Author: Luxury Estate Turkey
Viewed 48 times
08 October 2025
Global buying behavior has changed dramatically in recent years. More and more investors are willing to purchase real estate in Turkey without visiting in person. The pandemic only accelerated this shift: what began as a necessity soon became a habit. Virtual tours, live video calls, and 3D walkthroughs have evolved from optional extras into everyday tools of the property business.
Today, most professional agents in Turkey conduct showings via WhatsApp, Zoom, or FaceTime—walking through the home with a live camera, answering questions in real time, and highlighting details just as they would during an in-person visit. 360-degree photography and drone footage allow buyers to see the building, the neighborhood, and even the sea view from above.
For investors who value speed, convenience, and accuracy, remote buying has become a practical alternative to traditional viewings. Younger generations, accustomed to digital tools and online banking, perceive real estate as another field where technology simplifies and secures the entire process—from search to signature.
Turkey is among the countries that have most successfully adapted real-estate transactions to the digital era.
First, the country remains a long-standing favorite among international buyers. According to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), foreigners purchased a record 67,490 homes in 2022. Even though sales slowed slightly in 2023–2024, demand continues to come from Europe, the Middle East, and CIS countries, driven by favorable prices, lifestyle appeal, and strong rental potential.
Second, Turkey built the infrastructure for safe remote transactions earlier than most. The WebTapu system—an official online interface of the Land Registry and Cadastre Directorate—allows property owners and buyers to manage title processes remotely. The government has also begun opening international registry offices so foreigners can complete procedures abroad: one already operates in Berlin, and twelve more across ten countries are planned by 2025.
These innovations make it possible to buy Turkish property online with full legal validity. Market data show a steady increase in remote buyers who rely on video tours and professional representation. Among the most active destinations are Antalya, Alanya, and Bodrum, regions where remote deals now account for a significant share of transactions.
The experience of the pandemic proved that Turkish developers and agencies can manage end-to-end sales without the client’s presence, ensuring safety, compliance, and efficiency throughout.
Turkey has one of the most transparent and centralized title-registration systems in the region. Every real-estate transaction—domestic or foreign, local or remote—must pass through the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre (TKGM).
A signed sale contract alone does not transfer ownership; legal title is obtained only through the Tapu, the official deed issued by the Land Registry. Each transfer is verified by a registry officer, who confirms both parties’ identities and ensures that the property is legally transferable.
Because the Tapu register is the sole proof of ownership, it effectively eliminates risks such as double sales or hidden claims. Once the new deed is issued, the buyer’s rights are protected under Turkish law and can be contested only in narrowly defined cases like proven fraud.
For buyers completing transactions remotely, the level of protection is identical to that of on-site deals. The registry will not finalize the transfer until every document has been verified and the property’s legal status confirmed.
A licensed SPK valuation report (official property appraisal) is another important security measure. It is mandatory in only two cases:
when purchasing property to qualify for Turkish citizenship by investment (minimum USD 400,000), and
when obtaining a mortgage loan.
In standard purchases, it is optional, but many investors request it voluntarily as a form of independent due diligence. The report is prepared by appraisers accredited by the Capital Markets Board (SPK) and regulated by the Banking Supervision Agency.
It contains detailed information about the property’s market value, location, size, construction year, and legal status, and notes any debts or encumbrances. The cost of such a report is modest compared with the reassurance it provides—especially when buying from abroad.
The Power of Attorney is the key instrument that allows a property purchase to be completed without your physical presence. Through it, you authorize a representative—usually a lawyer or licensed agent—to sign all required documents and act on your behalf before the registry.
The PoA must be notarized and legalized for international use. There are two ways to issue it:
At a Turkish consulate abroad, directly in Turkish; or
With a local notary in your country, followed by a Hague Apostille.
The document should clearly specify the representative’s powers (to buy property, sign contracts, and register the Tapu) and include the grantor’s photo. After translation into Turkish, it is accepted by the Land Registry. From that moment, your representative can handle the full transaction—from applying to collecting the deed.
Issuing the PoA is the only step that typically requires your personal visit to a notary or consulate.
The remote process begins with selection and viewing. After you share your budget, preferred location, and housing criteria, the agency prepares a tailored shortlist of suitable properties. Live tours are then arranged over WhatsApp, Zoom, or FaceTime. The agent connects directly from the apartment or villa, walking through every room, showing the view from balconies, entrances, and surrounding areas.
Clients can request specific checks — turning on taps to test water pressure, examining finishes up close, gauging street noise, or showing building entrances and parking lots. Additional materials such as 3D walkthroughs, drone footage, floor plans, and photo galleries provide a full picture of the property.
In just one evening, you can virtually “visit” several homes in different districts, saving time and identifying the most suitable options. Should you still wish to confirm your choice in person, you can always travel later for a final inspection, but most buyers now make confident decisions after these comprehensive online tours.
Once you have chosen a property, the next step is negotiation and legal verification. Your agent handles all price and payment discussions on your behalf, seeking possible discounts or flexible installment options.
Simultaneously, the agency’s legal department carries out due diligence to ensure that the property is clean and ready for transfer. The checks include:
Verifying the Tapu: confirming ownership, address accuracy, and the absence of mortgages or liens.
Requesting an official extract from the land registry to prove the property is free of debts and legal disputes.
If it’s a new build, verify the developer’s construction permit, project documentation, and occupancy permit (İskan).
Checking the seller’s documents (passport, tax ID, and, for legal entities, corporate registration papers).
Ensuring there are no unpaid utility bills, taxes, or maintenance fees.
Confirming that the declared area, layout, and property type match the actual state of the property.
This multi-layered review is crucial for any foreign buyer, and even more so for a remote purchase. Only after the lawyers confirm that everything is clear should the buyer proceed with signing and payment.
After both parties agree on terms, a preliminary sales agreement is drafted. Signing can be done remotely: the seller sends the document by email, you print and sign it, and return a scanned copy. If needed, the original can be couriered. Notarization is required only for specific cases — for example, when purchasing off-plan property or under the citizenship-by-investment program before the Tapu is ready.
Payments are made through official bank transfers. Buyers usually send funds via SWIFT to the seller’s or developer’s registered business account indicated in the contract. The payment reference always includes the property details to link it to the sale.
Foreign buyers must also convert the purchase amount into Turkish lira through a local bank and obtain an exchange certificate; this step is part of the government’s foreign-exchange regulation and is managed by the agency’s legal team.
When both sides are ready, the agency schedules the final appointment at the Land Registry. If the buyer issued a Power of Attorney, their authorized representative attends in person, signs the title-transfer documents, and collects the new Tapu. You receive a scanned copy the same day, while the original can be shipped by courier or kept securely until your arrival.
From this moment, you officially become the legal owner — even if you never set foot in Turkey during the entire process.
One of the main advantages of online property purchase is the enormous time and cost efficiency. Traditionally, buyers had to make several trips to Turkey — for viewings, for the sale itself, and often for separate administrative steps. With a remote transaction, the number of visits drops to zero or just one brief trip.
You can shortlist, view, and purchase a home entirely from your laptop, avoiding the expense of flights, hotels, and transportation. For investors and families, this convenience is invaluable: you can manage the process without interrupting work or school schedules.
Transactions are also faster because there is no waiting for travel coordination. In practice, deals are often completed within two to four weeks — from first contact to final title transfer. In several of our cases, clients purchased apartments in Alanya in less than two weeks after their initial inquiry, with every stage handled remotely.
The Turkish market, especially in the premium coastal segment, is highly competitive. The best-priced or most attractive homes are often sold before they appear publicly online. Remote buying lets you act instantly on off-market listings and launch-phase projects.
Developers frequently share pre-release offers through trusted agencies only. With real-time virtual tours, you can reserve a property on the day sales open and pay a deposit immediately, securing a unit before public marketing begins.
In this sense, remote buying expands your opportunities rather than limits them — you gain faster access to exclusive listings and can secure prime properties from anywhere in the world.
For many international buyers, property in Turkey is not only an investment but also a path to residency or citizenship. Remote purchases fully support both options.
Residence Permit (İkamet)
Owning real estate makes you eligible for a short-term residence permit. If the cadastral (official) value of your property equals or exceeds USD 200,000, you can apply for a permit valid for one or two years with renewals. The right extends to your spouse and dependent children.
After your Tapu is issued, your authorized representative can prepare and apply on your behalf, so by the time you arrive in Turkey, the process is already underway.
Citizenship by Investment
For buyers investing USD 400,000 or more, Turkey offers one of the world’s most accessible citizenship programs. Once the Tapu is registered, your lawyer requests a Compliance Certificate confirming that the property qualifies and files the complete application with the Ministry of Interior.
The entire process typically takes six to eight months, and your physical presence is needed only for biometrics and the oath of allegiance — steps that can often be completed through a Turkish consulate.
The main concern for remote buyers is ensuring that the property is legitimate and free of legal complications. This is where professional due diligence becomes essential.
A licensed agency checks every aspect of the transaction: property documents, registry status, developer background, and financial obligations. In Turkey, fraud is rare because every legal sale must be approved by the Land Registry, where the seller’s identity and ownership rights are officially verified.
During virtual tours, the agent connects directly from the actual location, showing real-time images of the property. This eliminates the risk of misleading photographs or false listings.
The critical rule is to work only with certified real estate agencies authorized by the Ministry of Trade. Licensed agents bear legal responsibility for transaction accuracy, providing clients the same security as in face-to-face deals.
Financial transparency is another cornerstone of a secure remote transaction. All payments must go through official, documented bank transfers, never to personal accounts or informal intermediaries.
Funds are transferred only to the corporate bank account of the developer or seller listed in the sale contract. Payment details are verified in writing and double-checked by phone or video to prevent fraud.
Whenever possible, foreign buyers are advised to open a Turkish bank account in their own name. This makes it easier to convert currency, pay taxes and utilities, and keep control over each step of the payment chain.
The safest option is TapuTakas, the state-run escrow system operated by Takasbank. Under this system, your funds are held securely and released to the seller only after your Tapu is officially registered. This guarantees that payment and title transfer occur simultaneously.
Each transaction is fully documented with receipts and settlement certificates signed at the registry. Many agencies, including ours, supervise the transfer by video call, confirming every detail with the client before execution.
The assistance of a licensed real estate agency is crucial when purchasing property in Turkey online. Turkish law allows only certified real estate companies to mediate property sales, filtering out unqualified intermediaries. A professional agency functions as your representative and legal safeguard, managing every stage of the purchase remotely.
A qualified team does more than just find suitable listings. It verifies the property’s legal status, ensures all documentation is accurate, and handles due diligence before any payment is made. The buyer receives copies of all essential papers — Tapu extracts, developer licenses, no-debt certificates, and other relevant documents — which would be difficult to obtain independently.
The agency also prepares bilingual sales agreements, explains each clause in your native language, and ensures full compliance with Turkish legal requirements. It helps you structure payments properly, guides you through the TapuTakas escrow process, and oversees fund transfers to prevent any irregularities.
For licensed companies, reputation is the core asset. All operations are transparent, and their professional liability insurance protects clients financially in case of procedural errors. This creates a reliable framework for international investors who want to buy property from abroad with confidence.
Since 2015, Luxury Estate Turkey has been assisting international buyers in Istanbul, Antalya, Alanya, and other leading Turkish regions, ensuring that every transaction — including online purchases — is smooth, secure, and fully compliant with Turkish law.
Our agency made remote real estate transactions part of our core service model well before it became a market trend. Today, virtual consultations and live video tours are a standard part of our workflow. They allow clients to explore the Turkish property market from anywhere in the world while maintaining full transparency and control.
The process begins with a personal consultation to define your investment goals, preferred regions, and property type. Based on this, our experts prepare a tailored portfolio that includes:
professional photos and video tours,
detailed floor plans,
construction information and infrastructure maps,
rental and investment potential analysis.
Next, our team organizes live virtual viewings. The agent connects directly from the site and walks through the property, showing the rooms, the view from balconies, the building entrance, and the surrounding areas. You can ask to see specific details: the quality of finishes, the view from the terrace, or the distance to the nearest beach. When needed, we launch drone footage to provide a full panoramic overview.
Throughout the session, our specialists share insights about the developer’s reputation, building age, neighboring facilities, and local amenities such as schools, shops, and public transport. All questions raised during the tour are documented and answered afterward in detail.
What sets Luxury Estate Turkey apart is our comprehensive, turnkey support. We manage every aspect of the transaction, especially when clients are abroad and cannot be present in person.
Here’s how it works in practice:
Once you confirm your intent to purchase a selected property, we prepare a preliminary sales contract in two languages (English and Turkish). The agreement includes the price, payment schedule, key delivery date, and all terms of the transaction.
Our legal team collects and verifies the documentation package: Tapu copies, building permits, project approvals, and debt-free certificates. We send you scanned copies so that you can personally verify the property’s status before any payment is made.
We then draft a Power of Attorney (PoA) authorizing us to represent you during registration, including the exact powers permitted under Turkish law. Along with the PoA, we provide detailed instructions for issuing it in your country or at a Turkish consulate.
If you decide to visit Turkey for even a short period, we can arrange the trip so that you can both inspect the property and sign the PoA with a local notary in a single day.
After receiving your PoA, our specialists act fully on your behalf:
Booking the Land Registry appointment;
Obtaining a tax number (Vergi Numarası);
Opening a Turkish bank account if required;
Guiding you through the currency exchange and transfer procedures;
Supervising fund receipt by the seller;
Registering the Tapu in your name;
Sending you a digital copy of the title deed immediately after registration.
The original document can either be couriered to you or safely stored at our office until your next visit.
If you plan to apply for a residence permit or Turkish citizenship, our legal department prepares and submits the application package on your behalf.
Most online property purchases are completed within 2 to 4 weeks after the buyer selects the property. The exact timeline depends mainly on how quickly international bank transfers clear and on the Land Registry’s appointment schedule.
Yes, you can buy property without visiting Turkey. The law fully recognizes purchases made through a notarized Power of Attorney. However, if you wish to see the property in person, we can combine your visit with signing the PoA, allowing you to complete everything in one short trip.
The deposit is transferred directly to the seller’s or developer’s official account. All payments are documented. Under Turkish practice, if the seller fails to honor the agreement, they must refund double the deposit. If the buyer cancels, the deposit remains with the seller as compensation.
Once the title deed is registered in your name, the sale is final and cannot be canceled. That is why the due diligence and remote viewing stages are so thorough — to ensure you are completely confident before closing.
While not mandatory, having a Turkish bank account makes the entire process easier. It simplifies paying government fees, property taxes, and utility bills in the future. If you prefer, you can transfer funds directly from your foreign account to the seller’s official corporate account.
Yes — Turkey’s WebTapu, TapuTakas, and state-controlled registry system make remote purchases transparent, traceable, and legally protected.
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