Turkey real estate and tourism regulation updates

Turkey continues to implement regulatory changes in the real estate and tourism sectors to increase transparency and prevent fraud. In real estate, the Ministry of Trade is expanding the Electronic Listing Verification System (EİDS). This requires property listings to be tied to legal authorization contracts uploaded via e-Devlet, limiting a single property to one agent for a maximum of three months to prevent price discrepancies. If a contract is canceled or expires, the listing will be automatically removed from digital platforms. The mandatory ‘Safe Payment System’, managed by Takasbank to ensure funds are held securely until title deed transfers are complete, has been rescheduled to begin on December 1, 2026. This delay, from an original target of October 1, 2026, is intended to allow for technical integration between the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre (TKGM) and various banks. The system is designed to protect buyers and sellers from fraud and forgery by ensuring that property ownership transfers and payments occur simultaneously through a secure, blocked account mechanism. In a separate development, the Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKİ) has announced a large-scale land auction program across 46 provinces. The program includes approximately 383 plots totaling roughly 1.68 million square meters, with an estimated value exceeding 10.3 billion Turkish Liras. These plots are designated for residential, commercial, tourism, industrial, agricultural, and logistics uses. TOKİ is offering flexible payment terms, including a 25 percent down payment with 48-month installments, or a 15 percent discount for full cash purchases. Auctions are scheduled for September 29-30, 2026. In the rental sector, the Ministry of Treasury and Finance is working to make all rental agreements mandatory via e-Devlet, with over 72,000 contracts already approved.