Purchase procedure

The procedure of buying property in Turkey

Foreigners may purchase land and property in Turkey in their own names provided that properties are located in towns (the property must be situated within the boundaries of a municipality), not in villages or rural areas and outside of military zones.

In order to acquire the title of a property, an application has to be sent to the local Land Registry Office where the property is situated.

After doing necessary research for the above mentioned requirements, the transfer of the title is done by the Land Registry Office. In Turkey, it is legally compulsory for both sides (the seller and the buyer) to be present at the entry in the property register.

During the transaction, the documents concerning the transfer of the purchase price into Turkey must be presented to the Land Registry Office.

Here you will find all information about the buying procedure for a property in Turkey

Under § 2644 Turkish Land Registry Law, a foreigner may acquire land in Turkey. This is based on the principle of mutuality. This means that members of nations, where Turks are allowed to aquire land have the possibility to purchase land in Turkey under the same conditions.

Other than for instance in Germany, here in Turkey for example, the property transfer takes place only in the official Government TAPU office (Land Registry). A notary in Turkey is not entitled to make such legal purchase actions.

A sale to a foreigner takes for the title deed transaction about 3 months time. The local Land Registry Office will obtain from the regional military administration the written confirmation that the property is not located in the military or historical areas. This is a pure formality. Once the answer is present, the transfer takes place within a day. A certified interpreter must be present here.

Purchase contract

When you make your decision to buy your dream property in Alanya it is the turn to close the deal with a contract. In this Agreement we will write all the details about the buyer, the seller, the property, the purchase price, payment terms and other agreements in the contract. With this purchase contract the deposit must be paid, which can be varying from property to property.

After the contract we will apply in your name for all the necessary documents at the Land Registry. After we got the written confirmation of the military authorities, the tapu can be transferred on your name.

The Turkish law requires that a state- certified interpreter must be present at the Land Registry that gives you all the details of the basic book translated in your language and answer your questions. Then you will get the tapu in your name and you are the rightful owner of your property in Turkey.

Before transferring the tapu on your name all taxes and tapu costs have to be paid. The real estate taxes and the transferring costs are 4% of the current market value.

For a property purchase in Turkey the following documents are required:

For the buyer

  • 2 recent passport photographs
  • 2 copies of passport (passport must be valid)
  • current home address
  • Father Name
  • Turkish tax number

For the seller

  • 1 recent passport photograph
  • 2 passport copies
  • current address
  • Turkish tax number
Power of attorney

To spare you running around at the Turkish authorities, you can authorize Riviera Invest with a notary power of attorney to complete all applications for tapu, water, electricity, telephone, internet, living Authorization (Iskan) on your name.

Turkish tax number

The Turkish tax number is to apply to the local tax office in Turkey. You will need the Turkish tax number for opening a bank account, the tapu transfer and in all official matters.
To apply for the Turkish tax number your original passport, a passport copy, father and mother name, address and phone number in Turkey are required.