How to Get a TÜRSAB License and Open a Travel Agency in Turkey

What people in Turkey call a "TÜRSAB license" is the travel agency operating license (seyahat acentası işletme belgesi) issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. It comes together with membership of TÜRSAB, the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies. The order is simple: set up a company, get the agency name approved by the Ministry, file with TÜRSAB within 30 days, pass the office inspection and receive the Ministry license. You may not trade as an agency before the license is issued. This article is general information, not legal advice.

Who this is for

Many tour businesses on the Turkish coast are started by foreigners: a British diving instructor in Kaş, a Dutch couple running boat trips in Fethiye, a Russian-speaking team selling excursions in Antalya. Selling tours, packages or agency transfers to tourists is reserved for licensed agencies, so sooner or later the TÜRSAB question comes up.

The legal basis

• Law No. 1618 on Travel Agencies and the Association of Travel Agencies (text in Turkish): an operating license is mandatory (Article 4) and every agency must join TÜRSAB (Article 32).
• Travel Agencies Regulation (Official Gazette 5 October 2007, issue 26664; text in Turkish), last amended on 26 July 2024.

A, B and C groups

Some websites claim the group system was abolished. It has not been: both the law and the regulation still divide agencies into three groups.

If you want to sell tours, boat trips or transfers to foreign tourists, you need an A group license.

Requirements

• A company, not a sole trader. Since 2020 the license is issued only to legal entities. Foreign founders usually set up a Turkish limited (limited şirket) or joint-stock (anonim şirket) company whose objects include travel agency services. The law sets conditions on directors and partners rather than nationality. It does contain an old clause stating that foreign-national agencies may not organise tours abroad; ask a lawyer how it applies to your structure.
• Directors and partners must be over 18, have no convictions for the offences listed in the law and have sound commercial standing.
• Qualified staff. At least one person with a tourism school or university degree, TÜRSAB's foreign-language information officer certificate, or a Ministry tour guide licence. An owner who holds one of these and works in the agency counts.
• A real office. Open to the public, with a sign visible from outside, suitable in size for the group and used only for agency work. TÜRSAB inspects the address, so a virtual office or a home address will not pass.
• A guarantee lodged with the Ministry, set by group and uprated over time, plus 25 percent of that amount for each branch. Ask TÜRSAB for the current guarantee, joining fee and annual dues before you budget.
• Package tour insurance for packages sold in Turkey.

Step by step

1. Name approval. The company applies to the Ministry for the agency name. It must not match or closely resemble an existing agency or a licensed hotel.
2. File with TÜRSAB within 30 days. The file includes the trade registry details, an undertaking on the name, criminal record declarations for directors and partners, staff certificates with social security records and the original guarantee.
3. Review and inspection. TÜRSAB checks the documents and visits the office. Missing items must be completed within 30 days or the file is closed.
4. Membership and license. You pay the joining fee and TÜRSAB forwards the file to the Ministry, which issues the license. You can appeal a TÜRSAB refusal to the Ministry within 10 days.
5. Start trading. Display the license inside the office and the TÜRSAB plaque outside.

Your website and online sales

Since 2021, online sales must be tied to the licensed office. Your website and other online channels must show the license number and agency name on the home page and in the footer of every other page, and you must notify the Ministry and TÜRSAB of every channel. You may not list agency products on general marketplaces that sell other goods, only advertise there. Since 2024 you must also verify the license numbers of the hotels and rentals you sell against the Ministry database. Our article on the TÜRSAB license number website requirement covers the details. If your tours include road transfers, you need a transport license such as D2 or a licensed carrier; see our D2 license guide. If you will take card payments on your own site, our guide to starting an e-commerce business in Turkey lists the documents payment providers ask for.

Guests and partners can check any agency on TÜRSAB's agency search. Trading without a license leads to closure by the district governor and an administrative fine.

Checklist

• [ ] Turkish limited or joint-stock company with travel agency objects
• [ ] A group chosen if you sell to foreign tourists
• [ ] Qualified staff member on the payroll
• [ ] Public office with an outside sign
• [ ] Current guarantee, joining fee and dues confirmed with TÜRSAB
• [ ] Website showing license number and agency name, channels notified

Summary

Getting a TÜRSAB license comes down to choosing the right group, preparing the company, staff and office to the regulation, and meeting the 30-day deadline after name approval. Once the license arrives, bring your website and sales channels in line with the online rules. For a multilingual agency site with the license details built in, see our tour agency website page or get a price through our quote wizard.