Title deed (tapu) and valuation report in Türkiye: what to check before you buy

What a title deed shows, and where to see the live record

The title deed (tapu senedi) is issued by the land registry under the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre (TKGM). It identifies the property by province, district, block (ada) and parcel (parsel), with its area and description (nitelik); for a flat, also the floor, unit number and land share (arsa payı). Then come the owners and the date and reason of acquisition.

The paper deed is only a snapshot: mortgages, attachments and annotations live in the register, and an old deed will not show last week's attachment. Get a current extract and check it again just before the transfer.

• TAKBİS, the land registry's electronic system, holds the live record. Under article 1020 of the Civil Code it is shown only to the owner, their representative or someone with a credible interest.
• Web-Tapu (webtapu.tkgm.gov.tr) lets the owner view mortgages, attachments, declarations and servitudes and download an extract. Foreigners can register on its foreign portal with an e-mail address.
• e-Devlet (turkiye.gov.tr) shows the user's own properties only. Foreign residents with a foreign identity number can usually get a password at a PTT post office.
• Parsel Sorgu (parselsorgu.tkgm.gov.tr), TKGM's public map, shows any parcel's location, area and description, but no owners or encumbrances.

Title types: what each means for a buyer and for citizenship

Since 12 December 2023 (Presidential Decision No. 7938) a citizenship property must be an independent unit, not vacant or agricultural land. For a detached house on a plot, confirm its status with the land registry.

Occupancy permit (iskan) and the municipality file

The occupancy permit (yapı kullanma izin belgesi, or iskan) is issued by the municipality when a finished building matches its permit and approved project. It is sent to the land registry within 60 days, and the kat irtifakı becomes kat mülkiyeti ex officio (Condominium Law No. 634, article 3).

A building without iskan can still be sold, but the buyer inherits the problem: no conversion, harder mortgage finance, a lower resale price and possible municipal action. A flat lived in for years on a kat irtifakı title usually never got iskan. Have the municipality file checked for:

• Zoning status (imar durumu), planned roads or parks, conservation (SİT) status and any expropriation.
• The building permit and approved project against what was built: extra floors, merged flats and enclosed balconies are common.
• The property-tax value, the minimum base for the title deed fee since Law No. 7566 (December 2025).

Encumbrances and annotations to check

The register lists restrictions (together, takyidat) in sections: pledges, annotations (şerhler), declarations (beyanlar) and servitudes.

Lawsuits that are not annotated do not appear, so ask the seller to declare pending cases in writing. This is general information, not legal advice.

The valuation report: when you need one, and the citizenship rules

Valuation reports are ordered through Web-Tapu and prepared in TKGM's TADEBİS system by firms licensed by the Capital Markets Board (SPK). Since June 2024 (TKGM Circular 2024/4), the land registry requires one only when the purchase is used for citizenship; otherwise it is an optional price check. For a residence permit, the title-deed price counts (at least USD 200,000 for property bought since 16 October 2023), not a valuation.

For citizenship, the report is the basis of the Amount Determination Certificate (Tutar Tespit Belgesi, TTB) that TKGM issues electronically:

• Since 28 September 2026, any firm licensed by SPK, active in the Turkish Valuation Experts Association (TDUB) and connected to TADEBİS may prepare it; you choose the firm or the system assigns one. From 4 March 2024 to 27 September 2026 only GEDAŞ, a TOKİ affiliate, could (Circular 2024/2).
• Three amounts must each reach USD 400,000: the title-deed price, the payments to the seller proven by bank records and the market value in the report. If one falls short, there is no TTB.
• The report is valid for 6 months; an older TTB needs a renewed report.
• TKGM still reviews the value, whoever the firm, and paper TTBs are not accepted.
• The currency is sold to a bank in Türkiye before the transaction, and the DAB certificate goes to the land registry.
• The property must not come from a foreigner, an investor-citizen, or anyone who received it from them in the last three years.

Buying off-plan: the notarised promise of sale

Off-plan, the developer usually signs a promise of sale (gayrimenkul satış vaadi sözleşmesi) with you before a notary. It is a personal claim; ownership passes only on registration. Have it annotated on the register with your unit's block, floor and number, and check whether the developer's bank holds a mortgage on the parcel and how it will release your unit.

For citizenship, the property must already have kat irtifakı or kat mülkiyeti, and the full USD 400,000 must be in a single contract (it may cover several units, but separate contracts cannot be added). It is annotated so it cannot be transferred or cancelled for three years, payments go through banks, and one unit cannot be promised to two people.

The transfer appointment, step by step

The sale is signed at the land registry directorate (tapu müdürlüğü), not at a notary. The registry sets the date, so no adviser can guarantee one.

1. 1

   Confirm that you may buy

   Under article 35 of Law No. 2644, foreigners buy only as nationals of countries set by the President; the list is not published, so a land registry directorate confirms your country. Limits: 30 hectares per person, 10% of a district's private land, no military or security zones.

2. 2

   Tax number and bank account

   Needed to pay and prove the price. For citizenship, convert the currency at a bank in Türkiye and obtain the DAB first.

3. 3

   Apply on Web-Tapu

   File the sale application on the Web-Tapu foreign portal, at the land registry or via ALO 181. For citizenship, the TTB must exist before the appointment.

4. 4

   DASK in your name

   Under Law No. 6305 (article 11), the registry needs an earthquake insurance policy valid on the day. Since 5 September 2026 the buyer needs a new policy in their own name.

5. 5

   Documents, fees and payment

   Usually your passport (translated if asked), tax number, two recent photos and the DASK policy; for citizenship, the DAB and bank receipts. The title deed fee is 4% of the declared price (2% each side unless agreed otherwise), plus a fixed revolving-fund fee. A secure payment system for sales is due to become mandatory on 1 December 2026.

6. 6

   Signing

   Both parties or their attorneys sign before the registry officer, with a sworn translator if you do not speak Turkish. A power of attorney from abroad is simplest at a Turkish consulate; from a foreign notary it needs an apostille (or legalisation) and a certified Turkish translation.

7. 7

   Citizenship annotation

   A three-year no-sale annotation is recorded. Selling within three years, or later transferring back to the previous owner or their first-degree relatives, cancels the investment certificate.

Citizenship by investment usually takes 8 to 12 months end to end; the transfer is one part of it, and no timeline is guaranteed.

Red flags that should stop the purchase

Pause, or walk away, if you see any of these.

• No current record extract, or a signatory using an old or general power of attorney.
• A request to declare a lower price to save fees: since December 2025 the penalty equals the full tax lost, and for citizenship the deed price must reach USD 400,000.
• A finished, occupied building still on kat irtifakı, or a flat that differs from the approved project.
• An attachment, injunction or mortgage with no written plan to clear it.
• A valuation arranged by the seller that matches the asking price. The 2026 cancellation of citizenship decisions for 6,134 people was mostly over inflated valuations and irregular transactions.
• Cash, or payment to a third party's account.

Related guides

• Invest in TürkiyeThe hub for foreign investors.
• The USD 400,000 property ruleValuation, TTB and annotation.
• Buying property in Türkiye as a foreignerThe purchase, step by step.
• Turkish citizenship by investmentRequirements and process.
• Property taxes and costsFees, VAT and annual taxes.
• Residence permit by propertyThe USD 200,000 rule.
• Company formation in TürkiyeCompany types and capital.
• Opening a bank accountTo pay and prove the price.

How Golden Visa Partners helps

We are based in Istanbul and review the title record, the municipality file and the valuation with you before you commit. Our founder is a licensed real estate broker. We are independent, compare properties, routes and countries, and work alongside your Turkish lawyer. Golden Visa Partners is the brand of Gordion Partners Organizasyon Danışmanlık Limited Şirketi.

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