Residence permit when buying real estate

The Turkish government, due to large migration flows, is forced to introduce some measures regarding visitors from abroad, and not all of them are favourable.

There are two types of residence permit in Turkey when buying a property, which are often used by foreigners:

touristic;
for the subsequent registration of citizenship.

The main difference between the second type and the first one is the possibility, after buying an apartment and 5 years of permanent residence in the territory of the Republic of Turkey, to apply for citizenship. In this case, we are no longer talking about investing in real estate, but about citizenship through naturalization.

Changes
Previously, when buying a home in Turkey, the owner was issued a TAPU residence permit, regardless of the value of the property. From May 5, 2022, in order to tighten the receipt of a short-term residence permit when buying real estate with the right to naturalization, the cost of the object should be:

USD 75.000 and more for more than 30 major cities in Turkey (including Alanya, Antalya, Mersin);
USD 50.000 and more for small settlements (there are 51 of them in the list) of the country.

At the same time, in order to receive residence permit under TAPU, a foreigner must use the apartment as a place for permanent or temporary residence, but not rent it out. Family members (husband/wife, children under 18) can also apply for a residence permit in Turkey for real estate if they are official co-owners, that is, they are included in the TAPU (certificate of ownership). The rest of the next of kin are only eligible for a tourist residence permit.

How to determine the price of real estate

The purchase of real estate in Turkey under a short-term residence permit during the initial application is accompanied by a property valuation report (expertise).
Therefore, buyers who wish to purchase a villa or apartment and apply for a residence permit on the basis of TAPU should order a certified appraiser’s report before closing the deal.
It’s important to know!
Foreign owners of apartments in Turkey who entered into a sale and purchase transaction before April 26, 2022, are not subject to these requirements.

List of closed areas of Alanya
Another innovation from the Turkish Migration Service regarding the issuance of residence permits to foreign citizens concern a number of different settlements and districts of the state. So, in the “closed” areas, according to the new rules, from July 1, 2022, foreigners CANNOT obtain a residence permit:

applying for a primary residence permit under a long-term lease agreement;
those who are renewing a tourist residence permit, but have not previously lived in a “closed” area.

It is ALLOWED to obtain a residence permit in “closed” districts after 01.07.2022 in case of:

ownership of Turkish property under TAPU acquired before the start date of the ban;
extension of a previously obtained residence permit, if the foreigner has already been registered in the same apartment;
applications for a secondary residence permit in a “closed” area when changing the address of residence to another object in the same area;
extension of a notarized long-term lease agreement drawn up before 30.06.2022.

The bad news is that in the ban on obtaining a tourist residence permit and a residence permit under the purchase of real estate are included the most popular areas of Alanya among the Russian-speaking residents.
In Alanya, these areas were: Mahmutlar, Kestel, Avsallar, Kargicak.