Turkey’s Land Registry directorate may be restructured with new improved services

The Turkish government is currently considering a comprehensive restructuring of the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre in a drive to inject dynamism into the institution.

According to a draft recently presented to the Prime Ministry, the directorate will undertake the task to define the unit value of land used to calculate property taxes, conduct valuations of real estate and survey land.

The restructuring also aims to simplify directorate operations. The state expects to help the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre benefit from the latest in technological advancements. To minimize bureaucracy, the program will allow applicants to use any land registry office in the country to complete their paperwork. In addition to this, Turkish citizens living abroad and nationals of other countries who own land in Turkey will be able to complete all necessary paperwork at the Turkish embassy in their country of residence. The government will also hire new land registry staff to work in the embassies.

This will most certainly be welcome news for many foreign buyers of property in Turkey. No timeline has been set for these proposed changes as yet.