How to verify a Turkish real-estate agent

In Türkiye, acting as an intermediary in property sales is a regulated trade. Under the Regulation on Real Estate Trade (Taşınmaz Ticareti Hakkında Yönetmelik), first published in the Official Gazette on 5 June 2018 and amended several times since, only businesses holding an authorisation certificate (yetki belgesi) from the Ministry of Trade may do it. This guide shows foreign buyers how to check an agent before paying anything, using the regulation text published by the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry's own announcements, checked on 19 October 2026.

1. Ask for the authorisation certificate number

Article 5 of the regulation says real-estate trade is carried out by businesses that hold an authorisation certificate. The certificate is issued by the provincial trade directorate through the Ministry's information system (TTBS), is issued separately for each business and cannot be transferred. The regulation also says the up-to-date list of authorised businesses is published on the Ministry's website.

1. Get the number. Ask the agent for their authorisation certificate number and trade name. They must give it: the brokerage contract has to show it (see below).
2. Look it up. Use the "Yetki Belgesi Sorgula" (certificate search) page of the Ministry of Trade's Real Estate Trade Information System at ttbs.gtb.gov.tr. You can search by certificate number, business name or province.
3. Compare. The name, address and number on the result must match the office you are dealing with and the business that will sign the contract. A certificate for a different office or a franchise partner is not the same thing.

To get a certificate, the business must, among other conditions, be registered with its professional chamber and the tax office with real-estate trade as an activity, and at least one of its responsible agents must hold a Level 5 vocational qualification (Seviye 5 mesleki yeterlilik belgesi). The responsible agents must have no convictions for listed offences such as fraud, forgery or breach of trust.

2. Check that online listings are verified (EİDS)

Since the 31 August 2023 amendment, platforms that publish property listings must verify that the person listing a property owns it (or is a close relative or spouse of the owner), or has been authorised by the owner. The Ministry of Trade runs this through its Electronic Listing Verification System (Elektronik İlan Doğrulama Sistemi, EİDS).

• The owner authorises an agent through the e-Devlet service "EİDS Taşınmaz İlanı Yayınlama İzni İşlemleri". e-Devlet is the Turkish government's online services portal.
• In a press release of 22 August 2026, the Ministry said EİDS identity and authorisation verification covers all property listings published electronically, including on Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp.
• Social media posts must include the link to the EİDS-verified listing and the listing price. The Ministry announced fines of 100,000 TL each on 42 property businesses and 40 car dealers for non-compliant social media listings.

For you as a buyer, this means: a property advertised only through a private message, with no verified listing link and no price, is a warning sign. Ask for the verified listing link.

3. Get the right documents

The regulation sets out written documents an authorised agent must use:

• Property showing document (taşınmaz gösterme belgesi, Article 19). Showing you a property, physically or online, must be documented in at least two copies with the agent's certificate number and the responsible agent's name and signature. The agent may not charge for showing a property.
• Brokerage contract for the sale (alım satıma aracılık sözleşmesi, Article 16), in at least three copies, one for each party. It must include the agent's certificate number and address, the parties' identity details (a foreign identity number is acceptable), the title details of the property, the price and payment method, the agent's fee, how fees such as the title deed fee and revolving-fund fee are shared between buyer and seller, and the competent court or alternative dispute resolution.
• Copies of everything you sign. Article 14 says the agent must give you enough time to read documents, explain their terms and hand over a copy of each signed document. Get a written translation of anything you do not fully understand.

4. Know the fee cap

The 4 percent is a ceiling, not a standard rate. Agree the exact fee in writing. Be careful with "service", "consultancy" or "legal" packages that add charges on top of the agent's fee for the same sale.

5. Payment: never to the agent's private account

The regulation was amended on 29 April 2026 to add a secure payment system. Where the price is paid partly or fully in cash, by bank transfer or by EFT, it must go through a system that releases the money at the same moment ownership is transferred. A usage fee applies; its amount and who bears it are not set out in the regulation itself, so ask your bank. The Ministry of Trade postponed the start once, to 1 October 2026, and announced on 28 September 2026 that the compulsory start date is being reset to 1 December 2026. Ask the land registry office or your bank which route applies on your signing date.

For foreign buyers, the foreign-currency purchase certificate (DAB) issued by a Turkish bank is also required: see buying property in Türkiye as a foreigner.

Warning signs

• No certificate number, or a number that does not match the business in the TTBS search.
• Pressure to pay a deposit before you have seen the title record.
• Listings with no EİDS-verified link and no price.
• A request to pay into a personal account, or to declare a lower price in the deed than the price you actually pay.
• Promises of returns, rental income or certain citizenship approval. Citizenship depends on official conditions, including a valuation-based certificate: see valuation report explained.

Authorisation certificates are issued, renewed and cancelled by the Ministry of Trade's provincial directorates (Article 5), so the directorate in the agent's province is the authority to contact about an agent you think is breaking the rules. For the costs that come on top of the agent's fee, see purchase costs explained. More guides are in our buying process section.

How we can help

Turkey Property Desk helps foreign buyers with exactly these steps: we check which documents you need, arrange sworn translations and notarisation, book the land registry appointment, interpret at the signing and follow residence or citizenship applications. Write to us on WhatsApp in your language. For legal checks on a specific property, please use a lawyer and the land registry.