Didim Today

Applying for an ID number is one of the items on the “to do” list of an expat in Turkey. There has been some confusion about this and I was indeed expecting the banks and other institutions to get familiar with it sooner. The Yabancı Kimlik Numarası (YKN) matter, which stands for Foreigner Identity Number, is an important issue and all resident expats holding proper residence permits should have this number.

The regulations governing the use of YKNs as tax identification numbers came into force as of July 1, 2010. On the grounds that the YKN has started to be used as tax identification as of July 1, 2010, the YKN should be presented as a tax number at some proceedings.

In accordance with Law 4358 and general communiqués 1 and 2 on tax identification numbers, during the application of proceedings determined by the Ministry of Finance, and public administration or establishments, real and legal persons shall identify the tax identification number of addressees. Under said laws, a tax identification number is required in certain transactions, including but not limited to:

• all kinds of proceedings executed before a public notary
• purchase and sale of real estate
• leasing and insurance transactions
• transactions regarding bank deposits
• opening a bank account and other banking and financial services

Apparently problems surrounding the YKN have not yet been solved. “Berk Bey, I read your very informative article published previously in Today’s Zaman about the Yabancı Kimlik Numarası. Previously it was possible for all foreigners (including non-residents) to get a tax number and then open a bank account in Turkey.

A friend of mine wants to open a bank account (he is a German national) and the bank asks for a YKN. Does that mean from now on only resident foreigners may open a bank account?

Or is it just a misunderstanding on the part of the bank. I would like to refer to this paragraph of your article: ‘In practice, banks are not yet accustomed to this YKN system and, therefore, some banks insist on requiring the YKN from all foreign customers.

A client of mine who does not hold any kind of residence permit was required to submit a YKN.’ The point is that if this is not a legal requirement, then we can insist and try to change the bank’s opinion so that they open an account for my non-resident friend.

Best regards, Faraz.” The bank must accept the tax registration number, which your friend can obtain from any tax office in less than 10 minutes. It is important that your friend sign a short petition asking for the tax office to issue a tax number.

If you are willing to appoint a lawyer to obtain this tax number for you, please make sure you obtain a power of attorney for this task. If anyone claims that s/he can obtain this number for you without the power of attorney, please ignore them.

Berk Cektir http://www.berkcektir.av.tr/ The information provided here is intended to give basic legal information. You should get legal assistance from a licensed attorney at law while conducting legal transactions and not just rely on the information in this corner. http://www.todayszaman.com/ This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it