Türkiye and the Netherlands at a glance
- Stamp
- Apostille, Hague Convention in force for Türkiye since 29 September 1985
- Issued by
- Notarised documents, including powers of attorney, are apostilled by the Valilik (governor’s office) or the Kaymakamlık (district office) where the notary is
- Language
- Turkish, sworn translation
- Register
- Ticaret Sicil Müdürlüğü and MERSİS, the Turkish company register
- Tax treaty
- Signed 1986, in force 1988 (Rijksoverheid, 1 October 2026)
- EU trade
- Customs union for industrial goods, 1995
- In the Netherlands
- 265 companies controlled from Türkiye in 2024, 175 in 2021 (+51.4%), about 5,000 jobs, €2.7 billion turnover, 1.3% of all 19,995 foreign-controlled companies (CBS, 9 October 2026)
- Moving here
- Milder rules under the 1963 Association Agreement
Documents from Türkiye
Passport copy, certified by a notary in Türkiye.
Proof of address in Türkiye, at most three months old.
Power of attorney. Sign the power of attorney before a Turkish noter. The noter also prepares the signature circular (imza sirküleri) for company signatories.
Ownership statement, one page from us.
The apostille. Notarised documents, including powers of attorney, are apostilled by the Valilik (governor’s office) or the Kaymakamlık (district office) where the notary is. Court documents are apostilled by the Adalet Komisyonu at the courthouse. The apostille itself is free and usually done the same day.
Official page: https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/legalisation/foreign-documents/turkiye
Good to know. For a translation made in Türkiye, a sworn translator translates the document first, and then the original and the translation both get an apostille. For a sworn translation made in the Netherlands, only the Turkish original needs an apostille. Turkish extracts lack a single document with the current shareholders. The Dutch notary will ask for the share ledger (pay defteri) or a notarised shareholder list.
If a company from Türkiye becomes a shareholder
Register extract, at most three months old: Ticaret Sicil Müdürlüğü and MERSİS, the Turkish company register. You need the Ticaret Sicil Gazetesi publications, a faaliyet belgesi (certificate of activity) and the imza sirküleri. Plus articles, signing authority and ownership chart.
Trade between Türkiye and the EU
In 2025, EU trade in goods with Türkiye reached a record of more than €217.6 billion. Türkiye was the EU’s 5th largest trade partner, with 4.2% of EU goods trade.
In 2025, EU exports to Türkiye totalled €114.3 billion and imports €103.3 billion, with motor vehicles, machinery and electrical equipment leading on both sides. The EU took 42.7% of Türkiye’s goods exports and supplied 35.3% of its imports.
Trade in services came to almost €42.1 billion in 2024, up from €38.5 billion in 2023. Transport and travel are the services the EU imports most from Türkiye.
EU-Türkiye trade relations are based on the 1963 Association Agreement and a Customs Union in force since 31 December 1995. In December 2016, the Commission proposed to modernise the Customs Union, and the Council has yet to adopt negotiating directives. A High-Level Dialogue on Trade met on 8 July 2024 and 1 July 2025.
Import duties: Access2Markets.
Sources: European Commission [1].
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