Buying Property in Romania as a Turkish National in 2026

1. Can Turkish Citizens Buy Property in Romania?

Yes — with an important qualification about land. Turkish citizens can purchase buildings in Romania — apartments, houses (the structure itself), commercial units such as offices, shops, and warehouses — on exactly the same terms as Romanian nationals. There is no foreign-buyer surcharge, no additional tax, no special permit, and no government approval required for building purchases.

The qualification concerns land. Turkey is not a member of the EU or the EEA. Under Romanian law (Law No. 312/2005 and Article 44 of the Constitution), citizens of third countries — including Turkey — generally cannot acquire land directly in their personal name unless a bilateral treaty or reciprocity arrangement permits it. This restriction applies to: the land under a house, undeveloped urban plots, agricultural land, and forest land. The standard and widely used solution for Turkish buyers who need to acquire land is to purchase through a Romanian SRL (limited liability company).

A Turkish citizen who also holds EU citizenship (for example, through naturalisation in Germany, the Netherlands, or another EU member state) can purchase land directly under their EU citizenship. A Turkish citizen with Romanian permanent residency remains classified as a third-country national for property law purposes — residency does not override the land restriction.

2. Buildings Versus Land: The Fundamental Legal Distinction

The distinction between buildings and land runs through every property transaction involving a Turkish buyer. An apartment is a self-contained cadastral unit within a building — its purchase includes the unit, a share of common parts, and an accessory share of the land under the building. This accessory land share generally transfers with the apartment in standard notarial practice. A house, by contrast, typically sits on a separately registered land parcel — the buyer acquires both the building and the land together. This is where the land restriction applies.

Before any deposit, the buyer’s lawyer must check the Land Book (Cartea Funciară) and the cadastral documentation for the specific property to determine: what is being transferred (building only, building plus land, building plus land share); whether the land component can be acquired by the buyer personally; and, if not, what structure is needed.

3. Buying an Apartment

For a standard apartment in a multi-unit building, the transaction is structurally identical to any other foreign purchase: the Turkish buyer acquires the apartment unit and its accessory share of the common parts and land. The land share is accessory — it follows the apartment automatically and cannot be separately transferred. In standard practice, Romanian notaries process apartment sales to non-EU citizens, including Turkish nationals, without structural difficulty.

However, the buyer should not make a blanket assumption. The cadastral structure of the specific property should be verified: is the apartment registered as a self-contained unit with a defined cadastral number? Does the Land Book confirm that the land share is accessory? Are there any unusual notations? A brief review by the buyer’s lawyer before paying any reservation fee answers these questions definitively.

4. Buying a House or Villa

A house purchase almost always includes a separately registered land parcel. The Turkish buyer cannot acquire this land directly in their personal name. The practical options are: purchasing the entire property (building and land) through a Romanian SRL; or, in some structures, purchasing the building personally while the SRL acquires the land — though this creates a split ownership that requires careful legal and tax analysis.

The ownership structure must be decided before signing a preliminary contract — not at the notary’s office on the day of the transaction. Additional checks for house purchases include: verifying land boundaries against the cadastral plan; confirming legal access to a public road; checking for easements and servitudes; verifying that all structures (house, extensions, outbuildings, garages) are covered by a building permit; confirming utility connections; and checking the urbanistic certificate for permitted building parameters.

5. Can Turkish Citizens Buy Land Directly?

Law No. 312/2005 provides that citizens of third countries may acquire land on the conditions established by international treaties, on the basis of reciprocity. The question of whether a specific bilateral treaty or reciprocity arrangement between Romania and Turkey permits direct land acquisition by Turkish citizens — and for which categories of land — requires individual legal analysis for the specific transaction.

This guide does not assert the existence or absence of an operative reciprocity arrangement for any particular land category. The buyer’s Romanian lawyer should verify the current legal position before any commitment. In practice, most Turkish buyers who need to acquire land in Romania do so through a Romanian SRL — a well-established, entirely legal, and widely used structure that eliminates dependence on the reciprocity question.

6. Buying Through a Romanian SRL

A Turkish citizen can establish a Romanian SRL as the sole shareholder and sole administrator. The SRL, as a Romanian legal entity, can acquire any type of property — apartments, houses, urban land, agricultural land, commercial property — without the third-country land restriction. Establishing an SRL costs approximately €500–€1,500 and takes one to two weeks. The company requires: a registered office address in Romania, a minimum share capital (currently 1 RON, though practical considerations often dictate a higher amount), a bank account, monthly or quarterly accounting, and annual tax filing.

The SRL must disclose its ultimate beneficial owner (UBO) in all registrations. The corporate structure is transparent — it is a legitimate ownership vehicle for acquiring land, not a mechanism for concealing ownership. The company’s ongoing costs (accounting €1,000–€3,000/year, corporate compliance, and higher property tax rates for company-owned buildings) should be factored into the investment calculation.

7. Personal Ownership Versus SRL: Comparison

The SRL should not be created automatically. For a Turkish citizen buying a single apartment for personal use or simple long-term rental, personal ownership is simpler, cheaper, and often more tax-efficient. The SRL becomes necessary when the transaction involves land and advantageous when the investor holds multiple properties or operates short-term rental with significant deductible expenses.

8–9. Agricultural, Forest, and Urban Development Land

Agricultural land (extravilan): even when acquired through an SRL, agricultural land sales trigger mandatory pre-emption rights — co-owners, neighbouring farmers, tenants, and the Romanian state must be offered the land first. The procedure adds 4–8 weeks minimum. Agricultural land may carry cultivation obligations and restrictions on conversion to non-agricultural use.

Forest land: subject to the Forest Code, environmental protections, pre-emption rights, and restrictions on building. Specialist legal and environmental advice is essential.

Urban land (intravilan): the most commonly transacted category for construction. The urbanistic certificate (certificat de urbanism) defines what can be built: permitted use, height, footprint (POT), total buildable area (CUT), setbacks, and conditions. A plot without road access, utilities, or favourable zoning parameters has limited practical value regardless of ownership. The SRL can acquire urban land without restriction.

10–11. Banking, Fund Transfers, and Source of Funds

International transfers from Turkish banks to Romanian banks are subject to standard AML/KYC checks but are not subject to the same level of restrictive measures that apply to certain other jurisdictions. Nevertheless, the buyer should: notify the receiving Romanian bank in advance of the planned transfer; ensure the transfer is from the buyer’s own bank account (not from a third party); prepare source-of-funds documentation (bank statements, employment records, business documentation, asset sale contracts, tax returns); be prepared for compliance questions from the Romanian bank, notary, and lawyer; and allow sufficient time for the transfer to arrive before the signing date.

A Romanian bank account is not legally required — the purchase price can be paid from a foreign account. However, a Romanian account simplifies the transaction logistics, ongoing property tax payments, and utility management. Some Romanian banks may require additional documentation from Turkish nationals as part of their onboarding process — the buyer should approach the bank well before the transaction deadline.

12. Can a Turkish Buyer Obtain a Romanian Mortgage?

Romanian banking law does not prohibit mortgage lending to Turkish nationals. Practical availability depends on: the specific bank’s lending policy for non-residents; whether the buyer has EU-sourced income; the loan-to-value ratio (non-residents typically face higher down payment requirements of 25–35%); the currency of income and the currency of the loan; and the bank’s assessment of the applicant’s creditworthiness. Not all Romanian banks lend to non-residents, and those that do may have specific requirements. The buyer should explore mortgage availability early — before committing to a property — and should not assume that financing will be available.

13–14. NIF, Documents, and Apostille

A Turkish buyer needs a Romanian NIF (Număr de Identificare Fiscală) from ANAF — required for the notarial transaction and all subsequent tax registrations. Documents required include: valid Turkish passport; NIF; marital status certificate (evlilik durumu belgesi) or declaration; spousal consent if the property is acquired as marital community property; source-of-funds documentation; and, if purchasing remotely, a notarial power of attorney. All Turkish documents must bear an apostille (Turkey is a Hague Convention member) and be accompanied by a certified Romanian translation (traducere autorizată).

The power of attorney — if needed for remote purchase — should be specifically limited to the transaction: identifying the property, the maximum price, and the representative’s exact authority. General powers of attorney are not recommended. The power of attorney can be notarised in Turkey (noter), apostilled, and translated into Romanian.

15–17. Due Diligence, Preliminary Contract, and Notarial Signing

The buyer’s independent lawyer should conduct: Land Book verification (current owner, encumbrances, mortgages, court orders); chain of ownership analysis; building permit and completion certificate check; cadastral compliance (does the physical property match the registered description?); homeowners’ association records; fiscal certificate (no outstanding property tax); and — for new-build purchases — developer verification including Nordis Law compliance.

The preliminary contract should include: clear identification of all transferred rights (building, land, parking, storage); the deposit amount and its legal characterisation (avans vs. arvună); a condition that the buyer can legally acquire all components of the property (including land); adequate time for due diligence; and the deadline for the final notarial contract. The final sale-purchase agreement is signed before a Romanian public notary, who verifies identities, obtains a fresh Land Book extract, reads the contract (through an authorised interpreter if the buyer does not speak Romanian), collects fees and taxes, and submits the transfer to the Land Book.

18. Buying from a Developer

Turkish buyers purchasing new-build or off-plan apartments from developers should conduct additional checks: verify the developer’s ownership of the land and the building permit’s validity; confirm Nordis Law (2025) compliance — the requirement for pre-registration of apartments in the Land Book before sale; review the developer’s corporate status, financial health, and litigation history; verify the payment schedule and ensure that payments are linked to construction milestones; confirm how the land share will be transferred — particularly whether the Turkish buyer will receive the accessory land share with the apartment or whether alternative arrangements are needed; check whether parking spaces and storage rooms are separately priced (and separately subject to 19% VAT); and conduct a technical inspection at handover before signing the acceptance protocol. The developer’s bank account details should be verified independently before any transfer.

19. Does Buying Property Provide Romanian Residency?

No. Purchasing property in Romania does not grant a visa, a residence permit, or the right to live in Romania or the Schengen area. Property ownership and residency are legally independent. A Turkish citizen who wishes to reside in Romania must obtain a residence permit through the standard immigration procedure — based on employment, business activity, study, family reunification, or another qualifying purpose. Property ownership may support a residence application but is not sufficient on its own.

19–20. Purchase Costs and Annual Taxes

Transaction costs include: VAT (5% or 19% for new-build property from a developer); notary fees (€500–€1,500 for standard residential); land registry registration; legal due diligence (€500–€1,500); agency commission (2–3% + VAT); translation and apostille; bank transfer fees; and SRL formation costs if applicable. Total additional costs: typically 6–12% above the purchase price for a standard transaction.

Annual ownership costs: building tax (0.08–0.2% for individuals, 0.2–1.3% for companies); land tax; mandatory PAD insurance (~€20/year); supplementary insurance (€100–€400/year); homeowners’ association fees; and utility costs. Rental income is taxed at 10% on net income after a 20% fixed deduction (effective 8% on gross for long-term rental). CASS health contribution may apply if total passive income exceeds the annual threshold.

21. The Romania–Turkey Double Tax Treaty

Romania and Turkey have a bilateral agreement for the avoidance of double taxation. Under most such treaties, income from immovable property (rental income, capital gains on sale) may be taxed in the country where the property is located — Romania. The Turkish owner must also declare Romanian income in Turkey, but the Romanian tax paid is typically creditable against the Turkish tax liability, avoiding double taxation. The owner should: obtain a certificate from the Romanian tax authorities confirming the tax paid; convert amounts to Turkish lira at the applicable rate; and file the required declarations in Turkey within the Turkish deadline. A tax adviser in both countries is recommended to ensure correct application of the treaty.

22. Selling the Property and Repatriating Proceeds

When selling, the Turkish owner pays: transfer tax at 1% (ownership exceeding three years) or 3% (three years or less) if the property is personally owned; or corporate tax on the gain plus dividend tax on distribution if owned through an SRL. Agency commission (2–3% + VAT) and notary costs apply. Sale proceeds can be transferred to Turkey without capital controls — Romania permits free repatriation of legitimate property sale proceeds. The transferring bank will require documentation: the sale contract, proof of original purchase, and tax payment confirmation. The owner should also declare the capital gain in Turkey under the double tax treaty, claiming credit for Romanian tax paid.

23. Common Mistakes by Turkish Buyers

• Assuming Turkey is an EU/EEA member. Turkey is a third country — the land restriction applies.
• Believing Romanian residency grants the right to buy land. Residency does not override the third-country land restriction.
• Buying a house without analysing the land component. A house purchase usually includes land — determine the structure before any deposit.
• Creating an SRL without a tax comparison. The SRL has ongoing compliance costs and higher property tax rates — use it when necessary, not by default.
• Paying a deposit before due diligence. Legal and technical verification must be completed before any financial commitment.
• Not verifying the land share under an apartment. In standard cases it is accessory — but the specific cadastral structure should be confirmed.
• Signing a contract without translation. The buyer must understand every term — use an authorised interpreter and review the draft with a lawyer in advance.
• Not confirming the bank transfer in advance. Large international transfers require advance notification to avoid compliance delays.
• Treating property ownership as a residency pathway. Ownership does not grant residency — the two are legally independent.

24. Step-by-Step Purchase Procedure

Frequently Asked Questions