Selling Property in Türkiye as a Foreigner and Taking the Money Out

Selling a home in Türkiye as a foreigner follows the same land registry (tapu) procedure as buying one, with a few extra checks. Before you can move the money abroad, you need to know about the capital gains tax, the valuation report, earthquake insurance and the banking rules. This guide sets out the rules as of November 2026.

Key points

• The sale is completed at a land registry office (tapu müdürlüğü). Since 2019, a valuation report has been required whenever a foreign individual is the buyer or the seller.
• An individual who sells within five years of buying may owe income tax on the gain (değer artış kazancı). After five years, this tax does not apply. The first 150,000 TL of such gains in 2026 is exempt.
• The title deed fee is 2% for the seller and 2% for the buyer.
• Since 5 September 2026, the seller’s DASK earthquake policy ends at the sale, and the buyer must take out a new policy.
• Non-residents can transfer the net sale proceeds abroad through banks, after taxes.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Check your own case with a Turkish lawyer or accountant before you sign.

Step 1: get your documents ready

TKGM’s official guide for foreigners, Your Key Türkiye, lists the documents a foreign party brings to a deed transaction:

• passport, with a translation if needed;
• a signed identity information form and one recent 6×4 cm photo;
• a foreign identity number, or a tax number if no identity number can be found;
• the title deed, if you have it;
• the valuation report;
• a valid DASK compulsory earthquake insurance policy for buildings.

If you do not speak Turkish, a sworn interpreter must attend, authorised by the regional judicial commission. Our guide to sworn translators and notaries explains how this works.

Step 2: order the valuation report

TKGM Circular 2019/1 made a valuation report mandatory from 4 March 2019 for every sale in which a foreign individual is a party, as buyer or seller. You order it through Web Tapu, in the "Değerleme İşlemleri" section, from a firm licensed by the Capital Markets Board (SPK).

Under the current text of TKGM Circular 2024/2, as updated on 28 September 2026, a report can be used for 12 months. Our valuation report guide covers fees and ordering.

Step 3: agree how the buyer pays

If your buyer is a foreigner, the Central Bank’s Capital Movements Circular (Article 13) applies. The buyer pays in foreign currency, which is sold to a bank in Türkiye before the deed transfer, and you receive Turkish lira. The bank issues a foreign currency purchase certificate (döviz alım belgesi, DAB), and the lira amount on it is declared as the sale price. Only the buyer, the seller or their representatives may sell the currency to the bank.

So you will need a bank account in Türkiye to receive the lira, and later to convert and send the money abroad.

A new secure payment system for property sales is due to become mandatory on 1 December 2026, run under the Ministry of Trade. Ask your bank how it will work for your sale.

Step 4: the title deed fee and declared price

Under Tariff 4, Article 20(a) of the Fees Law No. 492, the title deed fee (tapu harcı) is 2% for the seller and 2% for the buyer, charged separately on each side.

The fee is charged on the declared sale price, which cannot be lower than the property’s tax value (emlak vergisi değeri). This was written into law by Law No. 7566, published on 19 December 2025, which also raised the penalty for under-declaring. Our explainer on title deed fees and costs has more detail.

Step 5: DASK earthquake insurance at the sale

The land registry will not register a transfer of a building covered by compulsory earthquake insurance unless a valid policy is shown. Under a change to the DASK General Conditions in force since 5 September 2026:

• the seller’s policy ends on the date the sale is registered;
• the buyer needs a new policy in their own name, and a transfer endorsement on the old policy is no longer accepted;
• you, as seller, can apply to your insurer or agency for a refund of the premium for the unused days. The refund is not automatic.

Capital gains tax (değer artış kazancı)

Under Article 80 of the Income Tax Law (mükerrer madde 80), an individual who sells property bought for consideration within five years of buying it may owe tax on the gain. The five years run from the acquisition date, usually the date of registration at the land registry. Property received by inheritance or as a gift is not taxed this way. As of November 2026, GİB’s 2026 guide and recent law firm articles describe the five-year rule as still in force. We found no change to it.

How the gain is worked out

• Sale price minus cost. The cost is the purchase price. Expenses the seller pays and can document, such as title deed fees and commissions, can be deducted.
• Indexation. The purchase cost can be raised in line with the domestic producer price index (Yİ-ÜFE), from the month before purchase to the month before sale, but only if the increase is 10% or more.
• Annual exemption. The first 150,000 TL of such gains in 2026 (120,000 TL in 2025) is exempt. The exemption applies once per calendar year, not once per sale. Based on the 27.83% revaluation rate announced for 2027, the figure is expected to rise to 191,745 TL in 2027, unless the President changes the rate.
• Business sales. Frequent or organised sales count as commercial income, not as gains of this kind.

When to declare

• Residents report the gain on the annual income tax return, filed between 1 and 31 March of the following year. The tax is paid in two instalments, in March and July. A 2026 sale is therefore declared in March 2027.
• Non-residents (dar mükellef), according to GİB’s 2026 guide, generally file a separate one-off return (münferit beyanname) at the tax office where the property is. The deadline is 15 days from the date the income was earned.

Whether the annual exemption applies to non-residents in the same way is not set out in GİB’s guide, so ask an accountant.

If you bought for citizenship: the three-year rule

Buyers who used a property of at least USD 400,000 for Turkish citizenship commit not to sell it for three years. The commitment is noted on the title deed. Check the annotation date on your deed and take legal advice before any sale near or inside that period. See our citizenship by property explainer.

Selling from abroad: power of attorney

You do not have to attend the deed office yourself. A representative, often a lawyer, can sign with a power of attorney (vekaletname) that expressly authorises the sale. TKGM rules require a POA made abroad by a foreign notary to:

• carry your sealed photo;
• carry an apostille, or consular certification in countries outside the Hague Convention;
• be translated into Turkish, with the translation notarised in Türkiye.

A POA signed at a Turkish consulate avoids these extra steps. Our power of attorney guide explains the safeguards, such as naming a minimum price and requiring payment into your own account.

Taking the money out of Türkiye

Article 13 of the Capital Movements Circular says non-residents may transfer abroad through banks the net income and sale proceeds of their Turkish real estate, after taxes and similar obligations are paid. Under Decree No. 32, non-residents can buy foreign currency from banks and transfer it abroad through banks.

In practice:

1. Receive the lira into your Turkish bank account in your own name.
2. Convert it to foreign currency at your bank, at the bank’s rate on the day.
3. Send it by SWIFT to your account abroad.

Keep your paperwork. Banks must identify customers under Law No. 5549 and may ask where the money came from. Have the new title deed or sale record, your original purchase deed and DAB, bank receipts from when you bought, and any tax return and payment receipt ready. We found no rule that makes the original DAB a legal condition for sending sale proceeds abroad. It is still the clearest record of how your money came in; our guide to the DAB certificate explains how it is issued.

Common pitfalls

• Selling inside five years without planning for tax. Check the acquisition date and the indexed cost before you agree a price.
• Under-declaring the price. It cannot go below the tax value, and the penalty has risen.
• An expired valuation report. It can be used for 12 months.
• Forgetting the DASK refund. You must apply for it.
• A general POA. A sale needs a POA that expressly authorises it.
• No Turkish bank account. With a foreign buyer, you are paid in lira in Türkiye.
• Selling a citizenship property too early. Check the three-year annotation date first.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Do I pay capital gains tax if I have owned the property for more than five years?

A: No. Under Article 80 of the Income Tax Law, gains on property sold more than five years after it was bought are not taxed as değer artış kazancı.

Q: What is the capital gains exemption for 2026?

A: 150,000 TL of total gains in the calendar year. GİB’s guide and PwC Türkiye both give this figure.

Q: Can the buyer pay me in euros or pounds abroad?

A: When the buyer is a foreigner, the currency must be sold to a bank in Türkiye before the deed transfer, and the seller is paid in lira. Discuss any other arrangement with your lawyer.

Q: Is there a limit on how much I can send abroad?

A: We found no specific legal cap on non-residents sending net sale proceeds abroad through banks. Banks still run their own checks.

Q: Do I need to be in Türkiye for the sale?

A: No. A representative can sign with a specific power of attorney. A POA from a foreign notary needs an apostille and a notarised Turkish translation.

Planning your next move? Download our free property guide for a step-by-step checklist.

Sources

• GİB, Diğer Kazanç ve İratlar Rehberi 2026 (2025 income): five-year rule, inheritance/gift excluded, acquisition date, commercial sales, exemption 120,000 TL (2025) and 150,000 TL (2026), Yİ-ÜFE indexation with 10% threshold, March return, March/July instalments, non-residents’ münferit beyanname within 15 days
• GİB, Gayrimenkullerin Elden Çıkarılmasında Vergisel Sorumluluklar (2008 guide): five-year rule, deductible selling expenses and fees, commercial sales, progressive rates
• TKGM, Your Key Türkiye property acquisition guide: documents for foreign parties, foreign ID or tax number, valuation report via Web Tapu, DASK, sworn interpreter, POA from abroad, three-year citizenship commitment
• TKGM Circular 2024/2, current text updated 28/09/2026: valuation reports usable for 12 months (via Memurlar.net)
• TKGM Circular 2019/1: valuation report required from 04/03/2019 where a foreign individual is buyer or seller (Alomaliye)
• Capital Movements Circular (TCMB, 2 May 2018), Article 13: non-residents may transfer net real estate income and sale proceeds abroad through banks after taxes; foreign buyers pay in FX sold to a bank before the deed, seller paid in TL; DAB (Alomaliye PDF)
• TKGM Circular 2022/1 on the döviz alım belgesi: only buyer, seller or representatives may sell currency; payment in TL; TL amount declared as price; USD, EUR, GBP (Lexpera)
• Ministry of Justice: title deed fee binde 20 for each of transferor and transferee, Fees Law No. 492 Tariff 4 Art. 20(a); base not lower than property tax value
• Law No. 7566 (Official Gazette 19/12/2025): title deed fee base not lower than tax value; higher penalty for under-declared values (Ozbilen Aykut Attorneyship, Legal 500, 5 Jan 2026)
• Real estate law changes in 2026: 150,000 TL exemption, five-year rule, title deed fee 2% each, declared value not below tax value (FFK Partner Hukuk, 11 Aug 2026)
• Değer artış kazancı calculation 2026: five-year rule from registration, 150,000 TL exemption per calendar year, Yİ-ÜFE indexation, March return, deductible fees and commissions (Kazım Ceylan Hukuk Bürosu, 16 Sep 2026)
• Value-increase gains on property sales: five-year rule, indexation with 10% threshold, annual return (Hukukçular Evi, updated 21 Oct 2026)
• PwC Türkiye: exemption amounts for value-increase gains by year (2025: 120,000 TL; 2026: 150,000 TL)
• Expected 2027 exemption 191,745 TL (CNBC-e, 3 Nov 2026)
• 2027 revaluation rate 27.83%; expected 191,745 TL exemption, subject to presidential change (Ekonomist, 3 Nov 2026)
• Filing deadlines: münferit returns for other gains within 15 days; annual return in March, payment March and July (Alomaliye)
• DASK General Conditions change from 05/09/2026: new policy in buyer’s name, seller’s policy ends at registration, refund on application (Alomaliye, 28 Aug 2026)
• DASK change: seller’s policy ends at sale, buyer needs own policy, unused premium refunded on application (Dünya)
• Invest in Türkiye (Presidency Investment Office): USD 400,000 citizenship route and three-year no-sale commitment
• TKGM Circular 2015/5: requirements for POAs issued abroad (Moroğlu Arseven)
• Decree No. 32 Art. 4(d)-(e): non-residents may buy FX from banks and transfer abroad through banks; Law 5549 customer identification (Hukukçular Evi, Oct 2026)
• Sending money abroad: documents banks ask for, MASAK identification rules (Hukukçular Evi, Sep 2026)
• Sale and purchase of real estate for foreigners: valuation report for foreign-involved sales, sworn interpreter, traceable bank transfers (Ongur Partners, updated Aug 2026)
• Selling property in Turkey: seller documents, tax number, DASK, valuation report, 2% seller fee, five-year rule (Advocate Abroad, updated Sep 2026)
• Secure payment system for property sales mandatory from 1 December 2026 (Evrensel, 1 Oct 2026)
• Secure payment system start date 01.12.2026 (Ekonomim)
• Valuation report use period extended to 12 months from 29 Sept 2026 (Yılmazlar Hukuk Bürosu, 1 Oct 2026)

Photo: SegLig / CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons