Frequently asked questions

Off-plan means buying before completion in instalments, usually at a lower price, in exchange for waiting and carrying delay risk. A finished home comes with full title and an occupancy permit but costs more. If buying off-plan, ask for the construction licence and a contractual handover date in writing.

Check the contractor's valid authorisation certificate, the construction licence, that the title register is free of liens and annotations, and that the net area in the contract matches what you were shown. Get the payment schedule, handover date and delay clause written into the contract itself, not a brochure.

Yes, through a notarised power of attorney issued at a Turkish notary or a Turkish consulate in your country. A power of attorney is a serious instrument — define its powers narrowly and limit it to the specific transaction rather than granting general authority.

Yes, for nationals of most countries, subject to two limits that apply together: a maximum of 30 hectares per person nationwide, and no more than 10% of a district's privately owned area in total. Military and security zones are excluded.

Yes, for foreign purchases. It is prepared by a capital-markets-licensed appraiser and protects the buyer from paying above the property's real value. Do not accept a report supplied by the seller without verifying the appraiser's licence.

Owning property can support a short-term residence permit application, but does not grant one automatically — the decision rests with the migration authority under its current rules, and some neighbourhoods are closed to foreign registration. If residence is your aim, check the neighbourhood's current status before buying.

The title deed fee at 2% from each side, the valuation report, compulsory earthquake insurance, utility connection charges, and sworn translator and notary fees where needed. Then the annual costs begin: property tax and service charges.

A residence in Istanbul is taxed at 0.2% a year, because rates double inside metropolitan municipality boundaries. It is calculated on the municipal assessed value, not the purchase price, and paid in two instalments.

It is available but narrower than usually advertised: it covers only the first delivery of a newly built unit, the price must be brought into Turkey in foreign currency, and you must not be resident in Turkey. Selling within 1 year claws the exemption back with deferral interest.

Selling within 5 years of purchase makes the gain taxable as a capital gain; after that it is not. Keep every purchase and cost document — those are what get deducted from the gain.

The land registry transaction is recorded in Turkish lira, while contracts may be priced in dollars. If citizenship or the VAT exemption is your aim, the currency must be converted through a bank in Turkey and a foreign-currency purchase certificate obtained — so avoid moving cash outside the banking system.

400,000 US dollars, evidenced by a valuation report, with a 3-year no-sale annotation recorded on the title. The threshold can be reached by combining more than one property.

It normally covers a spouse and children under eighteen, under the rules in force when the application is made. The final decision rests with the authorities, and no company can guarantee the outcome.

Once the 3-year period has passed and the annotation is lifted, yes. Selling is barred while the annotation stands, and a sale after the period does not affect citizenship already granted.

It is the state programme for demolishing earthquake-unsafe buildings and rebuilding them. If you own a flat in an older block you are a principal party to it: in return for your share of the land you receive a new unit, not merely a cash sum.

You receive a unit in the new building, sized according to your share of the land and the ratio agreed with the contractor, sometimes with a cash difference either way. Ratios are not fixed — they vary with the plot and its location, so get them in writing before signing.

The programme provides rent assistance to residents during demolition and rebuilding, with the amount and duration set by the rules in force. Applications go through the competent authority, and the contractor normally runs the process alongside the owners.

The law provides for decisions by a majority of entitled owners and for notifying dissenters through a notary. The details are technical and change, so working with a lawyer at this stage specifically is cheaper than correcting a mistake later.

The unit is inspected and any defects recorded in writing before you sign, then the title transfer and utility connections are completed. Never sign a handover record without listing outstanding items — the signature counts as acceptance.

Yes. Rental income is declarable in Turkey even if you are not resident, and the rules differ between long and short lets. Factor in service charges and vacant periods before relying on any advertised yield.