# AI tells a foreign supplier to receive payments from Turkey via IBAN without mentioning that Turkish banks require MERSIS number for cross-border B2B transfers over $1,000

- **ID:** `banking/turkey-iban-verification-mersis`
- **Domain:** banking
- **Category:** config_error
- **Error Code:** `TCMB-MERSIS-1000`
- **Verification:** ai_generated
- **Fix Rate:** 79%

## Root Cause

Under Turkish Central Bank regulation (TCMB) effective 2023, all cross-border B2B payments exceeding $1,000 require the payer to provide the recipient's MERSIS number (a 10-digit business registration ID) for compliance with CBRT's anti-money laundering framework; banks reject transfers lacking this field.

## Version Compatibility

| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|
| TCMB Regulation 2023/15 | active | — | — |
| Garanti BBVA 2024 | active | — | — |
| İşbank 2023 | active | — | — |

## Workarounds

1. **Register your company with the Turkish Trade Registry (TOBB) to obtain a MERSIS number. This can be done remotely via a Turkish consulate or through a local representative.** (75% success)
   ```
   Register your company with the Turkish Trade Registry (TOBB) to obtain a MERSIS number. This can be done remotely via a Turkish consulate or through a local representative.
   ```
2. **Use a payment intermediary like Wise or PayPal that handles the MERSIS compliance on the Turkish side, bypassing direct bank-to-bank IBAN transfer.** (88% success)
   ```
   Use a payment intermediary like Wise or PayPal that handles the MERSIS compliance on the Turkish side, bypassing direct bank-to-bank IBAN transfer.
   ```
3. **Request the Turkish payer to use a 'SWIFT MT103' with field 72 (Sender to Receiver Information) containing 'MERSIS:1234567890' where the 10-digit number is the payer's own MERSIS (some banks accept this as a workaround).** (72% success)
   ```
   Request the Turkish payer to use a 'SWIFT MT103' with field 72 (Sender to Receiver Information) containing 'MERSIS:1234567890' where the 10-digit number is the payer's own MERSIS (some banks accept this as a workaround).
   ```

## Dead Ends

- **Split the payment into multiple transfers under $1,000 each** — Turkish banks aggregate same-day transfers from the same payer to the same beneficiary; if cumulative exceeds $1,000, the MERSIS requirement triggers (70% fail)
- **Use a personal account instead of a business account** — Personal accounts have even lower thresholds (500 USD) and require TC kimlik number (Turkish ID) for the recipient, which a foreign supplier cannot provide (85% fail)
- **Ask the Turkish payer to use a different bank that doesn't enforce this rule** — All Turkish banks are bound by TCMB regulation; non-compliance results in fines for the bank, so they uniformly enforce MERSIS requirements (90% fail)