In short: Northern Cyprus (the TRNC) suits buyers with a smaller budget who want a holiday or retirement home and can accept a permit process and extra title checks. Turkey suits buyers who want a much wider choice of homes, a national title-deed system without the pre-1974 ownership question, or a route to citizenship, which starts at USD 400,000. Both markets currently charge a 4% transfer fee on a typical first purchase, but the TRNC rate is a temporary reduction that runs only until 5 January 2027.
This comparison reflects the rules as of 12 November 2026. We sell homes in both markets, so the aim here is not to push one country but to set out the rules that actually decide the purchase. For the full step-by-step process in each market, see our guide to buying property in Northern Cyprus and our buyer guide for Turkey. If you are also considering Dubai, see our Turkey vs Dubai comparison.
Which market suits which buyer?
- Northern Cyprus may suit you if your budget is closer to the GBP 145,000 to 217,000 at which our apartments there are listed, you want a holiday or retirement home rather than a large portfolio, and you are prepared to pay for independent checks on the title history. A home with a stamped sale contract of £300,000 or more now supports a five-year residence permit without an income test.
- Turkey may suit you if you want to choose between many regions and property types, if you are aiming for citizenship (USD 400,000 of real estate) or a residence permit (a home worth at least USD 200,000), or if you want a title issued by the national Land Registry with no question of who owned the land before 1974.
- Either can work for a holiday home, but the costs, deadlines and paperwork differ in ways that are easy to miss. The sections below compare them point by point.
Who can buy: purchase permit and unit limits vs Turkey's eligibility rules
Northern Cyprus
A foreigner cannot take title in the TRNC until the Council of Ministers grants a purchase permit (satın alma izni) under Law No. 52/2008. Since May 2026, temporary decree-laws have set how much one foreign buyer may own. Under Decree-Law No. 89/2026, in force since 7 August 2026, a foreign individual may acquire one of the following:
- up to 3 apartments;
- up to 2 two-storey villas in a site or complex;
- one detached house on land of up to 3,300 m²;
- land of up to 1,338 m², with only one dwelling on it.
The deadlines are strict. The sale contract must be registered at the land office, and the permit applied for, within one month of signing, or the contract is void. After the permit is published in the Official Gazette, the transfer fee must be paid within 75 working days and the title transferred within one year. The decree-laws were issued while Parliament was in recess and may change again when Law No. 52/2008 is amended.
Turkey
In Turkey there is no general permit from the government and no limit on the number of homes. Foreign individuals buy under Article 35 of the Land Registry Law (Law No. 2644). Since 2012, the test is whether your nationality is on the list of eligible countries set by the President; reciprocity is no longer required. The limits are on area, not units: a foreigner may hold up to 30 hectares nationwide and no more than 10% of the privately ownable land in any one district.
Property inside a military or security zone needs clearance from the military or the provincial police. Outside these zones, the approval is reported to be routine and to take about one month. Payment is also regulated: a foreign buyer must show a currency-conversion document (Döviz Alım Belgesi, DAB) at the land registry, proving the foreign currency was sold to a bank in Turkey before the sale.
Title deeds and legal risk
This is the biggest difference between the two markets.
In Northern Cyprus, the history of the land matters. Titles are commonly grouped into titles derived from pre-1974 Turkish Cypriot or foreign ownership, exchange (eşdeğer) titles, allocation titles, and TRNC-issued titles for new buildings. Exchange and allocation titles over land that Greek Cypriots owned before 1974 can carry claims risk; the TRNC's Immovable Property Commission handles such claims. Courts in the Republic of Cyprus have also convicted foreigners for developing, marketing or selling Greek Cypriot-owned land in the north, with prison sentences in 2025. Before you pay a deposit, ask an independent lawyer to trace the title history of the land.
In Turkey, the title deed (tapu) is issued by the state Land Registry and Cadastre. The distinction buyers meet is between kat irtifakı, a construction-servitude title typical of off-plan homes, and kat mülkiyeti, full condominium title issued once the building has its occupancy permit. The usual checks are about debts, liens, permits and the seller's identity rather than pre-1974 ownership. Our guide to the tapu transfer process explains the steps, and checks before you pay covers fraud risks.
Purchase costs side by side
| Cost | Northern Cyprus (TRNC) | Turkey |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer fee | 4% on a first property for foreign buyers, 5.5% on a second and 6% on a third, until 5 January 2027 inclusive; the rate from 6 January 2027 had not been announced | Tapu harcı of 4% of the declared price, split by law as 2% for the buyer and 2% for the seller; foreigners pay the same rate as Turkish citizens |
| What the fee is charged on | Reported to be the Land Registry valuation, paid in Turkish lira | The declared price, which may not be lower than the property-tax value |
| Stamp duty | 0.5% of the contract price, according to agents, paid when the contract is registered | Not covered in this comparison |
| VAT on new builds | 5% according to agents; resales reported as exempt | 10% up to 150 m² net, 20% from 150 m²; a first delivery to a qualifying foreign buyer can be exempt if the price is brought into Turkey in foreign currency |
| Extra charge for foreigners | Higher transfer fee scale than for TRNC citizens | Reported revolving-fund fee of 20,868 TL per unit (2026 tariff) |
Before the temporary cut of 7 October 2026, foreign buyers in the TRNC were reported to pay 9% on a first property. If your transfer could fall either side of 5 January 2027, ask your lawyer to cost both scenarios. For Turkey, our Turkey buying costs calculator adds up the fee, VAT and other charges for a given price. Our buying costs comparison sets both markets alongside Portugal, Spain, Dubai and the UK.
Residency and citizenship
| Route | Northern Cyprus (TRNC) | Turkey |
|---|---|---|
| Residence through property | Five-year residence permit without an income test if the stamped sale contract shows £300,000 or more (since 5 October 2026); below that, proof of income of at least one TRNC minimum wage a month | Short-term residence permit (ikamet) if the home was worth at least USD 200,000 when acquired, is used as your residence and is not rented out |
| Citizenship through property | No property route found in the rules we checked | USD 400,000 of real estate with a 3-year no-sale annotation on the title |
In Turkey, some neighbourhoods are closed to new foreign residence registrations, so check the exact address with the migration authority before you buy for residence. Our guides to the Turkey residence permit through property and Turkish citizenship by real estate investment cover the documents. In the TRNC, the official migration office page still describes older permit lengths, so confirm the current position with a TRNC lawyer when you apply.
Ownership costs and rental income
Turkey: the annual property tax (emlak vergisi) on a home is 0.1% of its tax value, or 0.2% within a metropolitan municipality. Earthquake insurance (DASK) is compulsory for residential buildings, and a separate high-value residential property tax applies above a building tax value of 17,711,000 TL in 2026. Rental income is taxed at progressive rates of 15% to 40% for 2026, and any let of 100 days or less needs a tourism rental permit under Law No. 7464. See property taxes for owners in Turkey and renting out property in Turkey.
Northern Cyprus: municipalities charge a small annual property tax per square metre, but we could not confirm the 2026 amounts or the tax on rental income for non-residents from an official source. Ask your lawyer or accountant for current figures before you rely on rental income.
Selling later
Turkey: a gain on selling a home is taxable only if you sell within 5 years of the tapu registration date. Within that period, the cost is indexed for inflation when the producer price index rose by 10% or more, a 150,000 TL annual exemption applies for 2026, and the rest is taxed at the progressive rates. Our seller guide on capital gains tax in Turkey works through an example.
Northern Cyprus: the seller pays a capital gains withholding tax (stopaj) before the transfer. Agents quote 2.8% for non-professional sellers and 4% for professional sellers, while other sites quote a flat 4%. No official tax-office figure was found, so check the rate with a lawyer. Remember too that any future buyer of your home will need their own purchase permit and must fit within the unit limits, which can narrow the pool of buyers.
Turkish citizens buying in the TRNC
Turkish citizens are foreigners under TRNC property law, so they also need a purchase permit and must meet the one-month registration deadline. Because Turkey recognises the TRNC, its citizens have higher limits: up to 6 apartments or up to 3 villas in a complex, with the same 3,300 m² detached-house and 1,338 m² land options. Their transfer fee scale is also lower. Until 5 January 2027 inclusive, citizens of countries that recognise the TRNC pay 4% on the first and second property (reduced from 6%), 5.5% on the third and fourth, and 6% on the fifth and sixth. The 80% foreign-sales quota on housing projects and the rule that nationals of the same country may not together buy more than half of the properties on one parcel still apply.
Prices: what our listings show
As of 11 November 2026 we list 9 homes in Northern Cyprus, all priced in sterling, from GBP 145,000 to GBP 799,950, with a median of GBP 175,000. They are in Girne, Iskele, Lefkoşa and nearby villages. In Turkey we list more than 250 homes, priced in euros, US dollars, sterling and Turkish lira. Those priced in sterling start at GBP 99,000, with a median of GBP 565,000.
The Northern Cyprus sample is very small, and our Turkish stock leans towards villas, so these figures describe our listings, not either market as a whole.
Checklist before you choose
- Decide what you need: a holiday home, residence, citizenship or rental income. Citizenship points to Turkey; a five-year TRNC permit needs a contract of £300,000 or more to avoid the income test.
- In the TRNC, check how many units you may buy and plan to register the contract and apply for the permit within one month.
- In the TRNC, have an independent lawyer trace the title back before 1974. In Turkey, check the tapu for debts and liens and whether it is kat irtifakı or kat mülkiyeti.
- Cost the transfer fee for your expected completion date, especially around 5 January 2027 in the TRNC.
- In Turkey, plan the payment through a Turkish bank so that you can obtain the DAB.
- Check the ongoing costs and the tax on rental income in the country you choose.
Key takeaways
- The TRNC needs a Council of Ministers purchase permit and limits each foreign buyer to set numbers of units; Turkey has no permit or unit limit, only area limits and an eligible-country list.
- TRNC titles need checks on pre-1974 ownership; Turkish tapu checks focus on debts, permits and title type.
- Both charge 4% on a typical first purchase for now, but the TRNC rate is temporary until 5 January 2027.
- A £300,000 TRNC contract supports a five-year residence permit; Turkey offers residence from USD 200,000 and citizenship from USD 400,000.
- Turkish citizens buying in the TRNC have higher limits and a lower fee scale, but still need a permit.
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to buy in Northern Cyprus or Turkey?
Our Northern Cyprus listings have a median of GBP 175,000, while our sterling-priced Turkish listings have a median of GBP 565,000, but the samples differ in size and property mix. The transfer fee is currently 4% on a typical first purchase in both, until 5 January 2027 in the TRNC.
Can I get citizenship by buying property in Northern Cyprus?
We found no citizenship route through property in the TRNC rules we checked. Property can support a residence permit. In Turkey, real estate worth USD 400,000, held for 3 years, can lead to citizenship.
How many properties can a foreigner buy in each country?
In the TRNC, one of: up to 3 apartments, 2 villas in a complex, one detached house on up to 3,300 m², or up to 1,338 m² of land. Turkey sets no number limit, only 30 hectares nationwide and 10% of a district's private land.
What happens to the TRNC transfer fee after 5 January 2027?
The rate from 6 January 2027 had not been announced on 12 November 2026. Check the Official Gazette or ask your lawyer before you plan a completion date after the deadline.
Do Turkish citizens need permission to buy in the TRNC?
Yes. They are treated as foreigners and need a purchase permit, although their limits are higher (6 apartments or 3 villas) and their transfer fee scale is lower.
Compare homes in both markets
Browse our properties in Northern Cyprus and properties in Turkey, read more in our country guides, and contact us to talk through which market fits your plans.
Sources (checked November 2026)
- Bugün Kıbrıs: Decree-Law No. 89/2026 on foreigners' property acquisitions
- Haber Kıbrıs: reduced transfer fees from 7 October 2026 to 5 January 2027
- Landmark Properties: TRNC purchase rules and fees
- Tekce: North Cyprus purchase costs
- Bugün Kıbrıs: five-year residence permit for £300,000 property
- Cyprus Mail: prison sentences for selling Greek Cypriot property in the north
- Milliyet: tapu harcı in 2026
- Konya Investment Office: guide to property acquisition by foreigners in Turkey
- Presidency of Migration Management: short-term residence permit documents
- Presidential Decision No. 5554 on the USD 400,000 citizenship threshold
- Turkish Revenue Administration: tax on gains from selling real estate
- Law No. 7464 on tourism-purpose rentals
- Keyholders International live listing data, 11 November 2026
Updated: November 2026
This comparison is general information, not legal or tax advice. TRNC rules are temporary and both countries' rules change, so check the current position with a qualified lawyer in the relevant country before you act.