Selling Property in Turkey as a Foreigner (2026): How Much Tax You Pay, When You Pay None After 5 Years, and Selling From Abroad

1. Can a foreigner sell property in Turkey?

Yes. A foreign owner has the same right to sell as a Turkish owner. Ownership of real estate is transferred only by registration at the title deed office; a private sale contract or a deposit receipt does not transfer ownership, and a valid sale of real estate must be made in official form (Code of Obligations, Art. 237; Civil Code, Art. 706) [M3] [M4]. In practice this means the sale is signed at the title deed office before a land registry officer, and the price is usually paid at the same appointment.

Since 4 March 2019, a valuation report has been required in transactions where a foreigner is the buyer or the seller (TKGM Circular 2019/1) [Y1]. The report is prepared by a valuation company listed by the Capital Markets Board, and the declared price may be lower or higher than its value; the report is not binding one-to-one for the price [Y1].

2. Can I sell a property I bought for Turkish citizenship?

A property bought to obtain Turkish citizenship carries an annotation on the title deed that it will not be sold for three years (Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law, Art. 20/2-b) [M5]. Until the annotation ends, the title deed office does not process a sale of that property.

After the three years, the owner can sell. Owners whose citizenship was reviewed in 2026 sometimes ask whether selling affects that review: the review looks at whether the conditions existed when citizenship was granted, so a later sale does not change the historical facts. What happens to the property if citizenship is cancelled (liquidation only if the decision orders it, and postponed if the decision is challenged in court) is explained in our guide to the 2026 citizenship cancellations.

3. How to sell property in Turkey as a foreigner, step by step

Step	What happens	Notes
1. Check the title deed	Confirm the registered owner, shares, mortgages, annotations (including any citizenship annotation)	A mortgage must usually be cleared at or before the sale
2. Agree the price	Seller and buyer agree the price and how it will be paid	Bank transfer leaves a record for tax and transfer purposes
3. Valuation report	Obtained from a licensed valuation company	Required when a foreigner is a party [Y1]
4. Appointment	Application to the title deed office (online appointment or in person)	The seller attends in person or through an attorney
5. Fees	Title deed fee (2% seller, 2% buyer) and the office's service fee are paid	See section 4
6. Signing	The official sale deed is read and signed before the officer	A sworn interpreter attends if a party does not speak Turkish
7. After the sale	Tax return if the gain is taxable; transfer of funds; residence permit review	Sections 5–9

4. Costs of selling: the title deed fee and the declared price

The title deed fee for a sale is 2% for the seller and 2% for the buyer, calculated on the declared price, which may not be lower than the property's tax value (Fees Law No. 492, Art. 63 and Tariff 4) [M6]. Our title deed fee calculator shows the amounts.

Declaring a lower price than the one actually paid is a common mistake. If it is later found that the declared price did not reflect reality, the fee difference is assessed together with a tax-loss penalty equal to that difference, that is, one times the missing fee (Fees Law, Art. 63, as amended in 2025) [M6]. A low declared price can also hurt the buyer later, because the buyer's own future gain is calculated from the declared cost.

Cost	Who usually pays	Basis
Title deed fee 2%	Seller	Fees Law, Tariff 4
Title deed fee 2%	Buyer	Fees Law, Tariff 4
Title deed office service fee	Usually the applicant	Set annually
Valuation report fee	As agreed	Required with a foreign party
Agent's commission	As agreed	Contract
Capital gains tax	Seller, only if within 5 years	Income Tax Law, repeated Art. 80

5. Capital gains tax when selling property in Turkey: the five-year rule

Under the Income Tax Law, gains from selling immovable property are taxed as "value increase gains" only if the property is sold within five years of its acquisition, whatever the way it was acquired, except property acquired free of charge such as by inheritance or gift (repeated Art. 80/6) [M1]. After five years from the acquisition date, the gain is not taxed under this rule.

Situation	Capital gains tax?
Bought and sold after more than 5 years	No
Bought and sold within 5 years, with a gain above the exemption	Yes, on the net gain
Inherited property	Not under this rule (acquired free of charge)
Received as a gift	Not under this rule (acquired free of charge)
Sold at a loss or no gain	No tax

How the net gain is calculated

The net gain is the sale price minus the acquisition cost, minus the expenses borne by the seller and the taxes and fees paid on the sale (repeated Art. 81) [M1]. Two rules reduce the taxable amount:

• Inflation indexation: the acquisition cost is increased by the rise in the producer price index, excluding the month of sale, provided the rise is at least 10% (repeated Art. 81) [M1].
• Annual exemption: TRY 150,000 of the value increase gains obtained in a calendar year is exempt for 2026 (repeated Art. 80, as updated by General Communiqué No. 332, Official Gazette 31 December 2025) [M1] [T1]. The figure was TRY 120,000 for 2025.

The remaining gain is taxed at the progressive income tax rates. Because the calculation depends on dates, index figures and documents, sellers usually keep the purchase deed, payment records and receipts for any costs.

6. Example: how much tax is paid on a real sale?

The figures below are illustrative only; the index rise in particular is an assumed number chosen to show the method. The real calculation uses the official index figures for the actual months.

Item	Amount (TRY)	Rule
Purchase (March 2023), declared price	3,000,000	Acquisition cost
Assumed index rise from purchase to the month before sale	+150%	Indexation applies because the rise is at least 10%
Indexed acquisition cost	7,500,000	Repeated Art. 81
Sale (September 2026), declared price	9,000,000	Sold within 5 years: taxable
Seller's title deed fee (2%)	180,000	Deducted as a fee paid on the sale
Net gain	1,320,000	9,000,000 − 7,500,000 − 180,000
2026 exemption	150,000	Repeated Art. 80
Amount subject to income tax	1,170,000	Taxed at the progressive rates

Two points stand out. Indexation can remove a large part of a nominal gain in a high-inflation period, so the purchase month matters. And had the same property been sold after March 2028, when five full years from acquisition have passed, there would be no value increase gain to tax under this rule.

7. I live abroad and sold my apartment: do I file a tax return in Turkey?

A seller who is not resident in Turkey for tax purposes (a "limited taxpayer") and does not file an annual return must declare the gain from selling immovable property with a separate return (münferit beyanname) at the tax office where the property is located, within 15 days of obtaining the gain (Income Tax Law, Art. 101) [M1]. A seller resident in Turkey declares a taxable gain in the annual income tax return.

Tax treaties between Turkey and other countries generally allow the country where the property is located to tax gains from that property; whether the seller's home country also taxes the gain, and how double taxation is relieved, depends on that country's rules and the treaty.

8. Selling property in Turkey through a power of attorney

A foreign owner who cannot travel can sell through an attorney appointed by a power of attorney. People abroad usually sign it at a Turkish consulate, or before a notary in their country with an apostille and a sworn translation. The power of attorney should name the property clearly (city, district, parcel, unit) and state whether the attorney may sign the sale, receive the price and pay fees. If a power of attorney is forged or misused and a property is sold without the owner's knowledge, the remedies are explained in property in Turkey sold without your knowledge.

A broad power of attorney is a risk: the attorney can sign at any price. Sellers therefore often limit it to one property, set a minimum price or require the price to be paid into the seller's own bank account. Our Arabic guide to hiring a lawyer in Turkey from abroad explains how consulate powers of attorney work.

9. Receiving the money and moving it abroad

Payment through a bank, rather than in cash, creates the record that later supports the tax return, any question about the price and the transfer abroad. Banks may ask for the official sale deed and identity documents before sending funds abroad. When the buyer is also a foreigner who used foreign currency, the buyer may need a foreign-exchange purchase certificate for his or her own purposes, especially in citizenship files.

10. What happens to your residence permit after the sale?

Owners of property in Turkey can hold a short-term residence permit on that basis (Law No. 6458, Art. 31/1-b) [M7]. Once the property is sold, that basis ends. A seller who wants to stay needs another type of permit; staying without one can count as an overstay, which our overstay and entry ban calculator explains. Owners who have held permits for close to eight years may want to look at the long-term residence permit before selling, because the permit basis matters for the count.

11. Selling a property with a tenant

A sale does not end an existing lease. If leased property changes hands after the lease was made, the new owner becomes a party to the lease (Code of Obligations, Art. 310) [M3]. A buyer who needs the property for personal use has separate eviction routes under the lease rules; the seller cannot promise vacant possession unless the tenant actually leaves.

12. Selling a shared or inherited property

When a property is owned in shares (hisseli tapu), each co-owner can sell his or her share, but the other co-owners may have a pre-emption right to buy a share sold to an outsider, within the statutory periods. Inherited property owned jointly by heirs cannot be sold by one heir alone until it is divided or all heirs act together. Our guide to inheritance in Turkey for foreigners explains the certificate of inheritance and the registration of heirs that usually come before a sale.

13. Common mistakes when selling property in Turkey

Mistake	Why it matters
Declaring a lower price than the real one	Fee difference plus a penalty equal to the missing fee if discovered (Fees Law, Art. 63); a higher taxable gain for the buyer later
Missing the 15-day return as a non-resident seller	The deadline runs from the date of the gain (Income Tax Law, Art. 101)
Counting five years from the wrong date	The period runs from acquisition; selling a few weeks early can make the gain taxable
Giving an unlimited power of attorney	The attorney can sign at any price and receive the money
Assuming the tenant leaves with the sale	The buyer becomes the landlord under the existing lease (Code of Obligations, Art. 310)
Forgetting the residence permit	A permit based on the property loses its basis after the sale
Trying to sell citizenship property early	The three-year annotation blocks the sale at the title deed office

14. Property lawyer in Istanbul, Ankara and across Turkey: when sellers ask for help

Most sales are completed at the title deed office without disputes. Sellers usually ask for legal help in four situations: selling from abroad through a power of attorney, a property with a mortgage, attachment or annotation, a shared or inherited property, and a buyer who does not pay or a deposit dispute. Many foreign owners hold apartments in İstanbul and consult a property lawyer in Istanbul; for properties and title deed offices in the capital, a lawyer in Ankara handles the same steps locally; and owners abroad often look for a property lawyer in Turkey who can act under a power of attorney.

15. Seller's checklist

Document or step	Why it matters
Title deed and current registry extract	Owner, shares, mortgages, annotations
Purchase deed and payment records	Acquisition date (5-year rule) and cost (tax)
Receipts for costs	Deductible in the gain calculation
Valuation report	Required with a foreign party
Passport and tax number	Identity at the title deed office
Power of attorney (if absent)	Specific property, price and payment limits
Bank account for the price	Record for tax and transfer
Calendar note: 15 days	Separate tax return for non-resident sellers with a taxable gain

Sources and References

• [M1] Income Tax Law No. 193, repeated Arts. 80 and 81, Art. 101

• [M3] Code of Obligations No. 6098, Arts. 237, 310

• [M4] Turkish Civil Code No. 4721, Art. 706

• [M5] Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law, Art. 20/2-b

• [M6] Fees Law No. 492, Art. 63 and Tariff 4

• [M7] Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection, Art. 31

• [T1] General Communiqué on Income Tax No. 332 (Official Gazette 31 December 2025): 2026 exemption for value increase gains, TRY 150,000

• [Y1] Council of State, 10th Chamber, E.2020/5861, K.2024/6304, 12 December 2024: valuation reports required since 4 March 2019 when a foreigner is buyer or seller; sale price may differ from the report

This article is general information about Turkish law as of 2 October 2026. It is not legal or tax advice and does not assess any individual sale.