Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Contact us for our NCI-recommended list of lawyers who are all qualified to give you advice on residency in North Cyprus. If you are planning to visit your North Cyprus property each time for 30 days or less on each visit and you do not intend to work in the country, you only need the 30 day visitor visa which is given automatically to those of all nationalities upon arrival at Ercan international airport (accessible via Turkey for all nationalities) or at the border to the TRNC if you are crossing from the South of Cyprus (please note that to enter the South of Cyprus you need to be a European, American or Commonwealth Citizen or hold a Schengen visa).

However, if you are planning to spend regular periods of time longer than 30 days in the TRNC you must apply for a temporary residency permit. This is extremely easy to obtain for all nationalities upon the deposit of sufficient funds in a local North Cyprus bank account to support you for one year and subject to a health check up and blood tests. Please note that temporary residency does not entitle you to work or open a business and if you wish to obtain a work visa or open a company, you should seek legal advice.

Your lawyer will prepare a Contract of Sale to safeguard your interests. If your property is a new build, the Contract of Sale will include all important terms such as plot number, plot size, price, payment schedule, completion date with penalty clauses for late completion. All floor plans and specifications will be attached to the contract to ensure that the vendor is bound to carry out the construction work in accordance with these.

The contract will be sent to both the vendor and the purchaser for review. When both parties are happy the contract will be signed.  Your lawyer will sign on your behalf only when you are completely happy.

There are three main one-off taxes which must be paid.  

1. The first is a 0.5% stamp duty (current at March 2023) whihc is paid within one month of the contract date on all properties.

2. The second is 5% VAT which is only due on either brand new properties (all new build properties) OR on a resale where the original owner has not paid the VAT previously.  This is not payable on resales sold as “VAT Paid, Deed in Owner’s Name” which makes resales with VAT paid cheaper for taxes than new build properties.

3. The third tax is the tax payable for title deed transfer.   There have been recent changes to the “Transfer of Title Fee” tax for both citzens of North Cyprus, Turkiye and for overseas buyers.  Until February 2023 this was 3% for a first purchase and 6% thereafter.  Since February 2023 this has risen to 6% for citizens of TRNC and Turkiye and 12% for overseas buyers.  One reason for this increase was to give additional funding to the Turkiye earthquake victims as well as help to fund the Immovable Property commission which protects property owners in North Cyprus from future claims by former Greek Cypriot owners by paying compensation.  
Half of this figure is now due at the time of contract registration with the balance payable at title deed transfer.

Please contact NCI for details of a Trust Purchase route which can keep the tax at 6% for overseas buyers too.  You can read more about these taxes on our article on COSTS OF BUYING HERE.

Before the title deeds to the property can be registered in your name, you will need to obtain what is called Permission to Purchase (often written as P2P in shorthand) from the TRNC Council of Ministers.  (It is rare for this to be denied – the only situation is usually if the prospective buyer has a police record in their country of origin.  This process is a positive one as it protects other TRNC residents by excluding those with a criminal history).  The timescale for obtaining this is currently around 6- 9 months, during which period your ownership is fully protected by the Registration of your contract of sale at the land registry, which must be carried out by your legal representative within 2 weeks of the contract being signed.    If a clause is inserted into the contract, it is possible to resell your property before taking title – this is a feature which many investors take advantage of.

Buying a property in North Cyprus should be an enjoyable process and we at NCI want to take the stress out of your decision making.  To reserve a property once on the island it is customary to pay a non-refundable deposit to take the property off the market.  The exact amount of this will vary dependant upon the type of property you are reserving and the period for which you need it to be held before paying the balance. 

As the market is currently so competitive for buyers, the reservation deposit requested is now generally around £5,000 (pay to your lawyer). This is of course part of the sale price. Usually for more expensive villas it can be between £5,000 to £10,000 or more due to the huge demand for such properties.  Usually this holds a property for 30 days, giving you and your lawyer time to prepare the contract for signing.  If you need longer before paying the full payment (for resales) or first payment (new build) t’s sometimes possible to negotiate longer than 30 day reservation period for a higher reservation deposit (subject to the agreement of the seller or developer). 

If you are buying a developer new build property, your reservation deposit is also not refundable, but is usually transferable to another property with the same owner or developer (prior to contract sign).  This can be paid to your lawyer or directly to the seller.   We do not recommend paying your deposit to a property agency.  Payments are usually be made by credit card or bank transfer.

Unless you speak Turkish and live in North Cyprus full time, you need a lawyer!  Setting up a limited power of attorney with a certified legal advisor in the TRNC is a free and very quick process.  It is a power of attorney or POA ONLY for the process of buying property and is without risk to yourself.  The only proof of identify required is your passport.  Many visitors do this during their visit in order to have the option to buy once they return home.  It is important as it enables the lawyer to on your behalf to sign documents if you are away from Northern Cyprus for long periods of time.  Giving this power of attorney is usually without charge and enables all the important buying processes right from the contract registration, to putting the deeds into your name, to be done without you having to return to Cyprus.

At NCI we want to ensure that your interests are maximally protected the whole transaction and we can provide a list of recommended and trusted lawyers in North Cyprus who have the best prices, qualifications (often British trained), track record and efficiency.  During your inspection visit or viewing day we can arrange a meeting with one of these.  During this you should provide your lawyer with full information about the property or properties you have chosen plus all relevant details about any informal agreements you have made with the vendor regarding price, payment schedule and included items.

Occasionally investors who frequently purchase property sight unseen (without visiting) can set up power of attorney remotely via an Embassy or a UK-based TRNC lawyer (with a partner in the TRNC).  Please contact us if you are unable to visit the TRNC and still wish to purchase.  We advise against this process if you are able to set up POA actually during your visit as it is more complicated.

It is not possible to use your existing personal Conveyancing lawyer in the UK or other country of origin to purchase a property in Northern Cyprus.  It is very important to appoint your own independent legal advisor in the TRNC as there are various important “on island” legal processes which have to be carried out to establish your ownership and which cannot be done by a lawyer outside of the country – the first is obtaining Permission to Purchase or P2P (see below).

All properties in North Cyprus hold a freehold title deed.  There is no leasehold in the TRNC. There is an exception of Karmi village which a specially preserved place.

Under the laws of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) non-TRNC citizens are allowed to hold one property in their name of up to 5 donums or just over 1.5 acres (5 donums of land OR a house on land of up to that size), although multiple properties are easily and frequently purchased by foreigners by setting up a company or trust registered in North Cyprus or finding a trusted nominee to hold title for you.   (Husband and wife qualify for one property – although if they have different passport surnames they may be able to have two).  Properties can be registered in the name of an individual or a company.  Contact our NCI advisors for advice on using trustees or setting up a TRNC company to hold the title to the property for you – this can also have tax benefits.