How to Verify a Turkish Company Address and Business Location

One of the most common risks in international trade is engaging with an entity that claims to be a massive manufacturer but is actually a single individual operating out of a residential apartment or a virtual office.

This guide outlines practical recommendations for verifying a Turkish company’s physical operating location.

Registered Address vs. Actual Operating Location

In Türkiye, every corporate entity must have a registered legal address (Kanuni Merkez). This is the address recorded in MERSİS and the Trade Registry Gazette, and where official government and tax notices are served.

However, the registered address is not always the factory. A company might have its legal headquarters in a prestigious Istanbul plaza (or a cheap virtual office) while its actual production facility is located in an Organized Industrial Zone (OSB) in Bursa or Gaziantep.

Practical Steps to Verify the Location

1. Cross-Check Official Documents

Ask the supplier for their Vergi Levhası (Tax Plate) and Faaliyet Belgesi (Activity Certificate).

• Do the addresses on these documents match the address on their proforma invoice?
• If the factory address is different from the headquarters, ask for the Kapasite Raporu (Capacity Report), which officially registers the specific production facility and its machinery.

2. Online Map Verification

Use Google Maps, Yandex Maps (highly detailed in Türkiye), or Google Street View to inspect the address provided.

• Does the address point to an industrial zone (Organize Sanayi Bölgesi)?
• Does it point to a residential apartment block, a shared co-working space, or a virtual office provider?

Limitation: Map presence does not prove legitimacy. Scammers frequently steal the addresses of legitimate factories, or Photoshop their own signage onto Google Street View images.

3. Phone and Address Consistency

Check if the fixed landline (usually starting with +90 212, +90 216, etc.) matches the geographic region of the address. While VoIP services make this less foolproof, a mismatch can be a warning sign.

4. Video Verification

If the supplier claims to be a manufacturer, request a live video call via WhatsApp, Zoom, or WeChat.

• Ask the representative to walk from their desk out onto the production floor.
• Ask to see the machinery and current inventory.
• Legitimate manufacturers are generally proud to show off their facilities. Evasion or refusal to do a live video call should be treated as a major red flag.

5. Physical Inspection

For high-value transactions, online and video checks are insufficient. The most reliable method of verifying an operating location is a physical visit.

• If you cannot travel to Türkiye yourself, hire a local third-party inspection agency or a verified commercial consultant to visit the site on your behalf.
• A physical visit can confirm not only the address, but the scale of operations, the presence of raw materials, and the actual number of workers.

General Due Diligence Practice: Never wire large sums of money based solely on an address listed on a website or a PDF. Always demand multi-point verification of the physical location.