UÇBS Registration: How to Complete Company Authorisation

Okan Nas

Oct 1

6 min read

Who Is This Guide For?

This guide is for businesses that have declaration, notification or permit obligations under environmental legislation and are either registering with the Ulusal Çevre Bilgi Sistemi (UÇBS, the National Environmental Information System) for the first time or want to update an existing registration. In plain language, we explain what registration is for, the steps involved, how company authorisation works and where problems tend to arise in practice.

UÇBS is the environmental information system of the Çevre, Şehircilik ve İklim Değişikliği Bakanlığı (Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change), and it has replaced the system previously known as EÇBS. Businesses that were registered on the previous system would also do well to check their details on the new one.

What Is UÇBS and Which Businesses Does It Concern?

UÇBS is the official system through which declarations, notifications, permits and licences arising from environmental legislation are handled electronically. Many procedures are carried out and tracked through this system, including waste declarations, waste management plans, environmental permit and licence applications, and notifications relating to emissions and discharges.

Whether a business needs to register is determined not by its sector but by the environmental impact of its activities. Businesses that generate hazardous or non-hazardous waste, discharge wastewater, have stack or process emissions, or need an environmental permit or licence are particularly likely to fall within scope. A hotel, a manufacturing plant, a fuel station and a healthcare facility do very different work, yet each may need to use different modules of the system depending on its activities.

Before starting registration, it is important to be clear about which obligations the business is subject to. Registrations opened without this assessment can later lead to problems such as missing modules, incorrect activity descriptions or missed declarations. If you would like to know which businesses need environmental consultancy support, take a look at our article Who Is Required to Use Environmental Consultancy in Antalya?

How to Register on UÇBS, Step by Step

UÇBS registration consists of successive stages: personal login, company registration, authorisation and module selection. As each stage builds on the previous one, following the correct order reduces the need for corrections later on.

1. Identifying obligations

The first step is not logging into the system but working out which obligations apply to the business. Waste types, discharge and emission sources, whether a permit or licence is required, and the capacity of the facility are all established at this stage. This list directly determines which modules will be opened in the following steps.

2. Personal login to the system

The person carrying out the process logs into UÇBS using the identity verification method specified by the Ministry. Because actions in the system are carried out by individuals, everyone who will act on behalf of the company must first be able to log in under their own name.

3. Company and facility registration

Corporate information such as the company's registered name, tax details, address and field of activity is entered into the system. If the company has more than one facility, it is important that each facility is defined separately and with the correct address. Since declarations and permits are mostly handled on a facility basis, this distinction directly affects subsequent procedures.

4. Company authorisation

Company authorisation defines who can carry out which actions on behalf of the company in the system. The application is usually made with the documents of the person authorised to represent the company, and the request is assessed by the relevant il müdürlüğü (provincial directorate). Once approved, the company's authorised representative can grant action permissions to employees or to an environmental consultancy firm.

5. Selecting modules and making initial notifications

Once authorisation is complete, the modules appropriate to the business's activities are selected and the required notifications can begin. Each module has its own reporting periods and content requirements; setting out this calendar in a table from the start helps prevent late declarations.

The time needed to complete registration can vary from business to business, depending on whether the application is complete and on the assessment at the provincial directorate. For this reason, if a declaration or application is coming up, registration should not be left until the last day.

What to Prepare for Registration and Authorisation

Having up-to-date versions of corporate documents and facility information to hand before starting registration speeds up the process. As the documents requested may vary depending on the type of application and current practice, it is worth confirming the list with the relevant provincial directorate. In general, the following information and documents should be kept ready:

Current tax certificate and tax identification details
Documents showing the trade registry record and the company's registered name
A document showing the signing authority of the persons authorised to represent the company (such as an imza sirküleri, or signature circular)
The full address of the facility and, where applicable, a separate address for each facility
Documents showing the field of activity and, where applicable, the business opening and operating licence
Where applicable, information on any existing environmental permit, licence or ÇED (environmental impact assessment) decision
A list of the waste types generated, discharge points and emission sources
Identity and contact details of the people who will carry out actions in the system
If working with a consultancy firm, the scope of the permissions to be given to the consultant

Common Mistakes and Points to Watch

Problems with UÇBS registration are mostly caused by preparation and process rather than technical issues. The following are situations businesses frequently encounter in practice:

Incomplete or overly general description of the field of activity: an incorrect description can also steer subsequent module selections in the wrong direction.
Facilities not defined separately: for companies operating at more than one address, this can cause declarations to become mixed up.
Authorisation tied to a single person: if that person leaves or cannot be reached, notifications may be disrupted. Defining at least two authorised users is safer.
Permissions not updated when staff change: permissions of departing employees should be removed and new responsible staff should be granted access.
Granting consultant permissions too late: if you work with a consultant, their permissions need to be set up before the declaration period.
Not knowing the declaration calendar: failing to track which module must be completed in which period leads to delays.
Changes of registered name or address not reflected in the system: inconsistencies between official records and system information can result in applications being returned.

A significant proportion of these problems can be prevented by setting up the registration correctly from the outset and reviewing permissions regularly.

Notes for Businesses in Antalya

In Antalya, the presence of diverse sectors such as tourism, agriculture, food, industry and construction means the UÇBS modules required differ from one business to another. In a hotel, for example, areas such as the kitchen, laundry, pool and technical service can give rise to different waste types and discharge issues, which may require several modules to be tracked together.

In greenhouse and agriculture-based businesses, waste from packaging and pesticides deserves particular attention, while in food and packaging facilities the focus is on process waste and wastewater. In construction and industry, correctly classifying excavation waste, oil, batteries and similar waste is important.

In seasonal businesses, authorised staff leaving at the end of the season can create a gap in permissions during declaration periods. It is therefore worth adding a review of UÇBS permissions to season planning. For the permit and licence side of the process, see our article What Is an Environmental Permit and Licence? An Application Guide for Businesses.

Businesses that would like their registration and declaration calendar managed by a single point of contact can plan this process with us as part of our environmental consultancy service.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is UÇBS registration mandatory?

For businesses with declaration, notification, permit or licence obligations under environmental legislation, registration is effectively necessary, as these procedures are carried out through UÇBS. Businesses that are unsure whether they have such obligations should first assess their activities from this perspective.

I was registered on EÇBS. Do I need to register again on UÇBS?

UÇBS is the current system that replaced EÇBS. To see how your previous records have carried over to the new system, it is advisable to log in, check your company, facility and permission details, and update any information that is missing or incorrect.

Can an environmental consultant act on our company's behalf in UÇBS?

Yes. If the company's authorised representative grants permissions in the system to a consultancy firm or an individual consultant, the consultant can act on the company's behalf within the scope of those permissions. The scope should be set according to need, and the permissions should be removed when the engagement ends.

What should I do if the company's authorised person leaves?

The departing person's permissions should be removed and a new authorised person defined in their place. If the person authorised to represent the company has changed, the authorisation details may also need to be renewed with up-to-date signing authority documents.

Contact Us

If you would like to plan your UÇBS registration, company authorisation or declaration calendar together, tailored to your business, get in touch; we are with you at every step of the process.

Written by Okan Nas, Environmental Engineer, Asel Çevre Danışmanlık.