{
  "schemaVersion": 1,
  "generated": "2026-09-16T12:29:03.912Z",
  "publisher": "North Cyprus Reference",
  "language": "en",
  "canonicalLanguage": "en",
  "publishedLanguages": [
    "en",
    "tr"
  ],
  "enabledLanguages": [
    "en",
    "tr",
    "ru",
    "uk",
    "de",
    "pl",
    "he",
    "fa"
  ],
  "languages": {
    "en": {
      "label": "English",
      "nativeLabel": "English",
      "dir": "ltr",
      "hreflang": "en",
      "published": true
    },
    "tr": {
      "label": "Turkish",
      "nativeLabel": "Türkçe",
      "dir": "ltr",
      "hreflang": "tr",
      "published": true
    },
    "ru": {
      "label": "Russian",
      "nativeLabel": "Русский",
      "dir": "ltr",
      "hreflang": "ru",
      "published": false
    },
    "uk": {
      "label": "Ukrainian",
      "nativeLabel": "Українська",
      "dir": "ltr",
      "hreflang": "uk",
      "published": false
    },
    "de": {
      "label": "German",
      "nativeLabel": "Deutsch",
      "dir": "ltr",
      "hreflang": "de",
      "published": false
    },
    "pl": {
      "label": "Polish",
      "nativeLabel": "Polski",
      "dir": "ltr",
      "hreflang": "pl",
      "published": false
    },
    "he": {
      "label": "Hebrew",
      "nativeLabel": "עברית",
      "dir": "rtl",
      "hreflang": "he",
      "published": false
    },
    "fa": {
      "label": "Persian",
      "nativeLabel": "فارسی",
      "dir": "rtl",
      "hreflang": "fa",
      "published": false
    }
  },
  "collection": "concepts",
  "records": [
    {
      "id": "allocation-title",
      "name": "Allocation (tahsis) title",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "tahsis koçanı",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "TMD title",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "allocated title",
          "lang": "en"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "Title to property allocated by the TRNC authorities under Law 41/1977 to categories of persons other than equivalent-property holders, such as settlers and those who served in 1974, generally on land that was Greek Cypriot-owned before 1974. The original owner may retain a claim under the case law of the European Court of Human Rights.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "governedBy",
          "target": "law-41-1977"
        },
        {
          "type": "riskOf",
          "target": "property-dispute"
        },
        {
          "type": "partOf",
          "target": "title-deed"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "title-deeds-and-ownership-risk"
    },
    {
      "id": "condominium-title",
      "name": "Condominium ownership and construction servitude",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "kat mülkiyeti",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "kat irtifakı",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "individual title for an apartment",
          "lang": "en"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "The legal regime under the TRNC Condominium Ownership and Construction Servitude Law (35/2010) that creates a separate title for each apartment or unit. Law 52/2008 requires it to be in place before a foreigner applies for Permission to Purchase, with a temporary exception for applications supported by a construction permit or planning approval.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "prerequisiteFor",
          "target": "permission-to-purchase"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "buying-process"
    },
    {
      "id": "construction-permit",
      "name": "Construction permit and planning approval",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "inşaat ruhsatı",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "planlama onayı",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "building permit",
          "lang": "en"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "The permissions that authorise a building to be built on a plot. Under the current decree, a foreigner may apply for Permission to Purchase with a construction permit or planning approval where a separate unit title cannot yet be created.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "prerequisiteFor",
          "target": "final-approval"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "what-to-verify-before-buying"
    },
    {
      "id": "contract-registration",
      "name": "Contract registration",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "sözleşme kaydı",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "registering the sales contract",
          "lang": "en"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "Recording a signed and stamped sales contract at the District Land Registry (İlçe Tapu Amirliği). Under the current decree a foreign buyer must register the contract and apply for Permission to Purchase within one month, or the contract is treated as void.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "prerequisiteFor",
          "target": "permission-to-purchase"
        },
        {
          "type": "administeredBy",
          "target": "authorities/trnc-land-registry"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "buying-process"
    },
    {
      "id": "council-of-ministers",
      "name": "Council of Ministers (TRNC)",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "Bakanlar Kurulu",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "Cabinet",
          "lang": "en"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "The TRNC executive body that grants Permission to Purchase and long-term lease permission to foreigners and issues decrees with force of law.",
      "verticals": [
        "property",
        "live",
        "invest"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "relatedTo",
          "target": "permission-to-purchase"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": []
    },
    {
      "id": "decree-with-force-of-law",
      "name": "Decree with force of law",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "Yasa Gücünde Kararname",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "YGK",
          "lang": "tr"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "An instrument issued by the TRNC Council of Ministers under Article 112 of the TRNC Constitution for urgent economic matters. According to the decrees themselves, such a decree is valid for ninety days and must be submitted to the Assembly; the property decrees have therefore been re-issued roughly every three months since 2024.",
      "verticals": [
        "property",
        "live",
        "invest"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "relatedTo",
          "target": "law-52-2008"
        },
        {
          "type": "administeredBy",
          "target": "authorities/trnc-council-of-ministers"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "can-foreigners-buy-property-in-northern-cyprus"
    },
    {
      "id": "district-land-registry",
      "name": "District Land Registry",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "İlçe Tapu Amirliği",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "Tapu Dairesi",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "Land Registry office",
          "lang": "en"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "The local office of the Land Registry and Cadastre Department where contracts are registered, title searches are made and transfers are executed before an officer.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "partOf",
          "target": "authorities/trnc-land-registry"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "buying-process"
    },
    {
      "id": "echr",
      "name": "European Court of Human Rights",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "ECtHR",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "ECHR",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "Strasbourg Court",
          "lang": "en"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "The Council of Europe court that decides complaints under the European Convention on Human Rights. Its Cyprus judgments (Loizidou 1996, Cyprus v. Turkey 2001, Xenides-Arestis 2005) and the Demopoulos decision of 2010 frame the legal position of property in Northern Cyprus.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "relatedTo",
          "target": "property-dispute"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [
        "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Court_of_Human_Rights",
        "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q122880"
      ],
      "guide": "property-disputes-echr-and-ipc"
    },
    {
      "id": "encumbrance",
      "name": "Encumbrances (mortgages, charges, restrictions)",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "ipotek",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "mortgage",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "charge",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "takyidat",
          "lang": "tr"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "Rights of third parties recorded against a title, such as a mortgage in favour of a bank or the seller, a court order, or a restriction. A buyer who takes property subject to an existing mortgage may bear that debt, which is why an encumbrance search at the Land Registry precedes payment.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "riskOf",
          "target": "title-transfer"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "what-to-verify-before-buying"
    },
    {
      "id": "equivalent-property-title",
      "name": "Equivalent property (eşdeğer) title",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "exchange title",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "eşdeğer koçan",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "esdeger",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "equivalent title",
          "lang": "en"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "Title issued under the TRNC Settlement, Land Distribution and Equivalent Property Law (41/1977) to Turkish Cypriots who left property in the south in 1974, in exchange for points representing that property. The land was in most cases owned by Greek Cypriots before 1974, so the original owner may retain a claim under the case law of the European Court of Human Rights.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "governedBy",
          "target": "law-41-1977"
        },
        {
          "type": "riskOf",
          "target": "property-dispute"
        },
        {
          "type": "partOf",
          "target": "title-deed"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "title-deeds-and-ownership-risk"
    },
    {
      "id": "final-approval",
      "name": "Final approval (completion certificate)",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "Nihai Tasvip",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "Kesin Onay Belgesi",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "onay belgesi",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "certificate of final completion",
          "lang": "en"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "The authorities’ confirmation that a building is completed in accordance with its permits. Individual titles for units are generally issued only after it, so its absence is a common reason title cannot yet be transferred.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "prerequisiteFor",
          "target": "title-transfer"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "what-to-verify-before-buying",
      "notes": "Turkish terminology (Founder decision, 2026-09-15, following the Final/Completion Approval Terminology Research): NCR's primary Turkish public term is \"Nihai Tasvip\", attested in Law 52/2008's transitional provision and consistently in every foreigner-acquisition decree from 2024 to the currently-in-force decree 89/2026. \"Kesin Onay Belgesi\" is a directly attested legislative variant used in decree 89/2026's licensed-intermediary-investor provisions (Articles 8A/8B) for what reads as the same certificate; it is preserved as a distinct evidenced term, not merged away. Both trace to the same underlying certificate that Chapter 96 (Fasıl 96), the Roads and Buildings Regulation Law, calls simply \"onay belgesi\" (approval certificate) and requires before a building may be occupied or used. NCR has not independently re-verified Chapter 96's specific issuing authority or procedural detail from a primary source it has directly read, and does not assert that detail as a verified claim."
    },
    {
      "id": "immovable-property-commission",
      "name": "Immovable Property Commission (IPC)",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "IPC",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "Taşınmaz Mal Komisyonu",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "TMK",
          "lang": "tr"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "The body established in Northern Cyprus under Law 67/2005 to decide claims by owners of property left in the north in 1974, awarding restitution, exchange or compensation. In Demopoulos (2010) the European Court of Human Rights held that it may be regarded as a domestic remedy that claimants must normally use before applying to Strasbourg.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "governedBy",
          "target": "law-67-2005"
        },
        {
          "type": "relatedTo",
          "target": "property-dispute"
        },
        {
          "type": "administeredBy",
          "target": "authorities/trnc-ipc"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [
        "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immovable_Property_Commission"
      ],
      "guide": "property-disputes-echr-and-ipc"
    },
    {
      "id": "independent-lawyer",
      "name": "Independent lawyer",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "avukat",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "advocate",
          "lang": "en"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "A lawyer instructed and paid by the buyer alone, not introduced or paid by the seller or developer, who conducts the Land Registry checks, reviews the contract and handles registration and the permission application.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "prerequisiteFor",
          "target": "contract-registration"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "what-to-verify-before-buying"
    },
    {
      "id": "investment-purchase",
      "name": "Investment-purpose purchase",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "yatırım amaçlı satın alma",
          "lang": "tr"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "A purchase permitted outside the normal limits when it forms part of an investment in tourism, education, health, industry, agriculture, technology or research, subject to a minimum bank deposit and use within two years. Build-and-sell housing does not count as investment.",
      "verticals": [
        "property",
        "invest"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "governedBy",
          "target": "law-52-2008"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "can-foreigners-buy-property-in-northern-cyprus"
    },
    {
      "id": "law-39-2024",
      "name": "Amendment Law 39/2024",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "2024 amendment",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "Taşınmaz Mal Edinme ve Uzun Vadeli Kiralama (Yabancılar) (Değişiklik) Yasası",
          "lang": "tr"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "The amendment to Law 52/2008 adopted by the TRNC Assembly on 20 May 2024 and gazetted on 21 May 2024. It redefined who counts as a foreigner, tightened acquisition limits, introduced an online application and fee, set deadlines for transfer and tax payment, banned trustee arrangements used to exceed limits, and created transitional rules for existing contracts.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "partOf",
          "target": "law-52-2008"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "can-foreigners-buy-property-in-northern-cyprus"
    },
    {
      "id": "law-41-1977",
      "name": "Settlement, Land Distribution and Equivalent Property Law, 41/1977",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "İskân, Topraklandırma ve Eşdeğer Mal Yasası",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "ITEM Law",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "İTEM Yasası",
          "lang": "tr"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "The 1977 TRNC law under which property left behind by Greek Cypriots in 1974 was distributed to displaced Turkish Cypriots (against points for property they left in the south), to settlers and to others, and under which equivalent-property and allocation titles were issued.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "relatedTo",
          "target": "equivalent-property-title"
        },
        {
          "type": "relatedTo",
          "target": "allocation-title"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "title-deeds-and-ownership-risk"
    },
    {
      "id": "law-52-2008",
      "name": "Immovable Property Acquisition and Long-Term Lease (Aliens) Law, 52/2008",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "Taşınmaz Mal Edinme ve Uzun Vadeli Kiralama (Yabancılar) Yasası",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "Aliens Law",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "Foreigners Law",
          "lang": "en"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "The TRNC law that governs how foreign individuals and foreign legal entities may buy or lease immovable property in Northern Cyprus. It was substantially amended by Law 39/2024 and has been temporarily modified by successive decrees with force of law since 2024.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "relatedTo",
          "target": "permission-to-purchase"
        },
        {
          "type": "relatedTo",
          "target": "decree-with-force-of-law"
        },
        {
          "type": "administeredBy",
          "target": "authorities/trnc-ministry-of-interior"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "can-foreigners-buy-property-in-northern-cyprus"
    },
    {
      "id": "law-67-2005",
      "name": "Law 67/2005 (Immovable Property Commission law)",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "Law for the Compensation, Exchange and Restitution of Immovable Properties",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "67/2005 sayılı Yasa",
          "lang": "tr"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "The TRNC law establishing the Immovable Property Commission and the procedure for claims for restitution, exchange or compensation in respect of property within the scope of Article 159(1)(b) of the TRNC Constitution.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "relatedTo",
          "target": "immovable-property-commission"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "property-disputes-echr-and-ipc"
    },
    {
      "id": "licensed-intermediary-investor",
      "name": "Licensed intermediary investor",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "Lisanslı Ara Yatırımcı",
          "lang": "tr"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "A category created by decree in 2026: a foreign person or company licensed annually by the Ministry of Interior to take at least ten dwellings a year into its disposal by written agreement, without acquiring ownership, in order to market and transfer them to foreign buyers within two years of final approval.",
      "verticals": [
        "property",
        "invest"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "governedBy",
          "target": "decree-with-force-of-law"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "can-foreigners-buy-property-in-northern-cyprus"
    },
    {
      "id": "long-term-lease",
      "name": "Long-term lease",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "uzun vadeli kira",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "99-year lease",
          "lang": "en"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "A lease of ten to ninety-nine years available to foreigners under Law 52/2008 with Council of Ministers permission. It creates a registered right limited to the lease term, recorded on the title, that can be mortgaged, inherited and transferred.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "governedBy",
          "target": "law-52-2008"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "can-foreigners-buy-property-in-northern-cyprus"
    },
    {
      "id": "northern-cyprus",
      "name": "Northern Cyprus",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "North Cyprus",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "Kuzey Kıbrıs",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "the north of Cyprus",
          "lang": "en"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "The northern part of the island of Cyprus, administered since 1974 by a Turkish Cypriot administration that declared itself the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) in 1983 and is recognised only by Türkiye. The Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state, claims sovereignty over the whole island.",
      "verticals": [
        "property",
        "live",
        "invest"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "relatedTo",
          "target": "trnc"
        },
        {
          "type": "relatedTo",
          "target": "republic-of-cyprus"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [
        "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Cyprus",
        "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q23681"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "orams-case",
      "name": "Apostolides v Orams",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "the Orams case",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "Case C-420/07",
          "lang": "en"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "The case in which a Greek Cypriot owner obtained judgments in the Republic of Cyprus against a British couple who had bought and built on his land in Northern Cyprus. The Court of Justice of the EU (2009) held that such judgments must be recognised and enforced in other EU member states, and the Court of Appeal of England and Wales (2010) allowed enforcement in England.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "relatedTo",
          "target": "property-dispute"
        },
        {
          "type": "relatedTo",
          "target": "republic-of-cyprus"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [
        "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostolides_v_Orams"
      ],
      "guide": "property-disputes-echr-and-ipc"
    },
    {
      "id": "permission-to-purchase",
      "name": "Permission to Purchase (PTP)",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "PTP",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "purchase permit",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "satın alma izni",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "Taşınmaz Mal Alma İzni",
          "lang": "tr"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "The permission a foreigner must obtain from the TRNC Council of Ministers before a property can be transferred into their name. Applications are made through the Ministry of Interior, include a criminal-record certificate and a security check, and the permission lapses if the transfer and the taxes are not completed within the legal deadlines.",
      "verticals": [
        "property",
        "live"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "governedBy",
          "target": "law-52-2008"
        },
        {
          "type": "prerequisiteFor",
          "target": "title-transfer"
        },
        {
          "type": "administeredBy",
          "target": "authorities/trnc-ministry-of-interior"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "permission-to-purchase"
    },
    {
      "id": "pre-1974-turkish-cypriot-title",
      "name": "Pre-1974 Turkish Cypriot title",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "Turkish title",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "Türk koçanı",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "Turkish Cypriot title",
          "lang": "en"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "A market term for land that was registered to a Turkish Cypriot (or another non-Greek-Cypriot) owner before 1974 and has stayed in continuous registered ownership since. Such land is not the subject of a displaced Greek Cypriot owner’s claim, which is why it is generally regarded as carrying the lowest ownership-dispute risk.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "partOf",
          "target": "title-deed"
        },
        {
          "type": "riskOf",
          "target": "property-dispute"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "title-deeds-and-ownership-risk"
    },
    {
      "id": "property-dispute",
      "name": "The Cyprus property dispute",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "Greek Cypriot property claims",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "displaced owners’ claims",
          "lang": "en"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "The unresolved conflict between the rights of owners displaced in 1974 and the titles issued and transactions made in Northern Cyprus since then. The European Court of Human Rights has held that displaced owners remain the legal owners of their property, while also recognising the Immovable Property Commission as a domestic remedy and the position of third parties now in possession.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "relatedTo",
          "target": "immovable-property-commission"
        },
        {
          "type": "relatedTo",
          "target": "echr"
        },
        {
          "type": "relatedTo",
          "target": "orams-case"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "property-disputes-echr-and-ipc"
    },
    {
      "id": "recognising-state-citizens",
      "name": "Citizens of states recognising the TRNC",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "reciprocal-rights nationals",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "KKTC’yi tanıyan devlet vatandaşları",
          "lang": "tr"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "Nationals of states that recognise the TRNC and grant TRNC citizens the same property rights. In practice this means Turkish citizens, who are allowed a higher number of units than other foreign nationals.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "relatedTo",
          "target": "law-52-2008"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "can-foreigners-buy-property-in-northern-cyprus"
    },
    {
      "id": "republic-of-cyprus",
      "name": "Republic of Cyprus",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "Cyprus",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "the south",
          "lang": "en"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "The internationally recognised state on the island of Cyprus and an EU member since 2004. EU law is suspended in the areas not under its effective control, but its courts and criminal law can reach people and assets elsewhere in the EU and the UK.",
      "verticals": [
        "property",
        "live",
        "invest"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "relatedTo",
          "target": "northern-cyprus"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [
        "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyprus",
        "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q229"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stamp-duty",
      "name": "Stamp duty on the contract",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "pul vergisi",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "Pul Yasası",
          "lang": "tr"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "The duty payable under the TRNC Stamp Law so that a sales contract is \"stamped\"; the current decree requires the registered contract to have been stamped. Rates and deadlines are not yet verified from primary sources on this site.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "prerequisiteFor",
          "target": "contract-registration"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "buying-process"
    },
    {
      "id": "title-deed",
      "name": "Title deed",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "koçan",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "kocan",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "tapu",
          "lang": "tr"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "The Land Registry record of ownership of a specific immovable property in Northern Cyprus. The registered owner named on the title, and any mortgages or charges noted against it, are what a buyer can verify at the District Land Registry.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "relatedTo",
          "target": "title-transfer"
        },
        {
          "type": "administeredBy",
          "target": "authorities/trnc-land-registry"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "title-deeds-and-ownership-risk"
    },
    {
      "id": "title-transfer",
      "name": "Title transfer",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "koçan devri",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "tapu devri",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "transfer of title",
          "lang": "en"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "The act at the District Land Registry, signed before an officer on the official transfer form, by which ownership passes into the buyer’s name. For foreigners it can only take place after Permission to Purchase is granted and within the deadline set by law or decree.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "governedBy",
          "target": "law-52-2008"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "buying-process"
    },
    {
      "id": "transfer-fee",
      "name": "Title transfer fee",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "tapu devir harcı",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "transfer tax",
          "lang": "en"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "The fee payable to the Land Registry on transfer of title, set for foreigners under the Land Registry (Fees and Charges) rules. The rate is not yet verified from primary sources on this site; secondary sources report changes in 2024 and 2025.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "relatedTo",
          "target": "title-transfer"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "buying-process"
    },
    {
      "id": "trnc",
      "name": "Turkish Cypriot administration (TRNC)",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "KKTC",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti",
          "lang": "tr"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "The administration governing Northern Cyprus. Its laws, courts and land registry operate on the ground and are the rules a buyer deals with in practice, while the administration itself is not recognised as a state by the international community other than Türkiye.",
      "verticals": [
        "property",
        "live",
        "invest"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "partOf",
          "target": "northern-cyprus"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [
        "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Cyprus"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "trustee-agreement",
      "name": "Trustee (yediemin) agreement",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "yediemin sözleşmesi",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "mütevelli",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "nominee arrangement",
          "lang": "en"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "An arrangement in which another person or company holds property, or the shares of a company owning property, on behalf of a foreigner. Since Law 39/2024 such agreements may not be used to exceed a foreigner’s acquisition limits, and pre-existing ones had to be registered within a set period or became void.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "governedBy",
          "target": "law-52-2008"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "can-foreigners-buy-property-in-northern-cyprus"
    },
    {
      "id": "usage-certificate",
      "name": "Usage certificate (kullanım belgesi)",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "kullanım belgesi",
          "lang": "tr"
        },
        {
          "term": "right-of-use certificate",
          "lang": "en"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "A document introduced by decree for buyers whose pre-2024 contracts exceed the acquisition limits: ownership stays with the seller, but the buyer receives a registered right to use and enjoy the property for ten years (indefinitely for holiday-home schemes) without acquiring ownership.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "governedBy",
          "target": "decree-with-force-of-law"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "can-foreigners-buy-property-in-northern-cyprus"
    },
    {
      "id": "usurpation-offence",
      "name": "Republic of Cyprus offences relating to property in the north",
      "aliases": [
        {
          "term": "usurpation",
          "lang": "en"
        },
        {
          "term": "σφετερισμός",
          "lang": "el"
        },
        {
          "term": "Criminal Code Cap. 154",
          "lang": "en"
        }
      ],
      "definition": "Provisions of the Republic of Cyprus Criminal Code that criminalise dealing with, or possessing and using, immovable property registered to another person without the registered owner’s consent. They apply under Republic of Cyprus law and have been used since 2024 to prosecute foreign nationals involved in property in the north.",
      "verticals": [
        "property"
      ],
      "relations": [
        {
          "type": "relatedTo",
          "target": "republic-of-cyprus"
        },
        {
          "type": "riskOf",
          "target": "property-dispute"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [],
      "guide": "property-disputes-echr-and-ipc"
    }
  ]
}