Buying a flat in Ümraniye as a foreigner
Buyers from most countries may hold an Istanbul flat outright, with the tapu registered to them personally. This page walks through the order of events, the documents, the costs beyond the asking price, the checks we insist on and what a purchase does and does not do for residence or citizenship.
The order of events
Every purchase we handle for an overseas buyer moves through the same five stages. Some run in parallel, but none can be skipped.
Your brief, our shortlist
Tell us the budget, the room layout and which metro line or mahalle you want to be near. We visit the candidates and show you the strongest ones on camera or face to face.
Tax number and bank
A tax office issues your vergi numarası against your passport in a few minutes. With it you open the Turkish account that the purchase money is paid through.
The valuation
An appraiser licensed for real estate visits the flat and writes a report on its value. Foreign buyers cannot be booked in at the Land Registry without it.
Signing at the tapu
With DASK cover in place, both parties sign at the Land Registry, a sworn interpreter beside you if needed, and you leave with a deed in your own name.
Settling in
Utilities move into your name, and the deed becomes part of any residence permit file. The separate citizenship route needs $400,000 of property kept for three years.
Questions that come up in Ümraniye
Ümraniye is a large, fast-changing district, and a few points need settling before you view rather than after:
- Which station a listing means by “near the metro”: an M5 stop already in service, or one on a line that is still being built.
- Whether an older block is part of an urban transformation (kentsel dönüşüm) process, and what that would mean for an owner.
- In a gated complex (site), what the monthly aidat pays for: security, pool, gym, parking, gardening.
- The mahalle and district written on the deed, because streets near the boundaries with neighbouring districts are easy to mislabel.
Documents you will be asked for
- A valid passport plus a sworn Turkish translation of the identity page, certified by a notary.
- Your Turkish tax number (vergi numarası), issued on the spot at a tax office.
- Two passport-style photographs taken recently.
- A valuation report prepared by an appraiser licensed for real estate.
- The flat’s compulsory DASK earthquake policy, current on the day of signing.
- Bank statements or receipts that trace the purchase money into Türkiye.
What you pay besides the price
| Cost | How much | Who normally pays |
|---|---|---|
| Land Registry fee (tapu harcı) | 4% of the sale value recorded on the deed | Often split half and half; agree it in writing |
| Valuation report | A fixed fee charged by the appraisal company | Buyer |
| DASK policy | An annual premium based on the flat’s size and how the building was constructed | Buyer |
| Sworn interpreter and notary | Billed per session or per translated page | Buyer |
| VAT on a first sale by a developer | Depends on the unit and the seller; ask for a written price that includes it | Buyer, as part of the price |
| Our commission | Set out in a signed brokerage agreement before viewings begin | As written in that agreement |
After completion an owner budgets for the yearly municipal property tax, renewing DASK each year, electricity, water and gas, and the building’s aidat. In a large complex with shared facilities the aidat is usually the item to ask about first.
Checking the flat and the building
- The person selling is the registered owner, and the land register shows no mortgage, seizure or other annotation.
- The building has its occupancy permit (iskan), so the flat is recorded as a finished home.
- The year of construction, and the earthquake code the structure was designed to.
- No debts for aidat, utilities or property tax left behind for the buyer.
- The net area as well as the gross, and a price per square metre that matches similar flats close by.
Residence permits and citizenship
A deed to a home in Istanbul can support an application for a short-term residence permit. Whether the permit is granted is up to the migration authority, which also updates the minimum property values and the areas where they apply.
Turkish citizenship by investment is a separate scheme with a higher bar: real estate appraised at $400,000 or more, plus a deed annotation committing you to keep it for three years. You may combine more than one property to get there; one flat appraised below that sum does not qualify by itself.
These rules change. Have a lawyer confirm what applies to you before you sign anything; we cannot promise the outcome of any residence or citizenship application.
Questions buyers ask us
Must I travel to Istanbul to complete?
No. A power of attorney signed at a Turkish consulate abroad, or before a notary in Türkiye, lets a lawyer sign at the Land Registry for you. Many owners still like to come for the signing and to collect the keys themselves.
Is the price paid in dollars or lira?
Sellers frequently quote in US dollars, but the value written on the deed is in Turkish lira. Foreign buyers are usually asked to prove the funds were converted into lira by a Turkish bank, so keep every transfer receipt. We confirm the current document list with you before any money moves.
How many weeks does a resale purchase take?
When the flat is finished and already has its own deed, a few weeks from agreeing the price is a sensible plan. The appraisal visit and a free slot at the tapu office set the pace. For a flat still being built, the developer’s handover date is what counts.
Does owning a flat give me the right to live here?
Ownership is a reason you can give when applying for a short-term residence permit; it is not a permit in itself. The migration authority decides each application and revises its criteria from time to time. We prepare the property papers and point you to an adviser for the application.
Planning the purchase from overseas?
Let us know where you live, roughly what you can spend and the sort of Ümraniye flat you picture. Expect a reply listing suitable homes and how long each stage should take.
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