Source Freshness Review — Corporate Seller Authority
Corporate seller authority is not proved by a company stamp, a business card, or a signature on a draft contract. A reliable file must establish three separate facts at the decision date: the legal entity is correctly identified and remains in the relevant registered status; the natural person acting for it has current authority for the particular transaction; and the property is actually registered to the entity that is selling it. Source freshness matters because a document that was genuine when issued can become misleading after a change of director, representative, signing rule, corporate resolution, merger, liquidation, or registry entry.
Use the correct official source for each fact
Start with the Ministry of Trade sources, including MERSİS, the trade registry and relevant announcements in the Türkiye Ticaret Sicili Gazetesi. MERSİS is the central system used for company registration events, amendments and deletions. Registry announcements help reconstruct changes that may affect who can bind the company. Those sources do not, however, prove present ownership of the apartment or parcel. Ownership, independent-unit identifiers and registered restrictions must be checked through the land-registry evidence under TKGM.
Freshness is a risk test, not a universal number of days
There is no sensible single age limit for every corporate document. The correct question is how quickly the underlying fact can change and how irreversible the next step is. A registry extract obtained months ago may be useful history, but it should not be the only basis for a large payment when a more current extract or announcement can be obtained. Recheck close to the binding contract, material payment and land-registry transfer. If a board or shareholders resolution, power of attorney, signature circular or other authority document is used, record its date, transaction scope, any stated duration, whether representation is individual or joint, and whether a later resolution superseded it.
Separate company existence, representative authority and title ownership
These questions are related but not interchangeable. A company can exist while the person who negotiated the deal has lost authority. A representative can be validly appointed but lack authority to sell real estate, accept a particular price, establish security, or receive the sale proceeds. The authority chain can be perfect while the property is registered in another legal entity. The review therefore needs a separate conclusion for each question, tied to exact company names, MERSİS or registry identifiers, the representative identity and the property identifiers.
Payment instructions need their own freshness control
Corporate authority should not be used as a shortcut for bank-account verification. If an IBAN, beneficiary name or bank changes after negotiations begin, confirm the change through an independent, previously verified channel and retain both the old and new instructions. A genuine contract does not make a later payment message genuine. Before releasing a material amount, the file should show who verified the beneficiary, when it was verified, and why the account is consistent with the contracting entity and the agreed payment structure.
Events that trigger a new check
- A new director, manager, representative or signing arrangement appears.
- A new trade-registry announcement or corporate resolution is issued.
- Closing is postponed materially after the last verification.
- The property, price, payment route or beneficiary account changes.
- The contract, registry evidence and title record no longer agree.
FAQ
Is an old signature circular enough?
No. It can support the history of authority, but current registry information and later corporate changes must be checked before relying on it for an irreversible step.
Does MERSİS prove that the company owns the property?
No. MERSİS concerns the legal entity and registered corporate events. Current property ownership and encumbrances require land-registry evidence.
What if representation is joint?
The registered signing method must be followed. One signature cannot be treated as sufficient merely because the signer holds a senior title when two signatures or another approval are required.
Primary and official sources
- Ministry of Trade — MERSİS: https://ticaret.gov.tr/ic-ticaret/ticaret-sicili/merkezi-sicil-kayit-sistemi-mersis
- Ministry of Trade — Trade Registry: https://ticaret.gov.tr/ic-ticaret/ticaret-sicili
- TKGM — Land Registry Transactions: https://www.tkgm.gov.tr/tapu-db/tapu-islemleri
- TKGM — Sale transaction documentation: https://www.tkgm.gov.tr/en/node/206