Trade Registry Translation for France

Matching the fields to their Kbis / RCS counterparts

The French side searches your document for the fields it reads on its own Kbis extract. Submitting the certificate of activity together with the TTSG notice covers what a single Kbis conveys: whether the company is active, where it is based, who runs it and what its line of business is. Rendering those fields with the French legal terms makes the objection “your document is not a Kbis” less likely. A short covering note explaining that the document is the Turkish equivalent helps as well, because a French recipient expecting one document needs to see that two separate documents serve the same purpose between them.

A few points are worth going over before delivery:

• Confirm that the translation comes from a translator on a court of appeal list (assermenté).
• Check that the abbreviation for the company type has not been turned into “SA” or “SARL”.
• Prepare the certificate of activity and the TTSG notice together, both bearing a current date.
• Confirm that the capital has stayed in Turkish lira and has not been converted into euros.

The false-equivalent trap: an A.Ş. is not an “SA”

A frequent mistake is to translate the abbreviation for the company type into a French one. Writing “SA” for an A.Ş. or “SARL” for a Limited Şirketi equates it with a different form of legal person, and these forms do not map onto one another exactly. In translation the abbreviation is left as it stands, with an explanation in brackets where one is needed. Translating the type creates a false legal expectation on the other side; if the rules on capital and liability that govern a SARL are assumed to be the same as those for a Turkish limited company, a misunderstanding arises that is hard to put right afterwards.

Capital, currency and the wording of the objet social

The amount of capital and its currency (Turkish lira) stay exactly as they are in the translation; they are not converted into euros, because what the document shows is the registered legal capital. The field setting out the objects of the company (objet social) calls for equal care: in the French register the objet social is a legal text that draws the boundary of what the company may do, so the objects stated in the Turkish document must be carried across without being widened or narrowed. Sector-specific terms need their counterparts in French commercial usage, but not at the cost of the meaning. Figures and date formats are preserved as well.

The QR-coded certificate of activity, MERSIS and the gazette details

The certificate of activity is now usually obtained through e-Devlet or the trade registry directorate, carrying a QR code and electronic verification. In translation the presence of the QR code and of the electronic verification wording is marked with the notes [QR code] and [electronic verification]; no attempt is made to decode the content of the code. The MERSIS number and the trade registry number on the document are the key data identifying the company, so they are carried across digit for digit; one wrong figure means the French authority cannot verify the document. From the Turkish Trade Registry Gazette notice, the date and issue number are preserved in translation, because they show when the change concerned was registered. Since which version is asked for – the electronic copy or the printed copy bearing a wet signature – varies from one body to the next, having both to hand is the safest course.

The distinction between the current position and past changes matters too: the certificate of activity shows the company as it stands today, whereas the gazette notices are a chronological record. When a French tendering body or court registry asks for a current record, submitting the most recent registration notice together with a currently dated certificate of activity is more complete than sending a single old copy, and it reduces the chance of being asked for further documents.

The assermenté requirement, current dates and common mistakes

In France a translation submitted to an official body must be made by a sworn translator (traducteur assermenté) who appears on the list of a court of appeal. Where the translation is produced in Türkiye the chain runs differently: a sworn translator signs it, a notary public notarises it and an apostille is added; France is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, and you should confirm the current position from the official HCCH list. French tenders ask for a registry record of current date; an old copy counts as out of date however flawless its translation. The most frequent mistakes are translating the type abbreviation, working with a translator who is not on a list, and submitting an old copy. You can see the level of certification other documents need in our document guide, look at the cost on our pricing page and upload your document for a quote. This page is for general information; confirm the current requirements with the body you are applying to.