DEUTSCH

Informations about purchasing a property in Turkey by Europeans

Reasons to buy a Turkish property

- the mild climate with more than 320 sunny days a year
- the wonderful countryside of the Turkish Riviera
- only a little bit more than 3 hours by airoplane
- prices like in Spain 20 years ago
- the increasing value because of the touristic boom
- in case of the Turkish EC-membership an additional value will increase
- secured purchase for Europeans (encl. official property registering)
- a Turkish property is also a favourable and additional old age pension
- low costs of living in Turkey

Therefore: Don't dream Your life - live Your dream !!

Legal hints

The most European nationalities are allowed to buy Turkish properties on their own name - i.e. encl. official registering of the property (the Turkish name of the responsible authority and of the official owner document is TAPU). To this group belong - among other - English, German, Dutch, Austrian, Norwegian, Belgian and French people - and since a short time also people from Switzerland.

TAPU (click for a bigger picture)

But in Turkey You don't need a notary for the property transfer - only the TAPU-authority arranges this transaction. You only need a notary, in case that You will secure a contract of sale or You want to authorize a person to apply (instead of You) for electricity, water etc. In average You need between 1 and 12 weeks for the property transfer.

If You agree with the seller, You apply for the official registering of the ownership of the property. The TAPU-authority requests Your passport and current passport photos. The authority sends Your application to the military gorvernment in Izmir or Adana and they check whether Your desired property is not located in a military closed region - but this is only a formality. But since the last changements of the title deeds law (January 2006) more and more Tapu-authorities are able to do the military proovements by themselves, so that the process of transfering the ownership of a property is going faster and faster.. 

When You apply for the property registering or when You sign the contract, often the seller insists on a down payment. So as we do, too. Please, note that we accept for the deposit as well for the payment of the remaining amount later only cash or a transfer on our bank account. Payments via creditcards are not possible !! 

If You buy a building site or plot, there are several more hints to know. Foreigners are only allowed to buy land in a size up to 2,5 ha - for bigger land sizes you need a special permission of the Turkish Government.  Please, examine, if there exists a permission to build and which conditions are connected with it. Nearly always there are conditions!! If You need details, please, contact us.

At every time You are allowed to sell Your property and to take the amount for it outside of Turkey. In case of death Your inheritances are able to register the property on their name, provided that they have an official European heritage document. 

It is also important, that You need an ISKAN for Your property. The ISKAN is the official document that allows living in a property. Without this document it will be complicated to apply for electricity or water etc.

Please, pay attention: we recommend our clients to use a Turkish lawyer during the purchasing process - this is not a must, but perhaps You feel more secure. And please, be aware of the several non-tax paying estate agents in Turkey,  who "only" want to sell their "very cheap friend’s property" for a lucrative profit, consequently making thousands of pounds from the unsuspecting tourists.

It is our job and a part of our service to inform our customers about all necessary details about ownership of Turkish properties.

If you have any doubts or further questions, don’t hesitate to contact us or please, call the Turkish Embassy in Your Country to get detailed informations about it for free. (Click on our button "Links" and You will find a link to the Turkish embassy in London). 

Costs

Single costs during property purchasing:

Tax for property purchasing - 4,8 % of the registered amount in the TAPU document (the registered amount in the TAPU-document is usually not the real value You paid for, as a rule the TAPU-value is mostly well under); You have to pay the taxes at the national Ziraat-Bank - shortly before the property registering at the TAPU-authority.

Tapu-fee - approx. 25 £ for the official property registering

Earthquake insurance (compulsory insurance) - in all about 25 £ (per year)

Fee for documents and writing - between 40 £ and 180 £

Interpreter (absolutely duty when foreigners buy) - 40 £ up to 70 £ per registered owner and translation

Fees for the estate agents - You don't have to pay for us any fees, but according to the Turkish law an estate agent is permitted to request 3 % of the sales price from the seller and from the buyer. But if the estate agent requests more than 3 %, he can do this only, if You have a corresponding contract with him.

Annual costs:

Residential property taxes - 0,4 % of the value in the official TAPU-document for real estates and for plots only 0,3 %. The taxes have to be paid every year until 31st of May.

Fees for housing parks (only if You buy a shared property) - between 20 £ and 45 £ (is spend on maintaining the shared property)

Earthquake insurance (compulsory insurance) - in all about 25 £

Rubbish fee - 8 £ a year, must be paid also until 31 st of May each year

Electricity - 75 £ for the application (only once a time), 18 £ for registering a new name (once a time), 0,08 / 0,12 £ each KWh

Water - 55,- £ for the application (once a time), 29,- £ for registering a new owner (once a time), between 0,22 and 0,60 £ for each m³ 

Telephone (fixed) - 6,80 £ for the application, 3 £ monthly fee and 0,03 £ for each unit

Stay permission

You don't need a stay permission to buy a property.

But if You want to apply for a telephone in Your new property or if You want to buy a car - in those cases You need this permission.

We will help You to get the permission. At first we will inform You, which documents You need for the application of the stay permission and then we will arrange it with You here at the foreigner's authority.

But You should also inform Yourself at the Turkish embassy in Your country.

If You have further requests - please contact us.