Title deed/ TAPU

The title deed document, known locally as TAPU, is a legal document issued by the Regional Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre. To clarify, this official document declares and guarantees one or more person’s ownership of a specific property belonging to the Turkish territory. Thus, it accords the owner the legitimate right to possess property and manage it under any legal investment form of his choice.

Therefore, the title deed document includes detailed information about the property and the identity information of the owner(s).

Types of title deed in Turkey

Title deeds can be categorized under different groups according to the property vocation and its construction stage when built properties are involved.

a) According to the property vocation

Blue title deed

It is the official ownership document relevant to agricultural lands. To clarify, these properties are stated as empty plots invalid for construction. However, some changes may occur in the area’s urban planning, and according to it, these fields can grant construction validity.

Red Title deed

It is the official ownership document regarding urban lands and buildings such as villas, residences, or commercials. Besides, this document determines the state of the building construction.

b) According to the property status

Real estate ownership: “Kat mülkiyeti.”

It declares full ownership right after the completion of the property construction. Moreover, it designates the different building sections independently with the housing approval of separate use of each unit.

Floor easement : “Kat irtifakı”

It can be assimilated into a pre-stage of real estate ownership document. Consequently, the property is still under construction and has not been delivered yet to its buyers. However, it is registered in the Regional Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre with all the building details. Therefore, it proves that the property is being built according to construction regulations.

Contents of the Turkish  title deed

The Title deed document is officially issued in the Turkish language whether the owner is a Turkish citizen or not. Therefore, the official procedure of title deed conveyance requires a sworn translator when the buyer is foreign. However, the foreign investor should know the document’s contents before starting the whole purchase procedure. Consequently, we will explain the designations mentioned in the title deed document in this section.

In fact, the title deed document includes 4 boxes with different information.

1st Section: Real Estate Information

Firstly, this box determines the exact address details of the property as follows:

  • City
  • Town
  • District
  • Island/ Parcel
  • Land Area
  • Type

2nd Section: Independent Section

Secondly, this part presents the details of the separate unit such as villas, flats, and offices… It includes:

  • Property Type
  • Land Share
  • The project area in m2
  • Blok/ Entrance/ Floor number
  • Independent unit number
  • Volume and page number

3rd Section: Information about the owners

Then, this section determines the identity information of the property owners.

It states:

  • Name and Surname/Father’s name
  • Owner’s share

4th Section: Registration Information

Finally, this part gives information about the property purchase details. It mentions:

  • The property type and number
  • Location and address details with QR code
  • Purchase reason
  • Registration date
  • Property purchase price

What kind of rights does the title deed  protect

Only the legal owner has the right to grant the Title deed of a property. Yet, the property can belong to more than one owner. In this case, each partner’s share must appear clearly in the document.

Moreover, this mention will protect the ownership rights of each holder. Besides, it guarantees the inheritance rights of the descendants in case one of the partners passes away.

We should remind that the ownership in Turkey is freehold even if the owner is foreign. Yet, the inheritance share must respect the Turkish inheritance law.

Obtaining process of title deed 

The buyer must, first of all, apply online for an appointment on the  https://webtapu.tkgm.gov.tr/ website. After that, the buyer and the seller should pay the title deed fees equally. Then they must submit the required documents to the Regional Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre office at the set date and time.

a. Required documents

You can find below the list of the necessary documents for the conveyance of the Title deed.

  • Seller ID
  • Buyer passport; original and translation
  • 1 photo of the seller
  • 2 photos of the buyer
  • The buyer’s tax number
  • The appraisal report
  • DASK insurance pf the property

Title Deed / TAPU2

b. Fees 

The total tax on conveyance procedures is 4%. Thus, both the buyer and the seller have to share the payment equally as 2% for each one.

You can see more details about all the property purchase expenses here.