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Buying Property in Turkey as a Foreigner (2026): Citizenship Threshold, Title Restrictions and Fees

July 28, 2026

For a foreign buyer in Turkey, the process differs from a Turkish buyer's in three places: the threshold amount, the annotation placed on the title deed, and regional clearance. All three need to be understood separately.

Citizenship threshold: USD 400,000

The threshold for Turkish citizenship through real-estate investment is USD 400,000. It was raised from USD 250,000 by an Official Gazette amendment dated 6 January 2022 and remains in force as of 2026.

Key details:

  • A three-year no-sale annotation is placed on the title deed. Transfer is generally not possible before that period ends.
  • The investor's spouse and children under 18 can obtain citizenship in the same application.
  • The threshold does not have to be met with a single property; the combined value of several properties is accepted.

Sources: baf.av.tr, mihci.av.tr, 2mhukuk.com — 2026

Military restricted zones: checked before purchase

Under Law No. 2565 on Military Forbidden Zones and Security Zones, foreigners cannot acquire property in these areas. Land registry offices will not register a transfer without a favourable opinion from the relevant military authority.

In practice this must be checked before signing. A property can look perfect and fail at this stage — after a deposit has already been paid.

Sources: ffkpartnerhukuk.com, mihci.av.tr — 2026

Title-deed fee: 4% in total

As of 2026 the title-deed fee is 4% in total — 2% from the buyer and 2% from the seller, charged separately. In practice the parties may agree to share it differently; whatever is agreed should be written into the contract.

Where a foreign party is involved, an additional land-registry revolving-fund charge applies.

Sources: apilex.ai, tahanci.av.tr — 2026

VAT exemption: get it confirmed

The VAT exemption under Article 13/1-i of Law No. 3065 applies to non-resident foreigners and Turkish citizens living abroad. The known conditions:

  • The property must be a first delivery (brand new)
  • At least 50% of the price must be brought into Turkey in foreign currency before the invoice is issued, the remainder within one year
  • The property must be held for three years from the title-deed date

In the interest of honesty: we could not find a current official source confirming that this exemption continues unchanged in 2026; the most recent direct source we have is from 2024. Several law firms' 2026 pages still describe the rules as being in force, but that is not a substitute for official confirmation. Check with the Revenue Administration or a certified public accountant before proceeding.

Where the market stands

In June 2026, 2,015 homes were sold to foreigners (+20.1% year on year), but the first-half total of 9,083 was 9.2% below the same period last year. The top buying countries were Russia, Ukraine and Iran.

Source: tasinmazhaber.com, 21.07.2026

Suggested order

  1. Clarify budget and purpose (residence / rental yield / citizenship — each calls for a different property)
  2. Choose the district and check military restricted zones
  3. Verify title records, zoning status, occupancy permit and any mortgage or lien
  4. Valuation report (mandatory for a citizenship application)
  5. Title transfer and fee payments
  6. Citizenship application, if the conditions are met

We can be alongside you at each of these steps. Get in touch or browse the portfolio.


When this was compiled: Bu yazıdaki rakamlar 3 Ağustos 2026'da, yukarıda bağlantısı verilen kaynaklardan derlendi. Gayrimenkul verisi hızlı eskir; işlem yapmadan önce güncel durumu teyit edin ya da bize sorun.

Bu yazı genel bilgilendirme amaçlıdır, hukuki veya finansal danışmanlık değildir.