Iskan in Turkey: what the occupancy permit is and why buyers check it

Few words come up as often in a Turkish property viewing as iskan, and few are as easy to misunderstand. Iskan in Turkey is the everyday name for the building use permit, the document a municipality issues when a finished building matches its approved plans. It decides what kind of title deed the flat carries, whether permanent utilities can be connected and how easily a bank will lend against it. This guide explains what the permit confirms and how to check it, and it fits into our due-diligence checklist for property in Turkey.

What iskan in Turkey confirms

Every building in Turkey starts with a construction permit based on approved architectural and structural projects. When the work is finished, the developer applies to the authority that issued the permit, usually the district municipality. The authority then checks the completed building against the approved projects, the building inspection firm submits its final reports, and fees and clearances, including social security clearance for the construction, must be settled. If everything matches, the building use permit is issued.

In plain terms, iskan says that the building you see is the building that was approved: the number of floors, the units, the setbacks, the shared areas and the safety systems. It is not a certificate of quality, and it does not replace a technical survey of an older building, but its absence is a clear warning sign in a completed project.

Iskan and the title deed

During construction, units are registered with condominium servitude, kat irtifakı. That title gives you a share of the land tied to a specific future unit. Once iskan is issued, the land registry can convert the building to full condominium ownership, kat mülkiyeti, and each title then refers to a finished independent unit. You can see which type a property carries on the title record, for example through Web Tapu or e-Devlet.

Stage	Title type	What it means for the buyer
Under construction	Kat irtifakı (condominium servitude)	Normal for off-plan purchases; delivery and iskan still to come
Finished, permit issued	Kat irtifakı, conversion pending	Ask when the conversion application will be made
Finished and converted	Kat mülkiyeti (full condominium ownership)	The standard expected for a completed or resale flat
Finished, no permit	Kat irtifakı, no conversion possible	Investigate why before paying anything

What changes in daily life without it

Under the Zoning Law, permanent electricity, water and natural gas connections are tied to the building use permit. Buildings without it often run on construction-period connections or temporary arrangements, which can be more expensive and harder to transfer to a new owner. Moreover, most banks lend more readily against units with full condominium ownership, so a flat without iskan can be harder to finance and harder to resell to a buyer who needs a loan; our guide to mortgages in Turkey for foreigners covers lending in more detail.

Earthquake insurance is a separate matter: compulsory DASK cover is needed for residential title transfers and is explained in our DASK guide. For a residence permit by property, the migration office works from the title deed, which must describe the unit as residential, so the deed wording deserves the same attention as the permit itself.

Off-plan purchases: iskan comes later

If you buy before completion, the absence of iskan is expected. What matters is that the contract states the delivery date, who applies for the permit and the condominium conversion, and who pays the related fees. Turkish rules on pre-sale housing contracts also set protections, such as a maximum construction period, which our guide to buying property in Turkey in instalments summarises. At delivery, ask for a copy of the permit and a timetable for the conversion before you sign the handover protocol. Current off-plan projects on our site show their expected delivery dates.

Resale flats: check before you commit

For a completed or resale flat, by contrast, iskan should already exist. Common problems are buildings finished without one, units altered after the permit, for example an enclosed balcony or a merged attic, and buildings that only hold a building registration certificate from the 2018 zoning amnesty. That certificate allows use and utilities but does not certify compliance with the approved project or current earthquake rules, so it is not equivalent to iskan.

1. Ask the seller for a copy of the building use permit and check that the address and unit match.
2. Check the title record: kat mülkiyeti is the expected status for a finished building.
3. If the title still shows kat irtifakı, ask the building management or the municipality archive whether a permit exists.
4. Compare the flat with the approved plan, especially balconies, attics and ground-floor extensions.
5. For older buildings, add an independent engineer’s assessment of the structure.

How we handle it

We confirm the permit and title status for every completed property we recommend, and we flag units where the plan and the flat no longer match. You can browse ready-to-move apartments or compare new-build and resale property, and our purchase support service reviews the documents with you before any deposit. Official guidance on building permits is published by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change.

Frequently asked questions