Features of buying land in Turkiye by foreigners

A foreign investor may need a land plot for the construction of not only real estate, but also production. There are certain features of the purchase of land by foreigners in Turkiye, which should be taken into account by the investor.

Today, there is a classifier for the intended purpose of land plots developed by the Ministry of Regional Development of Turkiye, which is valid throughout the country. It says that land plots can have one of three statuses:

Public lands (Hazine arazileri)

This category of land is municipal or state property. These include lands where animal husbandry, crop cultivation and the placement of greenhouses, citrus orchards, and plantations are provided. Solid, liquid and gaseous minerals are also mined on such lands.

State-owned lands will not be sold to Turkish citizens or foreign citizens. Such lands can only be rented for a long time.

Agricultural land (Tarım arazileri — Tarla)

This category of land plots is not included in the city planning plans, since construction is prohibited on them, but agricultural work is possible.

A natural person, as well as a legal entity (company), can acquire ownership of such land plots. Restrictions on the size of the plot have been introduced: foreigners have the right to take ownership of up to 30 hectares of land.

Building plots (Imarlı Arsa)

Such categories of land plots are included in the urban zoning plan and the state register of land cadastre. Construction is allowed on them, and their legal status is assigned:

• Land for commercial development (Ticarı imarlı arsa) — they allow the construction of hotels, shops, office space, shopping centers.
• Lands for residential development (Konut imarlı arsa) — construction of private houses is allowed on these plots.

Construction of objects for housing is prohibited on the category of land intended for the construction of commercial objects, and on lands intended for residential buildings, the construction of buildings for commerce is prohibited.

Features include the requirement for the size of the building. On such a land plot, erected housing cannot occupy more than 5% of the size of the allotment. For the construction of a 2–3-story building, you need to have a building permit in the city municipality. After changing the status of the plot for residential construction, you can take 20%.

Foreign citizens who intend to purchase a land plot in Turkiye for the construction of a building must submit a development plan to the relevant ministry, depending on the purpose of the building, within two years from the date of purchase of the land. 

The registration of legal title to the land is controlled by the state cadastre, the cartography department and the geodesy committee. Each such plot has exact coordinates, cadastral number and target status. All data is registered in the document of ownership (tapu).

Conditions for buying land in Turkiye

Foreign citizens, according to Turkish law, have the right to purchase both apartments and land plots for construction. But there are certain nuances and a number of limitations.

• Purchase of a plot of more than 300,000 square meters (30 ha) — impossible.
• The area of the acquired land should not exceed 10% of the total area of the administrative region to which it belongs. 

For citizens of some countries there are restrictions on the purchase of land in Turkiye. This applies to citizens of Ukraine and Russia, they will not be able to buy real estate, as well as land plots along the Black Sea coast, citizens of Greece — on the shores of the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.

Foreign citizens are prohibited from taking ownership of land plots in closed military and border zones, as well as in strategically important places for Turkiye.

To register the land, the future foreign owner submits all the necessary documents to the Land Registry and Cadastre Department at the location of the object. You should also present a foreign passport and a certificate of the cadastral value of the object.

Price of land plots in Turkiye

Several factors affect the cost of land in Turkiye, such as:

• location (region, city, district);
• purpose of land;
• remoteness from the sea;
• wearing size;
• regional demand for plots;
• the presence of communications.

The most affordable land plots in Turkiye are located in remote provinces and regions, while the most expensive ones are located along the coast, in large cities and in popular resorts.

It is imperative to check the documents for the land to make sure that the status of the land allows you to build a structure of the type you need — residential or commercial (industrial) or agricultural.