Selling Property in Turkey as a Foreigner: Process, Taxes and Moving the Money Abroad (2026)

Can foreigners sell property in Turkey?

Yes. A foreign owner holds the same freehold title deed (tapu) as a Turkish citizen and can sell it to anyone, Turkish or foreign, at any time, unless the deed carries a restriction such as the 3-year citizenship annotation or a mortgage.

The title passes in a single Land Registry appointment. What differs for a foreign owner is everything around it: tax on the gain, the extra paperwork when a foreign national is a party, the power of attorney if you live abroad, and moving the money home. Much of it mirrors the title deed process in Turkey you followed as a buyer.

Do foreigners pay capital gains tax when selling property in Turkey?

Only if the property is sold within 5 years of acquisition. Turkish law (Income Tax Law, repeated Article 80) treats the profit on a property disposed of within 5 years as a taxable “değer artış kazancı” (value-increase gain); after 5 full years the gain from an ordinary private sale is not taxed.

The same rule applies to foreign and Turkish owners; nationality does not change the tax. Key points from the Revenue Administration’s official guide on disposing of real estate (GİB):

• The clock starts at registration. The acquisition date is normally the date the deed was registered in your name. If you took documented possession earlier (for example a handover record or utility bills on an off-plan unit), that earlier date may be accepted.
• The 5 years are counted day by day. Selling one week short of the anniversary means the full gain is in scope.
• Inherited and gifted property is outside the rule, because it was not acquired for consideration.

How is capital gains tax on Turkish property calculated in 2026?

The taxable gain is the sale price minus the purchase cost (adjusted for inflation when the index rose at least 10%), minus the fees and taxes you paid on the sale, minus the annual exemption of 150,000 TL for 2026; the remainder is taxed at the progressive income tax rates of 15% to 40%.

Inflation indexation. Your original purchase cost is increased by the change in the domestic producer price index (Yİ-ÜFE) published by TÜİK, using the index for the month before you bought and the month before you sold. Indexation applies only if the index rose by 10% or more, which recent inflation makes almost universal.

Exemption. The first 150,000 TL of net gain realised in 2026 is exempt (it was 120,000 TL for 2025). If your net gain is below the exemption, no return is required.

2026 tax brackets (Income Tax General Communiqué No. 332, schedule for non-wage income):

One practical warning: the price you declare at the Land Registry is also the starting point for the tax office. Since 19 December 2025 (Law No. 7566) the declared price may not be lower than the property’s tax value, and the penalty for under-declaring the title-deed fee was raised to one times the tax loss. Declaring the real price protects both parties. For the annual holding taxes, see our guide to property tax in Turkey for foreigners.

When and how is the tax declared and paid?

Turkish tax residents declare the gain in their annual income tax return between 1 and 31 March of the following year and pay in two instalments (March and July); non-residents who are not otherwise required to file an annual return declare it on a one-off return (münferit beyanname) at the tax office where the property is located within 15 days of the sale.

If you are leaving Turkey for good, residents must file within the 15 days before departure. Under most double tax treaties Turkey keeps the right to tax gains on Turkish real estate, and your home country usually exempts the gain or credits the Turkish tax, so keep the return and payment receipt.

What does it cost to sell property in Turkey, and who pays?

The seller’s main costs are 2% title-deed fee, the agent’s commission (legally capped at 4% plus VAT in total, normally 2% plus VAT per side) and, for sales within 5 years, capital gains tax; everything else is small or negotiable.

For the buyer’s side of the same transaction, see the cost of buying property in Turkey in 2026.

What documents does a foreign seller need?

You need your passport, Turkish tax number, the title deed, a valid DASK compulsory earthquake insurance policy and, because a foreign national is a party, an SPK-licensed valuation report; an interpreter is needed if you do not speak Turkish.

Appointments are booked through the Land Registry’s TKGM Web Tapu system, where the application, documents and fees can be handled online before the signing.

Can you sell a property bought for Turkish citizenship?

Not during the first 3 years: a property used for Turkish citizenship by investment carries a 3-year no-sale annotation on the title deed. After 3 years you can sell freely, and your Turkish citizenship and your family’s are kept.

The commitment is to hold for 3 years, not forever. Plan two things: a sale between year 3 and year 5 is still subject to capital gains tax; and if your buyer wants to use the property for their own citizenship application, it must meet the current rules, including a valuation of at least USD 400,000 by an SPK-licensed appraiser, no shared (hisseli) deed, and payment through a Turkish bank with a Döviz Alım Belgesi. More background is in our Turkish citizenship hub.

Can you sell property in Turkey without coming to Turkey?

Yes. You can give a sale power of attorney to a lawyer in Turkey, either at a Turkish consulate abroad (no apostille needed) or before a local notary with an apostille and a sworn Turkish translation.

The power of attorney must expressly authorise the sale of the specific property, signing at the Land Registry and collecting the price, and it must carry your photograph. We explain the wording and the consulate route in detail in our power of attorney guide. Have the buyer pay into your own Turkish bank account.

How do you transfer the sale proceeds out of Turkey?

Through a bank. Turkey’s currency regulation (Decree No. 32, Article 16) states that non-residents may freely transfer abroad, through banks, the sale proceeds of real estate they own in Turkey; there is no capital control, but the bank will ask you to document where the money came from.

In practice the process looks like this:

• Receive the price in your Turkish account. If your buyer is a foreign national, they must sell foreign currency to a Turkish bank and present a Döviz Alım Belgesi (certificate that the bank bought their foreign currency) before the transfer, so you will usually be paid in Turkish lira on the day of the deed.
• Convert to USD or EUR. Buy foreign currency at your bank right after the transfer to limit exchange-rate risk; ask in advance about the spread and any FX transaction tax.
• Wire abroad with documents. Keep the official sale deed (resmi senet), your bank receipts and your tax return or payment slip. Banks apply anti-money-laundering (MASAK) checks to large transfers and will ask for these.

Since January 2026 banks routinely ask for supporting documents on property payments, so a bank-to-bank payment with the real price on the deed is what keeps repatriation smooth.

Is VAT charged when a foreigner sells a commercial unit?

Usually not, if you are a private individual selling a shop or office you held as an investment, because Turkish VAT applies to supplies made within a commercial, industrial, agricultural or professional activity. VAT can apply if the unit was a business asset, if you trade property regularly, or if it is owned through a company.

For companies, the 2-year real estate VAT exemption was narrowed in 2023 (Law No. 7456), with transitional rules for property already held. If the unit sits in a sole-trader account or a Turkish company, get an accountant’s written advice before agreeing a price.

How long does it take to sell, step by step?

Once a buyer is found, a straightforward resale usually completes in 2 to 6 weeks (our estimate), and the title transfer itself happens in one Land Registry appointment.

Selling property in Turkey as a foreigner: FAQ