The process of buying real property in Turkey
What is Tapu? - Full owner of the Turkish property
TAPU is a document confirming the right of ownership to the acquired real estate in Turkey. It is this document that confirms the transaction and only after it is obtained you are recognized as the full owner of the Turkish real estate.
In Turkey, the only official state body performing and controlling the processing of paperwork for purchased real estate is the Office of Cadastre and Tapu. It is this organization that is the state guarantor of the legality and transparency of a transaction.
After the conclusion of the contract and performance of all the procedures required to start the processing of the real estate, the agency, under a power of attorney from the client submits his documents to the Office of Tapu and Cadastre of the city and the district where the property was acquired.
After the arrival of positive responses from the relevant inspection bodies for foreign citizens and the payment of the relevant taxes and duties, the Buyer receives a master document, recording the title to the property (TAPU), confirming that the transfer of title from the seller to the new owner has been performed.
TAPU, the title, means the establishment of a timeless and absolute right of ownership, which, after the conclusion of the purchase and sale contract, may not be challenged by anyone at court. One or more individuals or legal entities may be real estate owners.
What kind of data are specified in the Tapu?
- Province
- City
- District
- Settlement
- Street
- Locality
- Number of development lot
- Real estate type *
- Total area of the development
- Boundaries
- Type of ownership
- Cadastral value
- Purpose of the real estate**
- The share in real estate in a land lot with several owners
- Block
- Floor
- Apartment number
- Former owner and the reason for the transfer of the title***
- Real estate owner
- Date of the transfer of the title (registration of the Tapu)
- Number in the cadastral register
- The signature of the Head of the Tapu Office or a person authorized to sign on his or her behalf.
** KAT MULKIYETI means that the real property is fully transferred into the housing stock.
KAT IRTIFAKI means that on the basis of a building permit, the tapu for the building site was divided into a per-apartment tapu.
DEVRE MULK means that the owner buys only the right to use the real property for a short period in a year (a kind of a timeshare).
*** A reason for the transfer of title may be as follows: sale (including using a mortgage), inheritance, gift and others.
Registering and completing formalities with tapu for a foreign citizen, if there already are foreign owners in the house/complex, takes 1-3 days, depending on the workload of the Tapu Office. If you are the first foreigner, then you must first obtain the permission from the War Department in Izmir. It takes 1.5-2 months, and then you can also register tapu in a general manner.