Of all the things a Turkish lawyer does under a power of attorney, opening a bank account is the one most likely to fail — not because the law forbids it, but because banks apply their own standards to the document and those standards are stricter than any registry's. A power of attorney that completes a property transfer without comment can be refused at a bank counter the same afternoon. This article explains why, and what the document has to say.
Why banks are the hardest counter
A bank opening an account assumes responsibility under anti-money-laundering legislation for identifying its customer and understanding the relationship. Where an attorney appears instead of the customer, the bank is being asked to accept a document as the basis of that relationship, and its compliance department — not the branch officer — sets the terms on which it will.
The consequences are practical:
- General wording is refused. "To carry out all banking transactions" is not enough for many institutions.
- Some banks require the institution to be named in the power of attorney.
- Some require the account type or purpose to be identified.
- Requirements differ between banks, and between branches of the same bank.
- A document accepted last year may be questioned this year, because policies change.
None of this is arbitrary from the bank's point of view. It is risk allocation, and the customer's inconvenience is not a factor in it.
What the power of attorney must contain
For banking purposes, the operative text should expressly authorise the attorney:
- to open accounts in the principal's name — current, deposit, foreign currency, and investment accounts as required;
- to operate those accounts: deposit, withdraw, transfer domestically and internationally;
- to give and revoke instructions, including standing orders;
- to request and receive statements, certificates and documents, expressly including the foreign exchange purchase document (DAB);
- to convert currency;
- to sign the bank's forms, contracts and framework agreements;
- to activate internet and mobile banking and to receive the associated credentials;
- to close accounts;
- to appoint a substitute attorney.
Where the bank is known in advance, name it — and where it is not, consider naming two or three. Adding institutions to a document before it is executed costs nothing; adding one afterwards means reissuing the whole document from abroad.
Where the document is issued
At a Turkish consulate. The text is prepared in Turkish and enters the Turkish notarial system directly. No apostille, no translation, no argument about form. Availability of appointments is the constraint.
Before a foreign notary, with apostille. Executed locally, apostilled under the 1961 Hague Convention or consular-legalised where the country is not a party, then translated in Türkiye by a sworn translator and the translation notarised.
In both cases the operative Turkish text should be drafted in Türkiye first. A notary abroad will notarise wording that a Turkish bank will not accept, and the applicant will not discover this until the attorney is standing at the counter.
Where the principal does not speak the language of the document, a sworn interpreter should participate and the fact should be recorded — both because it is required and because it forecloses a later challenge to the document's validity.
The photograph question
Powers of attorney used at the land registry must carry the grantor's photograph. For banking purposes there is no equivalent universal rule, but some institutions prefer or require a photographed document, and a photograph never causes a problem.
The practical advice is therefore simple: include the photograph. An investor issuing a power of attorney for a property purchase needs it anyway, and a single document covering the transfer, the tax office and the bank is more useful than three.
What the bank will still ask
A valid power of attorney gets the attorney past the threshold question. The substantive compliance questions remain, and the attorney must be able to answer them:
- Who is the customer, evidenced by passport and tax number.
- Why is the account being opened — a property purchase, an investment, a business.
- Where will the money come from, evidenced documentarily.
- What activity is expected on the account.
- How can the customer be contacted, including a telephone number for security messaging.
An attorney who arrives with the document and nothing else is asking the bank to open an account for a person about whom it knows nothing. Arriving with a prepared source-of-funds file converts the meeting.
A sequence that works
- Obtain the tax number online for the principal — minutes, free.
- Choose the bank and confirm its power of attorney requirements before drafting.
- Draft the Turkish text in Türkiye, with full banking authority and the institution named.
- Execute abroad — consulate, or notary with apostille — with a photograph and, where needed, an interpreter recorded.
- Courier the original; send scans ahead so translation can begin.
- Translate and notarise in Türkiye.
- Attorney attends the branch with the document, passport copy, tax number and source-of-funds file.
- Funds transferred from the principal's own account abroad; DAB obtained on conversion.
Risks worth being deliberate about
A banking power of attorney is a document that allows another person to move your money. Two safeguards are worth building in.
Scope. Authorise what the transaction requires. There is rarely a reason to authorise borrowing, granting security, or dealing with assets unrelated to the purpose.
Duration and revocation. Consider an expiry date where the purpose is a single transaction. And remember that revocation — by an azilname entered in the notarial system — takes effect when properly registered and notified, not when decided. Acts carried out in good faith before that point may bind you.
These are reasons to instruct a regulated professional rather than a helpful acquaintance. A lawyer registered with a bar association carries professional obligations and insurance; a friend does not.
Frequently asked questions
Will any bank accept a power of attorney? No. Requirements differ, and some branches decline. Confirm before drafting.
Does the document need a photograph? Not universally for banking, but include one — it is required for land registry transactions and never harms.
Can one document cover the property purchase and the bank account? Yes, and it should. Enumerate both sets of authorities.
Can the attorney access internet banking? Where the document authorises it and the bank permits. Consider whether you want that.
How long is it valid? Until revoked, unless it states an expiry. Banks may query old documents.
Can I revoke it from abroad? Yes, by an azilname at a consulate or foreign notary, entered in the notarial system.
Whose name is the account in? Yours. The attorney acts on your behalf; they are not the account holder.
Draft it once, properly
Almost every failure described here is a drafting failure, and drafting happens before an appointment is booked on the other side of the world. The text costs nothing extra to get right and weeks to get wrong.
Dural Hukuk drafts banking powers of attorney checked against the requirements of the specific institution, opens and operates accounts for clients abroad, and prepares the source-of-funds documentation that compliance departments ask for. Call +90 535 260 74 54 or use the contact form on this site.
This article is general information on Turkish law and banking practice as at August 2026 and is not legal advice. Bank requirements vary; confirm the current position before issuing documents.