Guide To Property Transactions in Northern Cyprus for Foreigners (these rules are not the same for Turkish and Turkish Cypriot Citizens)
Under the current laws of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), foreigners are entitled to purchase the following:
One single plot of vacant land to a maximum area of 1338m2.
One single apartment
One single house with a plot size of no more than 3300m2
Husband and wife may purchase one property each in their own names.
To safeguard the interest of buyers, in 2025 a law was brought in that stated that the sale and transfer of any property in Northern Cyprus must have individual title deeds (known as ‘Kat İrtifak Koçanı’ in Turkish).
Before the title deeds to the property can be registered in your name, you will need to have permission from the TRNC Council of Ministers.
The Buying process for property in Northern Cyprus
All transactions related to property in Northern Cyprus take place using pounds sterling. The process if you want to buy property in North Cyprus can be summarised as follows:
Find the property you want to buy in Northern Cyprus and agree the price
Put a deposit on (normally between 5% to 10% of the agreed price) to reserve your property in Northern Cyprus
Instruct a North Cyprus Solicitor (known as an Advocate in North Cyprus) of your choice who is experienced in Property in Northern Cyprus
As the legal work can take up to a month it is normal to sign a power of attorney allowing your Advocate to act for you, this assumes you will not stay in North Cyprus for the completion of the Legal work.
The Advocate will draw up a contract. The exact details of the contract are agreed (usually by e-mail over the next few weeks)
The contract should be signed (your North Cyprus Advocate will do this on your behalf)
The contact will then be registered at the appropriate land registry. There are three land registries in North Cyprus known as Tapu’s.
At the same time the contract is registered the total agreed amount for the sale should be paid to the vendor, in 2024 the extra safeguard of “Preliminary Deeds” became mandatory,.
Once the contract is registered against the property you have purchased you have security as the property cannot be sold or mortgaged, by anyone except for you
The next stage is to transfer the final deeds into your name. This requires permission to transfer and is applied for by you Advocate. The permission normally takes 6 months to be granted.
Cost of buying Property
Tax payable at the time of signing of the contract by the buyer
Stamp duty 0.5% of contract price.
Transfer fee this is 6% on registration of contract and another 6% on transfer of deeds into your name. However, every buyer has a once in a lifetime option to reduce this fee from 6% to 3%. At the time of transfer, you will be asked whether you wish to use this option and therefore you will only pay 3% of the contract price at registration.
VAT This is generally only payable on newbuilds. It is 5% for properties with an internal area less than 300m2 and 10% for properties with an internal area of 300m2 or more.
Solicitor (Advocates) fees are normally £1,000 to £1,500 GBP.
Cost of Selling Property in North Cyprus
Assuming you used an Estate agent to find a buyer for your North Cyprus land then the Estate Agent will normally charge you a finder’s fee commission of 5% of the purchase price of the property.
Capital Gains Tax payable by the vendor is calculated on the price valued by the land registry. Normally the contract price. Capital Gains tax is calculated on the value of the property at 2.8%.
So, if the land registry value you land at £100,000 pounds, then you will pay £2,600 ponds Capital gains tax, irrelevant of what you paid for it.
However, if it is your first sale then you have a once in a lifetime chance to not pay any Capital Gains tax.
In Summary, the buyer pays stamp duty, transfer fee and VAT if chargeable. The Vendor pays capital gains tax.
North Cyprus Land Title Deeds
Explanation of North Cyprus Title Deeds and Types of lands in Northern Cyprus
The Turkish word for title deed is Kochan and is usually a single A4 sheet of paper containing a lot of useful information and of course all in Turkish. The deeds can be placed into one of four categories: Foreign title (pre 1974), Turkish title, Esdeger and TMD.
Foreign title (pre 1974 land)
This is land that was owned by a foreigner (non-Cypriot) prior to the partition of Cyprus in 1974. This type of North Cyprus land deed is not common.
Turkish Cypriot Land
This is North Cyprus land that was owned by a Turkish Cypriot and of course still is. It belonged to Turkish Cypriots before the partition in 1974. This is also sometimes incorrectly called pre 1974 land.
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Title (TRNC title)
After the partition in 1974 the Turkish Cypriots were isolated and not recognised internationally.
So, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus government started an administrative process and issued Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus title deeds on Greek land on the Turkish side of the division. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus issued a number of different types of deeds, but the two most important types are “Eshdeger Land” (exchange land) and TMD also known as “Tahsis Land” (land that has been assigned).
Eshdeger land
Is Greek Cypriot land that was transferred to Turkish Cypriot people that lost an equivalent amount of land on the Greek Cyprus side. This was done by a points system and is known simply as exchange land. Deeds on this land have been issued and guaranteed by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus government.
Tahsis Land (TMD land)
This is Greek Cypriot land that was given to Turkish settlers or given as a reward for military service. Deeds on this land have been issued and guaranteed by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus government.
Leasehold Land
It would be unusual for you to buy leasehold land as the vast majority of land in North Cyprus is sold on a freehold basis.
Leasehold Title: Is government property which can be bought on a long-term lease basis normally 49 years. You have to apply to the Minister of Tourism for a lease, not the council of ministers. Leaseholds are mainly aimed at tourism development companies.
Shared Deeds
Put simply, do not buy North Cyprus land or a property on shared deeds.
The Present Situation
For few years after 1974 most people buying land in North Cyprus paid attention to the type of North Cyprus Land title deeds, for example the banks would not issue loans on certain types of land. However, the situation has come full circle and now all the types of land are considered equal by the banks, construction companies and anyone who fully understands the North Cyprus land title deeds issue.
Size of Land in Northern Cyprus
1 Donum = 4 evleks = 1,338 m2 (a third of an acre) = 14400sq ft
1 Evlek = 3600 ayak = 3600 sq. ft 1 ayak = 1sq ft
It is interesting to note that in different countries the size of a Donum varies, for example 1 Donum is equivalent to:
Iraq = 2,500 square meters
Israel = 1,000 square meters
Turkey = 919.3 square meters
Yugoslavia = 700 square meters
However, in North Cyprus 1 donum as stated on the title deeds is always 1,338 m2.
FAQs
Obtaining North Cyprus Residency
Non-Turkish Cypriots have the right to visit TRNC without a visa for up to 90 days. If you buy or legally rent a property in Northern Cyprus, then it is easy to obtain a TRNC residence permit there is no minimum investment amount.
By obtaining a TRNC residence permit you receive the right to permanent residence in North Cyprus. So can enjoy the wonderful Mediterranean climate and nature of that Cyprus offers.
The average processing time for a residence permit is 2-3 months.
Initially a residence permit for the purchase of real estate in Northern Cyprus is issued for one year and this can then be extended immediately for three years.
I am not a citizen of the TRNC, but I want to purchase two properties in the TRNC? How can I do this?
As of 2024 you can buy one North Cyprus property. Your partner can of course buy a North Cyprus property in his/her name.
Can my spouse and I purchase one property each?
Yes, husband and wife can purchase one property each in their sole name. How long will the purchase permission process take and what does it involve? This process can take some time – current estimations are around two years. The process involves searches being taken from the Land Registry, the Immigration and the Military. Do I need to wait for my purchase permission before I can move into my property? No. Once your property is complete, you will be able to take possession of your property and move in. However, see our notes above on the advice of the Council of Ministers and associated risks.
Can I sell my property before I obtain my purchase permission?
Yes, providing this has been written into you original contract, this is why you need a good Advvocate.