If you are about to place an order with a supplier in Turkey, one of the first things you will want to know is whether the company actually exists on the official register. In Turkey, that question leads to MERSIS. This guide explains what a MERSIS lookup involves, what a MERSIS number is, which other official sources you should cross-check, and, crucially, what a clean registry record does not tell you before you send money.
If you want the wider picture first, our guide on how to verify a Turkish supplier before you pay sets out the full pre-payment process. This article zooms in on the registry step.
What is MERSIS?MERSIS (Merkezi Sicil Kayıt Sistemi, or Central Registry Recording System) is Turkey’s central trade registry system, operated by the Ministry of Trade. Company formations, changes of name or address, capital increases, appointments of directors and other registrable events are processed through it. In practice, it is the backbone of the Turkish company registry: the place where the official identity record of a Turkish company or registered business is held.
The system is generally found at mersis.ticaret.gov.tr. Older articles sometimes quote different addresses, so the safest approach is to reach MERSIS via the Ministry of Trade’s official website (ticaret.gov.tr) and confirm the address ends in gov.tr. Look-alike websites do exist, and you should never enter login details on a site you reached from a link in a supplier’s email.
What is a MERSIS number?A MERSIS number is a unique 16-digit identifier assigned to every business on the trade registry. According to the Ministry of Trade, it is generated from the tax number for companies and from the Turkish national ID number for individual traders, so there is usually a visible link between a company’s MERSIS number and its tax number.
Turkish companies usually print their MERSIS number on invoices, letterheads and formal correspondence, and often in the footer of their website. If it is missing from a pro forma invoice or quotation, simply ask for it. A genuine supplier will not hesitate; reluctance to share basic registry details is a warning sign in itself.
MERSIS number, tax number and registry number compared* MERSIS number: 16 digits; identifies the business on the central trade registry.
* Tax identification number (VKN): 10 digits for companies; shown on the tax plate (vergi levhası).
* Turkish national ID number: 11 digits; sole proprietors generally use this for tax purposes instead of a VKN.
* Trade registry number: the file number at the local trade registry office where the company is registered; it appears in Trade Registry Gazette notices.
These identifiers should be consistent with one another. If the tax number on an invoice differs from the one on the tax plate, or the company name in the registry does not match the name on your contract, pause and ask for an explanation before paying. You will find short definitions of these Turkish terms in our glossary.
How to do a MERSIS lookup: step by stepA MERSIS lookup is not an open, anonymous search box in the way some European company registers are. According to the Ministry of Trade’s FAQ, users who are registered with MERSIS and logged in can use the company query section to see basic information about companies. Login is generally via e-Devlet (Turkey’s e-Government gateway), and electronic or mobile signature options may also be offered. Screen layouts and menu names change from time to time, so treat the steps below as a general roadmap rather than an exact script.
1. Gather your identifiers: the supplier’s full legal name, MERSIS number, tax number and, if available, trade registry number. The more identifiers you have, the more reliable the match.
2. Go to MERSIS via the Ministry of Trade’s official website and check that the address bar shows the official gov.tr domain.
3. Log in. This generally requires an e-Devlet password or an electronic signature, which in turn usually requires a Turkish ID or residence-based credentials. Many foreign buyers will therefore not be able to run the search themselves.
4. Open the queries menu, choose the company query option and search using a name, tax number, MERSIS number or registry number.
5. Open the matching record and note the registered name, MERSIS number, registered address, the trade registry office it belongs to, and its status (active, in liquidation, struck off and so on).
6. Compare every detail with the invoice, contract and quotation the supplier has sent you. Even small differences in the company name matter.
7. Save a dated screenshot of the record, so that you can show what you checked and when if a dispute arises later.
Can you check a company in Turkey through e-Devlet?e-Devlet offers several trade-registry services, but one of the best known lists the businesses in which the logged-in person is an owner, partner or authorised officer. It is designed for checking your own records, not for researching a third party. The Ministry also notes that the MERSIS Mobile app can be used with an e-Devlet password for this kind of query. Because what is visible about a third-party company, and through which channel, can change over time, check the current position on the official sites.
Finding a MERSIS number if you only have a nameIf all you have is a company name, you can usually find the MERSIS number on the supplier’s invoices or letterhead, in their website footer, in Trade Registry Gazette notices or on the tax plate. The best practice is to request it directly from the supplier and then confirm it against an independent source. Checking a number supplied by the seller only against documents also supplied by the seller is circular and offers little protection.
Cross-checking the Turkish Trade Registry GazetteThe Turkish Trade Registry Gazette (Ticaret Sicil Gazetesi) publishes registrations and subsequent changes for registered businesses. Notices can be searched online at ticaretsicil.gov.tr, generally by company name, registry number or MERSIS number. Viewing or downloading some notices may require registration or a small fee, and the notices themselves are in Turkish.
The Gazette is valuable because it shows the history behind the current registry entry. Look in particular for:
* The incorporation notice: when the company was formed and its original shareholding.
* Changes of name or address: frequent changes over a short period deserve a question.
* Appointments of directors or managers: does the person introducing themselves as the decision-maker actually appear?
* Liquidation, merger or strike-off notices: any of these against a company presenting itself as active is a serious red flag.
Checking the tax plate and signature circularDo not stop at the trade registry. The tax plate (vergi levhası) shows the company’s tax office and tax identification number. Companies have a 10-digit VKN, while sole proprietors are generally taxed under their 11-digit national ID number. The Turkish Revenue Administration (GİB) provides online services through which tax numbers can be checked, although which checks require a login may change.
The signature circular (imza sirküleri) shows who is authorised to sign on the company’s behalf and within what limits. If the person signing your contract or sending payment instructions is not named on it, you cannot be confident they are able to bind the company. Asking for a notarised copy and comparing the names with Gazette notices is sensible practice.
What a MERSIS record proves, and what it does notA MERSIS or Trade Registry Gazette search shows that a company officially exists and what its registered details are. That is an essential first step, but on its own it does not make a payment safe. In many supplier fraud cases the fraudsters borrow the identity of a real, active company. When you run a Turkish company registry search, everything looks fine, because the company is genuine; the problem is that the person emailing you has nothing to do with it.
A registry record cannot answer these questions:
* Is the person contacting you by email or WhatsApp genuinely an employee or officer of this company?
* Are they authorised to represent the company and sign contracts?
* Does the bank account (IBAN) you have been given actually belong to the company, or to a third party?
* Does the company have the capacity to make or supply the goods you are buying?
* Is there a functioning business at the registered address?
Last-minute changes of bank details, look-alike email domains and urgent requests for advance payment are recurring risks in trade with Turkey. We explain how these schemes work, and how to protect yourself, in our guide to payment fraud in Turkey.
Going beyond the lookup: verification with EnterTurkeyAs a foreign buyer you may not have e-Devlet access, Turkish-language Gazette notices can be hard to interpret, and above all you usually cannot confirm the account holder of an IBAN or a representative’s authority on your own. EnterTurkey, based in Ankara, verifies Turkish suppliers for foreign buyers before payment to close exactly that gap.
EnterTurkey Lite checks the company’s identity, its registration status, the authority of the representative you are dealing with and the name of the bank-account holder. Results are delivered within 24 hours (1 working day) for $199. If you need a deeper review, Pro ($499) adds official-source research and an exterior check of the registered address, delivered within 48 hours (2 working days).
To see what a finished report looks like before you order, take a look at our sample report.
Summary: MERSIS lookup checklist* Ask the supplier for its full legal name, 16-digit MERSIS number and tax number.
* Reach MERSIS only via the Ministry of Trade’s official gov.tr site; the company query generally requires a login.
* Compare the registered name, address and status with your documents.
* Check the Trade Registry Gazette for incorporation, director and change notices.
* Confirm the VKN on the tax plate matches the invoice.
* Check the representative’s authority against the signature circular.
* Remember that a registry record does not prove who owns the bank account or who may act for the company; verify independently before paying.
Frequently asked questionsWhat is a MERSIS number?A MERSIS number is a unique 16-digit identifier given to every business on Turkey’s central trade registry, MERSIS. It is generated from the tax number for companies and from the national ID number for individual traders, and it usually appears on invoices and letterheads.
Can foreigners do a MERSIS lookup?Often not directly. Using the company query in MERSIS generally requires logging in, usually with an e-Devlet password or an electronic signature, which typically depend on Turkish credentials. Foreign buyers therefore often rely on a local representative or a verification service.
Is a MERSIS lookup free?The basic company query available to logged-in MERSIS users is generally not charged for. However, viewing or downloading some Trade Registry Gazette notices may require registration or a fee.
Is MERSIS the same as the Turkish Trade Registry Gazette?No. MERSIS is the central registry system that holds the current record, while the Trade Registry Gazette (Ticaret Sicil Gazetesi) publishes notices of registrations and changes. Checking both gives you the current status and the history behind it.
If a company is registered in MERSIS, is it safe to pay?Not on its own. A registry record proves the company exists; it does not prove that the person you are dealing with is authorised to act for it, or that the bank account you have been given belongs to the company. Both should be verified before any payment.
How can I check a company in Turkey if I am abroad?EnterTurkey Lite checks company identity, registration status, the representative’s authority and the bank-account holder name within 24 hours (1 working day) for $199. Pro ($499) adds official-source research and an exterior address check, delivered within 48 hours (2 working days).