Title-Deed Transfer in Home Sales (2026 Guide)

From 1 October 2026, no land registry officer will approve a home transfer without the Secure Payment System being used. This is the biggest change in real estate sales in years. A properly executed title-deed transfer, however, still takes only a few days — as long as the documents are complete and the title record is clean.

In this guide you'll find:

• The step-by-step workings of a title-deed transfer in home sales
• The 2026 required documents, transfer tax and the Secure Payment System
• The risks you must check before the transaction

Note: This content is for general information, not legal advice. Consult a lawyer or an authorized expert for your own situation.

What is a title-deed transfer?

A title-deed transfer is the formal transfer of ownership of a property to the buyer. The most common reason is a sale; however, it can also occur through inheritance, gift or a court ruling. The transaction is carried out by the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre, and the record is legally binding.

For homes, the type of title matters greatly. Condominium ownership (kat mülkiyeti) is issued for completed buildings; construction servitude (kat irtifakı) is granted for projects under construction. The buyer should always check the title type before the transfer.

Title-deed transfer in home sales: step by step

When it proceeds in the right order, the process is simple and predictable. According to a summary reported by Eda Korkmaz Gayrimenkul, a title-deed transfer consists of five basic steps; in 2026 a Secure Payment step is added to this flow.

1. Clarify the sale terms. Set the price, payment method and handover date in writing.
2. Prepare the documents. Complete the ID, title deed, DASK and the market-value certificate.
3. Book an appointment via Web-Tapu. Apply at webtapu.tkgm.gov.tr or through Alo 181.
4. Pay the tax and fees. Deposit the transfer tax and the revolving-fund fee.
5. Start the Secure Payment System. The buyer transfers the sale price to a blocked account.
6. Signature and registration. The parties sign at the land registry office; ownership passes to the buyer.

The application is usually done online and the parties are informed by SMS. According to information reported by Kuveyt Türk, if the documents are complete the transaction is finished within an average of 1-2 days. You can track the live status of the application via e-Devlet.

Documents required for a title-deed transfer

Having complete documents directly determines the speed of the process. According to compilations based on TKGM's 2026 standards, the basic documents required in an individual sale are:

• ID original and photocopy (buyer and seller)
• The current title deed or property details
• A valid DASK (Compulsory Earthquake Insurance) policy
• A market-value certificate obtained from the municipality
• If the transaction is done by proxy, the notarized power of attorney original

According to information reported by Harbiye Hukuk, the practice of affixing photographs in title transactions has been abolished. If one of the parties is a legal entity, an authorization document, signature circular and tax certificate are additionally required. Those living abroad can carry out the transaction with a power of attorney drawn up at a consulate.

In mortgage purchases, additional steps come into play. If the buyer will use a home loan, the process begins with a bank application; the bank requests an appraisal report and runs its own timeline. Foreign-national buyers must sell their foreign currency to the Central Bank (TCMB) through a bank and obtain an Electronic Foreign-Exchange Purchase Certificate (E-DAB). In addition, since July 2023, home sales can be conducted through authorized notaries as well as land registry offices.

Transfer tax and costs (2026)

There are two basic costs in a title-deed transfer: the transfer tax and the revolving-fund fee. According to 2026 data reported by EvArsaDeğeri, the transfer tax is 4% of the sale price in total. Half of this is paid by the buyer and half by the seller; in other words, each side pays 2%.

A sample calculation clarifies the table:

• On a home worth ₺3,000,000, the buyer pays ₺60,000 and the seller pays ₺60,000.
• The total transfer tax comes to ₺120,000.
• In addition, the revolving-fund fee is collected.

Don't forget a post-sale tax item either. According to the legislation reported by HesapKurdu, gains from homes sold within 5 years of the acquisition date are subject to capital gains tax; the 2026 exemption amount is ₺150,000. Declaring the real sale price is the safest way to avoid a tax penalty later.

Secure Payment System (1 October 2026)

This is the most important change of 2026. According to the Ministry of Trade's announcement of 26 June 2026, mandatory application of the Secure Payment System was postponed from 1 July to 1 October 2026. After that date, a title-deed transfer is not approved without using the system.

The system works like a digital "escrow agent." According to the flow reported by Tekelioğlu Emlak, the process proceeds as follows:

1. The seller applies via Web-Tapu and obtains a reference number.
2. The buyer deposits the sale price into the blocked account of the bank or Takasbank.
3. The parties sign at the land registry; ownership passes to the buyer.
4. Once registration is complete, the block is automatically released and the money is transferred to the seller.

According to a statement reported by Türkiye Gazetesi, the system covers both individuals and legal entities, and all properties. A fixed (lump-sum) fee is charged for its use; this fee is deducted from the amount paid to the seller. If the transaction does not go through, the money is safely refunded to the buyer.

Watch two points. According to experts, shared-ownership deeds may be an exception to the system until technical integration is complete. Also, as Real Estate Law Expert Att. Ali Güvenç Kiraz emphasizes, this system is an escrow mechanism; it does not eliminate legal risks such as liens, mortgages and annotations on the deed.

There is also a special rule for mortgage purchases. According to the same expert, if the entire amount is covered by a bank loan, at minimum the down-payment amount must be deposited through the Secure Payment System and appear in the system. Only the buyer can cancel the transaction; in the event of cancellation the money is automatically refunded to the buyer. At some banks, if the title transaction is not carried out within 30 days, the application lapses on its own.

What to watch out for

Secure payment reduces the money risk but does not replace legal due diligence. Be sure to review the following before signing.

• Examine the title record. If there is an annotation, lien, mortgage or annulment case, the process is prolonged or halted. Check the record before the sale.
• Declare the real price. Understating the sale price may reduce the tax in the short term but creates serious tax risk later.
• Plan the payment order in writing. Clarify the "money-signature-handover" order in advance; don't sign before the money is secured.
• Clarify the power of attorney. The proxy's powers must be clearly stated; a transaction based on a sale-promise contract is not accepted.
• Use official channels. Book the appointment only via Web-Tapu or Alo 181; never share your e-Devlet password with anyone.
• Check the family-home annotation. In cases requiring a spouse's consent, this annotation can halt the transaction.

These items prevent the most common grievances. As Samet Verdi Gayrimenkul emphasizes, title-registry staff never ask for a password or personal information.

Process management for real estate professionals

For a single sale, these steps are manageable. But if a real estate office is tracking dozens of transactions, payments and documents at once, the manual method quickly gets clogged. A digital infrastructure makes the difference here.

To gather process and payment tracking in a single panel, real estate accounting software keeps the down-payment, collection and due-date steps organized. To manage contract and title documents with templates, document modules save time. And to see the customer and portfolio side end to end, real estate CRM solutions make the process independent of the advisor.

If you'd like to go deeper on this operational side, take a look at our real estate sales automation guide and our article on AI in sales.

Conclusion

With the right preparation, a title-deed transfer in a home sale turns into a simple and secure process. The four standout points are:

• The process consists of six steps; if the documents are complete, the transaction finishes in 1-2 days.
• The 2026 transfer tax is 4% in total and is split equally between buyer and seller.
• The Secure Payment System becomes mandatory on 1 October 2026; money and ownership change hands simultaneously.
• Secure payment does not remove legal risk; checking annotations, liens and mortgages is essential.

To manage all of your real estate office's sales and payment processes on a single platform, request a demo from Evon. For more content, explore the Evon Blog page.

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