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Tapu (Turkish title deed) translation
Certified English translation of the Turkish title deed (tapu senedi) and the land registry extract with encumbrances, for mortgage lenders, banks checking source of funds, HMRC, probate, family-court disclosure and visa evidence of ties or rental income. £10 per deed.
What the receiving body requires
“If you need to certify a translation of a document that's not written in English or Welsh, ask the translation company to confirm in writing on the translation: that it's a ‘true and accurate translation of the original document’; the date of the translation; the full name and contact details of the translator or a representative of the translation company.”
Source:
· checked 29 August 2026What the tapu records
The tapu senedi is the title deed issued by the land registry office (tapu müdürlüğü) of the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre (Tapu ve Kadastro Genel Müdürlüğü, TKGM). It identifies the property by province, district and neighbourhood, then by cadastral block and parcel (ada, parsel), plot area (yüzölçümü) and nature (niteliği: building land, field, or an independent unit in a building under condominium ownership, kat mülkiyeti). For a flat it adds the unit number (bağımsız bölüm no), the floor and the land share (arsa payı). It then names the owner with the share held (hisse, shown as a fraction or as tam for the whole), the reason for acquisition (edinme sebebi: purchase, inheritance, gift), the date, the journal number (yevmiye no) and the registrar's stamp. Older deeds are pink for units and blue for land; newer ones are printed on a single format with a barcode.
A deed is a snapshot on the day it was issued. For anything current, the registry issues an extract (tapu kaydı or tapu kayıt örneği) that also shows the annotations, declarations and charges (şerhler, beyanlar, rehinler) in force, such as a mortgage (ipotek) or an attachment (haciz). Owners can view and share their records through TKGM's Web Tapu service and e-Devlet. We translate every field of either document, keeping cadastral numbers exactly as printed, and we render the encumbrance columns in full because they are what a lender or an executor most wants to see.
Where the deed is used in the UK
- Mortgage lenders and banks. Rental income from a Turkish property in an affordability assessment, and source-of-funds checks when you sell in Türkiye and bring the proceeds to the UK. What lenders ask for is set out under translations for banks and mortgage lenders.
- Home Office. Evidence of ties for a visitor visa, and the ownership element of property rental income under Appendix FM, which requires title deeds alongside the tenancy agreement and bank statements. Property itself does not count as cash savings.
- Family court. Disclosure of assets on Form E in financial proceedings after a divorce.
- Probate and HMRC. Foreign assets in a UK estate, and capital gains tax on a disposal, where the acquisition date and the share held matter.
HM Land Registry never sees a tapu: it registers land in England and Wales only, and a Turkish deed is not lodged there.
What the translation must contain
Every body above accepts the gov.uk certification wording quoted below, and our certificate follows it with the date, a signature and our company details. Two renderings matter on this document. A property under kat irtifakı (a construction servitude, registered before the building has its occupancy permit) is not the same as one under kat mülkiyeti, and a lender treats them differently; we translate the distinction and add a note. The declared value (değeri) is translated in the currency of the day: deeds from before 2005 show old lira with six extra zeros, and deeds from 2005 to 2008 show new lira (YTL), so a figure of 15,000,000,000 is not a mistake and we say so. Our explainer on dates, numbers and currency in translations covers the lira changes in more detail.
Apostille and registry extracts
Lenders, HMRC and the Home Office have not required an apostille on a tapu. A solicitor administering an estate occasionally asks for one; the route is a certified extract from the tapu müdürlüğü, which the kaymakamlık or valilik of that district apostilles free of charge. A deed in a deceased owner's name needs to be read with the certificate of inheritance, which we cover on the veraset ilamı page.
Price and turnaround
A deed is one page of about 600 characters, so the certified translation is £10.00. A registry extract with several charges is 1 or 2 pages. Each property is priced as its own document, so three deeds are £30.00. The price includes certification, and no UK VAT is added. The certified PDF is normally ready the next working day, or the same day with the fast option for files received before 11:00 UK time. A hard copy by courier from Ankara is £30; we have no UK office and do not collect.
What you receive
- Translation of the deed or registry extract with cadastral references, shares, acquisition details and all charges and annotations
- Translator's notes on kat irtifakı versus kat mülkiyeti and on old-lira values where they arise
- Certificate in the gov.uk wording, dated and signed, with our Ankara Trade Registry number
- Certified PDF by e-mail; courier hard copy optional
Frequently asked questions
The deed shows a value of a few thousand lira for a flat worth much more. Why?
The figure is the declared value at the date of the transaction, used for fees and tax, and it is often far below the market. On older deeds it may also be in old lira. We translate the number as printed and add a note; if a UK body needs today's value, a valuation report is the document for that.
Is a Web Tapu or e-Devlet printout acceptable?
UK lenders and solicitors have accepted them with our translation to date. The printout carries a verification code that we translate. If a body wants a stamped document, the tapu müdürlüğü issues an extract the same day to the owner or an attorney.
The property is still in my late father's name.
Then the deed shows him as owner and the heirs' shares appear only on the certificate of inheritance. Translate both, and if the transfer to the heirs has been registered, the new extract instead.
My lender asks for proof of ownership. Deed or extract?
The extract, because it shows any mortgage on the property, which the lender wants to know about. Send the deed too if you have it; the two are cheap together.
Does the translation help me with HM Land Registry?
No. HM Land Registry deals only with land in England and Wales. Where a tapu translation goes to a UK legal body it is to a court, a probate registry or a solicitor.