Karina had been looking for a flat in Antalya for almost a year. She is 52, runs a consulting practice in Almaty, and a flat by the sea had long been the plan: to winter in the warmth and work remotely. In October she found what she was looking for, agreed the price and deal date with the seller and paid a deposit.
Eleven days before signing, the seller's lawyer sent the payment scheme. It contained a detail the estate agent had not mentioned: a foreign buyer pays through a Turkish bank, with mandatory currency conversion, and registering the deal requires a conversion certificate from the bank. Without a Turkish account the deal cannot go through.
The next day Karina went to a bank. The first branch turned her away: no Turkish tax number. The second asked for proof of a Turkish address, and she was staying in a hotel. Online appointments to open an account were booked a week ahead in high season. Ten days were left to the deal, two of them a weekend.
The date could not move. There was a second buyer for the flat, and the seller said plainly he would not wait. The deposit was not refundable if the deal fell through on the buyer's side. That evening Karina wrote to us.
We obtained her tax number, prepared documents for a specific branch of a state bank and agreed the visit and conversion procedure with it in advance. The account was opened in seven days, the money arrived, was converted and went to the seller in the right order, and the deal closed on the set day. Here is how it went.
Case at a glance
This story in seven lines
Client
Karina, 52, owner of a consulting practice in Almaty (name changed)
Goal
Buy a flat in Antalya on the date agreed with the seller
What happened
11 days before the deal: payment only via a Turkish bank with conversion and a certificate
Constraints
No tax number, no Turkish address, bank appointments a week ahead
What was at stake
A second buyer for the flat and a non-refundable deposit
What we did
Tax number, a file for the branch, the visit and conversion agreed in advance
Result
Account in 7 days, deal closed on the set date
Client story
Eleven days to signing
The flat chosen, the date set
Karina chose a sea-view flat in one of Antalya's coastal districts. The price was agreed after two meetings with the seller, a deposit paid and the deal set for three weeks later. The agent promised the rest would be simple: the lawyer prepares the documents, the buyer transfers the money, the parties sign at the land registry.
A detail in the payment scheme
Eleven days before signing, the seller's lawyer sent the payment scheme. A foreign buyer must route the money through a Turkish bank with mandatory currency conversion, and the bank issues a conversion certificate without which the land registry will not register the deal. So Karina needed a Turkish bank account, opened before the deal.
Two branches, two refusals
The first branch turned Karina away: no Turkish tax number. At the second the number was not the main issue: the officer asked for proof of a Turkish address, and Karina was staying in a hotel. Online appointments to open an account were booked a week ahead in high season. Ten days were left to the deal, including a weekend.
Why waiting was not an option
Moving the date meant risking the flat. There was a second buyer, and the seller said plainly he would not wait. The deposit was not refundable if the deal fell through on the buyer's side. Karina risked losing a flat she had spent a year looking for, and her deposit.
Why paying from abroad was not possible
Karina's first thought was to simplify: transfer the money straight to the seller from Kazakhstan and skip the Turkish bank. The seller's lawyer rejected this, and rightly: without the conversion certificate a deal with a foreign buyer cannot be registered. Workarounds, such as a transfer to a third party's account or cash, created risks not of timing but of substance: an opaque payment trail in a property deal comes back to haunt you for years.
Why she wrote to us
On the evening of the second refusal Karina realised she would not manage alone: get a tax number, solve the address question, find a branch that would see her without a week's wait and agree the conversion so everything came together on the deal date. This was no longer a trip to the bank but a small project with a hard deadline.
Where it could all have stopped
Where it could all have stopped
This story allowed no second attempt: any slip moved the deal date, and a moved date meant losing the flat and the deposit. There were seven difficult points.
the conversion certificate: without it the land registry will not register a deal with a foreigner, and the bank can issue it only for the client's own account;
01the tax number: without it the bank will not start the conversation, and it had to be obtained in the first days;
02a Turkish address: the bank did not accept a hotel as an address, and proof had to be sorted out lawfully;
03the bank appointment: online slots are booked a week ahead in high season, and Karina did not have a week;
04choice of branch: in branches where foreigners are rare, the procedure is slower and brings more questions;
05the order of money: transfer, conversion and payment to the seller had to happen in the right order on the right days;
06the weekend: banks were closed on two of the eleven days;
07the second buyer: the seller was ready to sell to someone else at the first slip in the date.
A race against the clock
Eleven days: how it was done in time
The chart is built from the facts of this matter and shows the logic of the work without decorative or unverified data.
Days to completion11
Account opened in7 days
ReschedulingNot required
0102030405
Stage 1
Day one: the settlement scheme reviewed and the banking chain mapped.
Stage 2
The tax number obtained at the Antalya tax office in a single visit.
Stage 3
The address question closed with accommodation confirmation and the preliminary contract.
Stage 4
The document set assembled to the requirements of one specific branch.
Stage 5
The visit agreed for a set day and hour, with a Turkish SIM arranged the same day.
Takeaway. In property transactions the banking part must be ready before the contract is signed - not resolved alongside it.
How it went
How it went
Seven days step by step: what we arranged, how we chose the branch and how we lined up the money for the deal date.
01
A ten-day plan
On the first evening we laid out the ten remaining days. The deal is a fixed point. Two working days before it the money must be in the account and converted. So the account was needed at least four days before, and the tax number in the first two. Anything that did not fit this schedule we dropped at once, including waiting for an online appointment.
02
The tax number
The next morning we obtained Karina's Turkish tax number. It is a short procedure if you know where to go and what to bring: the passport and a translation of its details. The number was issued the same day. The first reason for refusal was gone.
03
The address question
The address was solved lawfully: Karina obtained a temporary proof of address that the bank accepts from non-residents, and the form also listed the future flat as her address after the deal. We checked with the bank in advance which document would do, so as not to get a third refusal over a piece of paper.
04
A state bank and the right branch
We chose a state bank with a large flow of foreign property buyers: such banks have a well-run procedure and predictable requirements. Choosing the branch mattered just as much - one in a tourist district of Antalya, where a foreigner with a pile of translated documents is a regular visitor rather than the event of the day. The day, time and document list were agreed with the branch in advance.
05
A file for the branch
The set was put together for this branch's requirements: passport, tax number, proof of address, documents on Karina's income from her consulting practice, statements showing where the money for the flat would come from, and the preliminary sale agreement. The bank saw not just a foreigner wanting an account, but a flat buyer with a clear source of money and a deal date.
06
The visit and the account
On day four Karina came to the branch at the agreed time. No queue, with a folder containing everything requested. The account was opened the same day. We immediately discussed the conversion procedure for the deal with the officer: on which day the money would arrive, when to convert it and how to issue the certificate for the land registry.
07
Money in the right order
The transfer from Kazakhstan arrived three working days before the deal. The bank converted the currency on the agreed day and issued the conversion certificate. The money was ready to pay the seller, and the certificate was in the lawyer's folder. Everything came together in exactly the order we had set out on the first evening.
08
The deal on the set day
The deal closed on the set day. The seller received payment, the land registry registered the transfer of title, and the second buyer stayed second. The account remains Karina's working tool: utilities, property tax and flat expenses are paid from it.
Expert comment
Half of all urgent banking requests for Turkey are property transactions where the account was remembered at the last moment. The requirements are simple: a tax number, a clear source of funds, a proper purpose for the account. But branch practice varies, and in high season it is the queues rather than the checks that consume the time. We win days by knowing a specific branch’s requirements in advance and arriving with a complete set.
Outcome
What the client received
Tax number
Obtained on the first day of work
Account
Opened in 7 days
Conversion certificate
Received before the deal
Deal
Closed on the set date
After the deal
Account for utilities and taxes
What happened: eleven days before buying a flat in Antalya the buyer learned the deal could not go through without a Turkish account and a conversion certificate, and two branches turned her away over a tax number and an address. What we did: worked back from the deal date, obtained the tax number and proof of address, chose a state bank and branch with practice serving foreign buyers, prepared the file and agreed the visit and conversion in advance. What the client got: an account in seven days, the conversion certificate and the deal on the set date. The account now serves the flat's expenses.
A foreign property buyer in Turkey pays through a Turkish bank with conversion and receives a certificate for the land registry.
Open the account before the deal, not the day before: allow at least two weeks.
You need a tax number before going to the bank: without it the conversation will not start.
Banks do not accept a hotel as an address; sort out proof of address in advance.
A branch in a tourist district with practice serving foreigners saves days.
Agree the order of transfer, conversion and payment to the seller with the bank before the deal.
Do not pay the seller directly from abroad or through third parties: without the certificate the deal will not be registered.
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FAQ
Questions people ask in a similar situation
01Does a foreigner need a Turkish account to buy a flat?
Yes. The currency is routed through a Turkish bank with conversion, and the bank issues a certificate without which the land registry will not register a deal with a foreign buyer.
02Can I pay the seller directly from abroad?
Not if the deal needs registering. Without the conversion certificate the land registry will not process it, and payments through third parties create risks for the buyer.
03What do I need to open an account in Turkey?
Passport, Turkish tax number, proof of address and documents on the source of funds. For a property purchase it helps to attach the preliminary agreement.
04How long does opening an account take?
In this case seven days from first contact to an open account, including the tax number and document preparation.
05Where do I get a tax number?
At the Turkish tax office with your passport, usually the same day. We obtain it on the first day of work.
06Will a hotel address do?
As a rule, no. You need a proof of temporary address that the bank accepts from non-residents. Which one exactly is best checked with the branch in advance.
07How much does support for a Turkish account cost?
From EUR 2,500, including the tax number, file preparation and visit coordination. The price is fixed before payment; bank fees and deal costs are paid separately.
08What should I do with the account after the deal?
Keep it active: it is convenient for paying utilities, property tax and flat expenses.
I lead the international tax practice at BRIDGES and work at the intersection of tax residence, cross-border reporting and banking compliance. I assess how citizenship, residence, relocation or a new ownership structure may affect the client's tax obligations, banking profile and capital.
My work covers tax residence, CRS and FATCA requirements, source of funds and the questions a bank may raise. These elements should be considered together, because inconsistencies between documents, declarations and the underlying circumstances can create risks after a status has been obtained or an account has been opened.
During the consultation, you will receive an assessment of the tax and banking implications of the proposed decision. Where further work is required, I determine the financial documentation and personally oversee the tax and compliance aspects of the BRIDGES project.
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Names and certain details have been changed to protect client confidentiality. The result described reflects one specific situation and is neither a public offer nor a guarantee of a similar outcome. Programme terms are stated as of 2026 and may change - please confirm current parameters with a BRIDGES consultant.
