• The purchase of real estate by a foreign national is allowed based on the existence of mutuality between the two countries. However there are restrictions as to the location of the property to be bought...

·        Foreign nationals cannot acquire property within military zones, any land or farm outside the boundaries of military zones can be acquired with a special permission from the turkish government if bigger than 74 acres.The law states that you cannot buy property if it is located within a particular distance of military sites or strategically important areas. Many places along the coastline are covered by this law. Ä°t is therefore essential to check with the military authority to see if the property is affected by these restrictions.

·        Firstly, you have to apply to the local land registry office who will carry out the necessary searches and checks after which they will transfer the title to the new owner.

·        A solicitor or notary is not required in turkey as the land registry office performs these duties, however you may wish to use the services of a solicitor for your own peace of mind. We can recommend good bi-lingual solicitors to you.

·        Buyer and seller must both go to the land registry office and sign in person. Ä°t is possible for a third party to buy the property by power of attorney which must be notorized. The land registry office then issues a tapu ( tapu is deed ) as proof of ownership to the buyer.

·        The entry in the land register must be checked very carefully before purchase to make sure the seller is legally entitled to sell. Someone who obtains property by inheritance, execution of debts, or judicial decision actually becomes the legal owner before the ownership title is transferred in the land register. Therefore the registry may not reflect who the legal owner actually is. The seller may also have an obsolete proof of ownership.

·        When you buy a property here, there is 1.5 % stamp tax, to be paid by both buyer and seller. There is also an annual property tax, collected by the municipalities ( i.e. local governments ) at the rate of 0.3 % for private buildings.

·        The newly built properties are exempt 1/4 amount of the annual property tax for 5 years. All properties are subject to revaluation for every year for tax purposes. The acquired property may be resold or rented out and the proceeds may be transferred out of turkey, different regulations apply when a property is purchased for business related purposes.

·        In case of foreign buyers, the waiting period is roughly 2,5  months. The registration office launches an official inquiry into whether the property is in a military zone. Once the reply from the military administration is received, registration can be completed within one day. You have to be accompanied by an official interpreter.

·        You pay 0.2% of the declared value to the municipality. Within 4 weeks of registration you also have to register with the local municipality for annual taxation. Once the seller and buyer agree on the price they then go with the agent to the title deed office with the necessary documents which will be prepared by the estate agency, the estate agency do the survey and propery search for you.

·        Once all the documents have been prepared, the title-deed office will send a petition to the army hq for clearance and checking the property is not in a military area. Once you get clearance from the army the title-deed office will issue the new title deed in the name of the new owner. This period takes approx. 3 months.

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