Rental contract and address registration

Advertencias importantes

• Between persons resident in Türkiye, the rent is as a rule set in Turkish lira; exceptions determined by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance remain reserved, such as contracts in which a person resident in Türkiye without Turkish citizenship is the tenant (Decision No. 32 art. 4(g); Communiqué No. 2008-32/34 art. 8). This page does not assess whether a particular contract falls within an exception.

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• A general list of the elements a rental contract should contain
• Address-registration steps and a document list

The checklist and guide shown on this page, which you can print from your browser. No completed official form, personalised petition or assessment is produced.

Documentos necesarios

1. Residential lease agreement

   Dónde obtenerlo: Landlord and tenant (the parties to the contract). The landlord and the tenant draw up and sign the contract together. The main lease topics regulated by the Turkish Code of Obligations are: the leased property and the rent (art. 299), duration (art. 300), delivery date and fitness for the agreed use (art. 301), compulsory insurance, taxes and similar charges relating to the property (art. 302), ancillary costs (art. 303), time of payment (art. 314), the upper limit of any security deposit (art. 342), rent increases in renewed periods (art. 344), the rule that in residential leases no payment obligation other than rent and ancillary costs may be imposed on the tenant (art. 346) and the written form of a termination notice (art. 348). Between persons resident in Türkiye, the rent cannot be set in foreign currency or indexed to foreign currency except in cases determined by the Ministry (Decision No. 32, art. 4(g)); one exception set by the Ministry covers real-estate leases in which a person resident in Türkiye without Turkish citizenship is the tenant (Communiqué No. 2008-32/34, art. 8(3)).

   Formato: A written contract text signed by the parties.

2. Notary-certified copy of the lease (for a residence-permit application)

   Dónde obtenerlo: Notary office (noter). According to the Migration Management explanations for e-İkamet applications, if a person stays under a lease in Türkiye, a notary-certified copy of the contract is attached to the application documents. The certification is done at a notary office; the conditions and any fee are given by that office (no fee is stated on the official page).

   Formato: A notary-certified copy of the contract.

3. Passport (photo identity document)

   Dónde obtenerlo: Competent authorities of the country of citizenship (e.g. its consulate). A document proving identity is requested for an address notification; a passport is among the accepted photo identity documents (Address Registration System Implementation Guideline, art. 14). Renewing a passport is done by the authorities of one's own country.

   Formato: Photo identity document.

4. Residence permit document (residence permit card)

   Dónde obtenerlo: Provincial Directorate of Migration Management (Presidency of Migration Management). The application is made online through the e-İkamet system (e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr); on the chosen appointment day the person goes to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management with the required documents; if the application is approved, the card is sent to the declared address (goc.gov.tr FAQ). No fee is paid for the appointment; a residence-permit duty (harç) and a document fee exist separately, and current amounts are shown on goc.gov.tr.

   Formato: Residence permit card/document.

5. Foreigner identity number (YKN)

   Dónde obtenerlo: Ministry of Interior – General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs / Presidency of Migration Management. Under Law No. 5490 art. 8, the Ministry is authorised to give an identity number to foreigners within the scope of Law No. 6458. The number can be looked up through NVİ's "Yabancı Kimlik No Sorgulama" service (tckimlik.nvi.gov.tr). On the address declaration form, the foreigner identity number is written in the field for the T.C. identity number.

   Formato: A number.

6. Address declaration form (Form A)

   Dónde obtenerlo: General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs / district population directorate (nüfus müdürlüğü). The form can be obtained from nvi.gov.tr or from the population directorates (Guideline art. 11). If the officer prepares the notification electronically from the person's oral statement, a printout is made and signed (Guideline art. 14/3). Mandatory fields: identity number, name, surname, declaration date, signature, address details and the date of moving to the declared address (Guideline art. 12).

   Formato: Form (A); on paper, or a printout prepared by the officer electronically and signed.

7. Document confirming the address (subscription contract/bill, or a signed statement)

   Dónde obtenerlo: The provider of a subscription tied to the address; where needed, the dwelling owner, site/apartment management or the muhtar. According to NVİ, when an address is declared for an empty dwelling or a dwelling that already has a registered resident, documents confirming the declaration are requested: a subscription contract or bill for one of the subscriptions tied to the address, such as electricity, water, natural gas, fixed telephone or fixed internet. Where needed, documents signed by the owner of a detached dwelling, the site or apartment management, the housing-office manager or the muhtar may also be requested. The NVİ page does not say whether a lease is accepted for this purpose.

   Formato: Subscription contract or bill; or a signed statement.

8. Residence-address certificate (yerleşim yeri / ikametgâh belgesi)

   Dónde obtenerlo: District population directorate (nüfus müdürlüğü); turkiye.gov.tr (e-Devlet). According to NVİ, the residence-address certificate can be obtained from the district population directorates, from muhtar offices connected to the Identity Sharing System, or from turkiye.gov.tr. You log in to e-Devlet yourself; do not give your password or verification codes to anyone. The NVİ page does not separately say whether foreign users can obtain this certificate from e-Devlet.

   Formato: Certificate; valid for 30 days from the date of issue (Guideline art. 23(5)).

Pasos

1. Check the currency of the rent: in lease contracts between persons with a legal place of residence in Türkiye, the price cannot be set in foreign currency or indexed to foreign currency except in cases determined by the Ministry (Decision No. 32, art. 2(b) and 4(g)). As one of the exceptions set by the Ministry, in real-estate leases in which a person resident in Türkiye without a citizenship bond with the Republic of Türkiye is the tenant, the price may be set in foreign currency or indexed to foreign currency (Communiqué No. 2008-32/34, art. 8(3), as amended in Official Gazette 16.11.2018/30597). This page does not assess whether a particular contract falls within this exception; the related communiqués and announcements published by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance are the place to look.
2. Read the lease text and see whether the subjects regulated by the Turkish Code of Obligations (the leased property and rent, duration, delivery, ancillary costs, time of payment, security deposit, rent increase, termination notice) appear in it; in residential leases no payment obligation other than rent and ancillary costs may be imposed on the tenant (art. 346). The relevant articles are published on mevzuat.gov.tr (art. 299 ff.). Collections and payments of rent for homes and workplaces must be documented by records issued by a bank or PTT (Tax Procedure Law, repeated art. 257; General Communiqué on Income Tax No. 328, Official Gazette 17.10.2024/32695); pay the rent through a bank or PTT.
3. Check the stamp-duty position on the current explanations of the Revenue Administration (gib.gov.tr). Under the law, lease contracts are taxable under Table (1); however, leases of immovables rented by natural persons for residential use and not part of a business enterprise fall within an exemption listed in Table (2). If tax arises, the taxpayers are those who sign the document, and the declaration is filed with the tax office within 15 days after the date the document was issued (unless a different procedure is set). Amounts are shown on gib.gov.tr.
4. If the lease will be used in a residence-permit application: according to the Migration Management explanations, a notary-certified copy of the contract is attached if the person stays under a lease; the address, phone number and e-mail to be used in Türkiye must also be declared correctly, completely and kept up to date. The application is made through e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr.
5. Prepare the documents for the address notification: a photo identity document (e.g. passport), the residence permit document if issued, the foreigner identity number, and a document confirming the address (a subscription contract/bill tied to the address; where needed, a signed document from the owner, management or muhtar).
6. The address notification is made within 20 working days after moving (Law No. 5490, art. 50); according to NVİ, this duty also covers foreigners living in Türkiye. According to NVİ, foreigners holding a residence permit make this notification to the population directorate (nüfus müdürlüğü) or to the provincial migration management directorates; the Migration Management page speaks of presenting documents to both the provincial migration management directorate and the provincial population and citizenship affairs directorate. For appointments and the place of application, check the announcements of the directorate concerned.
7. The officer has you fill in the address declaration form (Form A) or records your statement electronically and has you sign the printout; write the date of moving correctly. Keep the approved part; under the Guideline, the approved acknowledgement of the address declaration form issued by institutions is valid for 30 days. NVİ also states that, under certain conditions, the notification can be made through e-Devlet; log in to e-Devlet yourself and do not share your password or codes with anyone.
8. If an institution asks for a residence-address certificate, obtain it from the district population directorate or from turkiye.gov.tr (e-Devlet); the certificate is valid for 30 days from the date of issue.
9. If you move while a residence permit is valid: according to Migration Management, if you moved to another address within the same province, notifying the new address to the provincial migration management directorate within 20 working days is enough; if you moved to an address in another province, an application for a new residence permit for that province is made within 20 working days at the latest.
10. As general information: in disputes arising from a lease relationship (except the provisions on eviction of leased immovables through enforcement without a court judgment), applying to a mediator before filing a lawsuit is a condition for suing (Law No. 6325, art. 18/B). This step only describes the general route; it is not an assessment of any individual case.

Tasas y citas

Address notification: an administrative fine applies under Law No. 5490 art. 68 to those who do not notify within the deadline and to those who declare a false address; current amounts change every year and are shown on NVİ's address FAQ page (nvi.gov.tr/sss-adres-hizmetleri). No official page checked clearly states a fee or an appointment requirement for the address notification itself; this should be asked at the district population directorate. Residence permit: the e-İkamet application and the appointment are free of charge; a residence-permit duty (harç) and a document fee exist, and current amounts and appointments are shown on goc.gov.tr / e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr. Stamp duty: lease contracts are listed by the law among taxable documents, with an exemption for some residential leases; the amount is shown on gib.gov.tr. Notary certification: a fee may apply and is given by the notary office.

Cuándo acudir a un abogado

If eviction, a rent increase or rent determination, a deposit or dues dispute, or enforcement proceedings are involved, seek help from a lawyer. In disputes arising from a lease relationship, applying to mediation before suing is a condition of bringing the case; the provisions on eviction of leased immovables through enforcement without a court judgment are outside that rule (Law No. 6325, art. 18/B). You may contact the bar association in your province or its legal aid office.

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