
| Within one month of a capital increase or decrease | Update the Shareholder List |
| Within one month after a payment made for a capital increase or a share transfer | Complete the Capital Information Form |
| Within one month of a share transfer, whether between shareholders or to an outsider | Update the Shareholder List |
| When the trade name, tax office or contact details change | Update directly in E-TUYS; a change of tax number requires an application with documents |
The annual form in May falls in the same period as the corporate tax return. Make sure the figures on the form match the balance sheet and income statement in the return: Corporate tax return
Capital payments and exchange rates
A foreign shareholder may send its capital contribution in foreign currency. The capital is registered in Turkish lira at the trade registry, and the foreign currency payment is converted at the exchange rate on the payment date. The payment date and amount on the Capital Information Form should match the bank records. For the accounting of exchange differences: Foreign currency transactions and exchange differences · Currency converter
Common mistakes
- Never setting up the authorisation: if no E-TUYS user has been defined after incorporation, the annual form cannot be filed either.
- Reporting a share transfer only to the trade registry: registry changes do not flow into E-TUYS automatically; the shareholder list must be updated separately.
- Missing the end of May: the form is a separate obligation from the corporate tax return.
- The authorised person leaving: E-TUYS authority is personal; when that person leaves, a new user must be defined.
Different rules apply to liaison offices of foreign companies in Türkiye; their activity report and extensions are tied to a separate permit process: Branch and liaison office
Legal basis: Foreign Direct Investment Law No. 4875; Implementing Regulation of the Foreign Direct Investment Law, as amended in the Official Gazette of 1 June 2018, No. 30438 (arts. 5 and 15).