Taxes and fees when buying
Advertised figures are the developer's number. What a foreign buyer actually pays is meaningfully higher — and the gap widened in 2025 when the transfer fee was standardised at 12%.
On purchase
| Item | Rate | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Title transfer fee | 12% | Foreign buyers, up from 3–6% before 2025. Half payable on registration of the contract, half at final transfer. |
| VAT (KDV) | 5% | Charged on the contract price or the official valuation, whichever is higher. Applies to new builds and professional sellers. |
| Stamp duty (Pul) | 0.5% | Payable within 21 days of signing, and required for the contract to be registered. |
| Transformer / infrastructure | £1,500–3,000 | New developments only. |
| Independent lawyer | ~£1,500 | Non-negotiable in practice. |
On a £244,900 apartment — the market median — that is roughly £45,306 before you own anything.
While you own
| Item | Rate | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Annual property tax | 3–5 TL per m² | Roughly £15–50 a year for an apartment. |
| Rental income tax | 10% | Flat, on gross rent, whether you live here or not. |
| Site maintenance | varies | Resort schemes with pools and beach clubs charge materially more than plain apartment blocks — ask for the figure in writing. |
On sale
Capital gains (stopaj) is 2.8%, and a private individual has a one-off lifetime exemption on a single property. Inheritance passing to a spouse or direct descendant is effectively untaxed. Holding through a company changes the picture: corporate structures are taxed at around 23.5% combined.
Common questions
Can I avoid the 12% transfer fee?
No. It is a statutory fee on the transfer of title to a foreign buyer. Some buyers assign the contract before transfer, which passes the obligation to the next buyer rather than removing it.
Is VAT always payable?
Not on a genuine private resale where VAT was already paid on the first sale. It is payable on new builds and where the seller is acting professionally.
What does it cost to own annually?
Very little in tax — typically £15–50 a year for an apartment. Site maintenance charges are the real recurring cost and vary enormously by scheme.
Still deciding?
We will answer the specific version of your question against a specific property — including which title category the land carries.