What Should You Check Before Buying Property in Turkey?

For an overseas buyer, the main difficulty is often the distance between what is advertised and what the documents establish. A useful legal review connects the apartment you visited, the rights being sold and the obligations you are being asked to accept.

Is the property in the documents the property you expect?

Start with the current register and relevant underlying documents, obtained through an appropriate authorised route. Article 1020 of the Turkish Civil Code allows access where a credible legal interest is demonstrated. An old tapu document is a starting point, not a substitute for checking the current record.

• Match the province, district, parcel and independent-unit details with the proposed purchase.
• Confirm the registered owner, ownership share and the legal nature of the interest offered.
• Identify mortgages, seizures, injunctions, easements and annotations, then assess each separately.
• Establish whether anyone occupies the property and obtain any existing lease.

Does registration establish the building’s lawful use?

Title review and building review address different risks. Compare the registered unit with approved plans, building permits and occupancy documentation available from the relevant authority. Investigate alterations, the intended use and any mismatch between the physical premises and official records. Where technical condition or structural safety matters, a separate suitably qualified inspection may be needed; legal document review does not replace it.

Can this buyer acquire this property?

Foreign acquisition rules depend on nationality, location and the type of property. Confirm eligibility and applicable restrictions before committing money. The official TKGM guidance for foreign buyers is a starting point for the transaction-specific check.

For purchases by foreign natural persons, also check the applicable bank and foreign-exchange documentation, including the Döviz Alım Belgesi, and any relevant exception. Buying property does not itself grant residence permission or citizenship; those involve separate conditions and procedures.

Who can sign, and when should money move?

If a representative signs, review the power of attorney’s scope, validity and suitability for the proposed acts. Overseas documents may need translation and the appropriate authentication; an apostille is not a universal answer for every document or issuing country.

Review the reservation terms, sale documentation, payment instructions and refund conditions together. Identify the lawful recipient of each payment. If a mortgage must be discharged, the seller’s promise to deal with the bank later should not replace an agreed, verifiable release procedure. For a development, check whether the seller owns the relevant land or unit, or is offering contractual rights requiring further steps.

Which documents should be assembled first?

• Property identification and current registry information.
• Seller identity and any representation or company-authority documents.
• Draft contracts, annexes and written sales promises.
• Planning, building and occupancy records.
• Lease, payment, bank and mortgage-release documents where relevant.
• The buyer’s identity and documents required for the particular foreign acquisition.

Practical assessment

A useful due-diligence report should identify what has been verified, what remains uncertain and what must happen before payment or registration. It should distinguish a risk that prevents proceeding from one that can be addressed through documentation or transaction sequencing. This assessment is more useful than a general statement that the property is “safe”.

Further reading

• Buying an Apartment in Turkey: Title Status and Occupancy Permit
• Can You Use a Power of Attorney Signed Abroad for Property in Turkey?
• Can You Recover a Property Reservation Payment in Turkey?