How the Iskan Habitation Certificate Works in Turkey: Step by Step

The İskan is the single most overlooked document foreign buyers miss when buying property in Turkey. It is the certificate that proves a building is legally finished and fit to live in, and without it a property can be impossible to insure, connect to utilities, or resell cleanly. Here is exactly what the İskan is, why it matters, and the step-by-step process to obtain or verify it in 2026.

What is the İskan in Turkey?

The İskan, officially the Yapı Kullanma İzin Belgesi (Building Use Permit), is the certificate confirming a building was completed in line with its approved project and is fit for habitation. It is effectively the building's technical passport, issued by the local municipality after inspection. A property with a construction permit but no İskan is legally only a building site, not a finished, usable home.

Why does the İskan matter to a foreign buyer?

Without an İskan you cannot get permanent utility connections, and the property is harder to insure, mortgage, or resell. Permanent water, electricity, and natural gas subscriptions legally require the İskan, so an apartment without one may be running on temporary site connections. It also signals that the building matches its approved plans, which protects you from buying into an unpermitted or non-compliant structure.

What is the difference between kat irtifakı and kat mülkiyeti?

Kat irtifakı (construction easement) means the building is approved but not yet certified as complete, while kat mülkiyeti (condominium ownership) means the İskan has been issued. If your TAPU shows kat irtifakı, the İskan process is not finished. You want the title converted to kat mülkiyeti, which only happens after the İskan is granted, so this is the first thing to check on the deed.

What are the two types of İskan?

There are two: Ferdi İskan, issued for individual units, and Toplu İskan, issued for an entire building or complex at once. A building can hold a collective İskan while you still need confirmation it covers your specific unit. Always check that the İskan applies to your apartment number, not just the block in general.

Step 1: Confirm whose responsibility the İskan is

The party legally responsible for obtaining the İskan is usually the developer or building owner who held the construction permit, not the individual buyer. For a new build, the İskan should be secured by the developer at handover. For a resale, responsibility may have passed to the seller, so you must establish in the contract who delivers the İskan and when.

Step 2: Check the current İskan status before you buy

Have the seller provide a copy of the İskan and verify it with the municipality's planning department (imar müdürlüğü). Cross-check it against the TAPU and the approved project to confirm the building, floor count, and your unit match what was actually built. Bringing a Turkish lawyer or licensed agent to make this check is the safest way to avoid buying a property stuck in kat irtifakı.

Step 3: Assemble the application documents

If the İskan still has to be obtained, the responsible party applies to the municipality with the full file. This typically includes the construction permit (yapı ruhsatı), the approved architectural project, the land registry records, the energy performance certificate, and confirmation that taxes and SGK social security contributions for the construction workers have been paid. Missing or unpaid items are the most common reason applications stall.

Step 4: The municipality inspects the building

A technical team from the municipality inspects the completed building on site. They check that the construction matches the approved project, that the work meets current building and earthquake standards, and that the physical reality matches the documents. By law the municipality must process the application within thirty days, though in practice it commonly takes thirty to ninety days depending on the workload.

Step 5: Pay the İskan fee

An İskan fee is charged, calculated per square metre of the building. As of 2026 residential rates are modest, in the range of roughly 0.60 to 2.00 Turkish lira per square metre, with higher rates for commercial buildings. The exact figure is set by the municipality and is small relative to the property price.

Step 6: Receive the certificate and convert the title

Once the inspection passes, the municipality issues the Yapı Kullanma İzin Belgesi. With the İskan in hand, the title can be upgraded at the Land Registry from kat irtifakı to kat mülkiyeti, giving you full condominium ownership. This conversion is what most foreign buyers actually want as the end state, because it confirms a legally complete property.

What happens if a property never gets its İskan?

A building can remain without an İskan for years if it was built outside its permit or has unresolved compliance problems. In that case the structure may face fines, may be ineligible for the conversion to kat mülkiyeti, and in serious cases of illegal construction can face demolition orders. Buying such a property means inheriting the problem and the cost of fixing it.

Does the İskan relate to earthquake compliance?

Yes, indirectly, because the İskan inspection checks that the building was completed in line with approved plans and current standards. It is not a substitute for the mandatory DASK earthquake insurance, which is separate and required for utility subscriptions. But a clean İskan gives some assurance the building was signed off as compliant rather than quietly altered after permitting.

How should a foreign buyer handle the İskan in practice?

Treat the İskan as a condition of purchase, not an afterthought. Confirm the İskan exists and covers your unit before you transfer funds, and if it does not, make its delivery a written contractual obligation with a deadline and a penalty. Independent verification of the İskan, the TAPU, and the developer before money changes hands is exactly the kind of check Bektu is built to support.