The rules currently in force for foreign buyers are re-issued by decree
Decree 89/2026: the rules currently in force for foreign buyers
· Turkish Cypriot administration (TRNC) · Decree with force of law
In force since 7 August 2026.
Gazetted on 7 August 2026 after the ninety-day validity of decree 63/2026 ended, this decree carries the current limits (three apartments or six for recognising-state citizens; land up to 1,338 m²; house on up to 3,300 m²; two villas in an estate), the one-month contract registration rule, the one-year transfer and seventy-five-business-day fee deadlines, the eighty per cent project cap, the ten-million-euro investment threshold, the licensed intermediary investor, transfers to close relatives, and the transitional rules for pre-2024 contracts including the ten-year usage certificate. Its explanatory note records that a bill amending Law 52/2008 is before the Assembly’s committee.
- Before
- Decree 63/2026 of 11 May 2026 (same rules).
- After
- These rules apply for ninety days from 7 August 2026 unless renewed or enacted.
Rules introduced or carried by this instrument
- Current acquisition limits under the decree in forceIn force from 6 October 2026 until 4 January 2027.
- Register the stamped contract and apply for permission within one month, or the contract is voidIn force from 6 October 2026 until 4 January 2027.
- Current deadline: transfer within one year of the permission being publishedIn force from 6 October 2026 until 4 January 2027.
- Current deadline: transfer fees within seventy-five business days; no utilities until taxes are paidIn force from 6 October 2026 until 4 January 2027.
- Current cap: at most eighty per cent of a housing project may be sold to foreignersIn force from 6 October 2026 until 4 January 2027.
- Current investment threshold: ten million eurosIn force from 6 October 2026 until 4 January 2027.
- Licensed intermediary investorIn force from 6 October 2026 until 4 January 2027.
- A foreigner may transfer to close relatives with Ministry approvalIn force from 6 October 2026 until 4 January 2027.
- Usage certificate for over-limit pre-2024 contracts: ten years, ownership stays with the sellerIn force from 6 October 2026 until 4 January 2027.
- For two years, applications may rely on a construction permit or planning approvalIn force from 7 August 2026 until 5 November 2026.
- Completed, delivered dwellings bought before the decree: transfer within thirty-six monthsIn force from 6 October 2026 until 4 January 2027.
Rules displaced or replaced
- Statutory acquisition limit: one property per foreignerNo longer in force. Applied until 6 August 2026.
- Statutory deadline: transfer within six months of the permission being publishedNo longer in force. Applied until 6 August 2026.
- Statutory deadline: taxes and fees within sixty business daysNo longer in force. Applied until 6 August 2026.
- Statutory cap on foreign ownership within one parcelNo longer in force. Applied until 6 August 2026.
- Investment-purpose purchases outside the limits (statutory threshold)No longer in force. Applied until 6 August 2026.
Where this record comes from
- Authority
- Official Gazette of the TRNC (State Printing Office)
- Jurisdiction
- Turkish Cypriot administration (TRNC)
- Verification
- Primary source verified. We read the primary text ourselves on 14 September 2026.
- Legal review
- Not yet reviewed by a named legal reviewer.
Concepts
Sources for this event
Numbered in order of first use. Each entry names the kind of source it is and the day we read it.
- [1]Official Gazette No. 147 of 7 August 2026: Decree with force of law 89/2026 regulating the rules on acquisition of immovable property by foreigners
Official Gazette of the TRNC (State Printing Office) · Legislation and gazettes · 7 August 2026 · original in Turkish · accessed 14 September 2026 · source record
Cite this record
https://northcyprusreference.com/en/legal-updates/event-2026-08-07-decree-89-2026
Identifier event-2026-08-07-decree-89-2026 · Open data · challenge