Glossary
Tapu — meaning and English translation
Tapu is the Turkish title deed: the document issued by the Land Registry Office recording the owner, the property, its share and its block and parcel details.
In everyday Turkish “tapu” means both the title deed and the registry that issues it. The deed is a single sheet, formerly pink, printed by the Tapu Müdürlüğü from the land register, showing the province, district, neighbourhood, block (ada) and parcel numbers, the type of property, the owner's share (hisse), the basis of acquisition and the date of registration. Since the registry went digital, an e-Devlet printout with a verification code serves the same purpose.
Our rendering is “title deed (tapu)” for the document and “Land Registry Office” for the issuing body. We do not convert square metres or Turkish lira values, and the ada and parsel numbers are copied exactly since they are the identifiers a Turkish lawyer would search.
UK mortgage lenders see it as evidence of assets, Home Office caseworkers as proof of accommodation or savings, and probate practitioners as part of an estate. Our page on tapu translation explains what to send.