What it costs to buy property in Turkey
A foreign buyer should budget roughly 5.0%–5.5% of the purchase price on top of the price itself. No licence or permit is required.
What you pay
- Title deed fee (tapu harcı) — your share2.0% of the price$10,000
- Agency commission — your share2.0% of the price$10,000
- Legal fees1.0%–1.5% of the price$5,000–$7,500
| On a purchase of | $250,000 | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Title deed fee (tapu harcı)your share of a split fee | $5,000 | $10,000 | $20,000 |
| Legal fees | $2,500 – $3,750 | $5,000 – $7,500 | $10,000 – $15,000 |
| Agency commissionyour share of a split fee | $5,000 | $10,000 | $20,000 |
| Total on top of the price | 5.0%–5.5% | 5.0%–5.5% | 5.0%–5.5% |
Who carries the taxes and fees
What the seller pays — not you
- Title deed fee (tapu harcı) — 4%4% in total, which the statute splits 2% to each side — but a foreign buyer is very often asked to pay all of it, so treat the full 4% as the negotiating position rather than a surprise at the land registry. It is charged on the declared value, which may not be below the municipal assessed value; declaring low to save tax is both an offence and a problem when you come to sell.
- Agency commission — 4%Around 2% from each side.
Guides that add every tax together and present the total as a buyer's bill overstate the cost. These are the seller's.
Can you buy as a foreigner?
No licence required
Open to most nationalities since the reciprocity requirement was abolished in 2012, though a short list of nationalities remains excluded. Three caps apply: 30 hectares per person nationwide, no more than 10% of any one district's area in foreign hands, and nothing inside a military or security zone — which is why every sale to a foreigner is checked for clearance, now usually a matter of days rather than weeks. A mandatory independent valuation report is also required on a sale to a foreign buyer.
No approval to wait for
With no permission to obtain, the timeline is set by conveyancing rather than by a government queue.
Take it with you
These figures as a PDF, worked out at the price you enter, with every source and the date it was checked.
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Nearby markets compared
What a foreign buyer pays on top of a $500,000 price, here and in the markets around it nearest in cost.
An estimate for budgeting, not legal or tax advice. These rates are traced to published sources but have not been reviewed by a practitioner in this jurisdiction. Confirm the current position with an attorney before you commit.
The 4% title deed fee and the ownership caps are well attested. VAT is not modelled: it runs from 1% to 20% on a new build depending on size and category, and a foreign buyer paying in foreign currency may be exempt on a first sale provided the property is held for a year — conditions specific enough that a flat figure would mislead. Turkey's citizenship-by-investment threshold is USD 400,000 with a three-year resale restriction, and only some properties qualify.