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Can foreigners buy property in Northern Cyprus?

North Cyprus Reference Editorial··Legal review: Pending

Where this sits in the buying process: Research

In short

Yes, with permission. Under Law 52/2008 a foreign person or company may buy immovable property in Northern Cyprus only after the Council of Ministers grants a purchase permission, and only within limits on the number and size of properties. Agricultural and forest land cannot be sold to foreigners at all. The limits written into the law were widened in 2025 by a decree with force of law that the Council re-issues every ninety days; the decree currently allows up to three apartments, a house on a plot of limited size, a small building plot, or two villas in an estate, with higher numbers for citizens of states that recognise the TRNC. Citizens of any country may apply.

What this depends on

  • Your nationality: citizens of states that recognise the TRNC and grant reciprocal rights (in practice, Turkish citizens) may buy more units
  • Whether you buy as an individual, through a company with any foreign shareholding, or through a trustee, because all three count as foreign
  • The type of property: apartment, detached house, building plot, or agricultural and forest land, which is excluded
  • Whether your contract predates 21 May 2024, because transitional rules and the usage certificate apply to older contracts
  • Whether a decree with force of law is in force on the day you contract, because its limits displace the law's

What this means for you

If you are a foreign person, or a company with any foreign shareholder, you can buy, but only with permission and only up to the limits in force on the day you contract. The limits have been set by temporary decrees since 2025, so the figure an agent quotes may be out of date; your lawyer should read it against the decree in force. A long-term lease and the investment route exist for situations the limits do not fit.

What you should check or do

  1. Confirm with your lawyer which nationality class you fall into and how many units the decree in force allows you.
  2. Check that the property is of a kind a foreigner may buy; agricultural and forest land is excluded and land in shares is restricted. Open this check
  3. If you buy through a company or a trustee, plan for the permission and the security check to cover the company's people, and do not use a trustee arrangement to exceed the limits, which the law voids and penalises.
  4. Register the stamped contract and apply for permission within the decree's deadline, because both are conditions of the contract's validity. Open this check
  5. If you signed before 21 May 2024, ask your lawyer which transitional route applies and when its window restarts. What is Permission to Purchase?

What you need to know before proceeding

If you have read conflicting information

I have read that a foreigner's purchase in Northern Cyprus is not recognised. What does that mean?

Two different things are being run together. Under the law applied in the north, a foreigner who obtains the Council of Ministers' permission is registered as owner at the Land Registry, and that registration is what the administration recognises and enforces. Whether other legal systems recognise ownership of a particular parcel depends on the history of the land before 1974, not on the buyer's nationality: the European Court of Human Rights and the Republic of Cyprus courts have addressed land that was Greek Cypriot-owned before 1974 and distributed afterwards. The title-deeds guide explains how to tell which situation a property is in.

See how the positions compare · Title deeds and ownership risk

On this page
  1. What this means for you
  2. What you should check or do
  3. What you need to know before proceeding
  4. If you have read conflicting information
  5. The full explanation
  6. What is the short version, and why does it need qualifying?
  7. Who counts as a foreigner?
  8. What can a foreigner buy, and how much?
  9. Why are the current limits “temporary”?
  10. Can a company or a trustee buy for me?
  11. Is a long-term lease an alternative?
  12. What is the investment route?
  13. What if my contract was signed before 21 May 2024?
  14. Can I sell later, or pass the property on?
  15. Claims and rules used on this page
  16. Sources
  17. What is contested or not yet verified
  18. Page record

The full explanation

What is the short version, and why does it need qualifying?

Foreigners can buy property in Northern Cyprus. They have been able to since before the current law, which the Assembly adopted in 2008 and rewrote substantially in 2024. What they cannot do is buy freely: every purchase by a foreigner needs the permission of the Council of Ministers, the number and type of properties are capped, some land is excluded altogether, and the caps themselves have been set since 2025 by temporary decrees rather than by the statute.

Rule

Foreigners need Council of Ministers permission to buy or lease long-term

A foreign natural or legal person may buy immovable property in Northern Cyprus only after obtaining a purchase permission from the Council of Ministers, and may take a long-term lease only with prior Council of Ministers permission.[1]

Conditions, exceptions and who it applies to

Practical implication

Signing a contract and paying does not make you the owner. Title can only pass into your name after the permission is granted and published, and within the deadlines that then run.

Applies to: Other foreign nationals · Citizens of states recognising the TRNC with reciprocal rights · Turkish citizens · Individuals · Companies and other legal entities · Trustees acting for a foreigner

Legislation · Turkish Cypriot administration (TRNC) · Immovable Property Acquisition and Long-Term Lease (Aliens) Law, Articles 3, 5, 8(1) and 9 · in force from 10 November 2008 · last verified 14 September 2026 · rule record

The rest of this page answers the questions that follow from that: who counts as a foreigner, what and how much may be bought, what companies and trustees can and cannot do, the alternatives of long-term lease and investment purchase, and what applies to contracts signed before the 2024 amendment.

Who counts as a foreigner?

The definition is wider than many buyers expect, and it was widened deliberately in 2024 to close the routes that had been used to avoid the limits.

Rule

Who counts as a "foreigner"

A "foreigner" is any natural person who is not a TRNC citizen; the term includes foreign legal persons and a foreigner’s trustee. A company established or registered in the TRNC counts as a foreign legal person if any share or capital belongs to a foreigner, or if the majority of its directors are foreign.[1]

Conditions, exceptions and who it applies to

Practical implication

Buying through a local company does not avoid the rules if you hold any of its shares or most of its directors are foreign.

Applies to: Individuals · Companies and other legal entities · Trustees acting for a foreigner

Legislation · Turkish Cypriot administration (TRNC) · Immovable Property Acquisition and Long-Term Lease (Aliens) Law, Article 2, definitions of "Yabancı" and "Yabancı Tüzel Kişi" (as substituted by Law 39/2024) · in force from 21 May 2024 · last verified 14 September 2026 · rule record

What can a foreigner buy, and how much?

Two sets of limits exist side by side. The law fixes one set; a decree with force of law, re-issued every ninety days since 2025, fixes a wider set that applies “while the decree is in force”. While a decree is in force, its limits apply in place of the law’s.

Rule

Current acquisition limits under the decree in force

While the decree is in force, a foreign natural or legal person may, with Council of Ministers permission, buy: land of up to 1,338 m² suitable for a building permit with only one dwelling; or up to three apartments (up to six for citizens of states that recognise the TRNC and grant reciprocal rights); or a detached house on land of up to 3,300 m² with no second dwelling; or, in a housing estate or site, two two-storey detached villas (three for citizens of recognising states).[3]

Conditions, exceptions and who it applies to

Applies to: Other foreign nationals · Citizens of states recognising the TRNC with reciprocal rights · Land plot · Apartment · Detached house

Legislation · Turkish Cypriot administration (TRNC) · 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, Article 4, new Article 8(1)(A)–(Ç) · in force from 7 August 2026 · until 5 November 2026 · last verified 14 September 2026 · rule record

Rule

Statutory acquisition limit: one property per foreigner

Under the law as amended in 2024, a foreign natural or legal person may buy one immovable property with Council of Ministers permission: either land of up to 1,338 m² suitable for a building permit on which only one dwelling may be built; or one apartment (up to three apartments for citizens of states that recognise the TRNC and grant reciprocal rights); or a detached house on land of up to 3,300 m² on which no further dwelling may be built.[1]

Conditions, exceptions and who it applies to

Practical implication

These are the limits written into the law. While a decree with force of law is in force they are displaced by the decree’s wider limits; check which instrument applies on the day you contract.

Applies to: Other foreign nationals · Citizens of states recognising the TRNC with reciprocal rights · Land plot · Apartment · Detached house

Legislation · Turkish Cypriot administration (TRNC) · Immovable Property Acquisition and Long-Term Lease (Aliens) Law, Article 8(1) · in force from 21 May 2024 · last verified 14 September 2026 · rule record

Some property is excluded whatever the limits:

Rule

Agricultural and forest land cannot be sold to foreigners

Immovable property in agricultural land and forest land may not be sold to foreign natural or legal persons. A person who sells such land to a foreigner commits an offence.[1]

Conditions, exceptions and who it applies to

Applies to: Agricultural land · Forest land

Legislation · Turkish Cypriot administration (TRNC) · Immovable Property Acquisition and Long-Term Lease (Aliens) Law, Article 4(1); penalty in Article 16(1) · in force from 21 May 2024 · last verified 14 September 2026 · rule record

Rule

No share titles in land; up to three foreigners may share a house or apartment

Foreign natural or legal persons may not buy land in shares (share title). An apartment or detached house may be bought in shares on a separate title by no more than three foreign natural persons, subject to the other limits.[1]

Conditions, exceptions and who it applies to

Applies to: Land plot · Share title · Apartment · Detached house

Legislation · Turkish Cypriot administration (TRNC) · Immovable Property Acquisition and Long-Term Lease (Aliens) Law, Article 8(9); penalty in Article 16(4) · in force from 21 May 2024 · last verified 14 September 2026 · rule record

Beyond the individual limits, two collective caps apply: on the share of a district and of the country that may pass to foreigners, and on the share of any one housing project.

Rule

Caps on the share of land that may be sold to foreigners

No more than seven per cent of a district’s surface area, and in any case no more than three per cent of the country’s surface area, may be sold to foreigners; any registration made contrary to these ratios is void.[1]

Legislation · Turkish Cypriot administration (TRNC) · Immovable Property Acquisition and Long-Term Lease (Aliens) Law, Article 4(3) · in force from 21 May 2024 · last verified 14 September 2026 · rule record

Rule

Current cap: at most eighty per cent of a housing project may be sold to foreigners

While the decree is in force, more than half of the properties on the same parcel may not be bought by foreigners who are first-degree relatives or relatives by marriage of each other, or of the same nationality; and in any case at most eighty per cent of housing projects in development areas may be sold to foreigners.[3]

Conditions, exceptions and who it applies to

Applies to: Apartment

Legislation · Turkish Cypriot administration (TRNC) · 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, Article 4, new Article 8(10) · in force from 7 August 2026 · until 5 November 2026 · last verified 14 September 2026 · rule record

Why are the current limits “temporary”?

Because they are set by decrees with force of law, an instrument that the Council of Ministers may issue for urgent economic matters and that lasts ninety days. The property decree has been re-issued five times, most recently in August 2026, and its explanatory note records that a bill to amend the law is before the Assembly. The limits have been renewed each quarter since 2025; whether they are renewed again, or replaced by the bill, is not settled. Read any figure quoted to you against the decree that was in force on the day.

Can a company or a trustee buy for me?

A company can buy, but it is a foreign legal person if any share belongs to a foreigner, so it does not escape the permission requirement or the limits, and its people are security-checked. Trustee arrangements are permitted only within the limits; used to exceed them, they are void and criminal.

Rule

Foreign legal entities need permission after a security check of their people

Purchases and long-term leases by foreign legal persons are subject to Council of Ministers permission, conditional on a positive security investigation of their directors, managers, shareholders or members. The same applies when a foreign legal person transfers its shares to another foreigner or changes a foreign director, manager or trustee.[1]

Conditions, exceptions and who it applies to

Exceptions

  • Companies registered in the TRNC whose shares are publicly offered, or publicly held companies established in the TRNC.

Applies to: Companies and other legal entities

Legislation · Turkish Cypriot administration (TRNC) · Immovable Property Acquisition and Long-Term Lease (Aliens) Law, Article 4(5) · in force from 21 May 2024 · last verified 14 September 2026 · rule record

Rule

Trustee agreements may not be used to exceed the limits

Foreign natural or legal persons may not conclude a trustee (yediemin) agreement in order to buy more property than the law allows, whatever the Contracts Law or the Trustees Law would otherwise permit. The parties to such an agreement commit an offence.[1]

Conditions, exceptions and who it applies to

Applies to: Individuals · Companies and other legal entities · Trustees acting for a foreigner

Legislation · Turkish Cypriot administration (TRNC) · Immovable Property Acquisition and Long-Term Lease (Aliens) Law, Article 8(15); penalty in Article 16(7) · in force from 21 May 2024 · last verified 14 September 2026 · rule record

The one situation in which a company with foreign shareholders may hold substantially more land is investment, and it comes with its own conditions:

Rule

Companies with foreign shareholders may buy investment land up to 80,280 m²

A company established or registered in the TRNC with any foreign shareholding may, subject to the investment rules, buy up to 80,280 m² of land for investment; its shareholders, directors or trustees may not buy land a second time through another entity; and a foreign company that buys property must notify the Registrar of Companies within six months of the transfer.[1]

Conditions, exceptions and who it applies to

Applies to: Companies and other legal entities · Investors

Legislation · Turkish Cypriot administration (TRNC) · Immovable Property Acquisition and Long-Term Lease (Aliens) Law, Article 8(13) · in force from 21 May 2024 · last verified 14 September 2026 · rule record

Is a long-term lease an alternative?

Yes. The law provides for leases of ten to ninety-nine years with the same Council permission. The contract has to be prepared by a practising advocate and registered promptly.

Rule

Long-term leases: ten to ninety-nine years, registered within thirty days

A long-term lease to a foreigner runs for at least ten and at most ninety-nine years. The lease contract must be prepared by a practising advocate and signed before two witnesses, and an application to register it at the District Land Registry must be made within thirty days of signature; late applications are not accepted. The tenant receives a lease certificate recorded on the title and a real right limited to the lease term that can be transferred, mortgaged, sub-let, inherited and enforced against.[1]

Conditions, exceptions and who it applies to

Applies to: Long-term lessees

Legislation · Turkish Cypriot administration (TRNC) · Immovable Property Acquisition and Long-Term Lease (Aliens) Law, Article 6 · in force from 10 November 2008 · last verified 14 September 2026 · rule record

What is the investment route?

Purchases for an investment in tourism, education, health, industry, agriculture, technology or research may be permitted outside the normal limits. The law sets a high minimum deposit; the decree in force halves it. The law excludes build-and-sell housing from the investment route.

Rule

Current investment threshold: ten million euros

While the decree is in force, an investment in tourism, education, health, industry, agriculture, technology or research qualifies for an investment-purpose purchase if at least ten million euros is deposited in a bank operating in the TRNC and used within two years for the investment stated in the Council of Ministers decision (land purchase excluded). Build-and-sell housing is not an investment.[3]

Conditions, exceptions and who it applies to

Applies to: Investors

Legislation · Turkish Cypriot administration (TRNC) · 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, Article 3(3) ("Yatırım") and Article 4, new Article 8(11)(C) · in force from 7 August 2026 · until 5 November 2026 · last verified 14 September 2026 · rule record

A separate category introduced by decree in 2026 allows a foreign business to take dwellings into its disposal without owning them, in order to sell them on to foreign buyers:

Rule

Licensed intermediary investor

While the decree is in force, a foreign natural or legal person may obtain an annual licence from the Ministry’s Undersecretariat to take at least ten dwellings a year (excluding land and plots) into its disposal by written agreement, at project stage or after final approval, without acquiring ownership, in order to market and transfer them to foreign buyers. The licence fee is twice the monthly gross minimum wage; agreements must be registered at the District Land Registry within one month; transfers to buyers must be completed within two years of final approval; the applicant must produce an apostilled criminal-record certificate no more than three months old; and breaches lead to cancellation of the licence.[3]

Conditions, exceptions and who it applies to

Applies to: Individuals · Companies and other legal entities · Investors

Legislation · Turkish Cypriot administration (TRNC) · 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, Article 3(1) definition; Articles 5 and 6, new Articles 8A and 8B · in force from 7 August 2026 · until 5 November 2026 · last verified 14 September 2026 · rule record

What if my contract was signed before 21 May 2024?

The 2024 amendment came with transitional rules for contracts that already existed, and the decrees have repeatedly extended and reshaped them. The main mechanisms today are a registration window that restarts with each decree, a notification fee for contracts that exceed the limits, and a ten-year usage certificate for buyers who cannot take title within the limits.

Rule

Pre-2024 contracts: register and apply within six months of the decree

While the decree is in force, a foreigner who signed a sales contract before Law 39/2024 came into force on 21 May 2024, and the seller, must within six months of the decree’s entry into force register the contract at the District Land Registry up to the buyer’s acquisition right and apply to the Ministry for purchase permission.[3]

Conditions, exceptions and who it applies to

Applies to: Contracts signed before 21 May 2024

Legislation · Turkish Cypriot administration (TRNC) · 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, Article 8, new transitional Article 1(2)(A) · in force from 7 August 2026 · until 5 November 2026 · last verified 14 September 2026 · rule record

Rule

Usage certificate for over-limit pre-2024 contracts: ten years, ownership stays with the seller

While the decree is in force, a foreigner who has notified over-limit pre-2024 contracts may register contracts for dwellings (not land) at the District Land Registry, request the usage-certificate right and pay the title transfer fees, and receive a ten-year usage certificate. Ownership remains with the seller; the certificate cannot be cancelled during the period except on transfer or at the holder’s request; holders of properties under the holiday-homes regime receive an indefinite certificate; the certificate confers use and enjoyment but not ownership, and its rights other than the right to sell cannot be transferred; a positive security check and full payment of the price are conditions; no certificate is available for property in restricted zones; contracts not transferred within ten years become void.[3]

Conditions, exceptions and who it applies to

Applies to: Apartment · Detached house · Contracts signed before 21 May 2024

Legislation · Turkish Cypriot administration (TRNC) · 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, Article 8, new transitional Article 1(2)(C)–(D) · in force from 7 August 2026 · until 5 November 2026 · last verified 14 September 2026 · rule record

Can I sell later, or pass the property on?

A later sale to another foreigner is subject to the same restrictions, so the buyer will need their own permission. Transfers to close relatives are treated differently under the decree.

Rule

Transfers between foreigners are subject to the same restrictions

The restrictions in Article 4 also apply when property lawfully acquired by a foreigner is leased long-term or transferred to another foreigner.[1]

Conditions, exceptions and who it applies to

Practical implication

A future foreign buyer of your property will need their own permission; resale is not automatic.

Applies to: Resale

Legislation · Turkish Cypriot administration (TRNC) · Immovable Property Acquisition and Long-Term Lease (Aliens) Law, Article 12 · in force from 21 May 2024 · last verified 14 September 2026 · rule record

Rule

A foreigner may transfer to close relatives with Ministry approval

While the decree is in force, a foreigner may transfer property held in their name or leased by them to relatives of the first and second degree by blood or marriage, with the knowledge and approval of the Ministry, regardless of the restrictions in Article 4 of the law.[3]

Conditions, exceptions and who it applies to

Applies to: After transfer · Resale

Legislation · Turkish Cypriot administration (TRNC) · 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, Article 7, addition to Article 12 · in force from 7 August 2026 · until 5 November 2026 · last verified 14 September 2026 · rule record

Whichever route applies to you, the permission is personal to the buyer and the limits are counted per buyer, so a later sale starts the process again for the next foreign owner. The buying-process guide sets out the stages in order, and the permission guide explains the application itself.

Everything above rests on the records below. Each is a permanent, dated page you can cite, check or challenge.

Claims and rules used on this page

Show the 18 rules and 6 claims

Rules

Claims

Sources

Numbered in order of first use. Each entry names the kind of source it is and the day we read it.

  1. [1]
    Immovable Property Acquisition and Long-Term Lease (Aliens) Law, No. 52/2008, consolidated with amending Law 39/2024

    Central Legislation Office, TRNC · Legislation and gazettes · 10 November 2008 · original in Turkish · accessed 14 September 2026 · register entry

  2. [2]
    Official Gazette No. 102 of 21 May 2024, Supplement I: Law 39/2024 amending the Immovable Property Acquisition and Long-Term Lease (Aliens) Law

    Official Gazette of the TRNC (State Printing Office) · Legislation and gazettes · 21 May 2024 · original in Turkish · accessed 14 September 2026 · register entry

  3. [3]
    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 · register entry

  4. [4]
    Official Gazette No. 165 of 14 August 2025: Decree with force of law 30/2025 regulating the rules on acquisition of immovable property by foreigners

    Official Gazette of the TRNC (State Printing Office) · Legislation and gazettes · 14 August 2025 · original in Turkish · accessed 14 September 2026 · register entry

  5. [5]
    Official Gazette No. 225 of 14 November 2025: Decree with force of law 42/2025 regulating the rules on acquisition of immovable property by foreigners

    Official Gazette of the TRNC (State Printing Office) · Legislation and gazettes · 14 November 2025 · original in Turkish · accessed 14 September 2026 · register entry

  6. [6]
    Official Gazette No. 28 of 12 February 2026: Decree with force of law 11/2026 regulating the rules on acquisition of immovable property by foreigners

    Official Gazette of the TRNC (State Printing Office) · Legislation and gazettes · 12 February 2026 · original in Turkish · accessed 14 September 2026 · register entry

  7. [7]
    Official Gazette No. 87 of 11 May 2026: Decree with force of law 63/2026 regulating the rules on acquisition of immovable property by foreigners

    Official Gazette of the TRNC (State Printing Office) · Legislation and gazettes · 11 May 2026 · original in Turkish · accessed 14 September 2026 · register entry

What is contested or not yet verified

  • Whether the amendment bill before the Assembly will enact the decree's limits, narrow them, or change them. Until it is enacted, the limits in force are those of the decree and they lapse if it is not renewed.
  • Which states, other than Türkiye, the authorities treat as "recognising the TRNC and granting reciprocal rights". The law does not list them and we have found no official list.
  • How the one-month registration rule in the decree is counted, since the decree does not say expressly whether the month runs from the date of the contract.

Related

Page record

Published
Last modified
Review status
Researched, legal review pending · Legal review: Pending
Author
North Cyprus Reference Editorial
Instruments this page depends on
Also asked as
  • Can I buy property in Northern Cyprus as a foreigner?
  • How many properties can a foreigner own in North Cyprus?
Change history
  • — First publication, encoded from the consolidated text of Law 52/2008 (as amended by Law 39/2024) and decree 89/2026 of 7 August 2026.
  • — V1.1 editorial layer added; predictions about decree renewal replaced by the record so far; a closing paragraph added; the characterisation of a long-term lease marked as our reading pending legal review. No legal conclusion changed.

Found an error or a newer primary source? Challenge this page. Every accepted correction becomes a dated version.