Buying property in Turkey: moving the money and the DAB certificate

For an Iranian buyer, purchasing property in Turkey involves two separate but connected questions: how does the purchase money reach Turkey legally and safely, and which document proves at the land registry (Tapu) that this money was foreign currency converted through a bank? The document that ties the two together is the currency purchase certificate, in Turkish Döviz Alım Belgesi (DAB). Many transactions stall at exactly this point: the money has arrived, the seller is ready, but the certificate does not exist because the money never entered a bank the right way.

This post explains what the DAB is, since when and for whom it is mandatory, the role of the valuation report and the deed fee and, most importantly, in what order the money has to move. The rules are valid at the time of writing (October 2026) and their sources are listed at the end; before signing any contract, confirm the current position with your bank, the Tapu office and a property lawyer.

What the DAB is and why it exists

The DAB is a certificate issued by a Turkish bank showing how much foreign currency the buyer sold to the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye through that bank and how many lira were received in return. It records the name of the person who converted the currency, their passport or foreign identity number, the foreign-currency amount and its lira equivalent, and a note that the conversion was made for a property purchase.

The logic is simple: Turkey wants the foreign currency that enters the country through property purchases to pass formally through the banking system and the Central Bank, and it wants the price declared on the deed to rest on a transparent figure. For the buyer, the money trail is documented.

The rule since 24 January 2022: exactly what is required

According to the announcement of the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre (TKGM), from 24 January 2022 foreign individuals acquiring property by purchase must present a DAB. The mechanism has three steps:

1. The buyer sells the foreign currency to the Central Bank through a Turkish bank.
2. The bank issues the DAB; the lira equivalent on it is entered on the official deed as the value on which the fee is calculated.
3. The buyer submits the certificate with the other documents to the Tapu office.

For purchases made to obtain Turkish citizenship, the bank receipt of the transfer from buyer to seller is required in addition to the DAB; for an ordinary purchase the DAB alone is sufficient. The implementing details are in the same directorate's circulars 2022/1 and 2019/5.

The point that surprises Iranian buyers: only a bank can issue a DAB, and it must receive the currency from you or see it in your account. Cash handed to the seller, or USDT sent straight to the seller's wallet, may be a genuine payment, but for the Tapu it is not a currency conversion.

The valuation report and the deed costs

Two more documents and costs play a role on transfer day.

The valuation report

At the time of writing, sales in which one party is a foreigner require a report prepared by an appraiser licensed by the Capital Markets Board (SPK). The requirement has applied since 4 March 2019 and was re-regulated by TKGM Circular 2024/2 from 4 March 2024. The report is valid for three months from its date, and the price declared on the deed may not be lower than the value in the report.

The title deed fee

At the time of writing the title deed fee is 4% of the value declared on the deed, legally split 2% buyer and 2% seller, but it is very common in practice for the buyer to pay all of it; the parties may agree otherwise. A land registry service charge (döner sermaye) is collected on top; it changes yearly, so ask the office for the current amount. Because the fee base is the lira equivalent on the DAB, the day you convert the currency is effectively the day you fix the deed fee.

How does the purchase money reach Turkey?

This is where an Iranian buyer faces a constraint a European buyer does not. At the time of writing, because of sanctions and the loss of correspondent banking relationships, a direct bank wire from Iran to Turkey is not available in practice, and Turkish banks do not accept transfers originating in Iran. As a result, the purchase funds usually arrive by one of three routes:

• Cash carried by a traveller, within the legal limits of both countries. Turkey sets no upper limit on foreign cash brought in and declaration is optional, but customs may ask about the amount and its source. On the Iranian side, under the Central Bank of Iran's announced rules, roughly 5,000 euros (or equivalent) may leave by air and roughly 2,000 euros by land without a special permit. For the price of a property, this route usually does not work.
• USDT converted to lira or dollars in Turkey. It is fast, but the final funds still have to be converted through a bank in your own name for the DAB to be issued; the page on converting USDT to lira in Istanbul describes that service.
• A lira transfer through an exchange office into your own Turkish bank account. If you will need a DAB, tell the bank the money is for a property purchase and ask exactly what has to land in your account for the conversion to be recorded. Request a quote for a lira transfer to Turkey with that purpose in mind.

The full comparison of these methods, with sourced legal limits and fraud warning signs, is in the guide to sending money from Iran to Turkey; here we focus on what is specific to a property purchase: the order in which the money moves.

The right order: from tax number to Tapu

Most problems come from the money moving before the paperwork. The sequence that works in practice is this:

1. Get a Turkish tax number; without it neither a bank account nor the Tapu transaction is possible.
2. Open a bank account in your own name in Turkey and ask there what the bank requires to issue a DAB.
3. Put the preliminary contract or price agreement in writing, stating the currency and the payment method, and check the title deed record before paying any large amount.
4. Bring the money into your own account, not the seller's or the agent's; choose the route according to the amount and have the rate and fee confirmed before anything is done.
5. Convert the currency through the bank and obtain the DAB. If the money has arrived in lira, ask the bank the same day what document it issues in that case; banks do not all handle it the same way.
6. Order the valuation report and make sure the contract price is not below the value in it.
7. On Tapu day: bring the DAB, the valuation report, your passport with a sworn translation, the tax number and, if needed, the receipt of payment to the seller, and pay the deed fee.

For a transaction with a deadline, plan backwards from the Tapu date.

Common mistakes

• Paying the seller directly in cash. The money has genuinely been paid, but no bank has recorded a currency conversion and the Tapu wants a DAB.
• Depositing into a third party's account. Money in a friend's, agent's or relative's account is not converted in your name and makes the origin of funds harder to prove later.
• Converting before the price is agreed. Because the lira figure on the DAB is the fee base and the contract price may not fall below the valuation report, converting too early can leave the numbers out of step.
• An expired valuation report. Match the three-month validity to the likely Tapu date.
• Trusting "we'll sort it out ourselves". Anyone offering to arrange a DAB without the money passing through a bank exposes you to a transaction that may never be registered.

Lira or dollars? A short note

A Turkish seller usually quotes the price in dollars or euros, and a foreign buyer may agree a price in foreign currency. But the DAB records a conversion into lira, and the deed fee is calculated on that lira equivalent. So keep three things apart: the currency in the contract, the currency you bring to Turkey, and the moment it is converted into lira. Which sequence suits you depends on the amount, the timing and the rate of the day; before deciding, look at today's Turkish lira rate as a reference and request a firm quote for your own amount. Nothing here replaces legal or tax advice; talk to your property lawyer and your bank before paying.