Buying a property in Turkey: The Ultimate Guide 2023

If you are thinking of Buying a property in Turkey, then this article will provide you with a step by step guide to help make your decision easier.

Turkey is a great choice for foreign buyers looking to buy property for investment or living. The country’s excellent location with easy access to trade routes in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, as well as being close to exciting cultural destinations such as Istanbul or Ankara is a huge attractor for investors.

Tips for Buying a property in Turkey

• Homes in Turkey must meet three requirements: a “tapu,” which is a title deed, a “imar,” which is a building license, and a “iskan,” which is a habitation certificate.
• You should only buy an apartment in Turkey if it has these 3 requirements above.
• It is necessary to confirm that the house to be purchased is not within the borders of the military security zone
• It is strongly advised that you communicate with the Land Registry Office, Tapu Dairesi in Turkish, to confirm that the property you are considering buying is legal and that the deed does not have any outstanding fines or debts, such as a “ipotek,” which is a lien on the property.
• It should be learned whether the house to be purchased has a situation that prevents the sale, such as a mortgage or foreclosure
• To obtain a “iskan,” or certificate of habitability, the home must be fit for habitation and built in accordance with building codes and earthquake regulations.
• With a mortgage, property ownership can be established by checking the box on the deed for “kat mülkiyeti,” which means property ownership, as opposed to “kat irtifak,” which describes an unoccupied building.
• To indicate the condition of title deeds in Turkey, the title deed has either blue or red borders.
•  On deeds with blue borders, the land itself denotes a land lot or land parcel with a detached home, whereas for those with red borders, the land parcels are referred to as “sites.” 
• Keep in mind that in most cases, homeowners are required to pay a common monthly maintenance fee when purchasing homes with red-bordered deeds.
• You can get a mortgage from Turkish banks to buy an apartment or land if you are qualified.
• If one of the parties does not speak Turkish, it is obligatory to carry out the transactions with a sworn translator.
• The title deed fee to be paid in house purchases is paid by the buyer and the real estate owner.
• Seek legal advice from an independent lawyer If you intend to invest a large sum on money.

Requirements for buying a property in Turkey

Foreigners and others who want to buy property in Turkey must meet a number of requirements.

• To begin, an Energy Performance Certificate (in Turkish Enerji Kimlik Belgesi) is required, which classifies the energy efficiency of the building.
• This is a new requirement for house sales and purchases that went into effect at the beginning of the year.
• In order to receive necessities such as electricity and water, you will also need to enroll in mandatory earthquake insurance (abbreviated DASK in Turkish).

Documents Required for Buying a property in Turkey

In the purchase process, you will need the following documents to buy a Turkish property:

• Turkey residency permit Card or passport. (Translation of these documents can be requested if necessary.)
• Tax number
• Real estate deed
• Real estate market certificate obtained from the municipality
• Compulsory Earthquake Insurance (DASK) policy
• Real estate valuation report
• In case You are Buying a property in Turkey for sale with power of attorney issued from abroad, You are required to keep the original or a certified copy of the power of attorney along with the translation.

Before making sales contracts, matters such as whether the immovable is registered with limited real rights, whether it is mortgaged or whether there is any situation that prevents its sale, should be checked from the relevant Land Registry Office.

Costs for purchasing an apartment in Turkey

Turkey has a large selection of properties to choose from for investors in many popular locations.

You can still get a two-bedroom apartment with sea views for less than $50,000, which is extremely low when compared to other popular vacation spots.

Regardless of your budget, purchasing real estate will always incur costs.

Among them are stamp duty of 3% of the assessed value of the property, legal fees of approximately $1,000, agency fees of 3%, and miscellaneous paperwork costs of roughly €500.

Steps for Buying a property in Turkey

Step 1: Conduct extensive research

Growth is taking place in the Turkish real estate market on a daily basis.

Tens of thousands of properties are available for sale in Turkey, and there are hundreds of real estate agents to help you find the best properties. Your agent will always tell you something different and offer you a different opinion.

Decide what you want to buy, an apartment with sea views in the Turkish Riviera a house located in Antalya do you like cities or villages one bedroom or villas Will this place suits your lifestyle as well

You should answer the questions above to help you when deciding what your ideal home in Turkey is.

Step 2 – Find a real estate agent

We recommend checking online testimonials and comparing property agents to find the best fit for you when buying a Turkish property.

There is a significant likelihood that they are a reliable and established company if they have been in operation for a long time.

Try to ensure that they know who you are and what you require.

If you’re ever on the receiving end of a memorized sales pitch, you should have your guard up.

For most people, investing in overseas real estate is a lifestyle choice rather than just bricks and mortar, so your real estate agent should appreciate and understand your lifestyle.

If they can’t, then they have little chance of helping you to identify a type and area of investment that you should be interested in.

We have wrote a full guide to help you find the best real estate agent in Turkey, check it out.

Step 3 – Come to Turkey

You will need to go to Turkey, get to know the surrounding area, and sample the local restaurants and cuisine before making a decision to buy a home in Turkey.

There are a lot of different cities in Turkey with a lot of beautiful locations with different costs and options, for example:

1. You can buy an apartment in Eskisehir which is known as a student city and rent it
2. You can buy your dream home with a private pool in Antalya.
3. You can invest in properties by buying apartments in Istanbul and sell in few years.

Step 4 – Prepare the documents

Your real estate agent should finish this step for you.

You should prepare the following documents before Buying a property in Turkey:

1. Real estate deed
2. Identity document or passport (Translation of these documents can be requested if necessary.)
3. Real estate market certificate obtained from the municipality
4. Compulsory Earthquake Insurance (DASK) policy
5. Real estate valuation report

Step 5 – Make an appointment

After deciding on the apartment and the Turkish properties you want to buy you should make an appointment in General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadaster office.

You can make an appointment online through the Land Registry Appointment System

You can also call 181 inside Turkey or +90 312 593 99 00 from abroad to book an appointment.

After Paying the sale price and the Government taxes and fees, you will receive your title deed in your name.

Getting property residence permit

You can stay in Turkey and obtain a residence permit if you bought a property.

Getting a residence permit can be done after buying a property in Turkey immediately as you have a title deed with your name on it.

All you have to do is to apply online for the residence permit and choosing the reason to stay that you have a property in Turkey

Getting Turkish citizenship

You will be qualified to get Turkish citizenship if your property valued at $250,000 USD.

You will need to make a bond a condition at the government Land Registry & Cadastro office not to sell the property for 3 years.