Buying a property in Türkiye for foreigners

Buying a property in Turkey for foreigners was and is still a dream for many of them, especially the children of Arab societies, and ownership in it was difficult, as Turkish law prevented citizens of 89 countries from buying real estate or apartments in Turkey in accordance with the same principle that these countries work with, and with the abolition of this law and the demise of the legal barrier to ownership in front of foreigners, the real estate investment market in Turkey has witnessed a great boom and in this article we will talk about the details of buying a property in Turkey for foreigners and its conditions.

Buying a property in Turkey for foreigners

On the eighteenth of March 2012, the Turkish government made an amendment to Article 35 of the Real Estate Law No. 2644, according to which it canceled the principle of reciprocity that it was following with countries that prevent Turks from owning on their lands, which allowed foreigners to own real estate in Turkey and buy apartments, houses, land, etc., and if a foreigner wants to establish a building on land he owns, he must review the municipality and the Directorate of Agriculture in the state in which this land is located to settle and complete the transaction The process of transferring real estate ownership in Turkey is done through an official deed called "Tapu" that signs and registers assets in the directorates of the real estate registry in order to transfer the legal ownership of the new owner.

Conditions for buying a property in Turkey

After we got acquainted with the law that enables foreigners to own real estate on Turkish territory, we will show you the conditions that must be met in this property:

• The area of the property owned by the foreigner shall not exceed 10% of the area in which this property is located.
• If the foreigner owns scattered real estate on Turkish territory, its combined area should not exceed 30 hectares.
• The property must be away from security areas and military pieces, and owning the property requires security approval.
• There must be no mortgage, judgment or judicial attachment on the title deed of the property and this property must be free of problems and legal issues.

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Documents required to transfer real estate ownership

As for the documents required for the transfer of ownership, they are indicated in the following lines:

• Translated and certified passport of the foreigner.
• The title deed of the property and includes the address of the property in detail.
• Report of the average values of real estate in the region and issued by the municipality in which the property is located.
• Property appraisal report in Turkey.
• Insurance policy for the property from earthquakes.
• A personal photo of the seller and two personal photos of the buyer.
•  If one of the parties is not fluent in Turkish, a sworn translator must be present.
• In the event that the purchase is made at one of the consulates or embassies outside Turkish territory, the original copy of the purchase contract must be brought in addition to a translated and certified copy of it.
• The foreigner must exchange the value of the property from foreign currency to Turkish lira in one of the Turkish official banks and present a receipt to that effect.

Nationalities that can own property in Turkey

Below we show you the nationalities that can own real estate within Turkish territory and the type of ownership for each country:

Unrestricted ownership

The following nationalities can own property within Turkish territory without restrictions:

• European countries: Belgium, Germany, Britain, Sweden, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, France, Norway.
• Gulf States: United Arab Emirates , Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen.
• African countries: Sudan, South Africa, Uganda, Djibouti, Chad.
• Asia: Japan, South Korea , Malaysia.
• South American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela.
• Countries of the North American continent: Canada and America.

Possession with specific conditions

Below we show you the nationalities that can own real estate within Turkish territory, but they have specific conditions:

• Nationalities that can buy only one property in Turkey: China, Denmark, Fiji, Israel, Malta.
• Nationalities that need the approval of the Ministry of Interior to own property in Turkey: Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Algeria, India, Pakistan.
• Nationalities that cannot own a property overlooking the Black Sea: Ukraine, Greece.
• Nationalities that are entitled to own property for the purpose of living and working only: Morocco, Egypt, Afghanistan, Albania.
• Nationalities that can own property, but have additional conditions: Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Greece, Jordan, Iraq, Tunisia.

Nationalities that cannot buy property in Turkey

Although the recent amendment to Article 35 of the Real Estate Law No. 2644 made by the Turkish government enabled foreigners to buy and own real estate in Turkey, there are still exceptions and nationalities that are not covered by this law, namely:

• Syrian nationality.
• Armenian nationality.
• Cypriot citizenship.
• North Korean nationality.
• Cuban nationality.

Advantages of buying a property in Turkey

There are many advantages that a foreigner can get when owning a property on Turkish territory, and these advantages include:

• The possibility of obtaining real estate residency in Turkey.
• If the value of the property exceeds 250 thousand US dollars, the owner of the property can obtain Turkish citizenship.
• After obtaining Turkish citizenship, the property owner can obtain a Turkish passport.
• If the landlord is an investor, he will receive facilities in linking his investment with his home country.
• The owner of the foreign property can also invest, trade or rent this property and obtain profits from it.

There are advantages related to the nature and location of Turkey, including:

• The privileged geographical location occupied by Turkey connects the continents of Europe and Asia.
• The climate is mild which makes it a destination for tourists.
• Turkish culture and the Turkish social environment that suits different cultures and peoples.
• The cost of living is low on Turkish territory compared to other countries.

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Tips for buying a property in Turkey for foreigners

After we learned about the process of buying real estate in Turkey for foreigners and got acquainted with its conditions and requirements, we will include for you in the following lines some tips that you can benefit from before buying a property in Turkey:

• Choose the area where the property is to be purchased accurately.
• Conducting several reconnaissance tours and discovering real estate specifications and prices.
• View the legal procedures for foreign ownership of real estate in Turkey.
• Hire a real estate services company in case of insufficient experience.
• Caution and avoid real estate fraud.

Here we have reached the conclusion of our article on buying a property in Turkey for foreigners , in which we learned about the law that allows foreigners to own real estate in Turkey and the conditions and requirements for this ownership, and we knew what nationalities can own real estate without restrictions, countries that have restrictions and countries that cannot own Turkish territory, then we talked about the advantages of buying a property in Turkey, and we concluded with some tips for those about to buy a property on Turkish territory.