Buy property in Bostancı as a foreigner
If you want to buy property in Bostancı from abroad, this guide is the place to begin. It sets out the sequence of steps, the extra costs, the documents to bring and the checks that count in this mahalle, such as which district the title deed places a flat in. The last section covers residence and citizenship.
Buy property in Bostancı: three local points
The legal steps are national, and they follow further down. Three points belong to this mahalle in particular, and each one changes a question you put to the seller.
- The name sits beside a boundary. An advert that says Bostancı can describe a flat in Altıntepe, the next mahalle east and part of Maltepe district. The deed settles which one it is.
- Two metro stations carry the name. The M4 station is inland, under the Bostancı interchange. The M8 station is the coastal terminus, on the Kadıköy–Maltepe boundary. The lines do not meet at Bostancı; they meet at Kozyatağı, so ask which station an advert has in mind.
- Rail and sea meet here. Bostancı railway station reopened on 12 March 2019 with Marmaray, and the pier lies south of it. High-speed trains have been listed at the station, so check TCDD Taşımacılık for today’s services before you count on one.
Bostancı or Altıntepe? Check the address before you buy →
Checks before you buy property in Bostancı
- The first section of the title deed lists the province, district, mahalle, ada and parsel, and for an apartment its independent-section number. Read those lines against the address in the advert.
- The registered owner is the person selling, and the deed shows no mortgage, seizure or other restriction.
- The block has its iskan (occupancy permit), which marks the flat as a finished home.
- The year the block went up, and whether its owners have talked about renewing it.
- Aidat, utility bills or property tax left unpaid, which can follow the flat to its next owner.
- Which Bostancı station or pier the advert means, and the walk to it, timed on foot rather than read off a map.
From first brief to keys
The same stages apply to a flat by the shore and to one inland towards the D-100, in this order.
Describe your brief
Give us a budget, the bedrooms you need and the station that matters most: Marmaray, the M4 or the M8. Say whether you want a sea view, a park or a quiet street. We reply with matching flats, and you can view them in person or over a video link.
Get a tax number
Your passport is enough for a tax office to issue the vergi numarası (tax number). You need it for the sale and for the Turkish bank account that receives the payment.
Order the valuation
A licensed firm inspects the flat and issues a valuation report. Foreign buyers file it with the Land Registry before the transfer can go ahead.
Insure and sign
The DASK earthquake policy comes first. After that, both sides attend the tapu office to sign the transfer. If you need an interpreter, a sworn one can attend with you.
Take the keys
We hand over the keys and help you with the utilities. Citizenship follows its own rule, which asks for property worth $400,000 or more, kept for three years and noted on the deed. A residence permit is not automatic, and no one can promise either decision.
Papers to bring
- A valid passport, its identity page translated by a sworn translator.
- A Turkish tax number, which a tax office issues against your passport.
- Two recent passport-style photographs.
- The valuation report on the flat you intend to buy.
- A DASK policy in force for that property.
- Bank records showing that the money for the purchase came in from abroad.
Costs on top of the price
The price in an advert is only the first line of the bill. Budget for the following as well.
| Item | Amount | Normally paid by |
|---|---|---|
| Title deed fee (tapu harcı) | Four per cent of the value declared on the deed | Shared by buyer and seller as a custom, and open to negotiation |
| Valuation report | A set fee from the licensed valuation firm | The buyer |
| DASK earthquake policy | A yearly premium based on floor area and building type | The buyer |
| Sworn translator and notary | Charged per appointment or per document | The buyer |
| VAT (KDV) on some new flats | Depends on the unit and the seller; ask for the price with VAT included | The buyer, within the quoted price |
| Agency fee | Put in writing before the first viewing | As that agreement says |
After the purchase, the running costs are the yearly property tax (emlak vergisi), the DASK renewal, the utility bills and, in a block with shared expenses, the monthly aidat.
On the DASK (Turkish Catastrophe Insurance Pool) site you can request a price for the compulsory earthquake cover or look up a policy already in force.
Residence and citizenship
A flat owned in Istanbul may count as a ground for a short-term residence permit application. The decision belongs to the migration authority, which changes its conditions now and then, so we go over the current position with you before you plan around it.
The Presidency of Migration Management lists the rules and the steps of an application.
Citizenship by property is a different route with a fixed threshold: real estate worth at least $400,000, kept for three years, with the commitment noted on the title deed. A flat below that value does not count.
Rules like these can change. Ask a lawyer to check them against your situation before you commit, and remember that no one can promise how an application will end.
Questions about buying property in Bostancı
Can foreigners buy property in Istanbul?
Most nationalities can put a flat in their own name, in Bostancı as anywhere in the city. A handful of nationalities and certain kinds of land are restricted, so we check where you stand before you make an offer.
Is a flat advertised in Bostancı always in Bostancı mahalle?
No. Bostancı is a mahalle of Kadıköy district, while Altıntepe, the next mahalle to the east, belongs to Maltepe district, and the M8 terminus stands on the line between them. The title deed names the district and the mahalle. Ask for those two lines before you view, and set them beside the advert.
Can I buy without travelling to Istanbul?
Yes. You can appoint someone by power of attorney, drawn up at a Turkish consulate in your country or by a notary in Türkiye, and that person then goes to the tapu office on your behalf. Many buyers still come for the signing, though it is not required.
What decides how long a purchase takes?
Chiefly how soon the valuation and the tapu appointment can be booked, and whether the deed is clean. If the block is not yet finished, the keys pass over when the builder completes it, whatever date the brochure printed.
Does buying in Bostancı give me residence or citizenship?
Not on its own. Owning property can support a residence permit application, but the migration authority judges each file and a permit is not automatic. Citizenship needs property worth at least $400,000, held for three years and noted on the deed. Nobody can promise the outcome of either.
Buying Bostancı property from overseas?
Tell us where you live and which part of Bostancı you have in mind: the pier, the stations, the shore or the streets towards the D-100. We reply with a dated plan that runs from the first viewing to the deed.
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