Foreigners are limited to owning one dönüm (approx 1/3 acre) per person (husband and wife count as one person). An application to purchase must be submitted to the Council of Ministers that carries out a number of checks following an application, and these can take approx 12-18 months to complete.

The Land Registry maintains records of all land transfers in the same way as in the UK. The TRNC government issues the titles in the form of either freehold our leasehold Title Deeds ("Koçan" in Turkish).

Types of title

Foreign and Turkish pre-1974 titles:

Turkish Freehold Title pre 1974: Land owned by a Turkish Cypriot prior to 1974 with undisputed title.
Foreign Freehold Title: Land owned by non-citizens (eg. British) and purchased prior to 1974.

Exchange (Esedeğer) titles

This is land owned by a Greek Cypriot prior to 1974 and abandoned when the owner relocated. It is normally now owned by a Turkish Cypriot who fled from the south, and who has lodged the title deed to his former land with the Land Registry in exchange thereby waiving his/her ownership rights to his land in the south. The land in the south is generally now far greater in value due to the rise in prices.

TMD or Tahsis

Absolute Possession Document (Kesin Tasarruf Belgesi)
This is land owned by a Greek Cypriot prior to 1974 and abandoned by its owner. The land was re-possessed by the TRNC government and has been granted to Turks or Turkish Cypriots normally in recognition for services and on a points basis.

Government Leasehold

The TRNC Government owns the freehold for this land. Long-term leases can be granted for 49 years with an option for a second 49-year term. This type of title deed is used mainly for tourism investments. Leases can be transferred directly or via a solicitor upon application to the Ministry of Interior. For example, all the houses in the picturesque village of Karmi are leased to foreigners.

Steps to Buying Northern Cyprus property

• Reservation of the Northern Cyprus property
• Hiring a Solicitor
• Signing Contract of Property Sale
• Paying for your property