The title deed in Turkey is called "Tapu". It is an official and legal document to prove ownership rights of a property. It registers the location, owner, type, size information of the property.

The authority of the title deed registry and archive is General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre (Tapu ve Kadastro Genel Müdürlüğü - TKGM). There are title deed offices of TKGM in every city in Turkey. TKGM is a heritage institution of the Ottoman Empire to the young Turkish Republic as one of the oldest corporate is established in 1847 as Defterhane-i Amire.

All properties are freehold in Turkey. Once you own a property in Turkey, you have full ownership rights on it and your family has the right of inheritance (succession) after your death.

How Does Title Deed Conveyance Process Work in Turkey?

Title deed conveyance occurs at title deed offices regarding the seller’s application. Applications are accepted on weekdays until noontime. Buyers do not have to be present at the title deed office during the application.

Required documents for title deed conveyance are as follows:

• The translation and the original of buyer’s passport,

• Buyer’s tax number,

• Statement of identity information form,

• Appraisal report,

• Current title deed,

• Seller’s ID

Seller takes the required documents to the title deed office while going for title deed conveyance application. Within the time frame between the application and the final signatures, title deed expenses must be paid. Expenses include title deed conveyance tax, stamp taxes, and circulating capital.

After preparing title deed conveyance documents, the title deed office invites both parties for final signatures by sending an SMS which clarifies the date and time of the appointment. The appointment date depends on the work volume at the title deed office, mostly the same day in the afternoon, within two days at the latest. If any of the parties is a foreigner, a sworn interpreter must be present at the title deed office to explain the terms of the conveyance to the party since the papers are prepared only in the Turkish language. After the seller and buyer sign the title deed conveyance agreement, the title deed is printed by the officers and given to the buyer.

Avsallar Property follows the title deed process for its customers as part of free after-sale services from preparing the necessary documents to the final signatures.