What Is The Turkish Property Ownership Certificate (TAPU)
In accordance with Turkish law, TAPU (the Turkish property ownership certificate) is the only official document confirming the property rights for the certain property. Cadastral Authority as a state structure carry out all the documentation activity connected with property. Documents containing the purchase and property sale are stored in the State Administration of the Land Cadaster and the State Registration Chamber. Not only the declared value of the property (that helps to calculate the annual property tax and the sales tax) is indicated in the TAPU but also:
A. Core information about the property
- Photos of all owners. The seal and the signature of the official of Cadastral Authority is obligatory!
- Province / administrative center (İl)
- City / settlement (İlçesi)
- Microdistrict (Mahallesi)
- Village (Köyü)
- Street (Sokağı)
- District (Mevkii)
- Sheet number of cadastral plan / drawing (Pafta No)
- Number of cadastral array / quarter (Ada No)
- Number of ground area (Parsel No)
- Authorized use (Agricultural Land / Land for Settlement / Land of Forest Fund / Land of Water Fund, etc.) (Niteliği)
- Area size in hectares, square meters and decimeters
B. Type of TAPU:
- Ownership of a separate unit of real estate ready for service (apartment, house, office, etc.), built on the land and approved in the city government (Kat Mülkiyeti)
- Ownership of a separate unit of real estate not ready for service (due to unfinished construction work or if the permit from the city government has not been received yet) (Kat İrtifakı)
- The right of partial or temporary ownership (Devre mülk)
C. Information about a separate/independent unit located on the land:
- The declared value of property (Satış bedeli)
- Type of real estate (Niteliği)
- The share of land area (which part of the land belongs to an independent unit) (Arsa payı)
- Block/builing/house number (Blok No)
- Floor number (Kat No)
- Independent unit number (Bağımsız Blm No.)
- The reason why the property is currently being transferred to the new owner (from whom to whom and any other explanations) (Edinme sebebi)
- Information about new owner (s). If there is more than one owner of real estate, the corresponding share of each owner should be also indicated. (Sahibi)
D. This section is intended for official use only. The lower central section of TAPU is for the employee of the Cadastral Authority. Here TAPU should be stamped!
Registration of TAPU (Property Ownership Certificate)
There is a uniform system of documents registration in Turkey. Cadastral Authority as a state structure carry out all the documentation activity connected with property. Legality is guaranteed at the state level. After signing the contract, the seller, the buyer, sales manager and the state interpreter (for foreign citizens who do not know the Turkish language) meet in Cadastral Authority for TAPU transfer (by this time the apartment price, all the taxes and other expenses have already should be paid). The seller signs the document to confirm that the property has been fully paid. After receiving TAPU, the buyer becomes a rightful owner of real estate.
The following documents are needed to register TAPU:
- Buyer’s foreign passport
- Tax number (usually taken at Tax Inspection at the place of purchase and is free of charge)
- 2 recent color photographs (in Turkey the cost is within 5 U.S. dollars)
All registration usually takes not more than three hours.
