Buying property in Turkey needs a document file that falls into three groups: what the buyer brings, what the seller brings, and what the Land Registry produces on the day. Most of the buyer's documents are simple to obtain, and the tax number is the one that unlocks the rest. Two items are where checklists go wrong. The government-approved valuation report stopped being a required document for an ordinary purchase in June 2024, so guides that still list it as mandatory are out of date. The document those same guides usually leave out is the döviz alım belgesi, the currency-conversion record the Land Registry does require. A foreign buyer needs no residence permit and no citizenship for any of these; a valid passport is the starting point, and a notarised power of attorney lets a representative assemble the whole file without the buyer travelling.
The documents at a glance
The file breaks into buyer documents, seller documents, and forms produced at the transfer, and only four buyer documents are hard requirements: the tax number, the passport with a sworn translation where required, the DASK earthquake policy, and the DAB currency record. The SPK valuation report is conditional, needed only for a citizenship or residence application, and the military-zone clearance that some checklists list is not a document you bring at all; it is a check the governor's office runs after the application is filed.
The full file runs to eleven documents, each with a provider and a way to obtain it.
| Document | Who provides it | Mandatory? | How you obtain it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkish tax number | Buyer | Yes | A tax office, with your passport |
| Passport with sworn Turkish translation | Buyer | Yes | Your own passport; a sworn translator when the registry asks |
| DASK earthquake policy | Buyer | Yes | Any insurance agent or online |
| DAB currency-conversion record | Buyer | Yes | Generated by a bank when you convert foreign currency |
| Biometric photograph | Buyer | Yes | Any photo studio, taken recently |
| Sales contract | Both parties | Yes | Drawn up between the parties, notarised for real protection |
| SPK valuation report | Buyer | Only for citizenship or residence | An SPK-licensed valuation firm |
| Title deed (tapu) | Seller | Yes | The seller's existing registered title |
| Tax and charge clearance | Seller | In practice | Municipality and tax office |
| Habitation and title status | Seller and building | Verify | From the tapu and municipal records |
| Power of attorney | Buyer, if not attending | If buying remotely | A notary, apostilled and translated if signed abroad |
Your Turkish tax number, the document everything else needs
The Turkish tax number is the first document to obtain because the bank, the currency conversion, and the registration all depend on it, and any foreign national can get one with a passport alone. Without the tax number a buyer cannot open a bank account, cannot convert currency into the file, and cannot be entered on the tapu (title deed).
Get the tax number before arranging any payment. It is issued by the Turkish tax administration and requires no residence permit, visa, or citizenship; property ownership itself carries none of those either. A buyer purchasing through a representative can have the representative obtain the number under a notarised power of attorney, which keeps the file moving while the buyer is abroad.
Passport and its sworn Turkish translation
Your passport is the base document, and the Land Registry will ask for a sworn Turkish translation of it where the office requires one. The passport identifies you throughout the purchase, from the tax office to the bank to the transfer itself.
The translation is done by a sworn translator (yeminli tercüman), the same profession that supplies court-recognised translations. A buyer who does not speak Turkish is generally asked to have a sworn interpreter present at the signing, so that the buyer understands the deed being signed. A passport used to grant a power of attorney abroad carries an extra layer: the power of attorney is notarised and, when signed outside Turkey, apostilled and translated before it is valid for use at the registry. Confirm with the specific Land Registry office which translations it wants, because requirements vary between offices and provinces.
DASK earthquake insurance, a document the registry will not skip
A DASK policy is a hard requirement: the Land Registry will not complete a transfer without it. DASK (Doğal Afet Sigortaları Kurumu) is the compulsory earthquake insurance scheme that covers registered dwellings.
Obtain the policy before the transfer appointment. It is issued by any insurance agent or online, in the buyer's name against the specific property, and the policy document joins the transfer file. Because the registry treats it as a precondition rather than a formality, a missing or lapsed DASK policy stalls the appointment on the day, which is why it belongs on the checklist alongside the tax number rather than as an afterthought.
The DAB: the currency document most checklists leave out
The document many checklists omit is the döviz alım belgesi, the record proving the buyer brought foreign currency into Turkey and converted it through a bank. Since 24 January 2022, a foreign buyer acquiring property by purchase must present a DAB to the Land Registry. The Tapu ve Kadastro Genel Müdürlüğü (TKGM, Land Registry and Cadastre Directorate) confirms the requirement in its announcement of that date, and it rests on the Central Bank's Capital Movements Circular.
The DAB is produced through a bank. The buyer brings foreign currency in, sells it through the bank, and the bank issues the DAB, which then goes into the transfer file. The document also feeds the cost side: the converted amount shown on the DAB is reflected in the official deed value that the 4% transfer fee is calculated on, so it does not sit separate from the tax base. That connection is documented in professional commentary rather than a single primary text, so treat it as a strong tendency and confirm the figures with the bank and the notary.
The SPK valuation report: no longer a required document for an ordinary sale
A government-approved valuation report is no longer a required document for an ordinary purchase; since June 2024 it is needed only when the buyer applies for citizenship or a residence permit. This is where most competing checklists are out of date. They still list the SPK valuation report (ekspertiz raporu) as mandatory for all sales to foreigners since 2019, and for a plain purchase that is no longer correct.
The change came through TKGM Circular 2024/4, published on 3 June 2024 and in force from 13 June 2024, which removed the requirement to submit a valuation report during an ordinary sale or promise-to-sell. Only firms licensed by the Sermaye Piyasası Kurulu (SPK, Capital Markets Board) issue the report, and where it is still needed it is valid for three months from approval. A buyer purchasing simply to own a home leaves the valuation off the document file entirely. A buyer purchasing to qualify for citizenship or residence keeps it, because those applications still require it, which makes the report a conditional document tied to the buyer's goal rather than to the sale.
The sales contract, and what makes it binding
The sales contract is part of the file, but its legal form decides whether it protects the buyer, and only a notarised contract does. The contract records the price and terms, yet it does not by itself transfer ownership; under Article 705 of the Turkish Civil Code, ownership passes on registration, not on signature.
Form is the point that matters. A contract transferring title to registered property, or a promise to sell one, must be made in official form before a notary or a registry officer; Article 237 of the Code of Obligations, Article 706 of the Civil Code, and Article 26 of the Land Registry Law all point the same way. An informal written or verbal contract is legally void. A notarised promise-to-sell (satış vaadi) does more: it can be annotated on the tapu under Article 1009 of the Civil Code, which binds third parties for five years and lets the buyer force the transfer through the courts if the seller reneges. As a document, the contract is worth having notarised rather than left as a plain reservation form.
What the seller must bring to the transfer
Half the file is the seller's, and a buyer confirms these documents during due diligence before any money moves. The seller's paperwork proves clean, transferable ownership.
The seller brings four documents.
- Title deed (tapu) in the seller's name, free of any mortgage, lien, or restrictive annotation.
- Identity document matching the registered owner.
- Clearance showing no outstanding property tax or municipal charges on the unit.
- The building's habitation status, meaning whether it holds kat mülkiyeti (full freehold title) after inspection or only kat irtifakı (construction servitude), read from the tapu and municipal records.
Reading the seller's documents first is what protects the buyer: a property with an unpaid charge, a lien, or a missing iskan (habitation certificate) is a document problem to solve before signing, not after.
Buying through a representative: what the power of attorney must cover
If you cannot attend, one document makes the whole purchase possible: a notarised power of attorney that expressly covers each act your representative will perform. The power of attorney lets a representative obtain the tax number, sign the contract, generate the DAB, and attend the transfer on the buyer's behalf.
Draw it up carefully. A power of attorney signed inside Turkey is notarised there; one signed abroad is notarised locally, then apostilled and given a sworn Turkish translation before it is valid at the registry. The document should name the specific powers, obtaining the tax number, signing the sales contract, handling the currency conversion, and completing the title transfer, rather than relying on a general wording. A power of attorney that omits one of those acts leaves a gap the representative cannot fill on the day.
Off-plan versus resale: how the document file differs
The document file for a resale from a private seller is not the same as for an off-plan purchase from a developer, because the property's own paperwork is at a different stage. A resale has a completed title and a habitation certificate to check; an off-plan unit does not yet.
On a resale, the seller's tapu and the iskan carry the weight, and the transfer moves the existing freehold title. On an off-plan purchase, the developer contract and the kat irtifakı (construction servitude) stand in until the building is finished, the sale sits under the Consumer Protection Law (No. 6502) with its completion guarantees, and full kat mülkiyeti title is issued only once the building is complete and inspected. A buyer confirms which of the two tracks applies before signing, because the documents to demand differ between them.