Legal aid with registration of title to real estate in Turkey

Registration of title to a real estate is a very important procedure, since that it gives you official rights of ownership to real estate, and also eliminates problems in the future.

What document confirms the ownership? What is TAPU?

When registering title to real estate, the buyer receives a TAPU. TAPU is an official legal document, an extract from the Turkish real estate register, which confirms the owner’s rights to real estate. There are red and blue TAPU. A red TAPU is issued for a plot of land with built real estate, and a blue TAPU is issued for a plot of land without a structure, for example, a personal plot or land for construction.

What do you need for registration of TAPU?

When registering TAPU, you must comply with a number of requirements of the legislation of the Republic of Turkey, namely:
⦁ No debt or arrest for this real estate object;
⦁ No tax debt or mortgage on this object;
⦁ Availability of ISKAN (Certificate of Commissioning of building). If building doesn’t have ISKAN then you will not be able to register water and electricity meters for your apartment (your name);
⦁ Is the plot of land indicated correctly in the TAPU;
⦁ Check all registers of documents proving ownership of real estate.

It is important to check all these points, both during preparation for the transaction and before signing the contract, to avoid unforeseen problems at last minute. An experienced real estate lawyer helps in such matters, as he constantly monitors all possible registries so that your transaction will be profitable and problem-free.

What is indicated in the TAPU and how long does it take to receive it?

The following points are indicated in the TAPU:

⦁ address of the land plot where the property is located;
⦁ photograph of the owner;
⦁ information about the registration of the land plot in the Cadastral Department;
⦁ condition of the property;
⦁ area of the land plot;
⦁ type of ownership of the object;
⦁ the cost of the property;
⦁ information about previous owners;
⦁ information about new owners;
⦁ date of purchase of the property by the previous owner;
⦁ registration number of the previous owner (this number changes upon transfer of ownership);
⦁ registration data of the TAPU document;
⦁ date of purchase of the property by the new owner;
⦁ stamp of the cadastral department and signature of the authorized person.

The term for receiving TAPU is up to 5 working days, which is calculated from the moment the seller submits an application to the Cadastral Department.

Which authority does conduct the registration?

The official authority that deals with the registration of title to real estate in Turkey is the Cadastral Office. This is a state authority that issues TAPU to owners for real estate objects.

What taxes do you need to pay to the state?

The tax on the purchase of real estate in Turkey is 4% of the cadastral value of the real estate. According to the law, this tax is paid 50% to 50%, but, in practice, it is paid by the buyer.