Buying Process
The TAPU Explained: How Turkish Title Deeds Work and How to Verify One
The Short Answer
The TAPU is Turkey's official title deed, issued by the General Directorate of Land Registry. It is the only document that proves property ownership; contracts and receipts do not. Before buying, verify the deed type is full ownership (kat mülkiyeti), check for liens and mortgages at the registry, and confirm the seller's identity matches the deed exactly.
In Turkey, one document decides who owns a property, and it is not the sales contract, not the notary agreement, and not the developer's payment receipts. It is the TAPU. Understanding how it works is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy.
What the TAPU Is
The TAPU is the official title deed issued by the Tapu ve Kadastro Genel Müdürlüğü, the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre. Turkey runs a centralized, state-guaranteed land registry: whoever is recorded on the TAPU owns the property, full stop. This is a stronger system than many buyers expect. There is no title insurance industry in Turkey because the state registry itself is the guarantee.
Ownership transfers only at the registry office, in person or via power of attorney. A sales contract, even a notarized one, creates contractual rights against the seller but does not transfer ownership. Every year buyers pay developers in full against contracts alone and discover the difference the hard way.
The Deed Types That Matter
| Deed type | Turkish name | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Full condominium ownership | Kat mülkiyeti | The finished, permitted building with your unit fully registered. The gold standard. |
| Construction servitude | Kat irtifakı | Ownership of a share in a building under construction or not yet certified. Normal for off-plan, should convert to kat mülkiyeti at completion. |
| Land share | Arsa payı / hisseli tapu | A fractional share of raw land, sometimes sold with informal "agreements" about which unit is yours. High risk for foreigners. |
| Agricultural land | Tarla | Farmland with building restrictions. Not for residential purchase unless you know exactly what you are doing. |
The single most useful question you can ask about any resale apartment: is the deed kat mülkiyeti, and does the building have its iskan? The iskan, the occupancy permit, certifies the building was completed per its approved plans. A building stuck at kat irtifakı years after completion usually has a permit problem someone hopes you will not notice.
How to Read a TAPU
The red-bordered document contains, among other fields: the province, district, and neighborhood; the block and parcel numbers (ada and parsel) that identify the land in the cadastre; the independent section number identifying your specific unit; the deed type; the share fraction; the acquisition reason and date; and the owner's name and photograph.
Two verification habits worth adopting:
- •Match the seller's ID against the deed name character for character, and match the ada, parsel, and independent section against the property you actually viewed. Unit mix-ups in large projects are more common than anyone admits.
- •Pull the current registry record on transfer day, not just during due diligence. Liens can be recorded between your check and your closing.
The Checks That Catch Real Problems
Your lawyer runs these at the registry, and each one exists because it regularly finds something:
- 1.Encumbrance check (takyidat). Mortgages, liens, foreclosure annotations, usufruct rights, and lease annotations all live on the registry record. Any of them survives the sale if not cleared before transfer.
- 2.Seller verification. Confirm the person selling is the recorded owner or holds a valid, specific power of attorney from them.
- 3.Zoning status (imar durumu). The municipality confirms what the land is zoned for and whether the building matches.
- 4.Urban transformation flags. Buildings flagged as earthquake-risk under Law 6306 can be subject to demolition decisions.
- 5.Debt trail. Unpaid property tax follows the property; utility debts follow the meter. Both are checkable and clearable at closing.
Foreign Buyers and the TAPU
The transfer process for foreigners adds two elements: the mandatory appraisal report and the military zone clearance, which the registry now processes automatically in most provinces within days. Your name goes on the TAPU exactly as in your passport, and the deed is yours with the same force as any Turkish citizen's. The registry also annotates citizenship-program commitments, like the three-year no-sale rule described in our citizenship by investment guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between kat mülkiyeti and kat irtifakı?
Kat mülkiyeti is full condominium ownership of a completed, permitted building. Kat irtifakı is construction servitude, the pre-completion stage that should convert once the building receives its occupancy permit. A completed building still on kat irtifakı typically has a permit defect, which affects utilities, financing, and resale value.
Can I check a TAPU online?
Owners can view their own deeds through the e-Devlet government portal and the Web-Tapu system. Buyers cannot pull a stranger's record directly, but a lawyer or the seller can produce a current registry extract showing ownership and all encumbrances. Always demand one dated the week of your transfer.
Is a notarized sales contract proof of ownership in Turkey?
No. Only registration at the Land Registry transfers ownership. A notarized contract gives you contractual claims against the seller, which matter in a dispute, but the person on the TAPU remains the owner. Never pay the full price against a contract alone.
What is an iskan and why does it matter?
The iskan is the occupancy permit certifying a building was completed according to its approved plans. Without it, the deed cannot convert to full kat mülkiyeti, individual utility subscriptions can be problematic, and resale value suffers. It is a ten-minute municipal check that should precede any purchase.
About the Author
Hoshna Realty Research Team
Market Research and Data · Licensed brokerage team, TAPU registered transactions since 2010 · 15+ years
The Hoshna Realty research team tracks pricing, transaction volume, and regulation across every major Turkish market. Every figure we publish comes from closed transactions we handled or from official TÜİK and Tapu ve Kadastro records, and every guide is reviewed by a licensed agent before it goes live.