What are the most critical clauses in a JV agreement?

Management authority, profit-sharing ratio and exit scenarios; we clarify these clauses together with our legal advisors.

What's the advantage of manufacturing in a free zone?

It provides special incentives like income/corporate tax exemption and flexibility in customs processes; we evaluate these advantages against your project.

Can a foreign investor hold a majority stake?

Yes, most sectors carry no restriction on the proportion of foreign capital; we confirm this for your specific sector.

What happens in case of a partnership dispute?

Dispute-resolution mechanisms (such as arbitration) defined in advance in the agreement make this risk manageable; we plan these clauses from the start.

Free Zone & Joint Venture (JV) Investment

A joint venture (JV) with a local Hatay company gives foreign investors direct access to market knowledge and distribution networks, offering a faster market entry than starting a company from scratch.

For a foreign investor entering the Hatay market, a joint venture (JV) with a local company offers direct access to market knowledge, an existing customer network and operational experience, a faster market entry than starting from scratch. This model creates particular value in sectors like agriculture, logistics and industrial supply chains, where local knowledge matters most.

What Project Types Are Worth Considering?

Joint venture with a local producer/distributor
Foreign-capital manufacturing partnership in a free zone
Technology transfer + local partnership model
Corporate partnership with a local family business

Which Areas Should You Consider?

Antakya, close to the business community and administrative infrastructure, is a central location for partnership discussions. The İskenderun free zone offers a separate advantage for manufacturing-oriented joint ventures.

Process and Documentation

Drafting and notarizing the joint venture (JV) agreement
Ministry of Trade notification for foreign-capital company incorporation
Tax ID and trade registry filing
Separate operating license if operating within a free zone

Incentives and Support

Manufacturing activity within free zones can access special tax advantages; general Region 6 incentives also apply.

See our Branch & Office Setup Consulting service

What to Keep in Mind

A joint venture's success depends on clearly defining management authority, profit-sharing and exit scenarios in the partnership agreement; clarifying these terms early with legal counsel prevents future disputes.

Sources

T.C. Ministry of Trade: Directorate General of Foreign Capital

From the official data

Port Cargo and Exports: Official Volumes

According to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Turkish ports handled 553,268,303 tonnes in 2025; the İskenderun Regional Port Authority handled 70,905,737 tonnes, third after Aliağa (89,507,150 tonnes) and Kocaeli (83,939,975 tonnes). In the Ministry of Trade's exports-by-province-of-activity table, Hatay ranked 11th in 2023 with USD 5,170 million.

Indicator	Value	Year	Source
İskenderun Regional Port Authority: cargo handled (tonnes)	70,905,737	2025	[1]
Türkiye total port cargo (tonnes)	553,268,303	2025	[1]
İskenderun's share of the national total	12.8%	2025	[1]
Hatay exports by province of activity (USD million)	5,856	2022	[2]
Hatay exports (USD million; annual change −11.7%)	5,170	2023	[2]
Share of Türkiye's exports (Türkiye: USD 255,809 million)	2.0%	2023	[2]
Hatay exports, single month (USD million; +11.9%)	505 → 565	Sep 2024 → Sep 2025	[3]

What does this data mean for an investor?

The İskenderun Regional Port Authority handles 12.8% of the cargo moved through Turkish ports and trails only Aliağa and Kocaeli. This volume shows that Hatay remained one of the country's main cargo gateways even after the earthquake. Hatay's exports fell 11.7% in 2023 to USD 5,170 million; in September 2025 monthly exports rose +11.9% on the same month of the previous year. A single month does not prove an annual recovery; the annual 2024–2025 figures are not in this compilation.

What it means for an investor: port and export volumes are the most concrete official gauges of the scale of demand for warehousing, bonded areas, logistics centres and export-oriented production. But how much of the port tonnage is cargo produced in or destined for Hatay, as opposed to transit, cannot be separated from these data; cargo type and country breakdowns should be queried separately before investing.

Limitation: The port figure is the sum of all ports under the İskenderun Regional Port Authority and has no cargo-type or country breakdown. The export table is based on place of production (province of activity), which differs from head-office-based tables. Annual provincial exports for 2024 and 2025 (the Ministry's relevant file could not be accessed) and the sector breakdown of exports are not in this compilation; September 2025 is a single-month figure.

Pages related to this data

Sources

Figures come from official sources; interpretations are Invest Hatay's own and are not investment advice.

Frequently asked questions about free zone & joint venture investment

Through an introduction and preliminary assessment process with established local firms in your target sector; we help you build these connections.

More Opportunities in This Area

Related Services

Related Guides

Setting Up a Company in Hatay as a Foreign Investor

Related Investment Opportunities

International Investment & Regional Hubs Europe-Middle East Trade Bridge Investment Türkiye Operations HQ & MENA Regional Hub Investment

Let's shape your joint venture investment together

Tell us your target sector, partnership model and budget, and we'll map out a plan tailored to you.

Get Free Consultation Message on WhatsApp