Turkey residence permit by property is the short-term residence permit granted under YUKK Article 31 to foreigners who own a home worth at least USD 200,000. It is issued under Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection (Yabancılar ve Uluslararası Koruma Kanunu, YUKK) and administered by the Presidency of Migration Management (Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı). For many foreign buyers it is the first legal layer of life in Turkey: the point where a title deed stops being an asset on paper and becomes a reason to stay.
Most people who search for this permit already know the headline number. What they rarely see is the set of conditions that sit behind it, and those conditions decide the outcome far more often than the price does. Sophisticated buyers therefore start with a narrower question: What does a foreign owner actually receive when a Turkish home supports a residence permit? They receive a renewable short-term residence permit (kısa dönem ikamet izni), granted for a maximum of two years at a time under YUKK Article 31(2), which stays valid only as long as they keep owning the home and keep living in it.
The second question is about the property itself, and it is where most planning mistakes begin. Which property can support a residence permit in Turkey? A residential property (a home, not land, a shop or an office) whose value on the date of acquisition was at least the Turkish Lira equivalent of USD 200,000, registered in the applicant’s name and used by the applicant as a residence. The threshold is the same in Istanbul, Antalya or any other province.
Timing is the third question, because the order of steps cannot be reversed once the deed is signed. When should the residence permit be planned, before or after the purchase? Before. The value test looks at the acquisition date, the ownership structure is fixed at the Land Registry, and the address has to work for the application from the first day; none of these can be repaired after the title deed is issued.
And the last question every buyer asks, usually after the first renewal: How long can the permit be kept? Indefinitely in practice, provided each renewal is filed in time and the home is still owned and lived in. Renewals are filed within the 60 days before expiry, and after 8 years of uninterrupted legal residence the holder may apply for a long-term (indefinite) residence permit.
Oznur & Partners is an Istanbul-based international law firm whose lawyers co-authored the Türkiye chapter of the Chambers Corporate Immigration 2026 practice guide. This page sets out how the property route works in practice, where applications fail, and how it differs from the citizenship route that many buyers confuse it with.
⚖️ What Does Turkey’s Property Residence Permit Actually Require?
Turkey’s property residence permit requires four things at the same time: a home, a value of at least USD 200,000 at the date of acquisition, ownership in the applicant’s name, and actual residential use by the applicant. Remove any one of them and the legal basis for the permit disappears, even if the other three are perfect.
The legal ground is short. YUKK Article 31(1)(b) lists “foreigners who own immovable property in Turkey” among those who may receive a short-term residence permit, and Article 31(6), added by Law No. 7533 in November 2024, leaves the nature and value of that property to the Ministry of Interior. That is why the figure changes by administrative decision rather than by statute, and why a guide written a few years ago can be wrong today without anyone having amended the law.
The current figures come from the document list the Presidency of Migration Management publishes on the e-İkamet application system. It states the value test (USD 200,000 at acquisition), the residential nature of the property, and one condition that most buyers never hear about until it is too late: the home cannot be used to generate rent or similar income.
Beyond the property, Article 32 adds the general conditions every short-term applicant must meet: a stated purpose with supporting documents, housing that meets general health and safety standards, an address in Turkey, and, if requested, a criminal record certificate from the applicant’s own country. Health insurance covering the whole permit period and proof of sufficient means complete the file. If you are still choosing between permit types, our guide on how to get a residence permit in Turkey maps all six categories; this page stays with the property route.
⚖️ Is the USD 75,000 Residence Permit Rule Still Valid?
No. The USD 75,000 figure still appears in older guides, developer brochures and resale listings, but it does not reflect the current rule. The Presidency of Migration Management’s document list sets a single threshold of USD 200,000, measured at the date the home was acquired, with no distinction between metropolitan and other provinces.
The practical risk is simple to describe. A buyer who relies on the lower figure can sign for a home that is perfectly legal to own but cannot support a residence application at all. Ownership and residence are separate questions in Turkish law: a foreigner may buy a property that does not qualify for a permit, and nothing at the Land Registry will warn them.
Owners who bought years ago at lower prices are in a different position, and their files should be read individually rather than against a headline figure. Their renewal rests on the documents in the existing file, on the acquisition date recorded at the Land Registry, and on how the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management treats that history. A review of the title deed and the earlier permit decisions before the next renewal is cheaper than a refusal.
Not sure whether the home you are about to buy can support a residence permit?
We check value, title structure and address against the current Directorate list before you sign, so the permit question is answered while it can still change the decision.
⚖️ Can I Get Permanent Residency in Turkey by Buying Property?
No. Turkey has no permanent residency status that can be bought. A property purchase supports a short-term residence permit, which is temporary by design and has to be renewed for as long as the owner wants to stay. Many buyers arrive expecting a “golden visa” structure similar to other countries, and the gap between that expectation and Turkish law is where disappointment usually starts.
What exists instead is a sequence. The property permit is renewed, the years of legal residence accumulate, and after 8 years of uninterrupted residence the holder may apply for a long-term (indefinite) residence permit under YUKK Articles 42 and 43. That status cannot be shortened by investing more; it depends on time and on the conditions in Article 43, including sufficient and regular income, valid health insurance and no social assistance received in the previous 3 years.
The only investment route that produces a permanent status is Turkish citizenship by investment, which leads to a passport rather than a residence card. In legal terms, a buyer searching for permanent residency is choosing between two different things: a renewable permit now, or citizenship through real estate investment at a higher threshold and under a different law.
⚖️ Can I Rent Out the Property and Keep My Residence Permit?
No. The Presidency of Migration Management’s document list states that a home used for a property-based short-term residence permit must be used by the foreign applicant as a residence and cannot be used for rent or similar income-generating purposes. A buyer who plans to rent the home out, even for part of the year, should not rely on it as the basis for a residence permit.
The legal consequence sits in YUKK Article 33(1)(b). A short-term residence permit is not granted, is cancelled if already granted, and is not renewed when it is found to be used for a purpose other than the one it was issued for. A permit issued on the basis of residential use and a home that is in fact let to tenants describe two different purposes, and the second one does not support the permit.
Buyers who want both rental income and residence in Turkey usually need two separate structures: one home used as their residence and meeting the USD 200,000 test, and a second property held as an investment. Whether a home is genuinely used as a residence is also a renewal question, because the address declared in the file has to match where the holder actually lives.
⚖️ First Application: Steps and Documents
A first property-based application follows 6 steps, and the order matters because several documents can only be obtained once the previous step is complete. The application itself is filed online through the e-İkamet system and finalised at an in-person appointment at the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management, where biometric data is taken.
- Title deed registration. The Tapu is registered in the applicant’s name at the Land Registry. The property must be completed and designated as residential.
- Value confirmation. The value at acquisition must reach USD 200,000 in Turkish Lira. For homes acquired by inheritance or gift, the Directorate list asks for a current property valuation report.
- Address document. For first applications, the municipality where the property is located issues a document showing the address details (numarataj belgesi).
- Online application. The form is completed on e-İkamet and an appointment is generated.
- Appointment. The applicant attends in person with the original passport and the full document set.
- Address registration. After approval, the address must be registered within 20 business days, according to the e-İkamet notes.
The common document set for every short-term application, as listed by the Presidency, includes the signed application form, a passport copy with the original brought to the appointment, 2 biometric photographs taken within the last 6 months, fee receipts, health insurance covering the entire requested period, and proof of sufficient and regular financial means. The property route adds the title deed and the municipality address document described above.
Passport validity is a frequent and avoidable problem. Under YUKK Article 21(2), the passport must be valid for at least 60 days longer than the residence permit requested, and Article 23(1) issues the permit for a period 60 days shorter than the passport’s validity. A passport due to expire in 10 months therefore limits the permit before any other factor is considered.
Under YUKK Article 21(5), residence permit applications are decided within 90 days at the latest. In busy offices the wait for an appointment can add time before that period starts, which is one more reason to prepare the file before the visa-exempt or visa period runs short.
⚖️ Renewal: The 60-Day Window and What It Requires
A renewal application can be filed only within the 60 days before the permit expires and must in every case be filed before the expiry date. The rule is set by statute, not by practice, and it works in both directions: a renewal filed too early is not yet possible, and a renewal filed one day after expiry is no longer a renewal.
“Extension applications shall be made to the governorships from the time sixty days remain before the expiry of the residence permit and, in any case, before the residence permit expires.”
Source: Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection, Article 24(2) (unofficial translation)
“Uzatma başvuruları, ikamet izni süresinin dolmasına altmış gün kalmasından itibaren ve her koşulda ikamet izni süresi dolmadan önce valiliklere yapılır.”
Under YUKK Article 24(2), a foreigner who files a renewal in time receives a fee-free document and may continue to reside in Turkey with it until a decision is made, even if the permit’s original period has ended in the meantime. Article 24(3) adds that a renewed permit starts from the end date of the previous one, so filing early within the 60-day window costs nothing.
The renewal file for the property route differs from the first application in 2 documents. Instead of the municipality address document, the Directorate list asks for a title deed continuation document (tapu devam belgesi) showing that the applicant still owns the home. Renewal and transfer applications also require an address certificate from the National Electronic Notification System (Ulusal Elektronik Tebligat Sistemi, UETS); applicants under 18 are exempt from the UETS document.
A renewal is also the moment when residential use is tested again. If the home has been sold, let to tenants, or is no longer the address where the holder lives, YUKK Article 33 allows the Directorate to refuse the renewal because a condition of the permit has ceased to exist. Owners who have changed their living arrangements since the first permit should review the file before the 60-day window opens.
⚖️ How Long Can I Stay Outside Turkey Without Losing My Residence Permit?
YUKK Article 28 treats stays outside Turkey totalling more than 6 months in one year, or more than 1 year in total within the last 5 years, as an interruption of residence. Absences for mandatory public service, education and health reasons are excluded from that count. An interruption does not cancel the current permit by itself, but earlier permit periods are not counted towards later applications.
The practical effect falls on the long-term permit. A holder who spends 7 months abroad in a single year resets the 8-year clock required by YUKK Article 43, and the years before the interruption no longer count. Buyers who plan to divide the year between Turkey and their home country should track their days abroad from the first permit, not from the year they decide to apply for long-term status.
Once a long-term residence permit is granted, the rule changes. Under YUKK Article 45, a long-term permit is cancelled if the holder stays outside Turkey continuously for more than 1 year for reasons other than health, education or mandatory public service in their own country. Article 33(2) separately allows the cancellation of short-term permits on grounds of time spent abroad under rules set by regulation.
⚖️ Can My Spouse and Children Get Residence Permits Through My Property?
Yes, but through one of 2 different routes, and the choice affects the timetable. Family members who are co-owners of the home can apply on the property ground themselves; family members who are not on the title deed apply for a family residence permit with the property owner acting as sponsor under YUKK Articles 34 and 35.
Co-ownership within a family is accepted by the Presidency’s document list. When family members hold the home jointly or in shares, the application includes a document proving the family relationship together with the persons named on the title deed. This route lets each co-owning family member hold a permit on the same legal ground as the principal owner, with the same renewal conditions.
The family residence permit route has its own conditions under YUKK Article 35. The sponsor must have a total monthly income of at least the minimum wage and not less than one third of the minimum wage per family member, housing suitable for the family’s size, health insurance covering all family members, no conviction for crimes against family order within the last 5 years, and registration in the address system. The sponsor must also have held a residence permit in Turkey for at least 1 year, which means a family arriving together may not be able to use this route immediately.
⚖️ Why Property-Based Applications Get Refused
Most refusals of property-based applications trace back to 7 recurring problems, and almost none of them concern the quality of the property itself. They are file problems: a value, a document, a date or an address that does not match what the Directorate list requires.
- Value below USD 200,000 at acquisition. The value test looks at the acquisition date, not today’s market price.
- Property that is not residential. Land, shops, offices and unfinished buildings do not meet the residential condition.
- Home used for rental income. The Directorate list excludes homes used for rent or similar income.
- Ownership outside the family structure. Co-ownership with someone who is not a family member does not fit the documented family co-ownership rule.
- Health insurance gaps. The policy must cover the entire requested period.
- Passport validity. The passport must exceed the requested permit by at least 60 days.
- Late renewal. A renewal filed after expiry falls outside YUKK Article 24(2).
A refusal is not the end of the matter. Under YUKK Article 25, refusal, non-renewal and cancellation decisions must be notified to the foreigner, their legal representative or their lawyer, and the notification must explain how the decision can be challenged. Article 31(7), added in 2024, contains special procedural rules for court applications against refusals and cancellations of short-term permits, including a 2-month period where notification to the claimant’s address fails.
⚖️ Residence Permit or Citizenship: Choosing the Route Before You Buy
The property residence permit and citizenship by investment rest on 2 different laws, 2 different thresholds and 2 different authorities. A residence permit is renewable status under YUKK; citizenship by investment is a one-time acquisition of nationality under Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901 (Türk Vatandaşlığı Kanunu). Renewing a residence permit, however many times, does not turn it into citizenship.
| Criterion | Property Residence Permit | Citizenship by Real Estate Investment |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum property value | USD 200,000 at acquisition, all provinces | USD 400,000 |
| Status granted | Temporary, renewable, up to 2 years per grant | Permanent nationality and passport |
| Residential use | Required; no rental income | Not required |
| Holding requirement | Ownership for as long as the permit is renewed | 3-year no-sale annotation on the Tapu |
| Right to work | Separate work permit required | Full rights as a citizen |
| Governing law | YUKK Article 31(1)(b) | Law No. 5901 |
The choice should be made before the purchase. A buyer who expects to want citizenship within a few years usually pays less overall by acquiring a qualifying USD 400,000 structure once than by buying a USD 200,000 home for residence and a second property later. A buyer who wants to live in Turkey part of the year without changing nationality is usually better served by the residence permit alone.
YUKK also contains a separate investor category. Article 31(1)(j) covers foreigners who do not work in Turkey but make an investment in the scope and amount set by the President, together with their foreign spouse and minor or dependent children, and Article 31(5) allows those permits for up to 5 years at a time. That route is tied to the investment framework rather than to home ownership and is not the subject of this page.
This guide covers the property-based short-term residence permit only. It does not cover the company partner or commercial connection route, which is handled on our corporate immigration page, and it does not cover work permits: under YUKK Article 27, a valid work permit counts as a residence permit in its own right.
⚖️ What Can Be Done Without Travelling to Turkey
Almost every step before the appointment can be handled remotely, and only 1 step requires the applicant in person: the appointment at the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management, where the original passport is checked and biometric data is taken. That appointment cannot be delegated to a representative.
Property due diligence, contract review, title deed checks and the coordination of the purchase can be carried out before the buyer arrives. Our property legal review covers the points that matter for residence: residential designation, value at acquisition, ownership structure and the address that will appear in the residence file.
For buyers in countries that are party to the Apostille Convention, a power of attorney signed before a local notary, apostilled and translated into Turkish by a sworn translator allows the purchase and most of the file preparation to proceed in their absence. Buyers from other countries complete the same process through a Turkish consulate. Scheduling the residence appointment for the same visit as the title deed signing usually saves a second trip.
Schedule a Legal Consultation
Whether you are choosing a home in Istanbul that must support a residence permit, preparing a renewal after a change in your living arrangements, or planning permits for your family, our Investment Lawyers in Istanbul can review the file with you.
A home in Turkey can be bought in an afternoon; the right to live in it is built over years, one renewal at a time. Buyers who understand that at the start choose the property, the ownership structure and the address with the permit already in mind, and the renewals that follow become routine rather than a test.