Legal Due Diligence

The Turkish land register is reliable, but it only shows what has been registered. Whether a house was built with a permit, whether the terrace is legal and whether the apartment may be used as a home is recorded in other documents.

Land Register (Tapu)

• Owner: does the seller match the register and, where there are several owners, are all of them involved?
• Encumbrances: mortgage (ipotek), attachment (haciz), annotations (şerh) and priority notices. Encumbrances must be cleared before or at the transfer.
• Status: condominium ownership (kat mülkiyeti) is the safe case. With construction servitude (kat irtifakı), the building has not yet received final approval.

Construction and Use

• Occupancy permit (iskân, yapı kullanma izni): confirms that the building was approved and inspected. Without it, problems can arise with utility connections, financing and resale.
• Zoning status (imar durumu) at the municipality: do area, storeys and extensions match the approved plan?
• Outstanding costs: property tax, service charges (aidat) and utility bills up to the handover date.

Rules for Foreigners

• Area limit: at most 30 hectares per foreign person nationwide and at most 10 % of the private land in a district (ilçe), Art. 35 of the Land Registry Law.
• Military and security zones: foreigners may not acquire property in military restricted and security zones. The land registry checks this itself using official maps.
• Nationality: citizens of most countries, including Germany, Austria and Switzerland, may buy; prohibitions or restrictions apply to some countries.
• Valuation report: no longer generally required since TKGM circular 2024/4, but still mandatory for purchases for citizenship. Some land registry offices still ask for one in practice; clarify in advance.

Power of Attorney

If you cannot attend the appointment, you need a notarial power of attorney drawn up by the notary (düzenleme); a mere certification of signature is not enough. From abroad: at a Turkish consulate or a foreign notary with apostille and certified translation. The power of attorney needs a photograph and must describe the transaction precisely.

Payment

• Secure payment system (Güvenli Ödeme Sistemi): from 1 December 2026, prices paid in cash, by transfer or electronically must run through a system that exchanges ownership and money simultaneously. The start date has been postponed several times; confirm the current status with the land registry before your appointment.
• Exchange certificate: no transfer to a foreign buyer without a Döviz Alım Belgesi.
• No cash payments outside the system and no payments to third-party accounts.