Turkey to go paperless in real estate sales
A new housing project is seen in northeastern Rize province, Turkey, Oct. 3, 2018. (IHA Photo)


Real estate deals in Turkey will be no longer need paper title deeds as the country has decided to go paperless in property sales, Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum said on Sunday.

The number of title deed across Turkey has surpassed 200 million. As part of a presidential campaign, title deeds and mortgage documents are currently being provided via e-Devlet (e-State), Turkey's online portal for government services. Now, the purchase and selling processes for properties will have the same convenience.

Once all title deeds in Turkey are registered into the Land Registry and Cadastre Information System (TAKBIS) by next year, there will be no need to obtain documents with a wet-ink signature from the archives, Kurum said.

The minister added that they aim to ensure the satisfaction of citizens with easier and shorter transactions, noting that the title deeds transferred to the electronic environment are from original documents.

"Transaction processes are shortened due to the easier access to documents transferred to electronic media. Also, it is possible to use public buildings more economically and efficiently," he said.

There are 60 million parcels of land and nearly 200 million title deeds in Turkey.