TAPU in Turkey is an important document for a property buyer

The purchase of Turkish real estate guarantees the benefit to investors from abroad. Many foreign citizens from Europe and the CIS countries have already become owners of comfortable housing by the sea in Turkey, and the number of buyers is increasing every year.

The Turkish real estate market offers a huge selection of objects for different buyer requests in terms of characteristics and cost. The Turkish government has created all the conditions for transparent and safe transactions. In just a few days, you can become the full owner of residential or commercial property in popular regions of the country.

How legitimate are the documents that foreign investors receive after the conclusion of a sale and purchase transaction? How to apply for a TAPU in Turkey and what kind of document is it? You will find answers to these and other questions in our article.

Why does a foreigner need a TAPU in Turkey?

The procedure for registration of real estate in Turkey implies the issuance of a TAPU to the buyer at the final stage.

TAPU is the main and only document that officially confirms the ownership of real estate acquired in the Republic of Turkey (land, residential or commercial space). According to Turkish law, after the issuance of a certificate, its legitimacy cannot be challenged even in the courts.

The procedure for issuing TAPU is the same for Turkish citizens and for investors from abroad, which confirms equal rights to own property in the territory of the southern state.

Designing an apartment for a foreigner in Turkey guarantees the possibility of adding not one, but several owners to the certificate of ownership. The total number of owners can reach 10 people, among whom the property is divided equally, or by agreement. In this case, each of the investors has the right to sell his share upon receipt of the official consent of the other owners.

Types of TAPU: what is the difference between blue and red?

There are two types of ownership certificate in Turkey: red or blue.

What is a red TAPU in Turkey can be determined based on the information indicated in it. It is issued to the owner of a land plot with a real estate object built on it.

A blue document is drawn up on the ground without any buildings.

Regulation of ownership of real estate in Turkey

Property of real estate in Turkey is registered according to the title system. That is, only one authorized state body is engaged in this - the Cadastral Chamber. It is here that the transfer of evidence takes place in the presence of both parties to the transaction.

To apply for a TAPU, the seller at the Cadastral Office will need to write an application and attach an accompanying package of papers. The second party to the transaction (the buyer) does not need to be present at the Cadastral Department when applying for the renewal of the certificate.

After submitting the request and before the final signing of the documents between the seller and the buyer, all mutual settlements, taxes and fees must be paid. In particular:

• one-time tax on the purchase of real estate;
• cadastral fee;
• Government service fee.

A new TAPU is not issued immediately, this process takes several days. After the deadline for registration expires, the owner must himself come to the Cadastral Office and receive the document.

As soon as all the papers for the transfer of ownership are ready, both parties to the transaction will receive an SMS notification, which will indicate the date and time of the meeting at the Cadastral Chamber for the final signing of the documents. The date of the rendezvous depends on the workload of the institution, but rarely exceeds a period of two working days.

When buying real estate by a foreigner, a licensed sworn translator must be present at the meeting. He will explain all the details of the transaction, translate the documents into the native language of the investor and put his signature. The translator bears criminal responsibility for the quality of his work.

If the TAPU is lost, it can be restored literally in one working day.

What data is entered into the TAPU document?

TAPU for a plot with a building (in red) contains the following information:

1. Region
2. City
3. Quarter
4. City
5. Street
6. Location
7. Owner photo (optional)

8, 9, 10 Land plot coordinates

11. Condition of the land (according to the Cadastral Chamber)

12, 13, 14, 15 Land area owned by the new owner (in proportion to the size of the purchased property)

16. Status of real estate owned by the new owner (type of property)
17. Value of acquired property
18. Data on the previous owner(s)
19. Data on the new owner(s)
20. TAPU number when registering the previous owner (changes with each transfer of ownership)
21. The date the property was purchased by the previous owner
22. Registration details of the new Tapu document
23. Date of acquisition of this property by the new owner
24. Seal and signature of the director of the Cadastral Office

In TAPU, the indicated cost of the object, as a rule, differs from the market value downwards. Thus, the new owner gets the opportunity to pay a smaller amount of tax upon purchase. This is an official provision that is not considered a method of hiding taxes. However, the market price cannot be lower than the cadastral price (the authorized commission determines the cadastral price during an expert assessment).

What documents are needed to apply for a TAPU in Turkey?

Documents for buying property in Turkey are:

• Original passport of the buyer and its translation into Turkish.
• An individual tax number obtained in Turkey.
• Application on official letterhead.
• Conclusion on the expert assessment of real estate.
• The current and valid TAPU.
• A document confirming the identity of the seller.

If you want to profitably buy property in Turkey without risks, contact Nordic Property Construction. We will select the ideal apartments and help you to issue a TAPU in your name as soon as possible.