Türkiye's Secure Payment System for Property Sales Now Starts 1 DecemberTürkiye's Secure Payment System for Property Sales Now Starts 1 December

Türkiye's new Secure Payment System for property sales, which would have made payment through a blocked bank account compulsory from 1 October 2026, has been delayed again. The mandatory start is now 1 December 2026. For foreign buyers, the change matters less for the date itself than for what the system does: it is meant to ensure the price reaches the seller only when title passes to the buyer.

Several buyer guides published over the summer still give 1 October. That date is out of date. This article sets out what the sources say about the new date, how the system is designed to work and what remains unsettled.

What changed

The rule was introduced by an amendment to the Regulation on Real Estate Trade published in the Official Gazette on 29 April 2026. According to the law firm Acar & Ergönen, writing in Legal 500, that amendment set 1 July 2026 as the mandatory start and allowed the Ministry of Trade to extend the date by up to three months. The ministry used that power on 26 June to move the start to 1 October.

On 28 September the ministry announced a further reset to 1 December 2026. The same source says the reason given was that technical integration between the land registry authority (TKGM) and the banks, and the banks' own infrastructure work, was not finished. It adds that an integrator is to be designated to speed up data sharing and that a pilot is to run before the system becomes mandatory.

The firm Paksoy reports in Mondaq that a further amending regulation, published in the Official Gazette of 1 October 2026 (number 33387), formally set the 1 December date. Because the ministry's original extension power was limited to three months, that gazetted amendment is what gives the new date legal force.

How the system is meant to work

Under the system, as described by both law firms, the buyer does not pay the seller directly. The price goes into a blocked account with a contracted bank or authorised payment institution. It stays there until the land registry completes the title transfer, then passes automatically to the seller. If the transfer does not happen, the money is returned to the buyer.

Some details that affect planning:

• Scope. The rule applies where payment is made in cash, by bank transfer or by electronic funds transfer. It covers sales between individuals and sales involving companies, and it is not limited to homes: land plots, agricultural land and other property are included.

• Mortgages. Where a bank or financing company funds part of the price, only the portion above the loan amount must go through the system. The loan itself follows the existing procedure.

• Process. Legal 500 reports that, once the price is deposited, the parties apply through the e-Government portal using a reference number from the system, and the registry transaction runs on that number.

• Fee. A usage fee is charged per transaction and deducted from the amount passed to the seller. Legal 500 says the amount had not been announced at the time of writing.

Why it matters to foreign buyers

The stated aims are to remove the need to carry cash to the registry, reduce counterfeit-money and fraud risk, and discourage under-declared sale prices. Paksoy notes the last point bears on title deed fees and capital gains taxation. For an overseas buyer, the practical benefit is the one that has long been a concern in cross-border purchases: paying before the title is actually yours.

That also has a flip side. Once the price flows through a traceable channel, the gap between the declared price and the price actually paid becomes easier to spot. Acar & Ergönen warns that partial cash payments outside the system and under-declaration carry serious legal and tax risk, and that those risks will be heightened under the new regime. Buyers should not treat a lower declared price as a saving.

What to do about the gap until 1 December

Until the mandatory date, the existing practice applies. The Legal 500 article suggests that where title transfer may fall on or after 1 December, parties consider aligning the payment clauses of promise-to-sell agreements and preliminary protocols with the system. It also suggests the parties may wish to agree between themselves who bears the usage fee, since the regulation deducts it from the seller's proceeds but does not stop them from allocating it differently by contract.

Points worth raising with a lawyer or adviser before signing:

1. When the title transfer is realistically expected, and whether it could slip past 1 December.

1. Whether the payment schedule in the contract works with a blocked-account structure, including any staged payments on off-plan purchases.

1. How the fee will be allocated.

1. What happens if the pilot or the bank integration is delayed again. The date has moved twice already, and the sources describe the 1 December start as dependent on the technical work being completed.

Citizenship purchases

Investors buying property to support a Turkish citizenship application face the same payment channel questions, alongside the separate valuation, registry-restriction and documentation requirements. Whether a given purchase fits the programme depends on the details of the property, the payment evidence and the applicant's circumstances, and rules change. Multi Mulk advises on Turkish citizenship by investment, and a free written eligibility review is available before any purchase is committed.

Where Multi Mulk fits

Multi Mulk supports clients buying property in Türkiye, and its investor protection page explains the due-diligence steps it applies around title, payment and contracts. A change like this one is a reminder to check the payment terms of any contract against the rules in force on the day of transfer, not the day of signing. Buyers with a specific purchase in mind can speak to an adviser.

What to watch

Three things are open. First, whether the pilot with the banks starts on time. Second, the usage fee, which had not been published in the sources read. Third, the protocol that will set out the system's operating procedures, which Legal 500 says is to be prepared after the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change gives its opinion. Any of these could affect how smoothly the first transactions run after 1 December.

Sources

• Legal 500 / Acar & Ergönen — Secure Payment System In Real Estate Sales: What The New Regime Brings And The Implementation Timeline (30 September 2026)
• Mondaq / Paksoy — Mandatory Implementation Of The Secure Payment System For Real Estate Sales Postponed To 1 December 2026 (7 October 2026)

Cover photo: mostafa_meraji on Pixabay.