Inquiry Regarding Business Registration and Location

Accounting & Taxes

Topic summary

Topic: A Shopify store owner living in Germany on a student visa seeks to register the business in Turkey and operate internationally, asking for guidance on Turkish registration and how to transition the store’s location on Shopify.

Latest update: A respondent advises contacting Shopify Support to update the account from Germany to Turkey and notes that German student visa status prevents registering a business in Germany. They suggest registering the business in Turkey, obtaining the necessary documents, and verifying the store as Turkey-based.

Actionable steps:

  • Reach out to Shopify Support to change the store’s country and account details from Germany to Turkey.
  • Register the business in Turkey and prepare required documentation for Shopify verification.
  • Review Shopify’s resource on international ecommerce (linked blog article) for cross-border selling considerations.

Status: Partial guidance provided; no detailed steps for Turkish company formation or tax/compliance specifics.

Open questions: Specific Turkish registration process, international tax obligations, and any platform-specific requirements beyond support-assisted changes remain unaddressed.

Summarized with AI on December 28. AI used: gpt-5.
1

I am reaching out regarding a query related to my Shopify store and business registration.

I am currently residing in Germany on a student visa and have developed a website on Shopify for an ecommerce venture. However, due to visa restrictions, I am unable to register this business in Germany. Given my nationality as a Turkish citizen, I am exploring the possibility of registering my business in Turkey and operating it from there. Could you kindly provide guidance on the process for registering a business in Turkey and operating it internationally through Shopify? Additionally, I would like to know if there are any specific considerations or steps I should be aware of when transitioning my business location and registration from Germany to Turkey on the Shopify platform.

Thank you very much for your assistance. I look forward to your guidance and support in this matter.

2

Hi @yusuf13 !

If you already registered and submitted documents that your store is based in Germany, it would be best to reach out Shopify support team so they can assist you with updating your account from Germany to Turkey based. It would be best that your business is registered to where you are permanently living. Since you are still under student visa in Germany, you will not be able to register a business in Germany. Unlike if Turkey, you will be able to register a business document in Turkey and as well as have all the necessary documents to be verified in Turkey based Shopify store. You can read this article for your reference as well: International Ecommerce: How To Sell Globally Online - Shopify