What we handle
A property purchase, a residence permit and a company formation are three separate files at three separate institutions, and in Türkiye they collide more often than they should. We run them from one office, in English. So the tapu appointment does not quietly break the permit application.
You do not have to know which area your problem belongs to — telling you that is the first thing we do. Answered in English, by a founding partner.
Contact the firmEight areas, one office
The eight areas foreigners actually come to us for
Buying an apartment in Beşiktaş. Applying for citizenship through investment. Opening a company. Answering an investigation nobody warned you about. The statutes behind these rarely stay in their own lane: Law 6458 on foreigners talks to the Turkish Citizenship Law, the Civil Code (TMK) talks to MÖHUK, and a TTK company can change how your residence file is read at the counter. We tell you where the overlaps are before one of them costs you a filing date. If you cannot tell which area your matter sits in, that is a normal question, not a stupid one.
Citizenship and Residency
Turkish citizenship by investment — through qualifying real estate or a bank deposit — plus naturalisation, exceptional citizenship and dual-nationality questions. We run the file from the valuation report to the passport, including the three-year non-resale undertaking recorded on the tapu. A Power of Attorney signed at your nearest Turkish consulate covers most of it; many clients never fly in until the oath stage.
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Real Estate and Property
Title deed (tapu) transfers, due diligence, purchase contracts and developer disputes for foreign buyers. We read the land registry for mortgages, seizures and annotations, and check the municipality for zoning and occupancy (iskân), before any deposit moves. Buyers who skip that step are the ones who call us a year later.
Learn more IImmigration and Residence Permits
Short-term, family and long-term residence permits, work permits under Law 6735, and appeals against refusals, deportation orders and entry bans under Law 6458. Most refusals we see are avoidable paperwork errors. Once a decision has issued, the window to take it to the administrative court is short and counted in days, so the file should reach a lawyer the week it lands.
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Corporate and Commercial
Company formation, shareholder agreements, contracts and ongoing compliance under the Turkish Commercial Code (TTK). Foreign founders often default to an A.Ş. when a limited şirket would have done, or the reverse, and then pay for it in audit and share-transfer rules. We settle that question before the notary, then keep the filings and the bank account in order.
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Family and Divorce
Contested and uncontested divorce, child custody, spousal support and property division under the Civil Code (TMK) — including cross-border marriages and the recognition of foreign judgments. These files get personal, and Turkish family judges expect evidence rather than argument. You will know what has been filed about you and what it means, in English, before the hearing.
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Criminal Defense
Representation during investigation, custody and trial under the Criminal Code (TCK), plus travel bans, INTERPOL notices and enforcement issues. Led by founding partner Oruç Aygün. The first statement (ifade) shapes most files, and it is far easier to give it properly than to walk it back later, so call before you sit down with the police, not after.
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Recognition and Enforcement
Recognition (tanıma) and enforcement (tenfiz) of foreign court judgments and arbitral awards in Türkiye under MÖHUK (Law 5718) — from foreign divorces to commercial decisions. A foreign divorce decree is not automatically valid here. We check reciprocity and Turkish public policy first, because a tenfiz case that fails on either point costs you a year and the judgment stays unenforceable.
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Litigation and Disputes
Civil and commercial disputes, debt recovery and enforcement proceedings under the Code of Obligations (TBK) and the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law (İİK). Before anything is filed we give you a realistic view of what the claim is worth, what an İcra file collects in practice, and how long a first-instance case runs. Some claims are not worth running. We will say so.
Learn moreTell us where you stand. We will show the way.
Choose the situation closest to yours. You will see the first concrete steps, the governing Turkish statute, and how to reach the attorney at our firm who handles that work.
Buying property in Türkiye
Land Registry Law No. 2644- 01
Title deed and encumbrance check
Before any deposit is paid, we verify the tapu record at the Land Registry: ownership, mortgages, liens, zoning status and any annotation that could restrict transfer to a foreign buyer.
- 02
Contract review and valuation report
The preliminary sale contract is reviewed or drafted in both languages, and the mandatory official valuation report for foreign purchasers is commissioned from a licensed appraiser.
- 03
Transfer at the Land Registry
We accompany or represent you by power of attorney at the Land Registry Directorate, with a sworn interpreter where required, until the deed is registered in your name.
Facing a criminal matter
Criminal Procedure Code No. 5271- 01
Do not give a statement alone
You have the right to remain silent and the right to counsel before and during any statement to the police or prosecutor. Exercise both, in any language, before answering questions.
- 02
Appoint defence counsel formally
A notarised power of attorney lets us act immediately — attend interrogations, apply against custody measures and communicate with the prosecutor's office on your behalf.
- 03
Obtain and analyse the case file
We access the investigation file through the national judiciary system, map the accusations and evidence, and build the defence strategy before the first hearing.
Applying for Turkish citizenship
Citizenship Law No. 5901- 01
Confirm your eligibility route
We assess which acquisition route fits your position — investment-based acquisition, marriage, long-term residence or exceptional acquisition — and what each requires in documents and timing.
- 02
Secure the qualifying investment
For the investment route, the purchase or deposit is structured to meet the statutory thresholds, and the Certificate of Conformity is obtained from the competent ministry.
- 03
File and follow the application
We prepare the residence-permit and citizenship files, submit them to the Provincial Directorate, and track the application through fingerprinting to the final decision.
Starting a company in Türkiye
Commercial Code No. 6102- 01
Choose the right entity
Limited liability company (Ltd. Şti.) or joint-stock company (A.Ş.) — we compare capital requirements, liability, governance and exit options against your business plan.
- 02
Draft and register the articles
Articles of association are drafted, filed through the MERSİS system and registered with the Istanbul Trade Registry; foreign shareholders can be represented by power of attorney.
- 03
Activate tax, banking and permits
Tax registration, corporate bank accounts, signature circulars and any sector-specific licences are completed so the company can trade from day one.
Divorce & family matters
Civil Code No. 4721- 01
Establish jurisdiction and applicable law
For international couples we first determine whether Turkish courts have jurisdiction and which national law governs the divorce, maintenance and property regime.
- 02
Assemble the family file
Marriage certificate, residence records, asset inventory and evidence relevant to custody or fault are collected, with certified translations where documents are foreign.
- 03
File before the Family Court
The petition — contested or by mutual agreement with a settlement protocol — is filed at the competent Family Court, and interim measures for custody or support are requested where needed.
Enforcing a foreign judgment
Law No. 5718 (MÖHUK)- 01
Prepare the judgment for Türkiye
The foreign court decision must be final, apostilled (or legalised) and translated by a sworn translator before it can be presented to a Turkish court.
- 02
File the recognition or enforcement action
A tanıma (recognition) or tenfiz (enforcement) lawsuit is filed before the competent civil court; the court examines jurisdiction, due process and public-policy conditions — not the merits.
- 03
Execute through the enforcement office
Once the Turkish decision is final, we pursue collection through the enforcement office: asset inquiries, attachment of bank accounts and property, and liquidation where necessary.
The steps and statutes shown are general information about Turkish law and procedure, not legal advice for a specific case. Istanbul Attorneys — Gürsel Mah. Karataş Sk. SNS Plaza Kat:3 No:6, 34413 Kağıthane / İstanbul.
How we work
Most of our clients are not in the country
- The lawyer speaks English, not the assistant. Advice comes straight from the person holding the file. Nothing is relayed through someone who has never had to explain what an annotation on a tapu record does to a sale.
- Remote from start to finish. With a properly drafted Power of Attorney, most steps — from a citizenship application to a property purchase — can be completed without you flying in. You hear from us when something actually moves.
- One coordinated team. Your residence permit, company and family matters sit with one team. The lawyer drafting your share transfer knows what your residence file says. That sounds obvious until you have used three firms who never spoke.
- We will tell you if it is not worth running. If we think you may not be eligible, or the file is likely to cost more than it recovers, you hear that in the first conversation.
Not sure where your problem sits?
Send the short version on WhatsApp. We will tell you which area it belongs to, who would handle it, and whether it is worth doing at all.
Ask what applies to youA founding partner reads it · Answered in English · Asking costs nothing
If WhatsApp will not connect — airport wifi, a borrowed phone, a blocked network — call +90 544 809 1942 or write to info@istanbulattorneys.com.