Turkey: cross-border payments and remote closing

When the buyer lives abroad, the payment route decides whether a Turkish sale runs smoothly. Three rules matter in 2026: the foreign-currency certificate that foreign buyers submit to the land registry, the Secure Payment System that is reported to become mandatory from 1 October 2026, and new earthquake-insurance steps from 5 September 2026. This briefing explains each, then walks through a remote closing.

The foreign-currency certificate

Since early 2022, a foreign natural person who buys property in Turkey has had to pay in foreign currency that is sold through a Turkish bank. The sequence described by law firms is simple. The buyer sends foreign currency to an account at a Turkish bank. The bank sells it to the Central Bank and issues a foreign exchange purchase certificate. The buyer submits that certificate to the land registry office before the title deed transfer. The seller receives the price in Turkish lira.

Two details deserve attention. The certificate names the buyer and the document number, and records the dollar equivalent that was sold. Reports also say the lira amount on the certificate is the value declared to the land registry as the sale price, which is why the amount you agree and the amount the bank converts must match.

Sources date the circular behind this practice differently, so we describe the rule as in force since about January 2022 and suggest you confirm the current form of the certificate with the land registry and the bank.

The Secure Payment System

The Ministry of Commerce announced on 26 June 2026 that the mandatory start of the Secure Payment System for real estate was moving from 1 July to 1 October 2026, to finish technical integration with the land registry. Press reports describe how it is meant to work. The buyer pays the agreed price into a blocked account at an authorised institution, and after the registration at the land registry is completed the money is released to the seller. From the start date, cash and direct bank or EFT transfers to the seller are described as no longer valid, and land registry offices are reported to refuse requests that do not use the system. If a sale fails, the blocked money returns to the buyer.

The sources we read do not say how this sits alongside the foreign-currency certificate for foreign buyers, and they were written before or around the start date. Before the next sale, ask a Turkish lawyer and the buyer's bank how the two work together and which bank can open the blocked account. Do not collect a deposit outside the system in the meantime.

New earthquake-insurance steps

Compulsory earthquake insurance (DASK) is a condition of the title deed transfer. A law-firm note describes new rules from 5 September 2026: the existing policy no longer passes to the buyer, the buyer must take a new policy in their own name before the title deed appointment, and the seller may ask the insurer for a refund of the unused premium after registration. Put the policy on your closing checklist and make sure the details in it match the title deed.

Costs to include in the buyer's budget

• Title deed fee of 4 per cent of the declared price, which sources say is customarily split between buyer and seller, though the split is a matter of agreement.
• VAT on new buildings, which sources give as a range from 1 to 20 per cent depending on the property; ask the developer which rate applies.
• Notary, translator, valuation and insurance costs.
• Agent commission, if your agreement says the buyer pays it.

A remote closing, step by step

• Agree the price and the stages in writing, in a language the buyer reads, with a sworn translation where needed.
• Obtain the buyer's Turkish tax number and open the bank account in their name.
• Request the security-zone check and, if the buyer needs it, the valuation.
• Arrange the power of attorney if the buyer will not attend. Confirm with your lawyer whether it is signed at a Turkish consulate or notarised and apostilled abroad, and that the translation is sworn.
• Move the funds through the route the bank confirms, with the exchange certificate and the Secure Payment System steps in the right order.
• Buy the DASK policy in the buyer's name before the title deed appointment.
• Attend the appointment at the land registry. Guides put resale transfers at roughly one to two weeks after the preparation stage; for off-plan, the transfer follows project delivery.

Pitfalls worth telling remote buyers about

• Paying a deposit outside the bank route. It may not match the declared price and may not be recognised.
• Price mismatch. The amount in the contract, on the certificate and in the title deed should agree.
• Rule changes. The Secure Payment System and DASK steps are recent, so confirm them again for each sale.
• Reliance on a language the buyer cannot read. Insist on translation before signing.
• Overpromising. Do not tell a buyer that a permit or a price gain follows from the purchase.

What to say to the buyer

Give a one-page timeline with the bank steps, the documents each step needs and the person responsible. Tell the buyer that banks may ask for extra documents and that opening an account can take time, so it is best to start before the deposit.

Working with D.H. Realting

D.H. Realting is a trilingual (Russian, English, Polish) overseas-property platform. We introduce buyers, including expats and cross-border buyers, to property in other countries and support the process. Agencies that handle the deal locally and want to be introduced to such buyers can contact us through our partners page. We do not publish commission terms or promise any volume of enquiries here; those are discussed one to one.

Sources we relied on: a law-firm note on the foreign-currency requirement, a report on the postponement of the Secure Payment System and a law-firm note on the new DASK rules.

This briefing is informational only. It is not legal, tax or investment advice, rules change often, and the sources named above are summaries rather than the legal texts. Confirm every point with a local lawyer and the competent authority before you rely on it.