Selling property in Turkey from the UK

The sale from the seller's side

A sale is completed at the land registry directorate (tapu müdürlüğü) where the property is recorded. The seller or the seller's attorney signs the transfer before the registry officer after the fee is paid and the buyer's side has produced its own papers. What the registry checks on your side is the identity of the owner, the authority of anyone signing for you, and that the declared price is not below the municipality's minimum value. Turkish citizens abroad usually sell through a relative or lawyer under a power of attorney; British owners do the same, with the added need for translated identity documents.

Timing has tax consequences that a translator cannot advise on. Gains on property sold within five years of purchase can be taxed in Türkiye as capital gains (değer artışı kazancı), the registry fee is charged on the declared value and shared between buyer and seller in practice, and a UK-resident seller also has to consider UK capital gains tax on a worldwide gain. Speak to an accountant in each country before you fix the completion date.

Power of attorney for a sale

Registries treat a sale POA more strictly than a purchase POA because it disposes of an asset. The London consulate's notary unit prepares them on the conditions summarised below: the owner must present the new-type Turkish identity card, bring photographs and the property details, and book one appointment per act. The POA should name the attorney, the property by its registry reference, the power to sell at a price and to receive the proceeds, and, if you want it, a minimum price. A POA before a UK notary public is the alternative, and the registry then wants the original with an FCDO apostille and a Turkish translation by a sworn translator certified by a notary in Türkiye, with your photograph on the deed. Because sale POAs are a known fraud target, TKGM's Web-Tapu system lets an owner place a block (beyan) on the record so that no transfer proceeds without the owner being contacted; ask your lawyer whether to use it while you wait.

Translations before and after completion

1. Before: the UK POA and its apostille into Turkish, notarised in Ankara; a British seller's passport identity page; and where the property was inherited, the apostilled UK documents used for the veraset file, see inheritance in Türkiye.
2. At completion: nothing from us if the attorney signs; if you attend and do not speak Turkish, the registry requires a sworn interpreter and two witnesses.
3. After: the new tapu record showing the transfer, the sale declaration and the bank receipt for the proceeds, translated into English for HMRC's capital gains computation and for the UK bank receiving a large transfer, which will ask about source of funds. We translate these from £10.00 per page with the certification statement included.

Documents you will need

• UK power of attorney for the sale, apostilled and translated, unless made at the consulate
• British passport identity page, translated and notarised (foreign sellers)
• Tapu title deed into English for your UK bank or HMRC
• Valuation report and sale documents into English where a lender or accountant asks
• Turkish bank statement showing the proceeds, into English for source-of-funds checks
• Compulsory earthquake insurance policy, municipality valuation letter and tax clearance, obtained in Türkiye by the attorney

Common pitfalls

• A POA with no power to receive the price, so the buyer cannot pay the attorney and completion stalls.
• Declaring a lower price at the registry to save fees; the buyer's later resale and your own tax position are both affected, and it is an offence.
• Selling under an old POA given years ago for another purpose; registries check the scope and the date.
• Sending the proceeds to the UK without translated evidence of the sale; the UK bank may hold the transfer.
• Ignoring the five-year rule or the UK reporting deadline for gains; accountants, not translators, should be consulted before completion.

How we help and what it costs

The sale POA with apostille is 2 to 3 pages of 1,000 characters at £6.50 per page, plus the Ankara notary tariff of about £13.50 per page and £5 handling at cost, and £15 if the registry wants the notarial certificate apostilled. After completion, the tapu record (1 page), the sale declaration (1 to 2) and a bank statement (1 to 3) into English are £10.00 per page with certification included, so £30 to £60 for the set. No UK VAT is charged. Scans arrive within 1 to 2 working days; the notarised POA goes by courier for £30 to the attorney in Türkiye, and English translations are delivered as signed PDFs. We have no UK office and no collection. For the purchase side of the same transaction read buying property in Türkiye from the UK.