Spain vs Turkey

The usual vehicle is a Sociedad Limitada (SL), formed by a notarial deed and registered in the Mercantile Registry (Registro Mercantil). Founders need a Spanish tax ID (NIF, and an NIE for individuals), and there is a modest minimum share capital.

The common company is a Limited Şirket (limited liability); registration is via the Trade Registry (through MERSIS) and a notary, and a tax number is obtained. Foreigners can own companies fully in most sectors.

Spanish banking includes large retail banks and online banks. Opening an account usually needs an NIE, ID and proof of address or activity; non-resident accounts are available with more documentation. The Banco de España supervises banks.

Turkish banking is modern and digital. Foreigners can open accounts, usually needing a passport, a Turkish tax number and proof of address; many banks also ask for a residence permit (ikamet), though some open one without it. The CBRT and BDDK regulate banks.

Spain welcomes foreign investment through ICEX-Invest in Spain, with EU free movement of capital and no exchange controls. Screening applies to investments by non-EU investors in strategic sectors; incentives include R&D tax credits, regional aid and special regimes (e.g. the Canary Islands and startup law). Profits repatriate freely.

Türkiye actively courts foreign investment through the Investment Office of the Presidency, granting foreign investors national treatment. There is no general FDI screening; incentives include the regional investment-incentive scheme, free zones and technology development zones. Capital and profits repatriate through banks, subject to central-bank foreign-exchange rules.

Spain taxes personal income (IRPF), corporate profits and VAT (IVA), administered by the Agencia Tributaria (AEAT). Tax residents (183+ days) are taxed on worldwide income; regions set part of the personal rates.

Türkiye's taxes are run by the Revenue Administration (GİB): income tax, corporate tax and VAT (KDV). Residents are taxed on worldwide income, and high inflation means thresholds are revised frequently.

Non-EU nationals need a work and residence authorisation to work in Spain; EU/EEA and Swiss citizens work freely. Common routes are employed work, the Highly Qualified Professional permit and self-employment, plus a digital-nomad visa for remote workers. Applications run through the immigration authorities and consulates.

Foreigners need a work permit to work in Türkiye, which also serves as a residence permit; the Ministry of Labour and Social Security issues it, usually on the employer's application. A Turquoise Card suits qualified professionals.

Non-EU students staying longer than 90 days need a Spanish student visa or stay authorisation, based on admission to an accredited institution, proof of sufficient funds and health insurance. You apply through the Spanish consulate covering your residence, with in-country procedures handled by the immigration authorities via the electronic administration portal. EU/EEA/Swiss students need no visa.

Studying in Türkiye normally combines three things: university admission, an entry visa or exemption status, and a student residence permit obtained after arrival. One structural limit to plan around — the student residence permit cannot exceed the length of the education programme itself. Exchange schemes such as Erasmus, Mevlana and Farabi are named in the residence-permit framework. Student work rights are limited and need separate work-permit checks.

Spain is in the Schengen Area, so short tourist or business visits follow Schengen rules: up to 90 days within any 180-day period across the whole area. Visa-exempt nationals need no visa; everyone else applies for a short-stay (type C) Schengen visa at the Spanish consulate covering their place of residence. A new ETIAS authorisation is being introduced for visa-exempt travellers.

Entry to Türkiye depends on nationality: some travellers enter visa-free or on a national ID, while others apply through the official Ministry of Foreign Affairs e-Visa portal. The e-Visa is valid for touristic and trade purposes only — work or study travel uses different visa channels — and stays beyond 90 days generally require a residence permit rather than a tourist visa.

Spain grants long-term residence (residencia de larga duración) after generally 5 years of continuous legal residence, letting you live and work indefinitely on equal terms with Spaniards. You show continuous residence and a clean record; long-term residence then leads toward Spanish citizenship (often after 10 years).

Turkey grants a long-term (indefinite) residence permit after eight years of continuous legal residence, giving rights close to citizens' apart from voting and public office. A faster alternative is Turkish citizenship by investment. Applications go through the Presidency of Migration Management.

Naturalization by residence normally requires 10 years of legal residence, but only 2 years for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal or people of Sephardic origin (and 1 year in some family cases). You pass the DELE A2 Spanish exam and the CCSE culture/constitution test. Spain requires renouncing your prior nationality except for those dual-nationality countries.

Turkey grants citizenship by naturalization after 5 years of continuous residence, with basic Turkish, good moral character, lawful means and no threat to health or security. A faster, separate route is Turkish citizenship by investment (for example a qualifying property purchase). Turkey permits dual nationality. The decision is by presidential decree via the Ministry of the Interior.

Spanish employment is governed by the Workers' Statute: a national minimum wage (SMI), 30 calendar days' paid holiday, and dismissal that requires cause and severance (typically 20 or 33 days' pay per year). Most contracts are now permanent after the 2021 reform; sector collective agreements (convenios) apply, and disputes go to the social courts.

Turkish employment under Labour Law No. 4857 sets a national minimum wage, a 45-hour week, annual leave of 14-26 days by service, and severance pay (kıdem tazminatı) of roughly one month per year for eligible employees. Social security is via the SGK, and most disputes need mandatory mediation before the labour courts.

Spanish trade with non-EU countries clears through the Spanish Tax Agency's Customs (Aduanas) with an EU EORI number. You classify goods in TARIC to find duty and import VAT (21% IVA), which can be deferred to your VAT return. Declarations use the DUA; intra-EU trade needs Intrastat and dual-use exports need a licence.

Turkish trade clears through the Ministry of Trade's customs using the BILGE electronic system. Türkiye is in a customs union with the EU, so most industrial goods move duty-free with an A.TR certificate; other imports carry customs duty plus VAT (KDV, 20% standard). Some goods need permits and standards approval.

Spanish trademarks are registered with the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM). You search the register, file under Nice classes, and it publishes in the Official Industrial Property Bulletin for a two-month opposition period. A Spanish trademark lasts 10 years and is renewable; an EU-wide alternative is the EU trademark via EUIPO, and copyright arises automatically.

Turkish trademarks are registered with the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TÜRKPATENT). You search the register, file under Nice classes, and after examination the mark publishes in the Official Trademark Bulletin for a two-month opposition period. A Turkish trademark lasts 10 years and is renewable; Türkiye is a Madrid Protocol member.

Spain's public employment service is SEPE, which runs the national job portal and the unemployment system, but it sits alongside regional employment services rather than replacing them — so there are two public layers to search, not one. Non-EU workers generally need a work-and-residence authorisation tied to a job offer, though the entrepreneur and digital-nomad routes exist as alternatives that do not depend on one. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can work freely.

Türkiye's official employment agency is İŞKUR, which runs job matching alongside private platforms and direct employer hiring. The structural point for foreign candidates is that a work-permit decision is scored against published criteria that examine the employer as much as the applicant — the company's profile and the pay attached to the role type both feed into it — so a well-qualified candidate can still be refused because the hiring company does not meet the conditions. Student residence permit holders have separate and narrower work rights.

Spain's statutory national minimum wage, the Salario Mínimo Interprofesional, is set by the government and quoted as a monthly figure paid in 14 instalments — not 12. That payment structure is the arithmetic trap: multiplying the monthly SMI by twelve understates the annual figure, so any cross-country comparison has to use the fourteen-payment basis. Pay is gross, with income tax (IRPF) and social-security contributions reducing take-home, and the INE is authoritative for wage data.

Türkiye has a national minimum wage, but high inflation makes any wage reference time-sensitive — official minimum-wage tables should be read as dated figures rather than durable salary benchmarks. There is also a structural reason the minimum matters even to higher earners: foreign work-permit salary thresholds are set as multiples of the current gross minimum wage for some roles, so when the minimum moves, those thresholds move with it. Use official wage and labour-statistics sources first.

Spain's main government scholarships for foreigners are the MAEC-AECID scholarships (run by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation under the Foreign Ministry), covering various master's, research and Spanish-language programs, alongside many university awards. Explore options on the AECID and university sites and apply by each deadline.

Türkiye's flagship scholarship is Türkiye Scholarships (Türkiye Bursları), a comprehensive government program run by the Presidency for Turks Abroad (YTB) that covers tuition, a monthly stipend, accommodation, health insurance, flights and a year of Turkish-language study. Apply through the single online system by the annual deadline.

To study in Spain you apply to the university, then, once admitted, apply for a student visa (visado de estudios) at the Spanish consulate. For stays over six months you obtain a foreigner ID card (TIE) after arrival. Explore options on the university sites and apply by the deadline.

To study in Türkiye you apply to the university (some require the YÖS exam or a recognised equivalent), then, once admitted, apply for a student visa at the Turkish consulate and, after arrival, obtain a student residence permit from the Presidency of Migration Management. Explore the university sites and apply by the deadline.

Spain places no restriction on foreigners buying property; you just need an NIE (foreigner ID number). Renting is governed by the Urban Leases Law (LAU), with a deposit (fianza) usually of one month lodged with a regional body. Buying goes through a notario, is registered at the Land Registry (Registro de la Propiedad), and carries transfer tax (ITP, ~6–10% on resale) or 10% VAT on new homes.

Foreigners can buy property in Turkey, subject to limits (no purchases in military/security zones and an overall area cap per person). Renting deposits are typically one month, under the Code of Obligations. Buying is registered at the Land Registry (Tapu office), which issues the title deed (tapu), with a title-deed fee of around 4%. Buying above a set value can also qualify for Turkish citizenship by investment.

Spain's public National Health System covers residents who contribute to social security — through work, self-employment or as a dependant — and it is run by the 17 autonomous communities, so practical details vary by region. People who do not contribute, such as non-lucrative or student visa holders, generally need private insurance. The route many miss: the Convenio Especial lets non-contributing residents join the public system for a monthly fee.

Türkiye combines public social-security healthcare through SGK / Genel Sağlık Sigortası with a large private hospital market, especially in major cities. The point that catches people out is that insurance is an immigration requirement: residence-permit applications require valid health insurance, which can be SGK/GSS coverage or qualifying private insurance. Verify enrolment, waiting periods and private-policy wording before relying on cover for either immigration or treatment.

Spain's Seguridad Social provides pensions and social insurance, funded by both employer and employee contributions, and it is administered through the Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social — the treasury arm is the body that actually collects. Beyond mandatory health cover, motor third-party liability insurance is compulsory for vehicles. Insurers are supervised by the DGSFP, which is a directorate-general inside the ministry rather than a standalone agency.

In Türkiye, insurance planning usually starts with residence-permit health insurance rather than with your own risk assessment. Private health insurance is commonly used for first permit applications when SGK/GSS coverage is not yet active — so it functions as a bridge. The trap is duration and wording: the policy should cover the full requested permit period and match Migration Management requirements, so a cheaper short policy can sink the application. Employer social-security and workplace obligations are separate from private buying.