Turkiye runs its public procurement through a single mandatory central portal, EKAP (Elektronik Kamu Alimlari Platformu), operated by the Public Procurement Authority (Kamu Ihale Kurumu, KIK). All contracting entities publish notices and receive bids electronically through EKAP, and any entity that wants to submit a bid - domestic or foreign - must first be registered on the platform. The governing law is Public Procurement Law No. 4734. Foreign firms CAN participate, but with two structural disadvantages built into the law: (1) tenders with an estimated value BELOW the annual threshold values may be lawfully reserved to domestic tenderers only, and (2) in tenders ABOVE the threshold (which must be open to foreigners) contracting entities may grant a price advantage of up to 15% in favour of domestic tenderers / domestic goods, and for certain listed medium/high-tech goods that 15% advantage is mandatory. Turkiye is NOT a party to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), so foreign suppliers have no treaty-based right of access and no reciprocal national-treatment guarantee.
EKAP - Elektronik Kamu Alimlari Platformu (Electronic Public Procurement Platform)
Kamu Ihale Kurumu (KIK) - Public Procurement Authority
Foreign companies eligibleNo local entity required to bid
A Turkish subsidiary or branch is NOT legally required to register on EKAP or to bid. Per the official KIK announcement on 'Registration of Foreign Natural and Legal Persons on EKAP', a foreign legal or natural person can register directly, using either a foreign identification number (from the General Directorate of Civil Registration and Citizenship Affairs) or a potential tax identification number (potansiyel vergi kimlik numarasi, obtained from a Turkish tax office). However there are strong practical constraints: (a) documents (commercial-register extract / chamber enrollment, signature circular) must be notarized and apostilled (Hague Convention) or legalized by a Turkish consulate, and accompanied by sworn Turkish translations; (b) a qualified electronic signature (QES) accepted by EKAP is needed to submit bids, which is easiest to obtain through a Turkish representative holding a notarized power of attorney; (c) for many below-threshold tenders foreign firms may be excluded entirely, and above-threshold they face the up-to-15% price handicap. In practice most foreign bidders either appoint a Turkish representative/agent or form a local subsidiary. The 'no local entity required' point is corroborated by secondary sources (law firms / trade.gov) and is consistent with the official KIK foreign-registration announcement, but the exact QES issuance path for a purely foreign entity was NOT fully confirmed from a primary source - see research_notes.
Before investing in registration, determine whether foreign participation is even permitted for the tenders you target. Under Article 63 of Law No. 4734, contracting entities MAY reserve tenders with an estimated value below the annual threshold values to domestic tenderers only; tenders above the threshold must be open to foreign tenderers but may carry a domestic price advantage of up to 15%. The threshold values are updated annually by KIK Communique. For the period 1 Feb 2026 - 31 Jan 2027, the goods/services thresholds are approximately 18,734,124 TL (general/special budget administrations) and 31,223,628 TL (other covered administrations), and the construction-works threshold that governs foreign-openness / the domestic price-advantage ceiling is approximately 686,924,429 TL. Confirm the estimated value and any domestic-only reservation stated in the specific tender notice on EKAP.
A foreign natural or legal person that does not already have a Turkish tax presence must obtain identity credentials before EKAP registration. Per the official KIK announcement, identity confirmation on EKAP is done using either a foreign identification number (obtained from the General Directorate of Civil Registration and Citizenship Affairs) or a potential tax identification number - potansiyel vergi kimlik numarasi - obtained from a Turkish tax office (Turkish Revenue Administration). The tax-office application typically requires notarized and apostilled incorporation/registration documents and a passport copy, usually filed by an authorized Turkish representative under power of attorney.
Assemble the documents KIK requires from foreign applicants. For a foreign LEGAL person: the original or a notarized copy of the document demonstrating that the legal person is enrolled in a chamber (issued in the same year), plus a notarized list of authorized signatures (signature circular). For a foreign NATURAL person: the chamber-enrollment document (issued the same year) and a notarized specimen-signature form. If an attorney will act/sign, add a notarized letter of attorney and notarized specimen-signature form for the attorney. Foreign applicants may submit documents issued under their own national legislation that are equivalent to those specified. All foreign documents must be apostilled (Hague Convention) or consular-legalized and accompanied by sworn Turkish translations. (Implementation follows Public Procurement Board decision 2018/DK.D-357.)
Go to the EKAP portal (ekap.kik.gov.tr), select the foreign-bidder / platform-registration pathway and enter the entity details (name, country, tax or foreign ID, authorized-person data), upload the prepared documents, and submit the platform-use protocol generated by EKAP for validation by the Public Procurement Authority. Registration on EKAP is mandatory for any entity that wishes to submit a bid and applies equally to domestic and foreign bidders. Approval/activation follows validation of a complete application. (Exact online field-by-field mechanics for a purely foreign entity are described mainly by secondary sources - verify against the live portal / KIK help desk.)
Bids and many EKAP transactions must be signed with a qualified electronic signature (nitelikli elektronik imza) recognized by the platform. Foreign entities most commonly satisfy this by having a Turkish representative obtain a QES in their own name (under power of attorney), though a directly-issued Turkish QES (with in-person identity verification) is possible. Secure and test the e-signature well before any tender deadline. (This step is corroborated by secondary/law-firm sources; treat the QES-via-Turkish-representative route as the reliable path and verify current EKAP e-signature acceptance rules.)
Use EKAP to search current tender notices. For each opportunity read the administrative specification (idari sartname) and technical specification to confirm foreign participation is allowed (not reserved to domestic tenderers), whether a domestic price advantage of up to 15% applies, the qualification criteria, and the bid-bond (geçici teminat) and deadline. Above-threshold tenders must accept foreign bidders; below-threshold tenders may be domestic-only.
Prepare the bid per the tender documents (in Turkish, with a bid bond / temporary guarantee where required) and submit it electronically through EKAP signed with the qualified electronic signature before the deadline. Be aware that in above-threshold tenders a domestic price advantage of up to 15% may be applied to your competitors' prices during evaluation; for goods on the KIK-published medium/high-tech list, a 15% advantage in favour of domestically-manufactured goods is mandatory.
Create a free GlobalGov account to unlock the required-documents checklist for every step, common pitfalls, insider tips, renewal reminders, and live Turkiye opportunities matched to your business.
Create free accountNo official EKAP registration fee is confirmed from a primary source. Real costs are: notarization + apostille/consular legalization + sworn Turkish translation of company documents; a qualified electronic signature certificate (annual fee from a Turkish trust service provider); optional Turkish representative/legal-consultant fees and power-of-attorney costs; and a per-tender bid bond (temporary guarantee). Amounts not verified - confirm current figures.
14–45 days
Public Procurement Law No. 4734 (Kamu Ihale Kanunu, dated 4 January 2002) and the Public Procurement Contracts Law No. 4735, administered by the Public Procurement Authority (KIK). Article 63 governs participation of domestic vs. foreign tenderers and the up-to-15% domestic price advantage; Article 8 sets the threshold values, which KIK re-publishes annually by Communique (Tebliğ). Foreign-participation rule: below-threshold tenders may be reserved to domestic tenderers; above-threshold tenders must be open to foreign tenderers. Turkiye is NOT a WTO GPA party (observer only). Sources: https://www.ihale.gov.tr/ ; https://www2.ihale.gov.tr/english/4734_English.pdf ; https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/turkey-selling-public-sector
GlobalGov tracks open tenders and historical awards for Turkiye. Explore the market and search live opportunities:
This guide is grounded in official sources, last verified 2026-07-21.