Checklist: power of attorney for tapu

A tapu transaction cannot be completed by someone who is not standing in the office, unless a valid power of attorney says otherwise. The document is unforgiving: a vekâletname missing one power, or naming a property imprecisely, is discovered at the counter in Antalya while you are in London.

Who this list is for

People buying, selling, mortgaging or gifting Turkish property while resident in the UK, and heirs authorising a lawyer to act in a succession file. It applies equally to Turkish citizens, Mavi Kart holders and British buyers.

The two routes, and the documents each needs

• Route A — vekâletname at the Consulate General. Book a notary appointment in London, Edinburgh or Manchester. Turkish citizens need the new-style TC kimlik kartı for a tapu power of attorney; the older nüfus cüzdanı is not accepted for this act. Bring two biometric photographs, your identity document, and the transaction details in writing. The deed is drafted in Turkish by the Consulate, so no translation is required. One appointment covers one act, and the consular fee is charged per A4 page.
• Route B — power of attorney before a UK notary. Used where you are not a Turkish citizen, cannot get an appointment in time, or need wording the consular template does not cover. Sign a power of attorney before a notary public, have it apostilled by the FCDO, then have it translated into Turkish and the translation notarised in Türkiye. Translation required, in that order.
• Property identification — il, ilçe, mahalle/köy, ada and parsel numbers, and the independent section number for a flat. Copy them from the existing tapu senedi, not from the estate agent's brochure.
• The powers themselves — sale or purchase, price agreement, signing at the tapu müdürlüğü, applying for the DASK policy, opening a bank account, obtaining the valuation report, paying taxes and fees, and appointing a substitute if you want the attorney to be able to delegate. Powers not written are powers not held.
• The attorney's details — full name exactly as on their Turkish ID, TC kimlik number, and their photograph where the Consulate requires it.
• At the tapu office — a party who does not speak Turkish must be accompanied by a sworn interpreter, and two witnesses attend. Arrange this in advance rather than on the day.

What people most often get wrong

The most expensive mistake is a narrow deed. A power to sell that does not mention receiving the price, or does not authorise the DASK earthquake policy, stops the transaction and a fresh appointment is weeks away. Second, buyers send a UK-certified English translation of a UK power of attorney and are surprised when the tapu müdürlüğü rejects it: Turkish offices work from translations notarised in Türkiye. Third, people apostille the notary's certificate but not the deed, or translate before apostilling, so the Turkish notary sees an incomplete chain.

What we would translate and what it would cost

Route A costs nothing in translation — we will say so if you ask us to quote for it. On Route B, a three-page notarial power of attorney with its apostille is 3 pages of English into Turkish at £6.50, so £19.50; Ankara notarisation of that translation adds the notary's tariff of roughly £13.50 per page plus a £5 handling fee, about £45.50, giving £65 in total. A Turkish apostille on the notarised translation, where a particular office insists, is £15, and a wet-ink set couriered from Ankara is £30. The FCDO apostille on your UK original is paid to the FCDO.

Before you rely on this list

This is not legal advice on your property transaction, and the exact wording a vekâletname needs belongs to the tapu müdürlüğü and your Turkish lawyer, who know the file. Confirm the required powers with them before the appointment; the land registry's own guidance is published at tkgm.gov.tr.