Mergers & Acquisitions · Turkey
Speak to a mergers and acquisitions lawyer in Turkey before you sign
Buying a Turkish company, selling your shares or bringing in an investor means working inside a codified civil-law system where documents, filings and court proceedings are in Turkish. We introduce you to Bar-registered counsel who handles transactions of this kind. Tell us the deal and we match you for free.
- Bar-registered lawyers who work on share and asset deals
- Counsel used to cross-border buyers and translated documents
- Free matching, usually answered within 24–48 hours
No legal advice is given on this page and no outcome is promised. Matching is free of charge.
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Why local counsel matters
A transaction in Turkey is a Turkish-language, code-based exercise
Selling a business, acquiring a competitor or admitting an investor into a Turkish company raises questions that only local counsel can answer with confidence. A mergers and acquisitions lawyer in Turkey works inside a civil-law system that received the Swiss Civil Code in the 1920s and is now governed by codes such as the Turkish Commercial Code (No. 6102) and the Code of Obligations (No. 6098). Share transfers, asset purchases, contractual warranties and any later dispute are therefore documented and litigated in Turkish, before Turkish courts, and with time limits that run quickly. Whether you are a European buyer, a founder planning an exit or a family group reorganising its holdings, we introduce you to a Bar-registered lawyer whose practice covers deals of this kind. Describe the transaction in a few lines and we match you at no cost.
Turkey in practice
How merger and acquisition work is handled in Turkey
Turkish deal-making sits on a codified private-law system and a procedural framework in which language, professional admission rules and compulsory mediation all shape the timetable. The points below summarise the verified features that most often affect a buyer, a seller or an investor.
Everything is drafted in Turkish
Turkish is the official language of the State, and judicial proceedings, filings and court documents are conducted and drafted in Turkish under Article 3 of the 1982 Constitution. Foreign-language documents put before a Turkish court need a certified translation, and foreign public documents are generally legalised by apostille, Turkey being a party to the Hague Apostille Convention.
Who is entitled to advise you
Practising law in Turkey requires membership of a Bar Association (Baro), with the Union of Turkish Bar Associations as the public-law body to which all Bars belong; the Attorneyship Law (No. 1136, Article 3) sets the admission conditions, including a two-stage one-year internship. Representation is not generally mandatory in civil or commercial proceedings, yet assistance by a Bar member is the norm in commercial disputes.
Mediation comes before litigation
Since 1 January 2019, commercial disputes concerning monetary claims and compensation must go to mediation before litigation, under Article 5A of the Turkish Commercial Code (No. 6102, as amended by Law No. 7155). A claim filed without that step is dismissed on procedural grounds, so a disagreement arising after completion, for example over a price adjustment, should be routed through mediation first.
Limitation periods shape the paperwork
General contractual claims are time-barred after ten years, while rent, periodic payments and recurring receivables fall under a five-year period; tort claims run for two years from knowledge, with a maximum of ten years. These periods appear in the Code of Obligations (No. 6098) and matter when the parties negotiate warranties, indemnities and earn-outs after completion.
Real property passes only at the Land Registry
Where a transaction transfers ownership of immovable property, Turkish law requires an official deed (resmi senet) before the Land Registry directorate (Tapu Müdürlüğü); registration is constitutive and ownership passes only upon registration, under Article 705 of the Civil Code (No. 4721). Notaries are not the competent authority for real-property conveyancing in Turkey, which affects asset deals over land or buildings.
Court fees and the Bar minimum tariff
Court fees follow the Fees Law (No. 492): a proportional judgment-and-decision fee of 68.31 per thousand of the amount in dispute plus a fixed application fee, with one quarter of the proportional fee paid in advance and the rates adjusted annually. Lawyers’ fees are freely agreed, but the Union of Turkish Bar Associations publishes a binding annual minimum-fee tariff.
Key time limit — Commercial & Corporate Law
General contractual claims (debt recovery) — 10 years. Applies to ordinary contractual claims under the Code of Obligations (No. 6098).
All country details on this page come from official Turkish legislation published on mevzuat.gov.tr, consulted in 2025.
- Constitution of 1982 (Law No. 2709) — official language and court system
- Attorneyship Law No. 1136 — admission to the profession and representation
- Turkish Commercial Code No. 6102 — compulsory mediation in commercial disputes
- Code of Obligations No. 6098 — limitation periods
- Turkish Civil Code No. 4721 — registration of immovable property
- Fees Law No. 492 — court fees and the Bar minimum-fee tariff
What clients run into
The friction points in a Turkish deal
Most difficulties are procedural rather than commercial, and they appear early.
Documents that are not in Turkish
Filings and court documents must be in Turkish, and foreign documents need certified translation or an apostille. Buyers who arrive with an English-only file discover the gap at the worst moment.
A disagreement after completion
A price adjustment or warranty discussion is a commercial dispute over a monetary claim, and mediation now comes before litigation. Ignoring that step can end a claim on procedural grounds.
Local steps with no foreign equivalent
Ownership of land or buildings passes only through an official deed at the Land Registry, not at a notary. Asset deals built on a notarial model need rebuilding for Turkey.
How matching helps
What you get from our free introduction
We do not advise you and we do not decide your case; we connect you with counsel who does.
A lawyer who knows the deal type
We match you with Bar-registered counsel whose practice covers share purchases, asset transfers and investment into Turkish companies, rather than a generalist encountering the structure for the first time.
Clear scope before you commit
You describe the transaction, the parties and the timetable once. The lawyer you are matched with can then tell you what documents, translations and registry steps the file will need.
Costs explained locally
Court fees follow the Fees Law and the Bar publishes a binding minimum-fee tariff. Your lawyer can set out how those rules apply to the work you are asking for, so the fee discussion starts from facts.
One route across borders
If your group operates in several European countries, we can match you in Turkey and elsewhere, so the same transaction is handled consistently on each side of the border.
Cross-border context
Clients often come to us from these markets
Turkish transactions frequently involve investors, suppliers or group companies based in the following countries. We can match you with counsel in more than one of them.
Questions we hear
Mergers and acquisitions in Turkey: common questions
When should I instruct a mergers and acquisitions lawyer in Turkey?
As early as possible. A mergers and acquisitions lawyer in Turkey can review the structure before heads of terms harden, check what must be drafted in Turkish, flag whether real property is involved and confirm whether a later disagreement would have to go to mediation first. Retrofitting those points after signature is usually harder.
Do I have to be represented by a lawyer in Turkish commercial proceedings?
No. Representation is not generally mandatory in Turkish civil, commercial or administrative proceedings, and parties may appear in person at first instance. In practice, professional assistance by a member of a Bar Association is the norm in commercial disputes and is always advisable before the Court of Cassation and the Council of State.
Why do transaction documents need a Turkish version?
Turkish is the official language of the State, and judicial proceedings, filings and court documents are conducted and drafted in Turkish under Article 3 of the 1982 Constitution. Foreign-language documents submitted to a Turkish court must be accompanied by a certified translation, and foreign public documents are generally legalised by apostille.
What happens if a dispute arises after the deal closes?
Commercial disputes concerning monetary claims and compensation have been subject to compulsory mediation since 1 January 2019 under Article 5A of the Turkish Commercial Code (No. 6102, as amended by Law No. 7155). A claim filed without first attempting mediation is dismissed on procedural grounds, so mediation is the practical first step.
How is the transfer of a building or land completed in Turkey?
Contracts transferring ownership of immovable property are valid only in official form before the Land Registry directorate, and registration is constitutive: ownership passes only upon registration, under Article 705 of the Turkish Civil Code (No. 4721). Notaries are not the competent authority for real-property conveyancing in Turkey.
What does it cost to be matched, and how are legal fees set?
Matching through our platform is free; you pay only the lawyer you instruct. Lawyers’ fees are freely agreed between lawyer and client, although the Union of Turkish Bar Associations publishes a binding annual minimum-fee tariff. Court fees are governed by the Fees Law (No. 492) and are separate from the lawyer’s own remuneration.
Next step
Tell us about the transaction in Turkey
Send us a short description of the deal, the parties involved and the timing you are working to. We will match you with a Bar-registered lawyer in Turkey who handles mergers and acquisitions work, at no cost and with no obligation to instruct.