BUYING LAND IN TURKEY

 Required documents to purchase land in Turkey?

Buying land in Turkey for investment or other purposes, you need to arrange the documentation as below; 

• Notarized passport ID page translation

• Passport

• Turkish tax number

• Expert evaluation report (obligatory)

 Do I need to reside in Turkey to buy land?

Residency is not required to purchase land in Turkey. A valid passport, your Turkish tax number (a tax number does not make you a tax resident in Turkey) and a bank account in Turkey are sufficient to complete the process of purchasing land in Turkey.

 Restrictions for foreigners who want to buy land for investment in Turkey

Foreign nationals can buy houses, shops, offices, factories, hotels and so on in Turkey. They can buy real estate as well as land. However, a few very important points here are overlooked by many foreign investors. Those important issues are ;

• Obligation to develop the land within 2 years from the date of purchase

• Nationwide land size restriction (30 hectares -300,000 square meters- and 10% rule)

• Military zoning restrictions

• Nationality restrictions

Foreigners must submit the project they will develop on the immovable property (land, field) they have purchased without a structure to the relevant ministry (municipality, provincial directorate of agriculture) for approval within two years.

If this does not happen, the state has the right to take back the immovable property from the foreign national free of charge. Many foreign nationals who want to invest are unaware of this important detail. After the foreign national decides to purchase the land or field, a note is added to the land registry record stating that the project will be developed on the land within 2 years.

There are other restrictions on foreigners purchasing land. One of these is that a foreign national can purchase up to 30 hectares of real estate throughout the country. The land that a foreign national can acquire in a town in Turkey cannot exceed 10 percent of the town's surface area, and a foreign national cannot purchase land exceeding 300 thousand square meters in Turkey without the permission of the Ministry of Interior.

Another restrictive issue is that the Land Registry Office must ask the competent military authority whether it is outside the military prohibited and security zones and a positive answer must be received for the purchase.

In order for foreigners to purchase real estate, permission must be obtained from the military authorities in the region. It is important to clarify this issue before payment is made because if the real estate in question is located within the security zone, it will not be possible to sell it to foreigners.

The last restriction is based on the nationality of the foreign national. Citizens of the countries listed below are prohibited from purchasing real estate in Turkey;

• Syria

• Nigeria

• North Korea

• Armenia

• Cuba

• Yemen

 Buying Land in Turkey - Some restricted countries based on region: 

• Russian and Ukrainian nationals cannot buy land or property on the Black Sea coast of Turkey.

• Nationals of Greece cannot buy land or property in the Black Sea coast and in some of the Aegean towns of Turkey.

What are the services provided by Yalı Real Estate in the real estate consultancy purchasing processes? 

Buying land is a big decision and can often be a stressful time for foreign nationals. To avoid these and other issues that may arise regarding the seller's title deed, YALI EMLAK Real Estate consultancy provides services on your behalf regarding the following matters;

• Consultation and follow-up meetings

• Meetings to confirm the terms and conditions requested by the seller

• Assisting the buyer in obtaining a tax ID

• Assisting the buyer in opening a bank account

• Conducting a full legal review of the property

• Obtaining a property valuation

• Managing the total amount of money exchanged between the buyer and seller

• Paying sales tax to the relevant government department

• Issuing the sales contract on behalf of the buyer (both English and Turkish)

• Representing the buyer with a power of attorney at closing

• Modifying the sales contract upon request

• Obtaining DASK (compulsory earthquake insurance) for the property

• Concluding the sale at the land registry office

• Signing the official sales document at the land registry office on behalf of the buyer

• Concluding the service payment and obtaining a payment receipt

 Main costs of purchasing land in Turkey

• Notary transaction costs

• Sales and title deed costs

• Real estate evaluation costs and real estate research report costs

 Final Thoughts

There are many issues when buying land in Turkey. A foreign national must develop a project on the land within 2 years of purchase. Therefore, the foreign national will definitely need professional support before making the purchase.

The research that YALI Real Estate consultancy firm will conduct on behalf of the buyer will determine the property's boundaries and municipality/agricultural structure/development rules, so that the buyer will know the exact boundaries of the land they are buying, whether there are any planning restrictions and the zoning status.

Process Flow