A Turkish purchase looks simpler than a Ukrainian one: there is no notary in our sense, title passes at the land registry, and registration is measured in days rather than weeks. The difficulty lies elsewhere: some documents have to be ready before you have chosen the apartment, and those are what delay completion.
Below is the order in which it is done and the sums payable above the price. Everything was verified on 07.10.2026, and where a rule is subject to change this is said plainly.
What you need before choosing an apartment
First, a Turkish tax number. It is issued by the tax office and is needed for everything else: without it you cannot open a bank account or register a transfer. You can obtain it in person or through a representative acting under a power of attorney.
Second, a Turkish bank account. Strictly speaking you can manage without one, but settling through a Turkish bank makes the source of funds easier to evidence and later utility payments simpler.
Third, your passport with a translation and notarial certification. The translation is done locally, and better in advance: without it the registry will not proceed.
If you cannot travel, all of this is done under a power of attorney. It is executed before a Turkish notary or at a consulate, and it must name specific powers: to obtain a tax number, open an account, sign the contract, make payment and register title.
Valuation, insurance and the TAPU
The TAPU is the title deed issued by the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre. It is the document that makes you the owner, and it is the only one: Turkey issues no supplementary certificates.
Two things are required before the transfer. The first is a valuation report from an authorised valuer: it is mandatory for transactions with foreign buyers and sets the figure the fee is calculated on. The second is DASK, the compulsory earthquake insurance. Without the policy the TAPU will not be transferred, and in a country with regular seismic activity that is not a formality.
The transfer fee is four per cent of the declared sale price. By law it is shared between the parties, but in practice the buyer almost always pays it: that is agreed before the deposit rather than at the registry counter.
Once the documents are complete, registration itself takes three to seven working days. Longer happens when the registry appointment slips or the money passes through several banks.
What is payable above the price
The transfer fee of four per cent. The valuation, a modest fixed sum. The DASK policy, also modest. Translations and notarial certification of your documents. A sworn interpreter at the registry if you do not speak Turkish: that is a legal requirement rather than a courtesy.
Together this comes to around five per cent above the price, and it is better budgeted at the start than found the day before registration.
Separately: transferring the utility accounts into your name, the monthly service charge for the complex, and the annual property tax. The last is small but real, and its level depends on the type of property and the municipality.
If the building is still under construction
In a new development the TAPU does not appear at once: first the contract with the developer, then handover, then registration of title. Years pass between signature and TAPU, and over that time the developer's liability has to be written into the contract rather than promised aloud.
Three things matter. First, the building permit and the land documents, because without them the building may not receive its iskan, the habitation permit, and without iskan the apartment cannot be connected to utilities officially. Second, the handover date as a date rather than a quarter, with liability for missing it. Third, the payment schedule and what happens if you are late with an instalment.
Ask separately whether the right can be assigned before handover: if your plans change, that is the only way out without a loss.
What not to do
Do not pay cash without a document stating what the money is for. A Turkish bank will later ask about the source of funds, and without a payment trail that becomes a problem.
Do not believe a seller's promise of citizenship. Citizenship by investment requires a purchase of at least 400 thousand dollars with an undertaking not to sell for three years, and it is a separate procedure with separate paperwork. An apartment at 120 thousand grants no citizenship, whatever is said at the viewing.
Do not sign a contract in Turkish without a translation. A signature under text you have not read binds you exactly as one under text you understood.
How we handle it
We select by budget and city, check the developer and the property remotely, explain what the contract says, and see the deal through to the TAPU. If you cannot travel, we draft the wording of the power of attorney for your specific transaction rather than a generic one.
Tell us the budget, the city and the purpose: to live in, to let, or for citizenship. That decides not only the property but also the sum and the form of ownership you should be looking at.
Can a Ukrainian citizen buy an apartment in Turkey?
Yes. Ukrainian citizens buy property in Turkey without restriction across most of the country. The exceptions concern land near military installations, where a separate clearance is required, and the registry carries out that check.
What is a TAPU?
The TAPU is the title deed issued by the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre. It is the only document that makes you the owner, and it is entered in the state register.
How much is payable above the price?
The main item is the four per cent transfer fee on the declared price, plus the valuation, the DASK policy, translations and a sworn interpreter at the registry. Together around five per cent.
Does buying an apartment grant Turkish citizenship?
Citizenship by investment requires a property purchase of at least 400 thousand dollars with an undertaking not to sell for three years. As at 07.10.2026 that is the threshold. A smaller purchase can support a residence permit, not citizenship.
Can the purchase be made remotely?
Yes, under a notarised power of attorney naming the powers: tax number, bank account, signing the contract, payment and registration. It is drafted for the specific transaction, because the registry often refuses a generic one.
We will shortlist options for your budget and guide the deal from the first viewing to signing.
