Military Restricted Zone Clearance and Valuation Report Requirements When Selling Property to Foreigners

Since 4 March 2019, every property sale to a foreign buyer in Turkey has required a valuation report prepared by an institution licensed by the Capital Markets Board (SPK). The military restricted zone check is a far older security filter: Law No. 2565 of 1981 closes certain regions of the country to foreign ownership entirely. These two thresholds are the key steps that set the title deed (TAPU) process apart for foreign buyers compared with Turkish buyers.

So how do these checks work in practice, where is the report obtained, and where does the process typically get stuck? This guide walks through both requirements step by step, in plain language.

What Are Military Restricted Zones and Security Zones?

Military restricted zones are areas declared around facilities considered critical to national defense, where foreigners may not acquire property; special security zones form a second category subject to similar restrictions. Both concepts are governed by Law No. 2565 on Military Restricted Zones and Security Zones.

This restriction concerns the location of the property, not the property itself. For a buyer drawn to a sea-view plot along the coast, for example, the decisive question is whether that particular parcel falls within the boundaries of a restricted or security zone; if it does, the transfer cannot proceed regardless of the sale price.

A concrete scenario: a Jordanian buyer interested in a villa within a residential complex on the Aegean coast may find that one section of the same complex is open to foreign acquisition while another falls within a restricted area. This is why a parcel-by-parcel check should always be carried out before any deposit is paid.

How Is the Zone Check Carried Out Today?

In the past, the land registry office would send a written inquiry to the military authorities for every foreign buyer, and the response could take weeks or even months. Now that most zone surveys have been completed and entered into the land registry system, this check can usually be completed within the system, in a short time, in most districts.

The check is carried out ex officio by the land registry office, not by the buyer. Even so, it is possible to find out in advance whether a property is open to acquisition: an Iraqi investor interested in an apartment in Beyoğlu, for instance, can have their lawyer request a preliminary check from the relevant land registry office, removing the risk of an unexpected rejection on the day of the appointment.

Why Is the Valuation Report Mandatory?

As of 4 March 2019, the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre (TKGM) made it mandatory for all sales involving a foreign party to be supported by a property valuation report prepared by an institution licensed by the Capital Markets Board (SPK). The report establishes the property’s true market value from an independent standpoint.

This requirement serves two purposes: protecting foreign buyers, who may be unfamiliar with local market pricing, from being overcharged, and preventing the underdeclaration of the sale price on the title deed. It also plays a critical role in citizenship applications: whether the USD 400,000 threshold is met is calculated based on the amount stated in the valuation report, not the contractual sale price (as of August 2026).

For example, a Saudi buyer considering an apartment in Taksim listed at TRY 12,000,000 who receives a valuation report showing a markedly lower figure can use that gap as grounds for negotiation and further inquiry. In this sense, the report is not merely a formality; it is one of the buyer’s strongest negotiating tools.

How Is the Valuation Report Obtained?

The report is requested through TKGM’s electronic system, and the process is usually completed within a few business days. A licensed valuation expert inspects the property in person and prepares the report based on its location, physical condition, comparable sales, and official records.

One point to watch is the validity period: the report is valid for 3 months from its date of issue. If, say, a German buyer’s mortgage process runs long and the report expires before the transfer, a new report will have to be obtained; the report date and the planned transfer date should therefore be planned together.

Worth noting as well: since January 2022, a Foreign Exchange Purchase Certificate (DAB) confirming that the sale proceeds were converted through a Turkish bank has also been a mandatory part of the transfer file. Keeping the valuation report, the DAB amount, and the declared sale price consistent with one another ensures the file closes cleanly in a single visit.

Common Mistakes in the Process

If the process is this clear, why do files still get stuck? In practice, problems usually stem from ordering and timing errors. The most frequent scenarios are:

• Paying a deposit before the zone check is done: if the property turns out to fall within a restricted zone, the transfer cannot proceed, and recovering the deposit already paid can become a separate legal dispute.
• Letting the report expire: once the 3-month validity period lapses, the transaction has to wait for a new report.
• A mismatch between the report value and the declared price: this puts the citizenship threshold calculation at risk, particularly in citizenship-driven purchases.
• Signing in haste under pressure from the seller: the “the price goes up if you don’t sign today” tactic leads buyers to skip checks, when in fact no verification step should ever be sacrificed for the sake of closing a deal.

A typical case that came to our office in recent months: the buyer, acting on the real estate agency’s recommendation, signed the contract and made a partial payment, only to discover afterward that the valuation report came in well below the agreed sale price. Had the report been obtained before signing, the buyer’s negotiating position would have been entirely different.

Completing the Process with Confidence

When carried out in the right order, the military restricted zone check and the valuation report are not obstacles that delay a sale; they are two mechanisms that protect the buyer. The backbone of the process can be summarized as follows:

• A parcel-specific zone check should be carried out before any deposit or contract
• An SPK-licensed valuation report should be obtained, with its 3-month validity period aligned to the transfer schedule
• The report value, DAB amount, and declared sale price should all be kept consistent
• Where citizenship is the goal, the USD 400,000 threshold should be verified against the report value
• Signing and payment should not proceed until all documentation is in place

You can find up-to-date legislation at mevzuat.gov.tr, and official announcements on title deed procedures at the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre website. Since every file differs in location, parties, and objective, obtaining an independent legal review before proceeding is the safest course of action.