The buying process

Clarity before commitment.

What purchasing property in North Cyprus involves: the acquisition permission process, legal limits for foreign buyers, title deed categories, land measurements, and crucial checks before signing.

7 Guide Topics

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How foreign nationals buy

Foreign individuals and qualifying companies may buy property under Law 52/2008 as amended by Law 39/2024. Some of its rules currently apply as replaced by Decree-Law 89/2026 (Official Gazette No. 147, 7 August 2026, in force the same day), which replaced the earlier Decree-Law 63/2026. Council of Ministers Permission to Purchase (PTP) is required. While Decree-Law 89/2026 is in force, the stamped agreement or sales contract must be registered at the relevant District Land Registry and the PTP application filed with the Ministry of Interior within one month. The taxes and fees due at that stage must also be paid, so ask the Land Registry which amounts are due at registration. If this is not done in time, the contract becomes void automatically. A KTEB-registered real-estate agency can prepare the sales contract and transaction file and coordinate both submissions; an authorised representative or lawyer may also act where appropriate. PTP processing time is not fixed, so use a case-specific timetable rather than a generic estimate. Decree-Law 89/2026 is temporary: under the TRNC Constitution a decree-law of this kind is valid for 90 days, and its own preamble says the permanent amendment to the law is still before an Assembly committee. When the decree stops applying, the rules may change again, so confirm the current position with a lawyer before you sign.

Legal limits on what may be bought

While Decree-Law 89/2026 is in force, a foreign individual or company may buy one of the following, with Council of Ministers permission: buildable land of up to 1,338 m² for one dwelling; up to 3 apartments; one detached house on land of up to 3,300 m², where no second dwelling may be built on that land; or up to 2 two-storey detached villas in a housing development or site. Nationals of states that recognise the TRNC and give TRNC citizens the same right, for example Turkish citizens, may buy up to 6 apartments, or up to 3 two-storey villas in a housing development; their land and detached-house limits are the same as for other foreigners. The law lists these categories as alternatives ("or"), not as a combined allowance, so "3 apartments and 2 villas" is not a total. If you already own property in North Cyprus or plan more than one purchase, have a lawyer confirm your remaining entitlement before you reserve. While the decree is in force, no more than 80% of a housing project in a zoned development area may be sold to foreigners, and for apartments, foreigners who are first-degree relatives by blood or marriage, or who share a nationality, may not together buy more than half of the units on the same parcel; before you reserve, ask the developer and your lawyer where the project stands. Separately, Law 39/2024 limits sales to foreigners to 7% of each district’s area and 3% of the country’s area, and agricultural land and forest land cannot be sold to foreign individuals or companies. The Ministry also runs a security check. If Decree-Law 89/2026 lapses and nothing replaces it, the stricter rules of Law 52/2008 as amended by Law 39/2024 apply again, for example fewer properties per buyer and shorter deadlines after permission. If your purchase is still under way at that point, ask a lawyer how the change affects your contract.

Title deed (koçan) types

North Cyprus has several kinds of title: pre-1974 Turkish title, exchange (Eşdeğer) title and state-allocated (Tahsis) title. The kind of title affects risk, financing and resale. Ownership of some property in the north is disputed internationally, and no title type should be described as guaranteed. Ask an independent TRNC lawyer to check the title’s history before you commit.

Land measurements

Land parcels in North Cyprus are quoted using traditional British-derived metrics: 1 Cyprus Dönüm = 4 Evlek = 14,400 sq ft = 1,337.8 m²; 1 Evlek = 3,600 sq ft (334.45 m²). This is not the same as the 1,000 m² Turkish dönüm. Use our area converter tool to calculate land dimensions.

Before you sign

Confirm whether the title is individual or shared and whether the seller has authority to sell. Check Land Registry records for mortgages, liens, annotations, court orders and other restrictions. For off-plan projects, obtain the master title, construction permission, approved plans, technical specification, completion and separate-title timetable. Under Law 40/2024, a property can be sold or transferred at the Land Registry only if it has its own title deed and/or a registered condominium right (kat irtifakı), and a sale contract made otherwise is void, so check with the developer and a lawyer that the kat irtifakı is registered before you sign for an off-plan unit. Before you pay, make sure the contract says what happens to your payments if purchase permission is refused. BESTATE PROPERTY can prepare the contract and transaction documents and coordinate these checks. If you want a separate legal opinion or formal legal representation, ask an independent TRNC lawyer to review the legal position before signing.

Taxes, fees and transfer costs

The payable items depend on the transaction: contract stamp duty (pul vergisi), the buyer’s applicable title-transfer charges, VAT where the sale is taxable, and the seller’s disposal withholding where applicable. For foreign buyers, including nationals of states that recognise the TRNC, the transfer fee is not all paid at the end: part is collected when the contract is registered at the Land Registry, and the balance when the title is transferred. Rates, exemptions and the party legally responsible can change. Use the Tax and Duty Calculator for the current published schedule, then confirm the transaction-specific treatment with the relevant authority or a mali müşavir.

Please note

This guide is for general information and is not a personal legal, technical or tax opinion. BESTATE PROPERTY can prepare transaction documents and coordinate the purchase. This guide reflects the rules in force on 27 September 2026. Decree-laws are temporary, and we update this guide when the rules change. Rules, rates and limits change, so confirm transaction-specific legal questions with a lawyer, tax questions with a mali müşavir, and technical questions with the relevant authority or a qualified professional.