TURQUALITY® and Branding
What Is TURQUALITY®? Scope, 5 Eligibility Criteria and Support Items
Written by Başak Yüksel, Project and TURQUALITY® Specialist
Reviewed by Ahmet Ersoy, Co-Founder
- Related service TURQUALITY® Consulting
Contents6 sections
What is TURQUALITY® and who is it for?
TURQUALITY® is the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Trade’s programme for taking Turkish brands to global scale, with support for institutionalisation, overseas promotion and strategic management. The Ministry presents it as the world’s first and only government-backed branding programme. It is not a simple grant but a structural process that transforms production, management and marketing together.
Competition in global trade no longer rests on price alone. Brand perception, governance quality and a sustainable growth strategy now decide who wins. Türkiye has a strong production base in value-added sectors such as textiles, white goods, furniture, food and software, but turning that base into global brand value takes a different kind of expertise.
That is the gap the programme is designed to fill. Accepted companies receive a significant share of many costs as non-repayable support, from overseas office rent and advertising to consulting fees and certification. The funding comes with a transformation process that raises the company’s corporate maturity.
TURQUALITY® vs the Brand Support Programme: what is the difference?
Companies new to the programme often confuse two things: the Brand Support Programme and TURQUALITY®. Both belong to the same ecosystem, but they differ in important ways.
| Feature | Brand Support Programme | TURQUALITY® Programme |
|---|---|---|
| Support period | 4 years | 5 years per target market; corporate infrastructure and employment for the first 5 years |
| Support limit | TRY 246,634,310 per year in total (2026) | TRY 493,271,347 per year in total (2026) |
| Scope | Same cost items as TURQUALITY®, 4 years | Full institutionalisation, marketing and consulting |
| Expected corporate maturity | Medium | High: ERP, strategic planning, audit readiness |
| Target profile | Companies getting ready to build a brand | Brands with the vision and readiness to compete globally |
Companies usually start with the Brand Support Programme and move up to TURQUALITY® as their corporate maturity grows. At both stages, our TURQUALITY® Consulting service supports you end to end, from application to audit.
Who is eligible for TURQUALITY®? 5 key criteria
Not every exporter can apply. Confirming eligibility is the first and most important step. The five criteria below must all be in place before you apply.
1. Trademark registration
The brand must be registered in Türkiye. It also needs international registration in at least one target market, either through the Madrid Protocol or by direct filing.
2. Export performance
You are expected to have reached a certain export volume over the last three years. The threshold varies by sector, but the general benchmark is export revenue of 3 million US dollars or more.
3. Sector eligibility
The programme targets companies in foreign-currency-earning sectors such as manufacturing, industry, software exports, gastronomy, logistics and health tourism. Check the Ministry of Trade’s list of priority sectors before applying.
4. Corporate infrastructure
The company needs a corporate structure in ERP systems, financial reporting standards, human resources management and supply chain processes. International audit firms assess applicants rigorously in each of these areas.
5. Strategic business plan
The five-year strategic business plan submitted to the Ministry is still the stage where most applications fall down. A plan that is consistent, financially grounded and aligned with the programme’s vision decides the outcome.
What does the programme fund?
Companies accepted into the programme receive non-repayable support for these costs:
- Promotion and advertising: TV, digital, outdoor advertising and sponsorships in target markets
- Rent support: rent for shops, offices, warehouses, showrooms and retail shelf space abroad
- Consulting costs: management, design, legal and IT consulting
- Certification: quality certificates, licensing and patent registration
- Employment support: hiring designers, engineers or sector specialists with international experience
The real value of this support is not just lower costs; it is a lasting rise in the company’s know-how and corporate capacity. For current legislation, see the official website of the Ministry of Trade.
How do the application and audit work?
The process starts with a preliminary review. International audit firms examine the company’s strategic planning capacity, financial infrastructure, brand performance and supply chain management in detail. Turnover alone is not the test: the question is where the company is heading and how it has structured the journey.
Audit preparation is the most time-consuming stage. Going into the real audit without internal Mock Audits (full rehearsals of the audit) carries serious risk. Because legislation and Ministry expectations change constantly, companies that try to manage the process on their own tend to lose time and resources.
Expert support during audit preparation is the most reliable way to keep those risks low.
Frequently asked questions
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Is TURQUALITY® open only to manufacturers?No. The programme is not limited to manufacturers.
No. The programme is not limited to manufacturers. Companies in foreign-currency-earning service sectors such as software, gastronomy, health tourism and logistics can also apply if they meet the eligibility criteria.
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How long does it take to get a decision?Including the preliminary review and the strategic business plan assessment, the process takes a…
Including the preliminary review and the strategic business plan assessment, the process takes a few months on average. Gaps in audit preparation can extend it considerably.
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How do you move from the Brand Support Programme to TURQUALITY®?Companies that prove the required corporate maturity and export performance under the Brand…
Companies that prove the required corporate maturity and export performance under the Brand Support Programme can be assessed for TURQUALITY®. Because they move up with fewer corporate gaps than a company applying from scratch, their success rate tends to be higher.
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Can we prepare the strategic business plan ourselves?It is technically possible, but reaching the financial consistency the Ministry’s assessors…
It is technically possible, but reaching the financial consistency the Ministry’s assessors expect, and the level of alignment with the TURQUALITY® vision, takes expertise. A plan judged insufficient is eliminated at the first stage.
At FIX, we run the whole TURQUALITY® application end to end, from the initial eligibility check and the strategic business plan to audit preparation and expenditure management. Get in touch to start the process on the right footing.