Rudyard Kipling worked as a journalist in India. As he explored many facets of Anglo-Indian culture, the East provided the setting for much of his early fiction. Kipling’s best stories of India reveal an underlying chaos and lack of control amid a seemingly well-ordered society. The clash of cultures can hinder you in accomplishing what you would like to do.
Sometimes you may feel like trying to do any necessary personal or other business in Turkey has more risks or dangers than you realized. You may feel like you are not in control.
Procedures to follow have improved some with the help of the Internet. In some cases, you can go online now and find just what exactly is needed to apply for a work permit, or to request a telephone line, etc.
You can be certain that there are three experiences that are inescapable when doing business in Turkey: bureaucracy, regulations and red tape. Although it seems to have changed for the better for the most part, it still exists and can be difficult for the Westerner to navigate.
For companies who want to launch a new product, there are definite rules to follow. Turkey follows the Swiss code: you are not allowed to do something unless it is specifically prescribed in law. The Turkish Commercial Code is the overriding body of law governing business. Intricate rules are laid down for all sorts of things. These details are to be found in the plethora of regulations issued by the various government ministries, which carry the force of law.
The best advice you can receive if you are planning to open a company here is to hire a local accountant and lawyer. From setting up a company to just obtaining a telephone line, detailed supporting documentation, often countersigned by the notary public, is required when making applications to authorities. Any application is accompanied by a “dilekçe” (literally a statement of wish), which often has to be in a set format. Some of you may remember men sitting outside the respective office with typewriters ready to type your request. Don’t worry if you have not made enough photocopies and need more photos; you will find photocopy and photographer shops nearby. A wise businessman will always have plenty of passport photographs about his person, as you never know when they will come in handy.
My business colleague, Marion, always makes a great impression on clerks and officials, as she has been in Turkey for a number of years and figured out what they will ask her for ahead of time. Marion usually brings extra copies of every necessary document, etc. She advises: The trick is to not submit it all when you first apply -- wait and let them ask for what they want. This approach usually works. You see in Turkey different officials may require different sets of documents for the same task.
Have you ever noticed a Turk’s signature? It’s short and ornate. Finalizing things requires many signatures. If you are like me and have two long names, your hand can get quite tired with all the signing. I wished earlier on I would have started signing in a short form like the Turks, but the full length signature is on file and now written in stone, so to say! Be ready for the task of getting multiple signatures on all paper work. It can be a tedious process, but without the mandatory signature and accompanying stamp you cannot proceed to the next step of the process.
Have you received a package in the mail lately? You may find yourself queuing six times for six different signatures just to take receipt of your parcel. Sometimes it is best to just forget your idea of logic.
Up until more recently, you used to have to buy stamps to make official contracts complete. You would wait in long lines in government offices for these necessary signatures and stamps. I remember one contract I made with a landlord required three full A4 pages of stamps. We had to use the smaller denomination of stamps because they’d run out of the larger ones. Don’t worry, I used a wet sponge to dampen them!
Never argue with the officials, as the power to sign or not sign is in their hands. The Turks have a proverb: “The one who holds the official stamp in their hand has the power of Solomon.” Just do what they say and bring them the paperwork, or your file may get lost or go to the bottom of the pile.
