How to Sell Your Turkish Property as a Foreign Owner: Process, Taxes, and Repatriating the Proceeds

When you bought your place in Alanya, the paperwork was the buyer's burden. Selling is different: now you are the one who must satisfy a foreign buyer, the tax office, and your home-country bank. The good news is that the resale process for foreign owners is well-worn and predictable. From the moment you list to the day the money lands in your account abroad, four to eight weeks is realistic. Here is the complete path. !Coastal apartment buildings in Alanya overlooking the Mediterranean The timeline at a glance A typical sale moves through five stages: finding a buyer (one to four weeks), signing a sales agreement and ordering the buyer's appraisal, booking and attending the land-registry transfer (one to two weeks), receiving the Turkish-lira proceeds, then converting and wiring the money home (three to seven business days). Knowing the order lets you prepare documents in parallel rather than discovering a gap on appointment day. Listing through an agent Most foreign owners sell through a local agency. A good agent prices against current Alanya comparables, markets in the languages your likely buyers speak (Russian, German, Scandinavian, Arabic), handles viewings while you are abroad, and shepherds the closing. Expect a seller-side commission of around 3%, which is negotiable. You can sell privately, but an agent's buyer pipeline and bilingual paperwork usually pay for themselves on a cross-border deal. The SPK appraisal (the buyer's, not yours) Since 2019, every property sale to a foreign buyer requires an official SPK-licensed valuation report. This is the buyer's obligation, not yours — but it directly affects your sale, because the declared transfer price cannot sensibly fall below the appraised value, and the appraisal sets the base for both parties' deed-fee calculation. The report is valid for 90 days, so it is ordered once you have a committed buyer, not before listing. As the seller you do not need your own appraisal; you simply need to cooperate so the licensed valuer can access and inspect the unit. Sales agreement and deposit Once price and terms are agreed, the parties sign a sales contract and the buyer typically pays a deposit. The contract should fix the price, the deposit amount and forfeit conditions, who pays which share of the deed fee, the transfer date, and the handover condition of the unit. For a clean cross-border deal, settle the currency and the bank route in this document, not verbally. The TKGM transfer appointment Title transfers happen only at the Tapu ve Kadastro (TKGM) land registry. Both the seller and the buyer — or their holders of a notarised power of attorney — must appear in person at the booked appointment. Appointments are booked through the official online system at randevu.tkgm.gov.tr. If you cannot fly in, grant a notarised, apostilled POA to your lawyer or agent so they can sign on your behalf. At the appointment the deed (tapu) is transferred and the fees are paid before the registrar finalises the record. Capital gains tax: the five-year clock This is the number that decides whether you keep a windfall or hand a slice to the tax office. Under Article 80 of the Income Tax Law (Gelir Vergisi Kanunu), an individual who has held the property for more than five years pays no capital gains tax on the sale. Sell within five years and the gain is added to your other Turkish-source income and taxed at progressive rates that reach 40% at the top band. The taxable gain is the sale price minus your indexed acquisition cost — and 2026 inflation-indexing of that original cost can meaningfully shrink the gain. If CGT applies, you must file a declaration by 25 March of the year following the sale. Tapu harcı: the 4% deed fee The land-registry transfer fee (tapu harcı) totals 4% of the declared value. By law it splits 2% to the buyer and 2% to the seller, but in practice negotiation often shifts the seller's 2% onto the buyer — note how this is allocated in your sales agreement so there is no surprise at the registry window. The DAB and getting your money out Here is the step that catches sellers off guard. A Döviz Alım Belgesi (DAB, foreign-currency purchase certificate) was strictly mandatory only at the original purchase by a foreign buyer; it is not legally required just to resell. But your bank will require a DAB to process an international wire of the proceeds. In practice you convert at least the proceeds amount into foreign currency through an authorised Turkish bank, obtain the DAB certificate documenting that conversion, and use it as the compliance trail for the outbound transfer. Without it, moving a large lira sum abroad stalls. Receiving and repatriating the proceeds At closing you receive Turkish lira — usually by bank transfer into your Turkish account, sometimes via a blocked-account or escrow-style arrangement your bank sets up. From there you convert the lira to your home currency, collect the DAB, and instruct the international wire. Cross-border settlement typically takes three to seven business days. Plan the conversion timing deliberately: a large lira balance carries exchange-rate exposure, so agree with your bank when and at what rate you will convert. Putting it together List with a capable agent, let the buyer order the SPK appraisal, sign a sales agreement that pins down price, fees, and the currency route, attend (or grant POA for) the TKGM appointment, settle the 4% deed fee, check your five-year clock for CGT, secure the DAB, and wire home. Owners who line these up in advance routinely close in four to eight weeks. The friction is rarely the sale itself — it is the money movement, so brief your bank early.