A residence permit obtained through property purchase is one of the most straightforward routes for a foreign national to establish lawful residence in Turkey. It is a short-term residence permit granted on the basis of ownership of residential real estate, issued for one year at a time and renewable indefinitely for as long as the property remains in the applicant's ownership.
The route is popular because it is predictable: unlike a work permit, it does not depend on an employer's eligibility, and unlike a student permit, it does not depend on continued enrolment. Once the property qualifies and the permit is issued, renewal is largely a matter of maintaining ownership and complying with the ordinary conditions. However, the eligibility requirements are considerably more demanding than the headline investment figure suggests, and a significant proportion of the applications that are refused fail on grounds that had nothing to do with the value of the property.
At Bayraktar Attorneys, we act exclusively for foreign nationals in Turkey. This guide sets out the full legal framework for the property-based residence permit, including the requirements that are not apparent from the investment threshold alone.
Quick answer: The property-based residence permit is granted under Article 31/1(b) of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection (Law No. 6458). Since 16 October 2023, the minimum property value is USD 200,000, applied uniformly across all Turkish provinces. Meeting that threshold is necessary but not sufficient: the property must be registered as residential, must hold a valid habitation certificate (iskan), must be held in the applicant's personal name rather than through a company, and must be located in a neighbourhood that is not closed to new foreign residence registrations. The permit is issued for one year at a time and renewed for as long as ownership continues.
The property-based residence permit is a category of short-term residence permit provided for in Article 31/1(b) of Law No. 6458, which permits the grant of a short-term residence permit to foreign nationals who own immovable property in Turkey.
Under the statute, short-term residence permits may be granted for a period of up to two years. In administrative practice, however, permits in this category are typically issued for one year at a time, with renewal required annually. Applicants should plan on the basis of annual renewal rather than assuming the statutory maximum will be applied.
The permit is tied to the property. If the property is sold, the legal basis for the permit ends, and the holder must either obtain a permit in another category or leave Turkey within the applicable period. This is a point that catches out owners who sell during a permit term without arranging an alternative status in advance.
To qualify for a residence permit on the basis of property ownership:
Beyond these property-specific requirements, applicants must satisfy the general conditions applicable to all residence permit categories:
As of 16 October 2023, the minimum property value for this permit category was standardised at USD 200,000 across all Turkish provinces. Before that date, the threshold varied by location, with lower figures applying outside the major metropolitan areas. The uniform threshold removed that distinction, and a property in a provincial town is now subject to the same value requirement as one in central Istanbul.
The threshold is subject to periodic revision, and applicants should confirm the figure in force at the time of the intended purchase rather than relying on secondary sources. You can confirm a property's assessed value through a real estate valuation report via Web Tapu.
Where an applicant owns more than one property, the combined value may in principle be taken into account, provided each property independently satisfies the eligibility criteria concerning residential classification and habitation certificate. The position should be confirmed for the specific portfolio before purchase, as the treatment of combined holdings has varied in administrative practice.
Where a property is jointly owned, each co-owner's share is assessed separately against the threshold. Two spouses who jointly own a property valued at USD 200,000 do not each hold a qualifying share; the property would need to be valued such that each individual share reaches the threshold, or the family members would need to rely on the shared-ownership provision described above. This is a common source of confusion and should be resolved before the purchase structure is finalised.
This is the point at which the greatest number of applications fail, and it is the aspect of the process that is least understood by buyers.
Meeting the USD 200,000 minimum investment threshold is necessary, but it is not sufficient on its own. The property purchased must also be legally eligible to serve as the basis of a residence permit application. This means the property must hold a valid habitation certificate (iskan), must be classified as residential in the land registry, and must pass the verification checks carried out at the municipality and the land registry.
Without this confirmation, a property purchased for well above USD 200,000 will not automatically grant the buyer the right to a residence permit.
Many properties in Turkey are physically inhabited despite lacking a habitation certificate, or despite not meeting the legal definition of a habitable structure. The fact that a building is being lived in, that it has utility connections, and that neighbours have been resident for years does not confirm that it holds a valid iskan or that it is recognised as residential under the title deed.
The habitation certificate is issued by the municipality once the building has been completed in accordance with its approved project and the technical requirements have been satisfied. A building constructed with deviations from the approved project, or whose developer has outstanding social security debts, may never obtain one, and units in such a building will not support a residence permit application regardless of their value or condition.
The title deed records the designated use of the property. A unit classified as an office, a shop, a workshop, or a warehouse does not qualify for this permit category even if it is being used residentially and even if it is physically indistinguishable from an apartment. The classification recorded in the land registry is what governs, and it can be verified before purchase.
From our practice: Legal due diligence before purchase is essential rather than optional. The verification of habitation certificate status and residential classification takes a matter of days and is inexpensive. Discovering after completion that a property does not qualify leaves the buyer with an asset they cannot use for the purpose they bought it for, and the seller has no obligation to take it back.
The requirement for a state-issued property valuation report has been lifted for this permit category. It is now sufficient for the USD 200,000 value to be declared on the title deed itself, meaning that the transfer taxes are paid as though the property's value were USD 200,000. The property's actual market value is no longer required to match this figure.
This change is significant in practice, but it introduces a commercial negotiation that many buyers do not anticipate.
The value declared on the title deed determines the transfer tax payable and, critically, the seller's capital gains tax position. Declaring a higher value on the title deed increases the capital gains tax owed by the seller on the disposal. Sellers who have held the property for a shorter period may therefore be reluctant to agree to a declaration at the USD 200,000 level.
A seller who has owned the property for more than five years is generally exempt from capital gains tax on the disposal and is correspondingly more willing to declare the full value. Where the seller acquired the property recently, the tax cost of the declaration is real, and it becomes a point of negotiation that should be addressed before the price is agreed rather than at the land registry appointment.
Practical point: Where a buyer requires the title deed declaration to reach USD 200,000 for residence permit purposes, this should be an express term of the sale agreement, negotiated at the outset. A seller who has agreed a price without understanding the declaration requirement may refuse at the transfer stage, at which point the buyer's negotiating position has collapsed.
This is the requirement that most frequently defeats an otherwise well-prepared application, and it is absent from most published guidance on the property-based residence permit.
Turkish immigration policy restricts new foreign residence registrations in neighbourhoods where the foreign population has reached a defined proportion of the total. The threshold was reduced from 25 percent to 20 percent in 2022, and the number of closed neighbourhoods has expanded substantially since. Across Turkey, well over a thousand neighbourhoods are currently closed to new foreign residence registrations, with the highest concentrations in Istanbul, Ankara, and the coastal provinces.
In Istanbul, a number of districts have been closed in their entirety rather than at neighbourhood level. In other districts, only specific neighbourhoods are affected. The lists are updated periodically and the current position must be verified before any property is purchased.
There is an important exception that applies specifically to applications made on the basis of property ownership under Article 31/1(b). Where a foreign national held a residential title deed in a restricted district before the restriction date, or held a notarised promise-to-sell contract before that date and acquired the title afterwards, their property-based residence permit application may still be accepted notwithstanding the closure. Family members as defined under Law No. 6458 benefit from the same treatment.
Other exceptions apply to family members of Turkish citizens and Blue Card holders, family members of foreigners already registered in the district, and holders of work permits.
The current list of closed districts and neighbourhoods is published by the Presidency of Migration Management and is publicly accessible. The verification takes minutes and should be carried out at the level of the specific neighbourhood, not merely the district, since a district that is open overall may contain closed neighbourhoods.
From our practice: We check the closure status of the specific neighbourhood as the first step in any property-based residence permit matter, before any other due diligence is carried out. A property that satisfies every other requirement is of no use for this purpose if it sits in a closed neighbourhood, and this is verifiable in advance at no cost. Buyers who discover the problem after completion have very limited options.
Applicants typically need to submit the following:
Documents issued abroad generally require apostille certification and sworn translation into Turkish. Applications submitted with documents that have not been properly legalised are returned for completion, which delays the process and can create problems where the applicant's existing lawful status is close to expiry.
Applications and appointments are made through the official e-ikamet portal operated by the Presidency of Migration Management. The process runs as follows:
The application must be made while the applicant holds lawful status in Turkey, whether under a visa, a visa exemption, or an existing residence permit. An application filed after the existing status has expired creates an overstay position that complicates the assessment and may attract an administrative fine.
Appointment availability can be constrained in provinces with large foreign populations, and the interval between the online application and the appointment date should be factored into planning. For a broader overview of the residence permit framework, see our guide on how to get a residence permit in Turkey.
If the applicant is married but the spouse is not listed as a co-owner on the title deed, the non-owner spouse cannot apply for a residence permit on the basis of property ownership. The property-based permit is available only to those whose names appear on the title deed.
In this situation the non-owner spouse must apply in a different category. The commonly used routes are a touristic short-term residence permit or a family residence permit. Where the touristic route is used, a petition should be included in the application clearly explaining that the applicant's spouse is the legal owner of real estate in Turkey. This detail matters for transparency and for the assessment of the applicant's circumstances during the review.
Families may also consider family residence permits under Law No. 6458 as an alternative route, which carries its own conditions concerning income, accommodation, and the relationship.
The cleaner solution, where it is available, is to register both spouses as co-owners on the title deed at the point of purchase, subject to each share meeting the value requirement. This should be considered before the transfer rather than corrected afterwards, since a subsequent transfer of a share between spouses is itself a taxable transaction.
A property purchased in the name of a company established in Turkey, rather than in the applicant's personal name, does not support a property-based residence permit application. The title deed must be registered in the applicant's own personal name. A property held through a corporate entity, even one wholly owned by the applicant, does not satisfy the legal requirements for this permit category.
This is a structural point that should be settled before the acquisition. Buyers who purchase through a company for tax or asset protection reasons and later discover the residence permit consequence face a transfer from the company to themselves, with the associated tax and registration costs.
The permit is tied to continued ownership. Where the property is sold, the legal basis for the permit ends. The holder must obtain a residence permit in another category or leave Turkey within the applicable period. Owners contemplating a sale should arrange their alternative status before the transfer rather than afterwards, since a gap in lawful status carries an administrative fine and may affect future applications.
Each permit is issued for one year and must be renewed annually. Renewal requires that the property remains in the applicant's ownership and that the general conditions continue to be satisfied, including valid health insurance and current address registration.
Renewal applications may be submitted within a defined window before the expiry of the existing permit. Applications made after expiry create an overstay position. We recommend that renewal be diarised at least 60 days before expiry, which allows time for appointment availability and for any documentation issues to be resolved.
Time held under a property-based residence permit counts at full rate toward the qualifying period for long-term residence and for Turkish citizenship through five years of continuous residence. This distinguishes it from touristic and student permits, which count at half rate. For applicants whose longer-term objective is Turkish citizenship through residence, this is a meaningful advantage of the property-based route, and it is one of the reasons we frequently recommend it as the foundation of a citizenship strategy.
In our experience, applications in this category are most commonly refused for the following reasons:
Every item on this list is identifiable and resolvable before the application is filed. The great majority of refusals we are asked to address arise from matters that a pre-purchase review would have caught.
It is also worth reviewing the broader framework governing acquisition itself. See our guide on real estate purchase procedures for foreigners in Turkey.
13.1. If I purchase the property through my company established in Turkey, can I still benefit from the residence permit?
No. The property must be purchased and registered under your personal name. A property purchased through a Turkish company, even one you fully own, does not qualify you for this residence permit category. If you have already purchased through a company and require the permit, the property would need to be transferred into your personal name, with the associated tax and registration costs.
13.2. Is meeting the USD 200,000 threshold enough to qualify?
Not on its own. In addition to meeting the minimum investment threshold, the property must hold a valid habitation certificate (iskan), must be classified as residential in the land registry, must be located in a neighbourhood that is not closed to new foreign residence registrations, and must be confirmed through checks at the municipality and the land registry to be eligible for residence permit purposes.
13.3. Does a property without a habitation certificate qualify if people are currently living in it?
No. The fact that a property is physically inhabited does not mean it holds a valid habitation certificate. Many buildings in Turkey are occupied without one. Land plots and buildings that do not meet the legal definition of a habitable residential structure do not qualify, regardless of current occupancy, utility connections, or how long residents have been living there.
13.4. Do I still need a state-issued property valuation report to apply?
No. This requirement has been lifted for this category. It is now sufficient for the title deed to declare a property value of USD 200,000, with the transfer taxes paid on that declared value, rather than requiring an independent valuation confirming the property's actual market value.
13.5. Why might a seller refuse to declare the full USD 200,000 value on the title deed?
Declaring a higher value increases the seller's capital gains tax liability on the disposal. Sellers who have owned the property for less than five years may therefore be reluctant to agree. Sellers who have held the property for more than five years are generally exempt from this tax and are correspondingly more willing to declare the full value. This should be negotiated before the price is agreed rather than raised at the land registry appointment.
13.6. Can family members be included under the same property-based residence permit?
Yes. A spouse, minor children, or a dependent adult child who share ownership of the property can apply under the same residence permit application. Family members who do not appear on the title deed cannot use this route and must apply in another category.
13.7. What is a closed neighbourhood and how does it affect my application?
Neighbourhoods where the foreign population has reached a defined proportion of the total, currently 20 percent, are closed to new foreign residence registrations. Over a thousand neighbourhoods across Turkey are affected, and in Istanbul a number of districts are closed in their entirety. An application based on a property in a closed area will generally be refused. However, a specific exception applies to property-based applications where the applicant held title, or a notarised promise-to-sell contract, before the closure date. The current list is published by the Presidency of Migration Management and should be checked before purchase.
13.8. Can a commercial property or a plot of land qualify?
No. Only properties intended and classified for residential use are eligible. Commercial properties, offices, shops, empty plots, agricultural land, and land without a completed residential building do not qualify, regardless of their value.
13.9. How long is the permit valid and how often must it be renewed?
The statute permits short-term residence permits of up to two years, but in administrative practice permits in this category are typically issued for one year. Renewal is required annually and depends on continued ownership of the property and continued satisfaction of the general conditions. We recommend diarising the renewal at least 60 days before expiry.
13.10. What happens to my permit if I sell the property?
The permit is tied to your ownership of the property. On a sale, the legal basis for the permit ends, and you must either obtain a residence permit in another category or leave Turkey within the applicable period. Owners planning a sale should arrange their alternative status before the transfer, since a gap in lawful status attracts an administrative fine and can affect future applications.
13.11. Does time under this permit count toward Turkish citizenship?
Yes, at full rate. Time held under a property-based residence permit counts fully toward the five-year qualifying period for citizenship through continuous residence, and toward the qualifying period for long-term residence. This is a meaningful advantage over touristic and student permits, which count at half rate, and it is one reason the property-based route is frequently used as the foundation of a longer-term citizenship strategy.
13.12. My spouse owns the property but I do not. What are my options?
You cannot apply on the basis of property ownership, since the permit is available only to those registered on the title deed. Your options are a touristic short-term residence permit, supported by a petition explaining that your spouse owns property in Turkey, or a family residence permit subject to its own conditions. The cleanest solution, where it can be arranged before purchase, is joint registration of the title deed, subject to the value requirement being met.
13.13. Can I apply if my current visa or permit has already expired?
An application should be made while you hold lawful status. Filing after expiry creates an overstay position, attracts an administrative fine, and complicates the assessment. Where an overstay has already occurred, legal advice should be obtained promptly, since the position deteriorates with the length of the overstay and a significant overstay can result in a re-entry ban.
13.14. Is health insurance really mandatory, and what kind is accepted?
Yes, it is a mandatory condition. The policy must meet the minimum coverage requirements set by the relevant provincial directorate and must cover the entire period of the requested permit. Requirements vary between provinces and are updated periodically, so the policy should be confirmed against the current requirements of the specific directorate rather than purchased on a general basis.
Buying a suitable residential property in Turkey, from USD 200,000, gives foreign nationals and their immediate family a practical and renewable route to lawful residence, and one that counts at full rate toward the longer-term objectives of long-term residence and citizenship.
However, the investment threshold is only the first of several requirements, and it is rarely the one that causes applications to fail. The habitation certificate, the residential classification, the closure status of the neighbourhood, the ownership structure, and the value declared on the title deed each independently determine whether a property will serve the purpose. Every one of them is verifiable before purchase, and none of them is easily remedied afterwards.
Proper legal planning matters particularly for married couples where only one spouse is listed as the owner, for buyers who have purchased or intend to purchase through a company, and for anyone considering a property in a district where closures apply. In each of these situations, different permit categories and additional documentation must be prepared carefully.
As legal practitioners acting exclusively for foreign nationals, we guide clients through each stage: verifying that a property qualifies before purchase, structuring the ownership correctly, preparing a compliant application, and managing the annual renewal process.
If you would like assistance with documentation, legal compliance, or a more complex situation, please contact us. We would be glad to prepare your official legal service proposal and support your move to Turkey.
