Kentkuran Hukuk
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Category IIICorporate Law

Corporate Law Law

This section addresses the formation, governance and transfer of shares of joint stock and limited liability companies, as well as mergers, divisions and conversions, under the Turkish Commercial Code (Law No. 6102).

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LatestFormation of a Joint Stock Company: Steps, Documents and the Articles of Association (2026)25 April 2026
18 April 2026

Limited Company Share Transfer: Notarial Form, General Assembly Approval and Registration

Transfer of the principal capital share under TTK arts.595-596

How is a share transferred in a limited liability company? A guide to the notarised transfer agreement, the general assembly approval, the share-ledger entry and the trade registry registration.

The transfer of a principal capital share in a limited liability company is subject to markedly stricter formal requirements than that of a share in a joint stock company. Article 595 of the Turkish Commercial Code (Law No. 6102) requires the transfer agreement to be made in writing with the parties' signatures certified by a notary, and provides that any transfer otherwise made is invalid.

Form and Mandatory Content of the Transfer Agreement

Under TTK art.595(1), the transfer agreement must be made in writing and the parties' signatures must be certified by a notary. Notarial certification is an element of the form required for validity. The agreement must clearly state the share's nominal value, the transfer price, any additional payment or ancillary performance obligations, any non-compete clause and any pre-emption rights.

Non-compliance with the form renders the transfer absolutely void. Transfers made by ordinary written instrument or by hand-signed note produce no effect — not even between the parties — and cannot, as a rule, be enforced against either party.

General Assembly Approval

Unless the articles of association provide otherwise, the validity of the share transfer requires the approval of the general assembly of shareholders (TTK art.595(2)). Where the general assembly does not respond, whether positively or negatively, within three months of the application, the approval is deemed to have been given (TTK art.595(7)).

The articles of association may prohibit the transfer of the share altogether; in such a case, on the existence of a just cause, the shareholder may apply to court for permission to withdraw from the company (TTK art.638). Transfers occurring by way of inheritance, matrimonial property regime or enforcement do not require general assembly approval under TTK art.596; however, the company may expressly refuse the transferee within three months.

Entry in the Share Ledger and Trade Registry Registration

After the notarial agreement and the general assembly approval, the transferee must be entered in the share ledger. The share ledger is regulated by TTK art.594 and is important for tracking shareholding information in the company's records.

The transfer must be filed with the Trade Registry Directorate for registration and announcement within thirty days. Registration is declaratory, not constitutive; however, the transfer becomes opposable to third parties only upon registration.

Practical Considerations

In corporate-law matters, resolutions, meeting notices, agendas, attendance lists, signature circulars, trade-registry application documents and the articles of association must be reviewed as a whole. In corporate transactions, most disputes arise not from the substance of the resolution but from defects in notice, quorum, representation and registration.

Transactions such as share transfers, amendments to the articles of association, mergers, demergers and liquidations are not completed by internal resolutions alone; notary, trade-registry, tax and accounting dimensions are also part of the process. The legal steps and financial obligations should therefore be planned together when drawing up the transaction timetable.

From the perspective of shareholders or directors, dissenting opinions, information rights, requests for special audit and records of release and liability may carry decisive evidentiary weight in any subsequent action. Minutes of meetings should therefore be prepared in clear and auditable form.

Relevant Statutory Provisions

  • TTK m.595Transfer of the principal capital share and form requirement

    Original (Turkish, official):

    MADDE 595- (1) Esas sermaye payının devri ve devir borcunu doğuran işlemler yazılı şekilde yapılır ve tarafların imzaları noterce onanır. Ayrıca devir sözleşmesinde, ek ödeme ve yan edim yükümlülükleri; rekabet yasağı ağırlaştırılmış veya tüm ortakları kapsayacak biçimde genişletilmiş ise, bu husus, önerilmeye muhatap olma, önalım, geri alım ve alım hakları ile sözleşme cezasına ilişkin koşullara da belirtilir.
    (2) Şirket sözleşmesinde aksi öngörülmemişse, esas sermaye payının devri için, ortaklar genel kurulunun onayı şarttır. Devir bu onayla geçerli olur.
    (3) Şirket sözleşmesinde başka türlü düzenlenmemişse, ortaklar genel kurulu sebep göstermeksizin onayı reddedebilir.
    (4) Şirket sözleşmesiyle sermaye payının devri yasaklanabilir.
    (5) Şirket sözleşmesi devri yasaklamış veya genel kurul onay vermeyi reddetmişse, ortağın haklı sebeple şirketten çıkma hakkı saklı kalır.
    (6) Şirket sözleşmesinde ek ödeme veya yan edim yükümlülükleri öngörüldüğü takdirde, devralanın ödeme gücü şüpheli görüldüğü için ondan istenen teminat verilmemişse, genel kurul şirket sözleşmesinde hüküm bulunmasa bile, onayı reddedebilir.
    (7) Başvurudan itibaren üç ay içinde genel kurul reddetmediği takdirde onayı vermiş sayılır. 

    English summary (non-binding):

    Article 595- (1) The transfer of a principal capital share, and any transactions giving rise to an obligation to transfer it, must be made in writing with the parties' signatures certified by a notary. The transfer agreement must also state any additional payment or ancillary performance obligations; any aggravated or generalised non-compete clause covering all shareholders; and provisions on rights of first offer, pre-emption, repurchase and acquisition, and on contractual penalties. (2) Unless the articles of association provide otherwise, the transfer of the share requires the approval of the general assembly. The transfer becomes valid only upon that approval. (3) Unless the articles of association provide otherwise, the general assembly may refuse approval without giving any reason. (4) The articles of association may prohibit the transfer of the share altogether. (5) Where the articles prohibit the transfer or the general assembly refuses approval, the shareholder's right to withdraw on just cause is reserved. (6) Where the articles of association impose additional payment or ancillary performance obligations, the general assembly may refuse approval — even absent a provision in the articles — if the transferee's solvency is in doubt and the requested security is not provided. (7) If the general assembly does not refuse within three months from the application, it is deemed to have approved.

    Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12

  • TTK m.596Transmission by inheritance, matrimonial regime or enforcement

    Original (Turkish, official):

    MADDE 596- (1) Esas sermaye payının, miras, eşler arasındaki mal rejimine ilişkin hükümler veya icra yoluyla geçmesi hâllerinde, tüm haklar ve borçlar, genel kurulun onayına gerek olmaksızın, esas sermaye payını iktisap eden kişiye geçer.
    (2) Şirket, iktisabın öğrenilmesinden itibaren üç ay içinde esas sermaye payının geçtiği kişiyi onaylamayı reddedebilir. Bunun için, şirketin, payları kendi veya ortağı ya da kendisi tarafından gösterilen üçüncü bir kişi hesabına, gerçek değeri üzerinden devralmayı, payın geçtiği kişiye önermesi şarttır.
    (3) Red kararı, devrin gerçekleştiği günden itibaren geçerli olmak üzere geriye etkilidir. Red, bu konudaki kararın verilmesine kadar geçen süre içinde alınan genel kurul kararlarının geçerliliğini etkilemez.
    (4) Şirket, üç ay içinde esas sermaye payının geçişini açıkça ve yazılı olarak reddetmemişse onayını vermiş sayılır.

    English summary (non-binding):

    Article 596- (1) Where the principal capital share is transmitted by inheritance, by provisions on the matrimonial property regime or by enforcement, all rights and obligations pass to the acquirer without the need for general assembly approval. (2) Within three months from learning of the acquisition, the company may refuse to approve the new holder. To do so, the company must offer to take over the shares — for its own account or for that of a shareholder or a third party designated by it — at their real value. (3) The refusal operates retroactively from the date of the transfer. It does not affect the validity of any general assembly resolutions adopted in the period until that refusal. (4) If the company does not expressly and in writing refuse the transmission within three months, it is deemed to have approved it.

    Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12

  • TTK m.598Registration of the share transfer

    Original (Turkish, official):

    MADDE 598- (1) Esas sermaye paylarının geçişlerinin tescil edilmesi için, şirket müdürleri tarafından ticaret siciline başvurulur.
    (2) Başvurunun otuz gün içinde yapılmaması hâlinde, ayrılan ortak, adının bu paylarla ilgili olarak silinmesi için ticaret siciline başvurabilir. Bunun üzerine sicil müdürü, şirkete, iktisap edenin adının bildirilmesi için süre verir.
    (3) Sicil kaydına güvenen iyiniyetli kişinin güveni korunur. 

    English summary (non-binding):

    Article 598- (1) The managers of the company apply to the trade registry to register transfers of principal capital shares. (2) Where the application is not made within thirty days, the departing shareholder may apply to the trade registry to have his or her name struck off in respect of those shares. The registrar then sets a period for the company to notify the acquirer's name. (3) The good-faith reliance of a person trusting the registry record is protected.

    Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12

  • TTK m.594Share ledger

    Original (Turkish, official):

    MADDE 594- (1) Şirket, esas sermaye paylarını içeren bir pay defteri tutar. Ortakların, adları, adresleri, her ortağın sahip olduğu esas sermaye payının sayısı, esas sermaye paylarının devirleri ve geçişleri itibarî değerleri, grupları ve esas sermaye payları üzerindeki intifa ve rehin hakları, sahiplerinin adları ve adresleri bu deftere yazılır.
    (2) Ortaklar pay defterini inceleyebilir.

    English summary (non-binding):

    Article 594- (1) The company keeps a share ledger containing the principal capital shares. The ledger records the shareholders' names and addresses, the number of principal capital shares each shareholder holds, the transfers and transmissions of shares, their nominal values and groups, any usufruct or pledge over the shares, and the names and addresses of those holders. (2) Shareholders may inspect the share ledger.

    Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12

  • TTK m.638Shareholder's right to withdraw on just cause

    Original (Turkish, official):

    MADDE 638- (1) Şirket sözleşmesi, ortaklara şirketten çıkma hakkını tanıyabilir, bu hakkın kullanılmasını belirli şartlara bağlayabilir.
    (2) Her ortak, haklı sebeplerin varlığında şirketten çıkmasına karar verilmesi için dava açabilir. Mahkeme istem üzerine, dava süresince, davacının ortaklıktan doğan hak ve borçlarından bazılarının veya tümünün dondurulmasına veya davacı ortağın durumunun teminat altına alınması amacıyla diğer önlemlere karar verebilir.

    English summary (non-binding):

    Article 638- (1) The articles of association may grant shareholders a right of withdrawal and may make its exercise subject to specific conditions. (2) Every shareholder may, on just cause, bring an action for an order permitting withdrawal from the company. On application, the court may, for the duration of the action, freeze some or all of the claimant's rights and obligations arising from the shareholding, or order other measures to safeguard the claimant's position.

    Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12

  • Noterlik Kanunu m.84Notarial deed in regulatory form

    Original (Turkish, official):

    Madde 84 – Hukuki işlemlerin noter tarafından düzenlenmesi bir tutanak şeklinde yapılır.
    Bu tutanağın:
    1. Noterin adı ve soyadı ile noterliğin ismini,
    2. İşlemin yapıldığı yer ve tarihi (Rakam ve yazı ile),
    3. (Değişik: 2/4/1998 - 4358/3 md.) İlgilinin ve varsa tercüman, tanık ve bilirkişinin kimlik ve adresleri ile ayrıca ilgilinin vergi kimlik numarası,
    4. İlgilinin hakiki arzusu hakkındaki beyanını,
    5. İşleme katılanların imzalarını ve noterin imza ve mührünü,
    Taşıması gereklidir.
    Bu şekilde düzenlenen iş kağıdının aslı noterlik dairesinde saklanır ve örneği ilgilisine verilir.

    English summary (non-binding):

    Article 84- The execution of legal transactions by a notary takes the form of a record. The record must contain: 1. The notary's first and last name and the name of the notarial office; 2. The place and date of the transaction (in figures and in words); 3. The identity and address details of the party concerned and, where applicable, of the interpreter, witnesses and experts, together with the party's tax identification number; 4. The party's declaration of true intent; 5. The signatures of the participants and the signature and seal of the notary. The original of the document so executed is kept in the notarial office and a copy is given to the party concerned.

    Source: mevzuat.gov.tr · last reviewed: 2026-05-12

The statutory provisions are reproduced for information purposes only. The current and official text on mevzuat.gov.tr is authoritative.

Conclusion

A limited company share transfer requires the four steps — notarial agreement, general assembly approval, share-ledger entry and trade-registry registration — to be completed without omission. Skipping any one of them either voids the transfer or makes it unenforceable against third parties; the process should accordingly be conducted under legal supervision.

This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you would like professional assistance on a specific matter, you may request a consultation.

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