I. Introduction
Buying property in Turkey as a foreign purchaser is generally straightforward, although the legal risks usually arise before the transfer of the title deed, known in Turkish as the tapu. The title deed appointment should therefore not be treated as the beginning of the transaction. Before a substantial deposit is paid, the purchaser should confirm eligibility to acquire the property, verify that the seller is the registered owner, examine the title for restrictions and check the municipality records to establish that the physical property corresponds with the legally approved project. Where the property is also intended to support an application for Turkish citizenship, a separate eligibility review should be completed at the same stage.
II. Eligibility of Foreign Purchasers to Acquire Turkish Property
Foreign individuals may generally acquire property in Turkey, subject to restrictions based on nationality, location and statutory limits. The former reciprocity requirement was abolished in 2012, and foreign acquisition is now principally governed by Article 35 of Land Registry Law No. 2644.
A foreign natural person may generally acquire up to 30 hectares of real estate throughout Turkey. Acquisitions within a given district are additionally subject to a limit of 10 per cent of the privately owned area of that district. Properties in military zones and designated security areas are subject to further restriction, and the land registry directorate obtains confirmation from the competent authority on this point during the transaction.
Foreign companies and Turkish companies with foreign shareholders are governed by different rules, so the intended ownership structure should be settled before the commercial terms are agreed.
III. The Purchase Sequence and the Moment Ownership Passes
The process normally begins with identifying the property and confirming that the purchaser is eligible to acquire it, after which the parties agree the commercial terms through an offer or a reservation agreement. Legal due diligence should be completed before any substantial deposit becomes non-refundable.
The banking and foreign-exchange documentation is then prepared, followed by the WebTapu application and the official transfer. Signing a private sales agreement, paying the price or taking possession does not transfer ownership. Legal ownership is acquired when the purchaser is registered as owner in the land registry, and every payment decision should be made with that distinction in mind.
IV. Title Deed and Municipality Due Diligence
Examination of the Title
The title deed is the starting point of the investigation. The current land registry record should confirm that the seller is the registered owner and that the block, parcel and independent-section details correspond with the property being purchased, and the title should be examined for mortgages, attachments, injunctions, usufruct rights, easements, sale-promise annotations and any other restriction.
The form of ownership matters as well, and in apartment transactions the purchaser should establish whether the property is held under floor ownership, known as kat mülkiyeti, under an easement of floor known as kat irtifakı, or under another form. A photocopy of a title deed supplied by an estate agent does not replace an inspection of the current official record, and a final title review shortly before closing is advisable.
Municipality Records, the Iskan and Unauthorised Alterations
A clean title does not mean that the building is legally compliant, so municipality due diligence should be carried out separately. Depending on the property, this review covers the zoning status, the building permit, the approved architectural plans and the occupancy permit, commonly known as the iskan.
The physical apartment should then be compared with the approved project. Enclosed balconies, converted terraces, rooftop additions, basement conversions and common areas absorbed into an apartment without approval are frequently encountered, and alterations of this kind can create difficulties on resale, financing or redevelopment and may expose the property to administrative enforcement. The question that matters is whether the apartment being purchased corresponds with the apartment approved by the municipality, rather than whether a title deed exists.
Structural and Earthquake Risk
Structural risk deserves particular attention in Istanbul. A title deed, an iskan, a building permit or a compulsory earthquake insurance policy should not be read as confirmation that a building is structurally safe in a future earthquake, and for older buildings, high-value acquisitions and buildings that have undergone significant alteration an independent structural engineering review may be appropriate.
The position of the property under Law No. 6306 on the Transformation of Areas under Disaster Risk should also be investigated. An existing risky-building determination or an ongoing urban transformation process may lead to demolition, redevelopment costs and temporary loss of possession. Compulsory earthquake insurance, known as DASK, is an insurance product rather than a structural safety certificate.
V. Payment, Foreign Exchange and Transaction Documents
The Foreign-Exchange Certificate and the Timing of Payment
Foreign natural persons are subject to a specific foreign-exchange procedure. The purchase funds must be processed through the Turkish banking system, and a foreign-exchange purchase certificate, the Döviz Alım Belgesi or DAB, is obtained for the title deed transaction. Blue Card holders, who are treated as former Turkish citizens for this purpose, are not subject to the requirement.
The banking procedure should be organised before closing, and a purchaser should not transfer the entire price merely because a WebTapu application has been filed. As far as the commercial position allows, substantial payment should be coordinated with confirmation that the transfer is ready to proceed and that the property can be registered in the purchaser’s name.
The mandatory Secure Payment System for real estate sale payments is scheduled to apply from 1 October 2026, following the Ministry of Trade’s three-month postponement. Transactions expected to complete on or after that date should be structured under the new payment mechanism.
Documents, Interpreters and Powers of Attorney
A foreign purchaser will generally need a valid passport with a translated and notarised copy, a Turkish tax number or the applicable foreign identification number, and the documents required for the title deed application, together with the title information, the municipal property value, DASK documentation where applicable and the DAB.
Where the purchaser does not speak sufficient Turkish, an authorised interpreter may be required at the land registry. The transaction may also be completed through a properly issued power of attorney, and powers of attorney executed abroad may require an apostille or consular legalisation together with a Turkish translation. Where a power of attorney is granted to a Turkish lawyer, an interpreter is not required.
Valuation Reports
A valuation report is no longer required merely because the purchaser is a foreign national. The general requirement introduced in March 2019 was removed by the Land Registry circular of 13 June 2024 for transactions that do not involve the acquisition of citizenship. Citizenship acquisitions remain subject to the valuation requirements, and there the value is established by a report from a licensed valuation company rather than by the declared price. An independent valuation may still be useful on a high-value purchase even where it is not compulsory.
VI. Costs of Acquisition in 2026
The principal governmental cost is the title deed fee, which is 4 per cent of the declared purchase price, made up of a 2 per cent buyer component and a 2 per cent seller component. The parties may agree that one side bears a larger share economically. The fee is calculated on the declared transfer price, which may not be lower than the property tax value.
Declaring a price below the actual figure has become materially more expensive. Under Law No. 7566, which entered into force on 19 December 2025, where the declared price is found not to reflect the true position, the additional fee is assessed together with a tax loss penalty of one times that amount, replacing the previous rate of 25 per cent. The declared price should therefore reflect the real transaction, and the funds transferred through the banking system should be consistent with it.
Land Registry revolving-fund charges apply in addition, together with the further charges applicable to certain transactions involving foreign parties. The overall budget should also allow for estate agent commission, legal fees, notary expenses, translation, banking costs and DASK. Value added tax depends on the seller and the nature of the transaction, and qualifying foreign purchasers may benefit from an exemption on the first delivery of residential or commercial property, although foreign nationality alone does not create it. After completion, the owner should budget for annual property tax, utilities and building service charges, known as aidat.
VII. Acquisition for Turkish Citizenship
A foreign investor may qualify for Turkish citizenship by acquiring qualifying real estate worth at least USD 400,000 and registering a three-year restriction on disposal in the land registry. The threshold may be met by a single property or by several properties registered in the name of the same person, and the value is established by a licensed valuation company at the Central Bank rate applicable on the valuation date.
Acquiring any property worth USD 400,000 does not by itself create eligibility. The property must be of a qualifying type, meaning one over which floor ownership or an easement of floor has been established, or a plot with a building on it. The ownership history, the seller, the valuation, the payment records and the structure of the title may each affect whether the investment qualifies, and certain properties are excluded altogether. A citizenship investor should therefore establish both that the property may lawfully be acquired by a foreign national and that the transaction can support a citizenship application before paying a substantial non-refundable deposit.
VIII. General Assessment
A purchase in Turkey can be completed efficiently when the transaction is properly structured, and the decisive factor is that the legal and municipal checks are carried out before substantial funds are committed rather than at the title deed appointment.
Turkish law does not require a foreign purchaser to appoint a lawyer for an ordinary purchase. The land registry procedure records ownership and encumbrances, and it does not assess whether a deposit is adequately protected, whether an apartment contains unauthorised alterations or whether a property is suitable for citizenship purposes. Those questions fall outside the registry’s function and remain with the purchaser.
This article provides general information on Turkish law and practice as at August 2026 and does not constitute legal or tax advice in relation to a specific transaction.
