How to Buy Real Estate in Turkey

Short answer: in Turkey, property transfers happen at the land registry office, not at a notary's office, and one detail in the title deed decides everything — whether the property has kat mülkiyeti (completed building, full ownership of the unit) or only kat irtifakı (building formally incomplete). As a foreigner, you face a mandatory appraisal, mandatory currency exchange through the central bank, and mandatory earthquake insurance. The transfer fee is 2% from the buyer and 2% from the seller.

Turkey is today the largest market you'll find on AssetLog — and at the same time a country where what you actually buy is determined by a single line on a piece of paper. The good news is that the Turkish state has significantly tightened this process in the buyer's favour over the past few years: the mandatory appraisal, mandatory currency exchange, and fees calculated on the real price together eliminated most of the practices that used to catch foreigners out.

1. Who is Allowed to Buy

A foreigner can buy in Turkey, but with limits unlike Spain. The Land Registry Law No. 2644 (Article 35) sets:

• A maximum of 30 hectares per natural person across all of Turkey.
• A maximum of 10% of the area of privately owned land in any one district for all foreigners combined.
• Military prohibited and security zones — acquisition requires consent from the relevant military command. Maps and coordinates of these zones are sent to the land registry by the Ministry of Defence.

You won't hit these limits with a flat in Antalya or Istanbul. With a plot or rural house, you might find that the district quota is exhausted or the location falls within a zone — and you'll only discover this when you apply. The land registry office (Tapu Müdürlüğü) verifies this, not the seller.

The reciprocity requirement has not applied since 2012, when Law No. 6302 abolished it; it's determined by a list of countries whose citizens are allowed to buy, and the Czech Republic and Slovakia are on it.

2. What to Arrange Beforehand

• Turkish tax number (vergi numarası). Without it, you can't open an account or pay fees.
• Bank account with a Turkish bank. You need it for the mandatory currency exchange (Chapter 7) and later for collections.
• Interpreter. If you don't speak Turkish, a sworn interpreter must be present at the signature at the land registry. It's not a recommendation, it's an official requirement.
• Your own lawyer. In Turkey especially, a lawyer paid by the developer is not your lawyer.

3. How Much You'll Pay Above the Price

The transfer fee is according to Turkish tax authority 20 per mille, that is 2%, collected separately from the buyer and separately from the seller — 4% total of the price. The basis is the declared actual transfer price, and if it is lower than the property value for property tax, the fee is calculated from the higher amount.

The tax authority adds an explicit warning: both buyer and seller must declare the actual purchase price, or they risk reassessment with penalties. Historically in Turkey, a lower amount was commonly declared to save on fees. For foreigners, this no longer makes sense for two reasons: there's a risk of reassessment with penalties, and since 2022 the amount from the currency exchange certificate is written into the tapu anyway (Chapter 7).

New build from developer: VAT (KDV)

The table above applies to transfers between owners. A first sale by a developer is also subject to value-added tax (KDV) — depending on flat size and building permit date, 1%, 10%, or 20%. A foreigner who does not reside in Turkey has under Article 13/i of VAT Law No. 3065 the right to exemption if it is a first sale, the price is paid in foreign currency brought from abroad, and the property is not sold within three years — otherwise tax is reassessed with interest (before 1 May 2022 the period was one year). A note about it will be entered in the title deed. Get the exemption documented before signing: without it, VAT is the biggest item in your entire budget.

4. How to Verify What You're Actually Buying

The Turkish title deed is called tapu senedi. Read two things in it.

Who is the owner

It must match the person selling you the property. With new construction, this is usually a developer company — then verify that the person signing is authorised to bind the company.

Kat mülkiyeti or kat irtifakı? This is the essential question

Condominium Law No. 634 distinguishes:

• Kat mülkiyeti — ownership right to an independent unit. The building stands, is completed, the unit is a fully-fledged piece of property.
• Kat irtifakı — a real right established on land for independent units of a building that is yet to be built or is under construction, and which is to later be converted to kat mülkiyeti.

Conversion from kat irtifakı to kat mülkiyeti occurs by legal duty once the building receives a use permit — yapı kullanma izin belgesi, colloquially iskan — and this is sent from the authority to the registry.

Practical consequence: when you see kat irtifakı in the tapu, you are buying a unit in a building that is formally incomplete. This may be a normal phase of a project under construction, but it can also be a building that has stood for years and won't get a use permit because it was built differently than permitted. Without iskan, it's also difficult to transfer permanent water and electricity connections to your own name.

Always ask: does the building have iskan? And if not, why not and when will it? Have the answer documented, not just told to you.

5. Five Local Pitfalls

1. Kat irtifakı with no prospect of iskan. See above. The most expensive mistake you can make in Turkey.

2. An appraisal nobody reads. Since 4 March 2019, all transfers where a foreigner is on one side have a mandatory appraisal of market value, prepared by an appraiser licensed by the Capital Markets Board (SPK) and according to the land registry valid for three months. The purpose of the regulation was to prevent overpricing to foreigners. So it's an independent figure you get by law — read it, don't just tick it off.

3. Missing DASK. Mandatory earthquake insurance follows from Law No. 6305; the owner is responsible for it, and its existence and validity are checked during land registry transfer as well as when setting up water and electricity connections and for mortgages (DASK). When ownership changes, a transfer rider to the policy is made, which is submitted to the registry.

4. An under-construction project with no safeguards. Turkey does not have a blanket escrow regime for private developers like Dubai does. With a project under construction, it's key what exactly is in the payment schedule contract, what happens in case of delay, and when the tapu is transferred.

5. A seller promising citizenship. The threshold is $400,000 USD (Chapter 9) and the property will get a three-year ban on sale in the registry. This is not a detail — for three years you cannot dispose of it.

6. How the Transaction Works

1. Reservation and contract. With new construction, a contract with the developer; with an older property, a purchase agreement. Note: the contract itself does not transfer ownership.
2. Appraisal. An appraiser is ordered from SPK, valid for three months.
3. Application at the land registry. The office verifies foreigner limits and zone.
4. Currency exchange and fee. Currency is sold through the bank, you get döviz alım belgesi, the transfer fee is paid.
5. Signature at the registry. Both parties, interpreter, and ownership transfers by entry in the registry — at that moment, not before.

Difference from Spain (and Czechia is similar to Turkey in this: the registry entry decides): in Turkey the notary is not the central figure in the transfer. The notary verifies powers of attorney and pre-contractual agreements; the transfer itself is done by the land registry office.

7. Money: Mandatory Currency Exchange

This is a rule that most older guides don't know about.

From 24 January 2022, when a foreigner acquires property by purchase, they must first sell the currency through a bank to the Turkish central bank and submit to the land registry a certificate of currency purchase (döviz alım belgesi). This follows from the central bank's circular on capital movement, and the land registry issued separate clarification.

The certificate must contain the name of the person for whom the exchange is done, passport number or foreign ID number, the property number, and the dollar equivalent of the exchanged amount.

And here's what matters: the amount from the certificate is reflected in the official deed as the value on which the fee is calculated. In other words — the price in the tapu corresponds to what you actually sent. The practice of "we'll write less in the tapu" for foreigners no longer works, and that's good: the value in the tapu is also your acquisition price for any future sale. Anyone who once had a lower amount written down will pay more on the sale tax on the profit within five years of acquisition.

Practical consequences for you:

• The price in the tapu and the transfer fee depend on the amount actually exchanged through the bank; calculate your budget based on it, not the advertised price in euros or dollars.
• Conduct the exchange and payment through your own account, not through an intermediary's.
• Prepare documents on the origin of funds beforehand.

8. After Purchase

• Property tax (emlak vergisi) — municipal, paid annually in two instalments.
• DASK — renewed every year.
• Aidat — facility fee. With large complexes with pools, security, and gyms it's a real monthly item, not small change.
• Utilities — transfer of water and electricity to your own name; with a building without iskan you'll hit a wall here.
• Rental income — rental income in Turkey is taxed and non-residents have an obligation to file a return.

9. Citizenship and Residence

Unlike Spain, Turkey still has the programme, but the threshold rose in 2022 and older articles have the wrong figure.

According to Article 20 of the Regulation on Turkish Citizenship it concerns property worth at least 400,000 US dollars (or equivalent in foreign currency), on which kat mülkiyeti or kat irtifakı is established, or land with a building, provided that a ban on sale for three years is registered with the land registry. Alternatively, it can be a notarially executed future sale agreement with the full amount paid upfront and a three-year commitment not to transfer, registered in the land registry.

A note is entered in the title deed that the property is subject to a commitment not to sell it within three years of acquisition. The regulation text and implementation guidelines are published by the land registry.

Anyone offering you citizenship for $250,000 USD is working with wording that stopped applying in June 2022.

10. Let Your Offer Find You Even Through AI

The Turkish market is hard for foreigners to navigate mainly because of language: most listings are in Turkish, prices are in dollars, lira, and euros, and localities have different names than you search for.

That's exactly why it makes sense to let AI do the initial selection. But an answer only comes from what AI has access to — and most real estate portals block crawlers.

AssetLog (assetlog.ai) is an open platform: listings are structured, robots.txt allows AI crawlers, and you can connect directly via https://api.assetlog.ai/mcp as a tool in ChatGPT or Claude. Then you can ask in your native language — about budget, distance from the sea, and type of property.

Summary

In Turkey you don't buy at a notary's, but at the land registry, and ownership transfers only by entry. First read whether the property has kat mülkiyeti or kat irtifakı — and if the latter, ask about iskan and have the answer documented. Don't treat the mandatory appraisal as just paperwork; it's the only independent figure in the whole transaction. Count on a 2% transfer fee, with new construction on VAT (if you qualify for the foreigner exemption), on DASK, and on the money going through mandatory exchange via the central bank — and on the actual paid amount appearing in the tapu. That ultimately works in your favour: the value in the tapu is your acquisition price when you eventually sell.

Rates, thresholds, and deadlines verified as of 6 September 2026 against primary sources cited in the text (Tapu ve Kadastro Genel Müdürlüğü, Gelir İdaresi Başkanlığı, DASK, mevzuat.gov.tr). The citizenship threshold and foreigner rules in Turkey change more often than elsewhere — have them confirmed by your own lawyer before signing. This text is an informational guide, not legal or tax advice.

Can a foreigner buy property in Turkey?

Yes, with limits. Under Land Registry Law No. 2644, no one foreigner may own more than 30 hectares total in Turkey, and foreigners combined must not hold more than 10% of privately owned land area in any one district. Additionally, there are military prohibited and security zones where acquisition requires consent. With a typical flat in Antalya or Istanbul you won't hit these limits, but with a rural plot you easily might.

What's the difference between kat mülkiyeti and kat irtifakı?

It's the most important distinction in the Turkish land registry. Kat mülkiyeti is full ownership of an independent unit in a completed building. Kat irtifakı is only a real right to land for a unit in a building still being built or under construction, which is to later convert to kat mülkiyeti. That conversion happens by law once the building gets a use permit (yapı kullanma izin belgesi, colloquially iskan). When you see kat irtifakı in the title deed, you're buying a flat in a building that is formally incomplete.

Do I need an appraisal?

Yes. Since 4 March 2019, all transfers where a foreigner is the buyer or seller require a mandatory appraisal of market value. It's prepared by an appraiser licensed by the Capital Markets Board (SPK) and is valid for three months from preparation. It's not a formality or a trap — it's the only independent figure you get in the whole transaction.

Can I pay for the property in euros or dollars?

Not directly to the seller. From 24 January 2022, a foreigner must first sell the currency through a Turkish bank to the Turkish central bank and submit a certificate of currency purchase (döviz alım belgesi) to the land registry. The key point is that the amount from this certificate is reflected in the official deed as the value on which the transfer fee is calculated. Practically, the price in the tapu equals what you actually paid.

How much is paid for the transfer?

The transfer fee (tapu harcı) is according to the Turkish tax authority 20 per mille, that is 2%, and is collected separately from the buyer and separately from the seller — 4% total of the price. The basis is the declared actual transfer price; if it's lower than the property tax value, the fee is calculated from the higher amount. The tax authority explicitly warns that the actual price must be declared, or reassessment with penalties will follow.

Do I pay VAT on a new build in Turkey?

Yes. A first sale by a developer is subject to value-added tax (KDV), which depending on flat size and building permit date is 1%, 10%, or 20%. A foreigner who does not reside in Turkey has under Article 13/i of VAT Law No. 3065 the right to exemption: it must be a first sale, the price paid in foreign currency brought from abroad, and the property must not be sold within three years, or the tax is reassessed with interest. Have the exemption documented before signing, not after — without it, VAT is the biggest item in your budget.

What is DASK and is it mandatory?

DASK is mandatory earthquake insurance under Law No. 6305 on catastrophe insurance. The owner is responsible for arranging it, and its existence and validity are checked during land registry transfers, utility connections, and for mortgages. In a country with Turkey's seismic activity, it's not red tape but the minimum the state requires.

Can I get Turkish citizenship by buying property?

Under certain conditions, yes, but the threshold is higher than most older articles state. Under Article 20 of the Regulation on Turkish Citizenship, it concerns property worth at least $400,000 USD, on which kat mülkiyeti or kat irtifakı is established, and a three-year ban on sale is registered with the land registry. Anyone reading about $250,000 USD is reading text older than June 2022.