The buying process for foreign buyers in Türkiye

Buying a home in Türkiye as a foreign national is a well-trodden path, but it follows its own sequence: eligibility checks, a Turkish tax number, a licensed valuation report, a contract in the right legal form and, finally, signature at the land registry. This guide walks through each stage in the order it usually happens, with the rules we could confirm from official sources as of 30 September 2026.

Before you start: can you buy, and where?

The legal basis for property acquisition by foreigners is Article 35 of the Land Registry Law (Tapu Kanunu No. 2644), in the wording introduced by Law No. 6302 on 3 May 2012. It allows foreign natural persons who are citizens of countries determined by the President — with regard to bilateral relations and the country’s interests — to acquire real estate and limited real rights in Türkiye, provided they respect the legal limits. In practice, this means your nationality is the first thing to check. The eligible countries are decided by the state, not by the seller or the agent, so ask your lawyer to confirm the current position for your passport before you commit to anything.

Article 35 also sets two area limits. The total area acquired by foreign natural persons may not exceed 10% of the area open to private ownership in a district, and no single foreign person may hold more than 30 hectares across the whole country; the President may increase the per-person figure up to twice that amount. For someone buying an apartment or a villa these limits are rarely an obstacle, but the district-level cap is the reason a transaction can occasionally be refused in a district where foreign ownership has reached the limit.

Location matters for another reason. According to the investment guide of the Presidency’s Investment Office, foreigners cannot acquire property in prohibited military zones or military security zones, and may acquire property in special security zones only with the permission of the governor’s office. These checks are part of the land registry process rather than something you apply for yourself, but they can affect timing in some areas.

Finally, if you are buying land without a building on it, Article 35 requires foreign natural persons to submit the project they will develop to the relevant Ministry within two years. The approved project is then noted on the title register. This is an important obligation for plot buyers and should be planned before purchase, not after.

• Nationality Eligibility depends on whether your country is among those designated by the President under Article 35. Check it first.
• Location Prohibited military and military security zones are closed to foreign buyers; special security zones need the governor’s permission.
• Area limits 30 hectares per person nationwide and 10% of a district’s private-ownership area for all foreign natural persons combined.
• Undeveloped land A plot bought without a building needs a development project submitted to the relevant Ministry within two years.

• 30 ha maximum per foreign person nationwide (Law 2644, Art. 35, wording of 2012)
• 10% of a district’s private-ownership area: cap for foreign natural persons (Law 2644, Art. 35)
• 2% + 2% title deed fee, charged separately to buyer and seller (GİB guidance, consulted 30 September 2026)
• 14 days withdrawal right in a pre-paid (off-plan) housing sale to a consumer (Law 6502, Art. 43)

The buying process step by step

Every purchase is different, but most transactions by foreign buyers follow the order below. Some steps run in parallel — the valuation report and the DASK policy, for example, can be arranged while the land registry application is being prepared.

1. Define the brief A year-round home, a holiday home and a rental property lead to different districts, buildings and budgets. If you are thinking about residence or citizenship, say so at the start, because the value thresholds shape the shortlist.
2. Shortlist and view Visit in person or by video. Our inspection trip guide explains how a viewing visit with our team usually runs, and you can browse current homes on our listings page.
3. Obtain a tax number Apply for a potential tax identification number online through the Digital Tax Office or at a tax office. The tax number is recorded on the official deed of sale.
4. Open a bank account and plan the payment A Turkish bank account keeps the money trail clear and is often needed for later steps such as utility contracts. Each bank sets its own documentation requirements for non-residents.
5. Reserve the property A reservation form or deposit agreement takes the property off the market for an agreed period. It does not transfer ownership, so read the refund and forfeiture terms carefully.
6. Legal due diligence Have an independent lawyer review a current land registry record: owner, share, mortgages, liens, annotations, easements and the registered use — and, for new builds, the building permit and the condominium status.
7. Sign the right contract For a resale, the parties usually go straight to the land registry. For an off-plan purchase, a promise to sell must be made in official form before a notary to be valid.
8. Valuation report and DASK Order the valuation report from a licensed company and make sure a valid compulsory earthquake insurance policy exists for the property on the transaction date.
9. Land registry application and appointment The application is made to the land registry together with the owner, using the TKGM online appointment system or the ALO 181 call centre. Fees are paid before signing.
10. Signing and registration Buyer and seller (or their attorneys) sign the official deed before the land registry officer, with a sworn interpreter if a party does not speak Turkish. Ownership passes on registration.
11. After completion Transfer utilities, register with building management, keep the full transaction file and, if relevant, start your residence or citizenship application.

Tax number and bank account

The Revenue Administration (GİB) runs an online “potential tax number application for foreigners” on its Digital Tax Office. The form asks for your name, foreign identity number if you have one, place of birth, parents’ names, country of residence, passport number, mobile number and address. The tax number is usually one of the first things we arrange, because almost everything that follows depends on it: the bank account, the valuation report order, the insurance policy and the deed itself. Article 26 of the Land Registry Law requires the tax identification numbers of the parties to be recorded on the official deed alongside their identity details.

In practice a Turkish bank account is the cleanest way to pay the price, and it is usually needed afterwards for direct debits of utilities, management fees and property tax. Pay by bank transfer to an account in the seller’s or developer’s name, keep every receipt, and make sure the amounts and dates can be matched to the contract. If you plan to apply for citizenship, the payment and currency rules are stricter; read our Turkish citizenship page before any money moves.

The mandatory valuation report

The current rules on valuation reports in acquisitions by foreigners are set out in TKGM Circular No. 2024/2, dated 1 March 2024 and in force since 4 March 2024, which refers back to the earlier Circular 2019/1. Under the 2024 circular, a real estate valuation report is mandatory for the listed transactions in which foreign natural persons are the buyers, and the report may be prepared by any valuation company licensed by the Capital Markets Board (SPK). For the exceptional acquisition of Turkish citizenship through a sale or a promise to sell, the circular reserves the valuation to GEDAŞ, the company designated for that purpose.

The valuation report is not just a formality. It gives you an independent view of the property’s value, it is part of the file the land registry reviews, and for residence and citizenship applications the documented value becomes important. Order it from a licensed firm, check that the address, block and parcel in the report match the title record, and read any notes the valuer makes on legal status and irregularities.

Contracts: reservation, off-plan and resale

Turkish law is strict about the form of property contracts. Under Article 237 of the Turkish Code of Obligations (Law No. 6098), a sale of real estate is only valid if the contract is made in official form, and a promise to sell real estate is also invalid unless it is made in official form. The sale itself is signed as an official deed at the land registry, while a promise to sell is drawn up before a notary. A privately signed “sales contract” is therefore not the document that makes you the owner, however detailed it is.

Buying off-plan

When you buy a home that is under construction and pay in advance or in instalments, the Consumer Protection Law (Law No. 6502, Articles 40–46) governs “pre-paid housing sales” where the buyer is a consumer. Whether a particular foreign buyer counts as a consumer depends on the facts, so ask your lawyer, but the main protections are worth knowing:

• A pre-contract information form must be given at least one day before the contract is signed (Art. 40).
• No pre-paid housing sale contract may be made before a building permit has been issued (Art. 40).
• The sale must be registered at the land registry, and a promise to sell must be drawn up before a notary (Art. 41).
• The seller may not ask for any payment under any name before a valid contract exists (Art. 41).
• The buyer may withdraw within 14 days without giving a reason and without penalty (Art. 43).
• The home must be delivered within the promised period, and in any case within 48 months of the contract date (Art. 44, as amended on 24 March 2022).
• For projects above a size set by the Ministry, the seller must have building completion insurance or other guarantees before selling (Art. 42).

Article 45 also gives the consumer a right to terminate a pre-paid housing contract within 24 months of the contract date without giving a reason. In that case the seller may claim the taxes and charges arising from the sale or promise, plus compensation of up to 2% of the contract price in the first three months, up to 4% between three and six months, up to 6% between six and twelve months and up to 8% between twelve and twenty-four months. If the seller has not performed its obligations properly, it may not claim anything.

Buying a resale home

With a completed resale property, the reservation agreement is usually followed directly by the land registry application. The key checks are ownership and authority to sell, any mortgage that must be released at completion, unpaid management fees or utility debts, the occupancy permit, and whether the property is let. Agree in writing how the seller’s mortgage will be discharged and what happens to your deposit if the transfer cannot be completed for a reason on the seller’s side.

The land registry: application, appointment and signing

The transfer itself happens at the land registry directorate (tapu müdürlüğü) of the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre (TKGM). According to the Investment Office guide, a buyer applies together with the owner of the property, and appointments can be booked through TKGM’s online appointment system or by calling the ALO 181 call centre. TKGM also runs the Web Tapu online platform for land registry applications. Once the file is complete and the fees have been paid, the parties sign at the appointment.

At the appointment the officer checks identities, reads the deed and takes the parties’ signatures. Under Article 24 of the Land Registry Regulation (Tapu Sicili Tüzüğü, Official Gazette No. 28738 of 17 August 2013), a sworn interpreter must be present if one or more parties do not speak Turkish. The interpreter must submit the record of the oath taken before a court, also signs the deed, and cannot be a member of staff of the directorate handling the transaction. Two witnesses are required in certain cases, for example when a party cannot sign or there is doubt about someone’s identity.

You do not have to attend in person. A power of attorney for a named representative allows your lawyer or another trusted person to sign on your behalf; make sure its wording covers purchase, payment of fees and receipt of the deed. Since an amendment of 4 July 2019 (Law No. 7181), Article 26 of the Land Registry Law also allows the parties’ declarations to be taken separately by officials where the parties are at different land registry directorates or at an office abroad, so a transfer can be completed without everyone being in the same room.

• Appointment Booked through TKGM’s online appointment system or the ALO 181 call centre once the file and fees are ready.
• Sworn interpreter Required at signing if a party does not speak Turkish (Land Registry Regulation, Art. 24).
• Power of attorney Lets a named representative sign for you. Check its scope before it is issued.
• Registration Ownership passes when the transfer is entered in the land register, not when a contract is signed or the price is paid.
• Title deed fee 20 per thousand from the buyer and separately from the seller, on the real declared price but not below the property-tax value (GİB guidance, consulted 30 September 2026).

Documents to prepare

The Investment Office guide lists the documents typically needed for a title deed transfer by a foreign buyer. Your lawyer or our legal department will confirm the exact list for your file, but prepare the following:

DASK, utilities and after completion

Compulsory earthquake insurance is governed by the Disaster Insurance Law (Law No. 6305, Official Gazette of 18 May 2012) and provided through the Natural Disaster Insurance Institution (DASK). Under Article 11 of that law, land registry directorates may not carry out registration transactions for buildings and units subject to this insurance unless it is documented that the insurance has been taken out and is valid on the transaction date. The same article requires the existence of the insurance to be checked when water and electricity subscriptions are opened. Keep the policy number with your property papers and renew it on time.

After registration the practical tasks begin: transferring electricity, water and gas subscriptions into your name, registering with the building or site management, arranging separate home insurance for contents and other risks if you want it, and setting up payment for management charges and local property tax. Keep the deed, the valuation report, the payment receipts, the DASK policy and the contract together — you will need them for residence, citizenship, resale and tax purposes. For a fuller view of what to budget, see our guide to the costs of buying.

Residence permit and citizenship

A residence permit is not a precondition for buying property. Once you own a home, however, it can support an application for a short-term residence permit. According to the document list of the Presidency of Migration Management’s e-İkamet system (consulted on 30 September 2026), the home must have been worth at least the Turkish lira equivalent of USD 200,000 at the date of acquisition, it must be a dwelling, and it must be used by the foreigner for that purpose — it may not be used for rent or similar income. Where family members own the home in shares or jointly, it can give those family members a right to apply as well. First applications also require an address numbering document (numarataj) from the municipality, and extension applications a document showing that the title is still held.

Turkish citizenship through real estate is a separate route with a higher threshold. According to the Investment Office, a foreigner who acquires property worth at least USD 400,000, with an annotation on the title register that it will not be sold for three years, may apply for Turkish citizenship. The valuation, payment and currency rules are specific to this route, and each decision rests with the authorities; we do not promise an outcome. Our legal team handles residence and citizenship processes for clients, and our Turkish citizenship page explains the route in more detail.

A realistic timeline

How long a purchase takes depends mostly on the buyer and the property, not on the land registry. The stages below are the ones that set the pace; none of them should be rushed, and we do not quote fixed durations because they vary from file to file.

• Choosing the property: the longest and most variable phase, from the first call to the reservation
• Tax number and bank account: usually arranged early, in parallel with viewings
• Legal due diligence: depends on how complete the seller’s or developer’s documents are
• Valuation report and DASK: ordered once the property and price are agreed
• Land registry: application, fee payment and the signing appointment
• Off-plan homes: title and handover follow the construction schedule written into the contract

Things that commonly slow a transaction are missing seller documents, a mortgage that has to be released, a mismatch between the registered and actual use of the unit, a missing occupancy permit, a power of attorney that still has to be issued, and — for citizenship files — the additional checks that route involves. Plan your travel around the signing appointment rather than the other way round.

What to avoid

• Paying most of the price on a private, unnotarised agreement
• Declaring a lower price at the land registry than was actually paid — GİB warns that under-paid fees are collected from both buyer and seller with a tax-loss penalty
• Relying on the seller’s summary instead of a current land registry record
• Assuming that buying a home automatically gives residence or citizenship

Frequently asked questions

If you would like to talk through your plans, our team can explain each step in your language and prepare a shortlist that fits your budget. Contact us — our head office in Levent, İstanbul is open Monday to Saturday, 09:00–19:00.

Sources

• Land Registry Law No. 2644 (Tapu Kanunu) — Art. 35 eligibility, 30-hectare and 10% limits, two-year project rule; Art. 26 tax numbers on the deed and separate declarations (Law 7181, 2019) (accessed 30 September 2026)
• Turkish Code of Obligations No. 6098 — Art. 237, official form for sale and promise to sell (accessed 30 September 2026)
• Consumer Protection Law No. 6502 — Arts. 40–46, pre-paid housing sales, 14-day withdrawal, 48-month delivery, 24-month termination (accessed 30 September 2026)
• Disaster Insurance Law No. 6305 — Art. 11, DASK required for land registry transactions and utility subscriptions (accessed 30 September 2026)
• Land Registry Regulation (Tapu Sicili Tüzüğü), Official Gazette 28738 of 17 August 2013 — Art. 24, sworn interpreter and witnesses (accessed 30 September 2026)
• TKGM Circular 2024/2 of 1 March 2024, via a legal database (the TKGM copy could not be opened) — valuation reports for foreign buyers, SPK-licensed firms, GEDAŞ for citizenship (accessed 30 September 2026)
• Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye Investment Office — acquiring property and citizenship: military zones, documents, appointments, USD 400,000 citizenship threshold (accessed 30 September 2026)
• Presidency of Migration Management, e-İkamet — documents for short-term residence permits, USD 200,000 property value rule (accessed 30 September 2026)
• Presidency of Migration Management, e-İkamet — explanations on residence based on property ownership and family members (accessed 30 September 2026)
• Revenue Administration (GİB) — title deed fee in property sales: 20 per thousand from each party, property-tax value floor, penalties for under-declaration (accessed 30 September 2026)
• Revenue Administration (GİB) Digital Tax Office — potential tax number application for foreigners (accessed 30 September 2026)