Mining Licences in Türkiye: Foreign Documents

Foreign investors who want to explore or mine in Türkiye need to know one rule first: under the Mining Law, mining rights are granted to companies with legal personality founded under the laws of the Republic of Türkiye, and to authorised public bodies and enterprises. A foreign company therefore works through a Turkish company.

Documents for the Turkish company

The Mining Regulation that replaced the former implementing regulation asks the applicant for a copy of the Turkish Trade Registry Gazette containing its current articles of association and management details, and a registry certificate showing the persons authorised to represent and bind it. Exploration licence applications for certain mineral groups are made to the General Directorate of Mining and Petroleum Affairs (MAPEG) directly or electronically through its website, with the forms annexed to the regulation.

Mining licences can be transferred on request, if there is no legal obstacle, to persons who meet the conditions for exercising mining rights. The transferee and the licence holder apply with the sample petition in the regulation, accepting all rights and obligations attached to the licence, together with the documents the General Directorate requests.

Where foreign documents come in

The mining texts we quote do not mention apostilles, consular certification or translations; the foreign paperwork arises earlier, when the Turkish company is set up, under the trade registry's own rules for documents issued abroad; our guide on company formation covers them.

We translate the foreign shareholders' corporate documents into Turkish in Ankara through translators sworn before a Turkish notary. MAPEG decides on licences.