Title Deed Transfer to a Foreign Buyer: Is an Interpreter Required at the Land Registry?

Published: 17 September 2026 · Reading time approximately 8 minutes

The transfer of immovable property to a foreign buyer differs from a transfer between Turkish citizens on two points: the document chain and language. Neither of them can be resolved on the day of the appointment at the land registry office; both have to be prepared in advance.

Is an interpreter required?

Yes. The official deed drawn up at the land registry office is read out to the parties and signed by them. If one of the parties does not speak Turkish, the presence of a sworn interpreter is mandatory in the transaction; the interpreter conveys the content of the deed to the parties and takes part in the transaction. This is not a matter of form but a requirement bearing on the validity of the transaction.

It is not enough for the accompanying person to be a relative or an estate agent; the land registry office requires a sworn interpreter, and the interpreter's identity is entered in the transaction record.

Documents required from the foreign buyer

• A valid passport and a notarised translation of the passport
• Tax identification number
• Passport-size photographs
• A property valuation report for the immovable
• A duly drawn-up power of attorney if the transaction is to be carried out by proxy

From the seller's side, the title deed, identity document and compulsory earthquake insurance policy are required. The current assessed value letter (declared property value) obtained from the municipality is also added to the file.

Passport translation: where files get stuck most often

In a passport translation, the spelling of the given name and the surname has to match the passport exactly. If the passport carries the spelling in its own alphabet alongside the Latin spelling, we establish at the outset which of the two is to be taken as the basis — otherwise the name in the land registry record does not match in later transactions (bank, residence, tax) and has to be corrected again in each of them.

Transfer by proxy

If the buyer will not be in Türkiye, the transaction can be carried out by proxy. If the power of attorney was drawn up abroad, an apostille or consular certification is required, followed by a sworn translation and notarial certification in Türkiye. The power of attorney must expressly list the power to "purchase immovable property"; a general clause of authority is not accepted.

Setting the order of the appointment correctly

The correct order is this: obtain the tax number, complete the passport translation and, where there is one, the power of attorney chain, obtain the valuation report, then book the land registry appointment and confirm the interpreter for that same day . Booking the appointment and gathering the documents afterwards ends in the appointment being lost.

What is needed after the transfer?

A title deed transfer does not on its own grant a right to reside in Türkiye. A short-term residence permit application can be made on the basis of property ownership; this is a separate application with conditions of its own. If citizenship by investment is being considered, the value of the property and the annotation to be entered on the title deed have to be planned from the outset — they cannot be corrected after the transfer.

What do we do?

We prepare the passport and power of attorney translations, arrange the notarial certification and assign a sworn interpreter for the land registry appointment. If a residence permit or citizenship is the goal after the transfer, we set the file up accordingly from the start. Tell us your appointment date and we will confirm an available interpreter the same day.