Figures last checked: . Fees, limits and exchange rates change; the figures below describe the rules on that date and are not an offer.
Can a Saudi national buy property in Turkey?
Yes, in your own name and without a Turkish partner or company. Turkey abolished the reciprocity requirement in 2012 and now allows nationals of around 180 countries to own property, Saudis among them, and nothing in the land registry rules singles out Saudi nationals with a special restriction. The limits that do exist are the same for every foreign individual: no more than 30 hectares across Turkey, foreigners together no more than 10 percent of the private land in a district, and no purchases inside military forbidden zones and security zones. The land registry checks all of this at the transfer, so a property that fails these tests is simply not registered in your name.
Getting there to view is easy. Since a presidential decision published in December 2023, holders of an ordinary Saudi passport enter Turkey without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180 days. Your passport must be valid for at least 60 days beyond your permitted stay, in practice 150 days, and the Turkish foreign ministry advises six months. The May 2026 agreement between the two countries concerns diplomatic and special passports only.
Where Saudis buy, and what that means
Turkey sold 21,534 homes to foreigners in 2025 according to the Turkish statistics office, the lowest figure in nine years. Istanbul took 7,989 of them and Antalya 7,118, Yalova came fifth among the provinces with 461 homes, with Bursa, Sakarya and Trabzon in the top ten. The Kingdom ranked ninth among nationalities with around 620 homes, according to a single press source that should be checked against the office's tables. This means two things: the market knows you well and addresses you in Arabic, and that in itself is a reason for caution; the Saudi embassy in Ankara has warned before about incomplete or encumbered title deeds and delayed handovers, especially in Istanbul and Trabzon.
Prices in projects aimed at Gulf buyers are often quoted in dollars, but the title deed will state a value in lira. Keep that difference in mind throughout: the land registry, the fees and any Turkish tax all work from the lira figure.
How the transfer at the land registry works
In Turkey ownership passes at the land registry directorate, not at a notary and not across a table in the agent's office. Both parties attend, or their lawyers with a power of attorney, the officer examines the file, the fees are paid, and the title deed, the tapu, is issued in your name the same day. If you do not speak Turkish a sworn translator must be present. The documents you bring: your passport, a Turkish tax number, a passport photo, proof that the price was paid through a bank, and the compulsory "DASK" earthquake insurance policy if the property is a building.
Since January 2022 there is a step that surprises many Gulf buyers. The foreign currency used to buy the property must be sold to a Turkish bank, which passes it on to the central bank and issues a currency purchase certificate, the "döviz alım belgesi". The land registry wants to see this certificate, with your name, your passport number and the plot on it, and the lira amount stated in it becomes the declared price. Riyals exchanged at a bureau de change, or paid directly to the seller outside Turkey, do not count. From 1 December 2026 Turkey also intends to route the payment itself through a secure payment system linked to the land registry, so that money and ownership change hands at the same moment; the precise details were still being worked out when this guide was written.
The valuation report that used to be compulsory for every foreign purchase is no longer required, since a 2024 land registry circular, unless the purchase is aimed at obtaining Turkish citizenship. An ordinary buyer can still ask for one, and we generally recommend it: it is your independent check on the price and on the registered status of the property.
Checking the property before you commit
Turkey is earthquake country. The year of construction, the building permit and the occupancy certificate, the "iskan", matter more than the view. A Turkish lawyer independent of the agent and the seller should examine the title deed for mortgages, attachments and annotations, confirm that the property is designated for housing, and check that what was built matches what was permitted. Ask for the energy certificate, and in new projects ask for the developer's guarantees in writing. If you are buying with later residence in mind, ask the lawyer to confirm that the neighbourhood is open to registering new foreign residents; some are not, and the residence guide explains why.
The deposit is where things go wrong. Never pay a reservation deposit except against a written agreement that sets out what happens if the title check fails, and pay it into an account you can identify, never in cash to an agent.
What the purchase costs beyond the price
- Title transfer fee (tapu harcı). 4 percent of the declared value, by law 2 percent for the buyer and 2 percent for the seller. In practice the buyer often pays all of it; budget the full 4 percent. The declared value may not be lower than the municipal tax value.
- Land registry fee. The revolving fund fee, paid at the directorate the same day, a few thousand lira.
- Sworn translator. Required at the transfer if you do not speak Turkish.
- DASK earthquake insurance. Compulsory for buildings and required for the transfer; it covers structural damage, not contents.
- Lawyer. Title check and contract review, and the power of attorney if you cannot attend. A power of attorney notarised in Saudi Arabia needs legalisation and a sworn translation.
- Valuation. Optional for the ordinary buyer since 2024, but we recommend it all the same.
- Currency. The bank's spread on converting your riyals and the transfer fees on both sides. On a six-figure sum this is often the largest cost after the tapu fee.
Comfortably budget 6 to 8 percent on top of the price for all of the above. All of it comes out of your own money; none of it can be borrowed in Turkey.
The riyal question
On 15 October 2026 the Turkish central bank's indicative selling rate was 49.42 lira to the dollar, against 41.84 a year earlier. Because the riyal is pegged to the dollar at 3.75, one riyal bought 11.14 lira in October 2025 and 13.15 lira in October 2026. The lira has a long record of decline, which increases your purchasing power in riyals over time but also means that the lira value on your deed, the property tax and the running costs all move. Decide early whether to convert the whole sum at once or in stages, and remember that the currency purchase certificate requires the conversion to take place at a Turkish bank. The financing guide explains where the riyals come from.
Transferring money from the Kingdom
Saudi Arabia places no restrictions on transferring capital abroad, but your bank will ask for the purpose of the transfer and proof of the source of funds under the Saudi Central Bank's rules, usually the sale contract and the seller's IBAN or your account in Turkey. The monthly and annual limits you hear about, SAR 50,000 a month and SAR 500,000 a year, apply to licensed exchange houses, not to bank transfers. The practical route: open an account at a Turkish bank, transfer to it from your bank in the Kingdom, and sell the currency there to obtain the currency purchase certificate.
After the keys: the Saudi side
The Kingdom has no personal income tax and no wealth tax, the 5 percent real estate transaction tax applies only to property inside the Kingdom, and we found no legal obligation to declare property abroad. Zakat remains a personal religious obligation that the Zakat authority does not administer for individuals: a home used as a residence is unanimously held not to be subject to zakat, while property held for trade and rental income have their own rulings, so ask someone you trust. Turkey, on the other hand, taxes rental income and the gain on a sale within five years, as the letting guide explains.
Buying checklist for residents of Saudi Arabia
- Make sure your passport is valid well beyond the trip; six months is the safe margin.
- Obtain a Turkish tax number before the transfer; it also opens the bank account.
- Open an account at a Turkish bank and plan the riyal transfer for the currency purchase certificate.
- Appoint an independent Turkish lawyer to check the title and the contract.
- Check the year of construction, the permits and the iskan, and the DASK policy.
- Budget the full 4 percent tapu fee plus 2 to 4 percent in other costs.
- If residence is the goal, check the neighbourhood and the USD 200,000 threshold first.
- Keep every bank record: it is your proof to the bank and the land registry.
Questions buyers from Saudi Arabia ask
Further reading
What enquirers tell us about buying
Of the 356 enquiries that reached us through our network between 27 May and 9 October 2026, 92 named emigration as the purpose and 59 investment; the rest were summer homes and second homes. These are figures across our whole network, not Turkey or Saudi Arabia alone, but they match what this guide assumes: most buyers are not relocating, they want a place to come back to, and the paperwork has to work remotely.
Who wrote this guide. Bas Terpstra writes, reviews and approves every guide, using AI tools and public sources as a starting point. Rules and amounts change, so treat this as general information and check the details for your own situation.
This guide is general information, not personal financial, legal, tax or Sharia advice. The fees and limits mentioned are indicative and based on public sources from 2026. Turkey Mortgage Saudi is part of a Dutch company and is not a licensed financing provider in Saudi Arabia, not an estate agent and not a law firm.