Section 1 · Introduction and core framework

Core dynamics of plot and land sales in Türkiye

Radically different from selling a flat: the ownership and zoning layers you cannot see

Selling a plot is nothing like selling a home. With a flat, the boundary is clear and the occupancy permit (iskân belgesi) defines the building; with a plot, the wire fence you see on the ground and the official reality in the title-deed register and on the cadastral sheet often do not match. A safe plot sale rests on three legs: legal, technical and financial.

Step-by-step process

Web-Tapu encumbrance query (TKGM Web-Tapu). Sign in to webtapu.tkgm.gov.tr with e-Devlet. Under Individual Login (Bireysel Giriş) → Real Estate Transactions (Taşınmaz İşlemleri), select the parcel and generate the current ‘Encumbrance Certificate’ (Takyidat Belgesi: mortgage, attachment, usufruct and injunction annotations), then download it as a PDF.
Reviewing the parcel boundary on the map with Parselo (Parselo (user-declared)). You upload or draw the boundary yourself; the ownership type and the number of co-owners are your own declaration. Parselo calculates the area and coordinates of this boundary and shows it on the satellite map. The parcel record is not an official title-deed record.
Applying to the municipality for the zoning status certificate (District Municipality Zoning Directorate). Go to the Mapping/Planning unit of the Zoning and Urban Planning Directorate of the district municipality the plot belongs to. Request in writing the approved and stamped ‘Zoning Status Certificate’ (İmar Durum Belgesi) showing the current zoning status of the property; do not rely on verbal statements.
LİHKAB boundary-stake survey and Parselo pre-check (Parselo and LİHKAB). A LİHKAB survey (aplikasyon) on site requires high fees and engineering costs. Before taking on that cost, you can overlay the boundary you hold on the satellite image in Parselo and look for a clear mismatch with the actual road, a neighbour's fence or the forest edge; this is a preliminary check, not a measurement — only the LİHKAB survey determines the exact boundary. If there is a doubtful situation or a boundary dispute, having LİHKAB set the boundary stakes just before the title-deed transfer avoids unnecessary costs.

Legal basis

Turkish Civil Code (Türk Medeni Kanunu, TMK) Arts. 704 and 706 (ownership of immovables and official form)
Land Registry Law (Tapu Kanunu, Law No. 2644) Art. 26
Notary Law (Noterlik Kanunu) Arts. 60 and 89

Key principles

1. Legal and ownership verification. Screening the title-deed register for attachment (haciz), mortgage, usufruct (intifa), family-home annotation, precautionary injunction and pre-emption (şuf'a) risks.

2. Technical and spatial verification. Confirming the ground boundaries against the cadastral survey sketch (aplikasyon krokisi), the elevation/slope profile and the official zoning status certificate (çap).

3. Financial and administrative transfer. Transfer of ownership through Web-Tapu, with the municipal market-value base (rayiç bedel), fee payments and TapuTakas or a blocked-cheque guarantee.

Mistakes to avoid

Trusting the boundary on the ground and not having a cadastral survey done (forest or neighbour encroachment).
Learning about the annotations in the title-deed encumbrances only on the last day, in front of the registry officer.
Declaring a lower sale price than the real one to avoid fees (difference in fees plus a tax-loss penalty equal to one times the tax; Law No. 492 Art. 63).

Checklist

The first step in a plot sale is to obtain the title-deed record with encumbrances from Web-Tapu.
Zoning status must be confirmed by a written zoning status certificate, not verbally from the municipality.
In a Parselo file, the boundary, elevation and official layers are brought together on a single screen.

With Parselo

You upload or draw the boundary yourself; the ownership type and the number of co-owners are your own declaration. Parselo intersects this boundary with forest, road, slope and TUCBS layers and puts a first legal and spatial analysis in front of you at no extra cost.

Official source: Web-Tapu System (https://webtapu.tkgm.gov.tr)

For information only; for definitive information, consult the official institutions and sources. This booklet was prepared by Parselo Coğrafi Bilgi Sistemleri; legislation may change, so confirm with the relevant institution before any transaction.

Step-by-step process

Web-Tapu encumbrance query (TKGM Web-Tapu). Sign in to webtapu.tkgm.gov.tr with e-Devlet. Under Individual Login (Bireysel Giriş) → Real Estate Transactions (Taşınmaz İşlemleri), select the parcel and generate the current ‘Encumbrance Certificate’ (Takyidat Belgesi: mortgage, attachment, usufruct and injunction annotations), then download it as a PDF.

Reviewing the parcel boundary on the map with Parselo (Parselo (user-declared)). You upload or draw the boundary yourself; the ownership type and the number of co-owners are your own declaration. Parselo calculates the area and coordinates of this boundary and shows it on the satellite map. The parcel record is not an official title-deed record.

Applying to the municipality for the zoning status certificate (District Municipality Zoning Directorate). Go to the Mapping/Planning unit of the Zoning and Urban Planning Directorate of the district municipality the plot belongs to. Request in writing the approved and stamped ‘Zoning Status Certificate’ (İmar Durum Belgesi) showing the current zoning status of the property; do not rely on verbal statements.

LİHKAB boundary-stake survey and Parselo pre-check (Parselo and LİHKAB). A LİHKAB survey (aplikasyon) on site requires high fees and engineering costs. Before taking on that cost, you can overlay the boundary you hold on the satellite image in Parselo and look for a clear mismatch with the actual road, a neighbour's fence or the forest edge; this is a preliminary check, not a measurement — only the LİHKAB survey determines the exact boundary. If there is a doubtful situation or a boundary dispute, having LİHKAB set the boundary stakes just before the title-deed transfer avoids unnecessary costs.

Key principles

3. Financial and administrative transfer. Transfer of ownership through Web-Tapu, with the municipal market-value base (rayiç bedel), fee payments and TapuTakas or a blocked-cheque guarantee.

Mistakes to avoid

Trusting the boundary on the ground and not having a cadastral survey done (forest or neighbour encroachment).

Learning about the annotations in the title-deed encumbrances only on the last day, in front of the registry officer.

Declaring a lower sale price than the real one to avoid fees (difference in fees plus a tax-loss penalty equal to one times the tax; Law No. 492 Art. 63).

Checklist

The first step in a plot sale is to obtain the title-deed record with encumbrances from Web-Tapu.

Zoning status must be confirmed by a written zoning status certificate, not verbally from the municipality.

In a Parselo file, the boundary, elevation and official layers are brought together on a single screen.

With Parselo

Official source: Web-Tapu System (https://webtapu.tkgm.gov.tr)