Foreign-Capital Companies Buying Property in Türkiye

Turkish companies with foreign capital, and their subsidiaries, acquire real estate under article 36 of the Land Registry Law and its implementing regulation. They apply to the provincial planning and coordination directorate of the governor's office where the property is located. Purchases by foreign individuals follow different rules and have their own page on this site.

Documents for the governor's office

The regulation lists an authorisation document showing that the company may dispose of real estate and naming its representative and, where the shares are not traded on the stock exchange, a document from the trade registry where the company's head office is registered giving the names or trade names, nationalities and shareholding ratios of the foreign shareholders. A subsidiary also submits documents giving the names, nationalities and shareholding ratios of its shareholders up to the foreign investor or investors. No other documents are requested from the company. If originals are presented, the governor's office certifies copies and returns the originals.

At the title deed office

Under the Land Registry Regulation, an application on behalf of a legal entity requires an authorisation document from the competent authorities showing that it may carry out the transaction and naming its representatives, together with signature circulars; the authorisation document must include the representative's Turkish identification number. Applications through an attorney require a power of attorney drawn up under the Notaries Law that covers the transaction. If one or more applicants do not know Turkish, a sworn translator must be present. The Directorate General of Land Registry and Cadastre is authorised to determine the documents that foreign individuals and companies incorporated abroad use in land registry transactions.

The texts we quote do not set apostille or translation rules for the foreign investor's own documents in the ownership chain; ask the governor's office or the land registry which form they accept. We translate foreign company and ownership documents into Turkish in Ankara through translators sworn before a Turkish notary. The governor's office and the land registry decide.