Turkish state support for fairs abroad
The Turkish Ministry of Trade supports exporters established in Türkiye at fairs abroad under Decision No. 5973. Who qualifies, how the support is calculated, the 2026 ceilings, which documents are required and the deadlines, with article numbers from the circular.
Every rule and figure in this section comes from the Ministry of Trade's Circular on Fair Supports (last amended 26 December 2025), Decision No. 5973 and the Ministry's ceiling table dated 9 January 2026. The regulation can change during the year; open the official pages in the source list before applying. We are a stand builder, not a support consultant; we apply the information below to our clients' files on every project abroad.
There is a separate support for domestic fairs; it is covered in state support for domestic fairs.
01
Who qualifies
The beneficiary is the "exhibitor abroad": companies established in Türkiye and registered with an exporters' association, and producer/manufacturer organisations. The company must be one of the types in article 124 of the Turkish Commercial Code (joint-stock, limited, general or limited partnership, cooperative); sole traders are excluded.
Marketing companies that do not produce can qualify through a marketing contract with a producer established in Türkiye and that producer's capacity report (Circular art. 41 and Annex 1). Micro and small enterprises (registered as such in the KOSGEB database, with no public or legal-entity shareholder at 25 percent or more) benefit from a higher yearly fair count; this must be requested separately in the DYS application (art. 18).
The exhibitor shows only products registered in its own name; an exhibitor displaying foreign brands or listed as a foreign company in the fair catalogue cannot receive support (art. 43). The stand must stay open from the first to the last day of the fair.
02
Which fairs: individual, national, prestigious
Individual participation: the fair must be on the Ministry's "List of Sectoral International Fairs with Supported Individual Participation"; the 2026 list was updated on 25 September 2026 and holds 1,853 fairs. If the fair is not listed, a request to add it is filed in DYS at least 1 month before the fair starts (art. 5); the fair must be sectoral and international, with an assessable past performance and a corporate website (art. 6).
National pavilion: participation in the Türkiye pavilion run by an organiser appointed by the Ministry. The exhibitor files the application; the organiser feeds the process with the observer report and exhibitor list. The 2026 list holds 266 national pavilion organisations.
Prestigious fair: fairs that reached 500 exhibitors and 25,000 visitors in at least one of their last three editions and were admitted to the Ministry's list (art. 14). The 2026 list holds 149 fairs; large German fairs such as MEDICA, HANNOVER MESSE, interpack, bauma and Anuga are on it. Prestigious fair support must be requested separately and may be used for at most 2 fairs a year; a prestigious claim used abroad is deducted from the domestic prestigious allowance.
The full lists and how to read them are in fair organisers and calendars.
- 75%
- support base as a share of the approximate total cost per square metre (no country or sector distinction)
- 1,231,848 TL
- 2026 per-fair ceiling for a sectoral fair abroad; general fair 738,563 TL, prestigious 3,698,274 TL
- 3 months
- window after the fair for the DYS application; a late file is not assessed (Circular art. 7)
Source: Summary form on fair supports
Source: 2026 support ceilings
Source: Circular on fair supports
03
How the support is calculated
The support is calculated per square metre, not as a percentage of your invoice. For every supported fair the Ministry sets a "support base" (TL per square metre), computed from past actuals of space rental, stand construction, freight and travel and the opinion of the Commercial Counsellor (art. 4). The amount paid is:
- Stand area (m²) × the support base for that fair = calculated support.
- The calculated support is capped by the 2026 ceiling for the fair's category: general 738,563 TL, sectoral 1,231,848 TL, prestigious 3,698,274 TL.
- If space rental, stand, freight or travel is provided free by the organiser, the support base is reduced to reflect the uncovered cost (art. 4/3).
- If a company exhibits with more than one stand at the same fair, only one chosen stand is supported (art. 41).
That is why "my invoice is X, what percentage do I get" has a different answer at every fair: on a small stand the calculated support stays well under the ceiling, on a large stand the ceiling kicks in. The support base for your own fair is shown on the fair's row in the Ministry's list of fairs abroad.
Tax and social security debts are checked before payment; any debt is offset against the support first (art. 42).
Let us set up your support file correctly from the start
We issue the quote and invoice with the line breakdown the Ministry of Trade asks for: design, construction, build, lighting and furniture on separate lines. The stand expense statement, hall photographs and handover record go into your file complete.
04
Documents and the DYS application
The application is made through the Support Management System; the company must be registered in DYS with an authorised user. For individual participation the reviewing body is the General Secretariat of the Exporters' Association you belong to (art. 8). According to Annex 1 of the circular and the TİM document list, the file contains:
- Signature circular and current Trade Registry Gazette (trade registry records are the reference).
- For a producer, a capacity report valid on the fair date; failing that, an expert report or certificate of activity. For a marketing company, the marketing contract with the producer and the producer's capacity report.
- The fair participation contract and the space rental invoice stating the square metres; a letter from the main organiser confirming the organiser's authority.
- The stand invoice (itemised; XML if an e-invoice) and a stamped and signed stand expense statement from the stand builder.
- A bank-stamped payment record and SWIFT for every invoice; for cheque payment, the cheque image and the bank record of its clearing.
- At fairs without an appointed observer, proof of participation: fair photographs or catalogue, the representative's passport entry and exit pages, boarding pass or accommodation record, and a document linking the representative to the company (insured employee list).
- Receipt for the file application fee.
Missing document notices are sent through DYS and must be completed within 2 months; otherwise the file is removed from assessment (art. 38). Invoices issued abroad are approved by the Commercial Counsellor for market conformity and actual performance (art. 40). Originals of documents uploaded to DYS are kept for 10 years (art. 47).
A stand invoice issued as a single line "stand" is the most common gap in a file. We issue the quote and invoice with design, construction, build, lighting and furniture lines and add the statement to the file; the whole process is on our stands abroad page.
05
Deadlines and timeline
- 01
1 month before the fair (latest)
If the fair is not on the individual list, file the addition request in DYS (art. 5). Late requests are not accepted.
- 02
Before the fair
Contract, space rental payment and stand contract through the bank; check the capacity report is valid on the fair date.
- 03
During the fair
The stand stays open from first to last day; hall photographs, catalogue and the representative's travel documents are kept.
- 04
Within 3 months of the end of the fair
The DYS application is completed and submitted; the submission date counts (art. 7). Prestigious and micro/small enterprise claims are ticked in this application.
- 05
2 months after a missing-document notice
Requested documents are completed in DYS; past the deadline the file is dropped (art. 38).
06
Frequently asked questions
- Is the support paid before the fair?
No. You make the whole expense first; the support is paid into your account as a grant after the post-fair application and review are completed. Plan your cash flow accordingly.
- Is the invoice accepted if the stand builder is abroad?
An invoice issued abroad is subject to the Commercial Counsellor's approval in DYS for market conformity and actual performance (art. 40). An invoice issued in Türkiye with VAT and bank payment simplifies the file; approval is then only about whether the activity took place.
- How many fairs a year can we claim for?
At most 5 fairs abroad starting in a calendar year; 10 for micro and small enterprises. The same fair is supported at most 10 times in total, and it counts as the same fair even if its name or location changes (art. 44). A rejected application does not count toward the yearly number and another fair may be claimed in its place within 1 month (art. 48).
- Does the target country and target sector support still exist?
According to the current line of the summary form the support base is set at 75 percent regardless of country or sector; the same document still shows the older tiered rates (50, 70 in target countries, 75 in target sectors). The Ministry publishes the target country list on its website (art. 15). Confirm the rate for your fair on the fair's row in DYS and with your association.
- Can cooperatives and unions qualify?
Cooperatives and unions engaged in commercial or industrial activity fall within the Decision's definition of a company; article 46 of the circular holds separate provisions for cooperatives exhibiting at fairs.
Sources
- Fair supports page (Ministry, 16.01.2026) — Turkish Ministry of Trade
- Circular on fair supports (art. 4–18, 38–48, Annex 1) — Turkish Ministry of Trade
- Fair support ceilings by year (2026 table, 09.01.2026) — Turkish Ministry of Trade
- 2025–2026 supported fairs abroad — Turkish Ministry of Trade
- Summary form on fair supports — Investment Support Platform (Ministry of Industry and Technology)
- DYS application guide for fairs abroad — İMMİB
One contract and one responsible party for a fair abroad
Production in our Istanbul workshop, customs and the ATA Carnet handled by us, the build done by our own crew. At German fairs our Aachen office receives the freight and corresponds with the organiser in German. You bring only your products and your team.
