Buying property in Türkiye as a foreigner: step by step

Buying a home in Türkiye as a foreigner is an administrative process run by the land registry, not a private notary deal. The authority is the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre (TKGM), which runs the local land registry offices (tapu müdürlüğü). The title deed itself is called the tapu. Below is the order of steps as TKGM's foreign-investor portal, Your Key Türkiye, describes it, checked on 19 October 2026.

Before you start: can you buy this property?

Three checks come before any payment:

• Your nationality. Only citizens of countries named by presidential decision can buy. The list is not published, but any land registry office can confirm your nationality. See which nationalities can buy and where.
• Size limits. One foreign individual may own at most 30 hectares in the whole country, and foreign ownership may not exceed 10 percent of a district's privately ownable area.
• Military and security zones. TKGM says the military zone data has been entered into the land register in all 81 provinces, so the land registry checks the title record itself and no separate request to the military is needed. Property inside a "special security zone" needs permission from the provincial governor (valilik).

If you buy land without a building (a plot or field), you must submit a development project to the relevant ministry within two years. If you do not, the land becomes subject to liquidation.

The purchase step by step

1. Agree the deal and check the title. Agree the price with the seller and ask a lawyer to check the title record for mortgages, seizures (haciz), annotations and the type of title. A unit with full condominium title (kat mülkiyeti) is different from one with only construction servitude (kat irtifakı); for unfinished buildings read off-plan property risks. If an agent is involved, check the agent's authorisation certificate first.
2. Get your identity numbers ready. Since 20 August 2019 every foreigner in a land registry transaction needs a foreign identity number (YKN, starting with 9). If you do not have one, the land registry office applies for it directly with the migration authority. TKGM's document list says the transaction can continue with a Turkish tax number if no answer comes from the migration system. The Revenue Administration (GİB) offers an online "potential tax ID number" application for foreigners on its Digital Tax Office.
3. Decide whether you need a valuation report. According to TKGM's portal, the valuation report requirement for ordinary purchases by foreign individuals has been abolished. If you are buying for citizenship, an amount determination certificate (TTB) based on a valuation report is required. See valuation report explained.
4. Convert the price at a Turkish bank. For purchases by foreign individuals, the price in US dollars or another foreign currency must be sold to a bank, which issues a foreign-currency purchase certificate (döviz alım belgesi, DAB). The bank sends the DAB to the land registry office through registered electronic mail (KEP). You cannot bring it by hand. The Turkish lira amount on the DAB is the sale price written in the deed. TKGM says no general exemption exists: long-term residence permit holders and foreigners married to Turkish citizens also need a DAB.
5. Apply to the land registry. You or the seller apply with the documents listed below, at the office or online through Web Tapu. Since 1 January 2020 a sale can be processed at a land registry office other than the one where the property is, and TKGM's Berlin representation at the Consulate General also handles transactions. If something is missing, the office tells you by SMS.
6. Pay the fees. Once the file is complete, the office sends the title deed fee (tapu harcı) and the revolving-fund fee (döner sermaye) by SMS. See purchase costs explained.
7. Sign at the appointment. After payment, the office prepares the official deed (resmi senet) and sends the signing time by SMS. A party who does not speak Turkish must bring a sworn interpreter: see sworn translator at the title deed office.
8. Receive the tapu. After both sides sign, the title deed is handed to the buyer or the buyer's representative.

Documents the land registry asks for

TKGM's Your Key Türkiye portal lists these for a foreign individual's purchase:

• the property's title deed or title details;
• passport or national identity card showing nationality, with a Turkish translation where needed (TKGM's FAQ says a translation is required if the document is not in the Latin alphabet);
• the identity information declaration form (Kimlik Bilgileri Beyan Formu) with a photo taken within the last six months, 6 x 4 cm;
• the municipality's property value certificate (emlak rayiç değeri belgesi); TKGM notes some municipalities no longer require it and that the value can sometimes be seen online during the Web Tapu application;
• a compulsory earthquake insurance policy for buildings (homes, shops and similar);
• the bank-confirmed payment receipt and the DAB sent by the bank;
• a sworn interpreter if a party does not speak Turkish;
• if someone represents you, the power of attorney. A power of attorney made abroad must meet TKGM's rules: see power of attorney from abroad;
• for citizenship purchases only, the TTB sent electronically by the valuation firm.

Since 5 September 2026, according to the Natural Disaster Insurance Institution (DASK), the seller's earthquake policy ends on the day the sale is registered. The buyer must take out a policy in their own name before the transaction, and the land registry checks for it.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Paying a large deposit to a seller or agent before you have seen the title record and checked the agent's authorisation.
• Signing a document you have not had translated. The deed is in Turkish, so get a translation before the signing day.
• Sending a power of attorney from abroad that does not meet TKGM's form rules (photo, seal, apostille or consular legalisation). The office will reject it, and you may have to start again.
• Assuming that buying gives you residence or citizenship automatically. Those are separate applications with their own conditions: see residence permit for property owners and citizenship by property investment.

Where to ask

For questions about foreigners' transactions, TKGM's foreign affairs department gives the e-mail address [email protected] on its FAQ page, and Your Key Türkiye has information in six languages. For the legal review of a specific property, use an independent lawyer. More guides are in our buying process section.

How we can help

We are a sworn translation office in Gaziantep, not a real-estate agency or law firm. We translate passports, powers of attorney and other documents into Turkish, can explain the notarisation steps, and can help you arrange interpreting for the signing at the land registry. The interpreter must be authorised by a court justice commission, as TKGM requires.