NMP Legal - Naomi Mehmet & Partners

16/05/2025

Under a Council of Ministers Decision published in the Official Gazette on 15th May 2025, the following new regulations have been announced in relation to the acquisition of immovable property by non-TRNC citizens:
- Citizens of the Republic of Turkey are now entitled to purchase up to 6 apartments or up to 3 two-storey detached villas, provided that these villas are situated on a residential site. Other foreign nationals are now entitled to purchase up to 3 apartments or up to up to 2 two-storey detached villas provided that these villas are situated on a residential site.
- In relation to the taxes payable on transfer of title by non-TRNC citizens (other than citizens the Republic of Turkey), the Land Registry fees are now 9%
For citizens of the Republic of Turkey, the Land Registry fees are now 6% on the first purchase, 8% on the second purchase and 9% on the third and all subsequent purchases.
- In relation to Contracts of Sale entered into prior to 15.05.2025, where the construction of the property is completed and the property has been delivered to the purchaser, the parties are required to carry out the transfer of title within 36 months from 15.05.2025. Persons who have a reasonable excuse for not being able to complete the transfer of title within this period must apply to the Land Registry within 34 months of 15.05.2025. The Land Registry must provide a written decision on the matter within 15 days of the application. In this event, provided that all taxes are paid within 36-month period, such persons may take title after the expiry of the 36- month period.
- In relation to shared-title properties acquired before 15.05.2025, if it is not possible for the separate, individual title deeds to be issued due to any problems with any of the co-owners or any technical issues, the owners can apply to the Land Registry within 2 years of 15.05.2025 and, in the event that the Head of the Land Registry approves the application, the owners can transfer their shares to third parties.

In relation to the deadlines give under the legislation of 21.05.2025, the following extensions have been granted:
- Purchasers whose permission to purchase is granted after the Immovable Property and Long-term Lease (Aliens) (Amendment) Law came into effect on 21.05.2024 now have 12 months from the date on which their permission to purchase is granted to take title to their properties, instead of the previous period of 6 months.
In the event that the payments payable by the purchaser under the terms of the Contract of Sale are still continuing when the permission to purchase is granted, the 12-month period for taking title will start from the date on which payment has been made in full. However, all taxes must be paid within 75 working days of the permission to purchase being granted, otherwise the permission to purchase will be void. In the event that the taxes are not paid, electricity and water will not be connected to the property.
The period for registering Contracts of Sale entered into prior to the new legislation of 21.05.2024 coming into force has been extended for a further 6 months from 15.05.2025.
- The period for notifying the Ministry of properties purchased prior to the legislation of 21.05.2024 which exceed the purchaser’s acquisition rights under the legislation of 21.05.2024 has also been extended for a further 6 months from 15.05.2025. Similarly, the 24-month period for disposing of such properties has been extended so that this period will start from the expiry of the new extended notification period. Alternatively, after completing the process for notifying the Ministry of the excess properties, the purchaser can apply to the Land Registry to obtain a 10-year right to use the property on the basis that the ownership of the property will remain with the vendor. This does not apply to the purchase of vacant land. All purchase taxes in respect of the property must be paid to the Land Registry in order for the right to use to be obtained.
- The period for carrying out transfers of title where the permission to purchase was granted before the legislation of 21.05.2024 came into force has been extended to 6 months from 15.05.2025.
- The period for registering Trust Deeds entered into before the new legislation of 21.05.2025 came into force has been extended to 6 months from 15.05.2025.

06/05/2025

Changes to Temporary Residency Regulations

Under an amendment published in the Official Gazette on 30th April 2025 to the Regulations issued under the Aliens and Immigration Law, a number of changes have been made to the requirements for obtaining TRNC tourist visas and temporary residency permits.
Under the new regulations, property owners who own a property based on a Contract of Sale which has been stamped at the Tax Office are now able to obtain a 90-day tourist visa on arrival in the TRNC. It is no longer necessary to show that you have obtained the title deeds to the property - a stamped Contract of Sale will suffice for this purpose.
On second and subsequent applications for temporary residency permits, applicants are now able to apply for a 2-year residency permit instead of a 1-year residency permit.
Property owners who have the title deeds to their property registered in their name, can now obtain a 5-year temporary residency permit without the need to show any income.
Property owners who do not have the title deeds to their property registered in their name but who own their property on the basis of a stamped Contract of Sale and who have applied to the Ministry of the Interior for the necessary permission to purchase can obtain a 2-year residency permit, subject to showing a monthly income equivalent to at least one month's minimum wage. Where the permission to purchase has been granted by the Ministry, a 5-year residency permit can be obtained (again, subject to the applicant showing a monthly income equivalent to at least one month's minimum wage)

28/02/2025

UPDATE: Under a Council of Ministers Decision published in the Official Gazette on 21st February 2025, the deadlines under the Immovable Property Acquisition and Long-Term Lease (Aliens) (Amendment) Law passed on 21.05.2024 have been extended as follows:
The deadline for registering Contracts of Sale which were entered into prior to the new legislation coming into force, but which had not been registered at the Land Registry, has been extended for a further 90 days from 21st February 2025
The deadline for applying for permission to purchase in relation to properties which were purchased prior to the new legislation coming into force, but in respect of which no application had been submitted, has been extended for a further 90 days from 21st February 2025
The deadline for notifying the Ministry of Contracts of Sale entered into prior to the new legislation coming into force, but which exceed the maximum number of properties which non-citizens can purchase under the new legislation, has been extended for a further 90 days from 21st February 2025
The deadline for carrying out transfers of title in respect of properties for which permission to purchase had been granted by the Council of Ministers prior to the new legislation coming into force has been extended for a further 90 days from 21st February 2025.

08/02/2025

UPDATE: The deadline for paying taxes under the new Legislation of 21.05.2024 has been extended by a further 60 working days from 6th February 2025.
On 21st May 2024, the TRNC Government introduced new legislation under which all purchasers who had received their permission to purchase prior to the new legislation coming into force are required to take title to their property within 6 months of the new legislation coming into force.
The legislation stipulates that, in situations where it is not possible for a purchaser to take title to their property within this 6-month period due to the fact that the separate, individual title deeds or the interim individual deeds (known as ‘Kat İrtifak Koçanı’ in Turkish) for the property have not yet been issued, both parties (vendor and purchaser) must pay their transfer of title taxes within 60 working days of the new legislation coming into force.
Under a Council of Ministers decision issued on 12th November 2024, the deadline for paying the taxes under the new legislation was extended until 6th February 2025. This deadline has now been extended by a further 60 working days from 6th February 2025.
According to the Land Registry, in order to make payment of the taxes, the Land Registry valuation forms which are used for registrations of Contracts of Sale (rather than the valuation forms which are used for transfer of title) must be filled in and submitted to the Land Registry, together with the following documents:
- Stamped Contract of Sale
- A copy of the Council of Ministers’ decision confirming that the purchase permit application has been granted (your lawyer can provide you with the decision number and date and you will then need to obtain a copy of the decision from the Land Registry using the decision number and date)
- Passport/ID card copies for all parties (or in the case of companies, company documents) and powers of attorney for all parties (if applicable)
- Building permit for the site (this can be obtained from your vendor)
- Official seating plan of the site stamped the Municipality and/or District Office (known as ‘vaziyet planı’ in Turkish) (this can be obtained from your vendor)
Once the valuation has been carried out by the Land Registry, the vendor must first pay the capital gains tax (stopaj) at the Tax Office. If the transaction is subject to VAT, the VAT must also be paid or the VAT invoice (known as ‘fatura’ in Turkish) must be presented to the Tax Office at the same time as the payment of the stopaj tax.
Once this has been done, the purchaser can then visit the Land Registry to make payment of the Land Registry transfer fees.
The Land Registry transfer fees in all cases, regardless of when the Contract of Sale was signed and/or registered at the Land Registry are now 12% of the Land Registry valuation. In the case of purchasers who purchased after 10th February 2023 and who have already, therefore, paid 6% towards the Land Registry at the time of registering their Contract of Sale, only the remaining balance of the Land Registry fees, after deduction of the 6% paid at the time of the registration of the Contract of Sale, will be payable.

20/12/2024

Council of Ministers Decision of 14th December 2024 on Immovable Property Law

Under the Council of Ministers Decision published in the Official Gazette on 14th December 2024, the following amendments have been made to the Immovable Property Acquisition and Long-Term Lease (Aliens) (Amendment) Law:
Real and Legal Persons who are registered with the Cyprus Turkish Building Contractors Association and who possess the required annual licence to carry out construction works in accordance with the relevant legislation can form partnerships with real and legal persons of countries which recognise the TRNC and which afford the same rights to TRNC citizens (currently, this means only citizens of the Republic of Turkey) for the purpose of the development and sale of immovable property.
The total foreign shareholding in the partnership must not exceed 49%.
Partnership companies formed in this way can apply to the Ministry of the Interior for permission to acquire immovable property.
Partnership companies established for this purpose are exempt from the provisions of the Immovable Property Acquisition and Long-Term Lease (Aliens) (Amendment) Law.

Purchasers who, prior to the Immovable Property Acquisition and Long-Term Lease (Aliens) (Amendment) Law coming into force, had entered into Contracts of Sale to purchase more than one property have the option, in addition to the existing option under the Law of paying a notification fee of 1% to the Ministry of the Interior and disposing of the property within 24 months of the expiry of the notification period set out in the law, of obtaining a 7-year licence to use and enjoy the property.
This option applies only to purchasers who have purchased houses or apartments and does not apply to the purchase of land.
During the 7-year period, legal title to the property will remain with the seller. However, the purchaser will have the same rights and protection that a purchaser with a registered Contract of Sale would have.
The licence to use the property cannot be revoked during the 7-year period other than on the request of the licencee.
At the end of the 7-year period, the provisions of the Law will apply.
The normal Land Registry transfer fees applicable to foreign nationals will be applied upon the registration of the licence to use.
Purchasers wishing to obtain the licence to use must first pay the registration fees payable on the registration of a Contract of Sale to the Land Registry. The Ministry of the Interior will then conduct a military search in relation to the purchaser and the property. Provided that the result of the military search is positive, the licence to use can be registered at the Land Registry. In the event that the result of the military search is negative, the terms of the Law will apply. In this case, provided that the property is transferred within the period stipulated in the law, any Land Registry fees and taxes paid by the purchaser will be considered as payment of the taxes payable on the transfer and the transfer taxes will be considered paid.

22/11/2024

UPDATE: The deadlines under the Immovable Property Acquisition and Long-Term Lease (Aliens) (Amendment) Law passed on 21.05.2024 have been extended

On 21st May 2024, the TRNC Government introduced new legislation affecting the sale and purchase of immovable property by non-citizens.
Under the new legislation, purchasers were given specific deadlines for complying with the provisions of the new legislation.
However, under a Council of Ministers Decision published in the Official Gazette on 20th November 2024, extensions have been made to a number of these deadlines. The extensions given are as follows:

Under the new legislation, purchasers who purchased their property prior to the new legislation coming into force, but who did not register their Contract of Sale at the Land Registry, are required to register their Contract of Sale at the Land Registry within 6 months of the new legislation coming into force. This Contract registration period has now been extended for a further 90 days from the original expiry date of 21st November 2024.

The new legislation also stipulates that purchasers who, prior to the new legislation coming into force, had purchased more properties than they are legally entitled to purchase under the new legislation, are required to notify the Ministry of the Interior of these excess properties within 6 months of the new legislation coming into force and pay a notification fee of 1% of the sale price stated in the Contract of Sale. This notification period has now also been extended for a further 90 days from the original expiry date of 21st November 2024. The new legislation also stipulates that purchasers who notify the Ministry of their excess properties will have a period of 24 months from the expiry of the notification period (i.e. from 21st November 2024) to dispose of these properties. This period for disposing of excess properties has now also been extended by a further 90 days.

Further, under the new legislation, purchasers who received their permission to purchase from the Council of Ministers prior to the new legislation but who have not yet taken title to their properties are required to take title to their properties within 6 months of the new legislation coming into force. This period for taking title has now also been extended for a further 90 days from the original expiry date of 21st November 2024.

In addition to the above, according to the new legislation, it a requirement for any Trust Agreements entered into in relation to the acquisition of immovable property by non-citizens prior to the new legislation coming into force to be registered at the Land Registry within 75 working days of the new legislation coming into force. This period was previously extended under a Council of Ministers decision dated 9th September 2024 until 24th December 2024 and has now been extended again by a further 75 working days from 24th December 2024.

13/11/2024

UPDATE: The deadline for paying taxes under the new Legislation of 21.05.2024 has been extended by a further 60 working days from 12th November 2024.
On 21st May 2024, the TRNC Government introduced new legislation under which all purchasers who had received their permission to purchase prior to the new legislation coming into force are required to take title to their property within 6 months of the new legislation coming into force.
The legislation stipulates that, in situations where it is not possible for a purchaser to take title to their property within this 6-month period due to the fact that the separate, individual title deeds or the interim individual deeds (known as ‘Kat İrtifak Koçanı’ in Turkish) for the property have not yet been issued, both parties (vendor and purchaser) must pay their transfer of title taxes within 60 working days of the new legislation coming into force.
Under a Council of Ministers decision issued on 12th November 2024, the deadline for paying the taxes under the new legislation has now been extended by a further 60 working days from 12th November 2024.
According to the Land Registry, in order to make payment of the taxes, the Land Registry valuation forms which are used for registrations of Contracts of Sale (rather than the valuation forms which are used for transfer of title) must be filled in and submitted to the Land Registry, together with the following documents:
- Stamped Contract of Sale
- A copy of the Council of Ministers’ decision confirming that the purchase permit application has been granted (your lawyer can provide you with the decision number and date and you will then need to obtain a copy of the decision from the Land Registry using the decision number and date)
- Passport/ID card copies for all parties (or in the case of companies, company documents) and powers of attorney for all parties (if applicable)
- Building permit for the site (this can be obtained from your vendor)
- Official seating plan of the site stamped the Municipality and/or District Office (known as ‘vaziyet planı’ in Turkish) (this can be obtained from your vendor)
Once the valuation has been carried out by the Land Registry, the vendor must first pay the capital gains tax (stopaj) at the Tax Office. If the transaction is subject to VAT, the VAT must also be paid or the VAT invoice (known as ‘fatura’ in Turkish) must be presented to the Tax Office at the same time as the payment of the stopaj tax.
Once this has been done, the purchaser can then visit the Land Registry to make payment of the Land Registry transfer fees.
The Land Registry transfer fees in all cases, regardless of when the Contract of Sale was signed and/or registered at the Land Registry are now 12% of the Land Registry valuation. In the case of purchasers who purchased after 10th February 2023 and who have already, therefore, paid 6% towards the Land Registry at the time of registering their Contract of Sale, only the remaining balance of the Land Registry fees, after deduction of the 6% paid at the time of the registration of the Contract of Sale, will be payable.
The Land Registry has informed us that, in the event that after the taxes have been paid, the transfer of title does not take place within 6 months, the taxes paid will be forfeited and will need to be paid again on the eventual transfer of title.

22/10/2024

We have moved!
Our new office is located just around the corner from our previous office, between the Lighthouse Hotel and La Casa cafe.
Our new address is:
Şt. İlker Karter Sokak No. 4, Yukarı Girne, 99300, Mersin 10, Turkey
You can find our new location on Google Maps here:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/eoNiyeYXT93iUq1n6
Our new telephone number is:
(009) 0392 650 9650
Our email addresses and website remain unchanged
We look forward to welcoming you to our new office soon!

12/10/2024

One of our clients has produced a very personal and poignant video of his visit to Maraş/Varosha, the ‘ghost town’ of Cyprus

The Emory City A personal story.This is the story of my return after 50 years to Verosha / Marsh in Northern CyprusVerosha, as part of Gazimagusa / Famagusta...

16/08/2024

The deadline for paying taxes under the new Legislation of 21.05.2024 has been extended by a further 60 working days from 19th August 2024
On 21st May 2024, the TRNC Government introduced new legislation under which all purchasers who had received their permission to purchase prior to the new legislation coming into force are required to take title to their property within 6 months of the new legislation coming into force.
The legislation stipulates that, in situations where it is not possible for a purchaser to take title to their property within this 6-month period due to the fact that the separate, individual title deeds or the interim individual deeds (known as ‘Kat İrtifak Koçanı’ in Turkish) for the property have not yet been issued, both parties (vendor and purchaser) must pay their transfer of title taxes within 60 working days of the new legislation coming into force.
Under a Council of Ministers decision issued on15th August 2024, the deadline for paying the taxes under the new legislation has now been extended by a further 60 working days from 19th August 2024.
According to the Land Registry, in order to make payment of the taxes, the Land Registry valuation forms which are used for registrations of Contracts of Sale (rather than the valuation forms which are used for transfer of title) must be filled in and submitted to the Land Registry, together with the following documents:
- Stamped Contract of Sale
- A copy of the Council of Ministers’ decision confirming that the purchase permit application has been granted (your lawyer can provide you with the decision number and date and you will then need to obtain a copy of the decision from the Land Registry using the decision number and date)
- Passport/ID card copies for all parties (or in the case of companies, company documents) and powers of attorney for all parties (if applicable)
- Building permit for the site (this can be obtained from your vendor)
- Official seating plan of the site stamped the Municipality and/or District Office (known as ‘vaziyet planı’ in Turkish) (this can be obtained from your vendor)
Once the valuation has been carried out by the Land Registry, the vendor must first pay the capital gains tax (stopaj) at the Tax Office. If the transaction is subject to VAT, the VAT must also be paid or the VAT invoice (known as ‘fatura’ in Turkish) must be presented to the Tax Office at the same time as the payment of the stopaj tax.
Once this has been done, the purchaser can then visit the Land Registry to make payment of the Land Registry transfer fees.
The Land Registry transfer fees in all cases, regardless of when the Contract of Sale was signed and/or registered at the Land Registry are now 12% of the Land Registry valuation. In the case of purchasers who purchased after 10th February 2023 and who have already, therefore, paid 6% towards the Land Registry at the time of registering their Contract of Sale, only the remaining balance of the Land Registry fees, after deduction of the 6% paid at the time of the registration of the Contract of Sale, will be payable.
The Land Registry has informed us that, in the event that after the taxes have been paid, the transfer of title does not take place within 6 months, the taxes paid will be forfeited and will need to be paid again on the eventual transfer of title.

13/08/2024

On 21st May 2024, the TRNC Government introduced new legislation under which all purchasers who had received their permission to purchase prior to the new legislation coming into force are required to take title to their property within 6 months of the new legislation coming into force.
Under the new legislation, in situations where it is not possible for a purchaser to take title to their property within this 6-month period due to the fact that the separate, individual title deeds or the interim individual deeds (known as ‘Kat İrtifak Koçanı’ in Turkish) for the property have not yet been issued, both parties (vendor and purchaser) must pay their transfer of title taxes within 60 working days of the new legislation coming into force.
According to information obtained from the Land Registry, the new system for making payment of the taxes in accordance with the new legislation is now up and running.
The final date for making payment of the taxes or registering your intention to do so with the Land Registry is 19th August 2024.
According to the Land Registry, in order to make payment of the taxes, the Land Registry valuation forms which are used for Contracts of Sale registrations, rather than the Land Registry valuation forms which are used for transfer of title, must be filled in and submitted to the Land Registry, together with the following documents:
- Stamped Contract of Sale
- A copy of the Council of Ministers’ decision confirming that the purchase permit application has been granted (your lawyer can provide you with the decision number and the copy of the decision can then be obtained from the Land Registry using the decision number)
- Passport/ID card copies for all parties and powers of attorney for all parties as applicable
Once the valuation has been carried out by the Land Registry, the vendor must first pay the capital gains tax (stopaj) at the Tax Office. If the transaction is subject to VAT, the VAT must also be paid or the VAT invoice (known as ‘fatura’ in Turkish) must be presented to the Tax Office at the same time as the payment of the stopaj tax.
Once this has been done, the purchaser can then visit the Land Registry to make payment of the Land Registry transfer fees.
The Land Registry transfer fees in all cases, regardless of when the Contract of Sale was signed and/or registered at the Land Registry are now 12% of the Land Registry valuation. In the case of purchasers who purchased after 10th February 2023 and who have already, therefore, paid 6% towards the Land Registry at the time of registering their Contract of Sale, only the remaining balance of the Land Registry fees, after deduction of the 6% paid at the time of the registration of the Contract of Sale, will be payable.
The Land Registry has confirmed that, in situations where it is not possible for the payment of the taxes to be completed by 19th August 2024, provided that the purchaser visits the Land Registry by 19th August 2024 together with the above documents and registers their intention to pay the taxes, the Land Registry will add them to the list and give them a number.

08/07/2024

The system for notifying the Ministry of the Interior of excess properties acquired before the new legislation of 21st May 2024 is now up and running.
Under the new legislation which came into force on
21st May 2024, anyone who, prior to the new legislation coming into force, had purchased more property than they are entitled to purchase under the new legislation on the basis of a Contract of Sale and who is not, therefore, able to comply with the requirement to register the Contract of Sale at the Land Registry and/or submit an application for permission to purchase in respect of the property within the periods stipulated in the new law, must notify the Ministry of the Interior of this situation within six months of the new legislation coming into force and pay a fee of 1% of the Contract price.
If the Ministry is not notified within this period, the fee payable on notification after this date will be 3% of the Contract price.
Such purchasers will then have twenty-four months from the expiry of the six-month notification period to transfer these Contracts of Sale out of their names.
Notifications can be made in person directly via the Ministry website https://tmb.icisleri.gov.ct.tr:8080/ or through your acting lawyer.

K.K.T.C İçişleri Bakanlığı Taşınmaz Mal Birimi Otomasyon Sistemi