Artisan (small tradesman)

Under Turkish law, an artisan (esnaf) is a person whose economic activity, whether itinerant or run from a shop, relies on personal labour rather than capital, and whose income remains at a modest level. Barbers, tailors, repairers and market sellers are typical examples.

The distinction matters in practice. Artisans are exempt from obligations reserved for merchants, such as keeping statutory commercial books, registering with the trade registry and being subject to bankruptcy. They instead register with the registry of artisans and join their own professional chambers.

Whether a business qualifies as an artisan enterprise or a commercial enterprise depends on its scale and income. For borderline businesses this classification directly affects the applicable legal and tax regime.