Licences and permits for a cafe, restaurant or patisserie

In what order should you get the licences?

Licensing is a chain: company → tax plate → chamber registration → municipal licence → food registration → social security → fiscal register. If one link is missing the rest wait. Total time is 3-6 weeks for a takeover unit and 6-10 weeks for a licensed (alcohol) venue.

1. How do you get the municipal opening licence?

Issued by the district municipality. Cafes, patisseries and restaurants are "sanitary establishments" and are issued quickly on declaration if the file is complete; licensed bars and live-music venues are "public rest and entertainment venues", need a police opinion and take 3-8 weeks. The file includes title deed/lease, tax plate, chamber certificate, occupancy permit, fire report, a master craftsman certificate (or an employed master) and, where needed, co-owner consent. Cost ₺5-40k.

2. When do you need the owners' consent?

A unit registered as residential cannot become a restaurant or cafe without the unanimous consent of the building's owners (Condominium Law art. 24). This is the most common failure after signing a lease. If the chimney or ventilation duct runs through common areas, consent may be needed even for a shop unit.

3. How do you get food business registration?

From the provincial Ministry of Agriculture directorate, free, 1-4 weeks. Must be obtained before the first sale. Then hygiene prerequisites, traceability via supplier invoices, 14-allergen declaration on the menu and staff hygiene training apply.

4. How do you get the fire report, and how long does it take?

Extinguishers (class F in the kitchen), emergency exits and lighting, a hood and grease-duct cleaning contract, chimney compliance, gas detector and solenoid valve are inspected. 1-3 weeks; equipment ₺10-60k.

5. What do hygiene certificates and OHS require?

Every food-handling employee needs a lifetime hygiene certificate from a public education centre. Restaurants and bakery/patisserie production are classed "hazardous": an OHS specialist and workplace doctor (₺1.5-5k/month via a provider) are mandatory; cafes are "low hazard" but still need a risk assessment and emergency plan.

6. When do you set up social security and the fiscal register?

Workplace registration on the day the first employee starts; employee entry one day before. Every sale needs a receipt: a new-generation fiscal POS (₺8-25k) or an e-Arşiv exemption. Platform orders need receipts too.

7. How do you get an alcohol licence?

The address must be inside the municipal council's "licensed zone"; a 100 m door-to-door rule from schools, dormitories and places of worship applies. The licence gets an "alcohol" annotation plus an annual certificate from the Tobacco and Alcohol Department (₺8-35k). No advertising or promotions; ID checks. Ask the municipality before signing the lease.

8. What permit does music require?

Playing music requires licences from MESAM/MSG, MÜ-YAP and MÜYORBİR (₺5-40k/year); a Spotify subscription is not a commercial licence. Live music needs a separate municipal permit and an acoustic report.

9. What do pavement use and signage require?

Outdoor tables need an annual occupation permit (₺500-3,000/m²), signage an advertising tax. Unauthorised tables are removed by municipal police.

What do the licences cost in total, and how long do they take?

Chapter 13 of the FIZIBI report produces the checklist filtered for your concept.

More guides

• Company setup, taxes and your accountant
• Pre-opening checklist and the first 90 days
• How to open a cafe in Turkey, step by step

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