Turkmenistan - Establishing an OfficeTurkmenistan - Establishing an Office

The laws regulating the establishment of a local office are the Law on Enterprises, the Civil Code, and the Law on Corporations (joint stock companies). A foreign investor may establish a:

- Representative office,
- Branch,
- Individual enterprise with 100 percent foreign capital, or a
- Joint venture (JV).

A representative office is defined as a separate division of a legal entity, located at a different location from the registered address of the legal entity, which protects and represents the legal entity’s interests, and/or concludes contracts and conducts other legal acts on the legal entity’s behalf.

A branch is defined as a separate division of a legal entity, located at a different location from the registered address of the legal entity, that undertakes all or a part of the functions of the legal entity, including representation functions.
Representative offices and branches are not legal entities. They operate within regulations set by the legal entities that formed them.\Requirements for Establishing a Representative Office:
 

1. An application to establish a representative office signed by an authorized company official. Includes intended line(s) of business in Turkmenistan and information on the investor with an overview of the investor’s activities;
2. A decision to establish a representative office signed by an authorized company official;
3. Two notarized copies of the charter of the representative office, in Turkmen and Russian, signed by a company official;
4. A personal information form for the head of the representative office in Turkmenistan with a 3x4 cm photo and copy of the representative office head’s biographical page of passport;
5. A duly certified power of attorney for the head of the representative office in Turkmenistan;
6. A notorized copy of the foreign investor’s charter notarized by a Consulate or Embassy of Turkmenistan overseas, or by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan in Ashgabat;
7. An original transcript of the foreign investor’s official registration, issued by the foreign investor’s national registration agency. The transcript should be notarized by a Consulate or Embassy of Turkmenistan overseas, or by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan;
8. An original foreign investor’s financial status report (bank statement). The bank statement should be notarized by a Consulate or Embassy of Turkmenistan overseas or by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan;
9. Written confirmation from a Turkmenistan governmental authority confirming legal address;
10. Receipt for payment of registration fee.

Requirements for Establishing a Branch:

1. An application to establish a branch signed by an authorized company official. Includes intended line(s) of business in Turkmenistan and information on the investor with an overview of the investor’s activities;
2. A decision to establish a branch signed by an authorized company official;
3. Two copies of the charter of the branch, in Turkmen and Russian, signed by an authorized company official;
4. A personal information form for the head of the branch in Turkmenistan with a 3x4 cm photo and a copy of the branch head’s passport biographical page;
5. Duly certified power of attorney for the head of the branch in Turkmenistan;
6. A notorized copy of the foreign investor’s charter notarized by a Consulate or Embassy of Turkmenistan overseas or by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan;
7. An original transcript of the foreign investor’s official registration, issued by the foreign investor’s national registration agency. The transcript should be notarized by a Consulate or Embassy of Turkmenistan overseas, or by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan;
8. An original foreign investor’s financial status report (bank statement); The bank statement should be notarized by a Consulate of Turkmenistan overseas or by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan;
9. Written confirmation from a Turkmenistan governmental authority confirming legal address;
10. Receipt for payment of registration fee.

1. An application to establish a joint venture signed by authorized company officials. Includes intended line(s) of business in Turkmenistan and information on the investor with an overview of its activities;
2. A protocol to establish a joint venture signed by authorized company officials;
3. Articles of incorporation and two copies of the charter, in Turkmen and Russian, signed by authorized company officials;
4. An economic feasibility assessment (investment project) of the joint venture signed by authorized company officials;
5. A personal information form for the head of the joint venture in Turkmenistan with a 3x4 cm photo and copy of the joint venture head’s passport biographical page;
6. A notorized copy of the foreign investor’s charter notarized by a Consulate or Embassy of Turkmenistan overseas or by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan;
7. An original transcript of the foreign investor’s official registration, issued by the foreign investor’s national registration agency. The transcript should be notarized by a Consulate or Embassy of Turkmenistan overseas, or by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan;
8. An original foreign investor’s financial status report (bank statement) notarized by a Consulate or Embassy of Turkmenistan overseas, or by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan;
9. Written confirmation from a provincial government or the Ashgabat Municipality of a legal address in Turkmenistan;
10. A document confirming payment of 50 percent of the charter capital of the joint venture;
11. Receipt for payment of registration fee.

1. A copy of the charter, Certificate of State Registration and transcript from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities;
2. For state enterprises: a decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan;
3. For physical persons residing in Turkmenistan: a personal information form with a 3x4 cm photo and copy of a passport biographical page.

For all types of offices, documents should be submitted as originals in the language of the investor’s country with appropriate official stamps (faxed copies are not accepted), with Turkmen and Russian translations. Translations should be certified by the entity that translated the documents. Representative offices and branches are registered for two years, with the right to extend registration. Registration at Turkmenistan’s Main State Tax Service and the Local Statistics Office may also be required. A foreign company seeking to establish an office in Ashgabat may rent space in business centers, hotels, or in a building that belongs to a state organization or state/private enterprise. After a company has chosen office space, it must apply for approval of its legal address with the appropriate local government office.