MIKE P

Military Checks to End?
Following the announcement of the suspension and recent drafting of the new
law concerning foreign ownership in Turkey, The Didymian, in an interview with
Atilla Camli, set out what implications and changes the new law will have on
foreigners wishing to buy in Turkey.
Firstly, although the new law has been signed by all members of the council of ministers, there is still a little
way to go before the law is brought into effect.
As it stands now, the proposed law is waiting to go to the Grand Assembly for Parliament to vote on, once
through that stage, a paper is issued to give effect to the new law, this paves the way for the next step. Only
after this has happened can the circular order be issued by the General Manager of the Land Registry. It is at
this time, the law becomes practically effective. As far as estimating a time period before this actually
happens, we could be talking about maybe 4-6 weeks, for all the correct procedures to be completed, perhaps
by the middle of June.
The new law brings in 2 very important changes that will greatly improve the whole process of applying for
and obtaining a Tapu.
The first, and for me the most crucial, is that as a result of this change, all information regarding sensitive land
areas, whether it be military, ecological, cultural, environmental or for energy purposes, will be held by the
Land Registry office, thereby possibly removing the requirement for the sometimes lengthy delay waiting for
a Military check, and of course the cost that goes with it, usually around 700 YTL.
There is a very real possibility that, should you be a cash buyer with money ready to pay for your purchase on
the day, you could now realistically expect your Tapu on the SAME DAY.
Secondly, the area of land that foreigners can own within a city was 5/1000 of the total city area, including but
not limited to, forests, parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty, now determining the area as a
percentage, but now not including forests, parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty, the limits will only
apply to certified and agreed construction suitable land. This limit has now been increased to 10% of suitable
land within the city boundaries.
It should be added that foreign companies are also still able to buy land and property in Turkey as a result of
these changes, but that the same rules apply to companies as they do to individuals.
It has to be stated though that even though the new law will be introduced, there will still be some small delays
while the whole process is brought up to speed.
It should also be noted that any applications already waiting for their military check may be brought back to
the city offices, where a decision may be made locally following the successful introduction of the new
process.
The Didymian would like to thank Atilla Camli for spending his time explaining the new law.
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CrashTester

Thanks, good information!