Mortgage and housing loan for foreigners in Türkiye: documents, bank decisions and regulatory limits

A foreigner can apply for a housing loan (konut kredisi) in Türkiye, but each bank sets its own conditions and decides each file on its merits. This guide separates three things: the documents banks typically ask for, the decisions that belong to the bank alone, and the limits fixed by the regulator. It also covers how income papers issued abroad are translated and apostilled so the bank can read them.

Who decides what

Three parties are involved and their roles differ. The bank alone decides whether to lend, the amount, the term, the interest rate, the fees and whether it accepts a particular foreigner as a customer; none of this is set by law and conditions vary from bank to bank. The regulator, BDDK (the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency), sets outer limits that every bank must respect, such as the maximum share of the property value that may be financed. Separate exchange-control rules restrict foreign-currency lending. The third party is the client, who supplies documents. ROSTU sits on the client side only: we prepare, translate and organise documents and accompany you to the branch. We do not negotiate with the bank, and we cannot influence its approval, rate or limit.

Documents banks typically ask for

Lists differ, but a foreign applicant is usually asked for the following. Identity: a valid passport, and in most cases a residence permit; some banks also want the Turkish tax number (vergi numarası). Contact and address details in Türkiye. Income proof: salary letter and recent payslips, employment contract, or for owners of a business the company registry extract, tax returns and bank statements. Existing accounts: statements showing salary or regular inflows. Property file: the title deed (tapu) or the sale promise, and the appraisal (ekspertiz) report that the bank orders itself. Many banks also ask the client to visit a branch in person with the passport. Because every bank keeps its own checklist, ask the branch for the current one in writing before you start collecting papers, and keep the list as the reference for everything you submit.

Income evidence, including income from abroad

The bank must be satisfied that you can repay, so income evidence matters more than for a Turkish employee with a long local record. If you are paid in Türkiye, salary statements from the same bank are the simplest proof. If income arrives from abroad, banks commonly look at employment contract, salary letters, tax returns and foreign bank statements, and may ask where the funds on your account came from. Documents issued abroad normally need a Turkish translation, and an apostille (or consular legalisation, if the issuing state is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention) so that the bank can treat them as authentic. Check with the bank which documents need an apostille and whether it accepts a plain translation or requires a sworn one. Documents that are older than the bank’s freshness period will be refused, so order them last.

Appraisal, insurance and the property file

Before lending, the bank has the property valued by an appraisal company it works with; the client usually pays the appraisal fee up front, and one bank’s information form states that it is held in the account until the loan is approved. The loan is secured by a first-degree mortgage (ipotek) registered at the land registry on the financed property. Earthquake insurance through DASK (compulsory under Law No. 6305) is required for the property; the same form says that house insurance and life insurance are not obligatory to obtain the loan, although a bank may offer them and some products tie rates to them. Read the pre-contract information form carefully and compare the total cost of the loan, not only the monthly instalment, before signing anything at the bank.

What BDDK and exchange rules set

BDDK Board Decision No. 11364 of 29 January 2026 sets the maximum loan as a percentage of the home value, based on Article 12(4) of the Regulation on Credit Operations of Banks. For a home up to 5 million lira the ceiling is 90 percent for energy class A or B, 80 percent for class C and 70 percent for other classes; it then falls with value, to 40, 30 and 20 percent for homes above 20 million lira. These are ceilings, not entitlements: the bank may offer less. The rule can be changed by the Board at any time, so confirm the current table with the bank. Separately, Article 17/A of Decision No. 32 bars residents of Türkiye without foreign-currency income from borrowing in foreign currency from domestic banks, and resident individuals generally cannot take FX loans. Do not plan a foreign-currency mortgage without the bank’s written confirmation.

Sources

• bddk.org.tr — BDDK Board Decision No. 11364 of 29.01.2026 on loan-to-value ratios for housing loans (consolidated copy on alomaliye.com, as the BDDK site blocks automated access)
• mevzuat.gov.tr — Decision No. 32 on the Protection of the Value of the Turkish Currency, Articles 17 and 17/A (read via a KPMG Türkiye bulletin and the alomaliye.com copy of Communiqué 2018-32/46)
• dask.gov.tr — DASK, Natural Catastrophe Insurance Pool: compulsory earthquake insurance (Law No. 6305)
• denizbank.com — bank information form for foreigners’ mortgage finance (branch visit with passport, appraisal fee, DASK, first-degree mortgage)

Questions