As the legal system in North Cyprus is the same as that of the UK, the whole process of buying Villas in Cyprus and other property is fairly simple. All legal documents are in English, and there is a wide range of highly regarded solicitors in North Cyprus who are bilingual in English and Turkish. Once the purchaser has decided on the property they would like to go ahead with, then the property purchase can be completed in a very short period of time.

North Cyprus Solicitors...

Hiring a solicitor in North Cyprus is essential. The solicitor will be responsible for informing you of and providing you with all documents relating to taxes, applications, processes from the time of sale through to the transfer of the title deed of the property you purchase.  Furthermore, the solicitor will also deal with processing your permissions to purchase as a foreigner by applying to the appropriate Governmental Offices and will follow up on your applications to ensure completion. The solicitors in North Cyprus can be communicated via e-mail, fax and phone. Thus, constant correspondence can be ensured throughout the purchase process of a property in North Cyprus. Moreover, a property purchase may even be completed from abroad if the solicitor has been granted the Power of Attorney to act on your behalf.

Steps to Buying Property in North Cyprus

Select and Reserve the Property in North Cyprus:

Once you decide on which North Cyprus Property you would like to purchase, make sure to pay the reservation fee to secure the property and have it removed from the market. Nature Bay Developers allows you to reserve any property for a refundable fee of 1000 GBP. If you are out of North Cyprus and would like to reserve a property from abroad, it is necessary to complete a wire transfer of the funds, as foreign checks take a few weeks to clear. If you are present in North Cyprus, it is possible to pay via credit card (Master card, VISA or Diner's Club International) or cash.  By reserving a property in North Cyprus, you will secure it for a period of one month, which allows enough time for the sales contract to be drawn up, agreed and signed. Before moving on to the next step you should also make sure that you have reached an agreement with the Developer on the price and any extras that you may need.

Hire a Solicitor:

As stated earlier on, it is essential to hire a North Cyprus based solicitor to buy property in North Cyprus. There are a number of reputable solicitors to choose from (more information on solicitors we work with and which we recommend and their average fees can be found here). The solicitor’s role is to advise you, release checks upon your approval to the Developer you are buying from, apply to relevant Government Offices for your permissions to buy a property in North Cyprus, act on your behalf in your absence with the Power of Attorney, confirm title deeds including all governmental documentation, and ensure that a proper Contract of Sale is drawn up and made between you and the Developer. At this initial stage, the solicitor will check and confirm the validity of the title deeds.

Contract of Property Sale Drawn Up and Signed:

A contract of sale is then drawn up by your solicitor, setting down the terms of sale, i.e. property details, specifications of property, site plan of the property, governmental site plan of the land in North Cyprus, official title deed, floor plans, price, payment terms, timescale, vendor, purchaser and any extra requirements. In many cases, the purchaser returns home, the contract is then emailed or faxed to the purchaser to review and only once the purchaser has approved it will the solicitor proceed with signing it in your absence and on your behalf. The purchaser should also receive a final signed copy for your records. 

Paying for your Property in North Cyprus:

Once the contract is signed the purchaser pays the first installment to the Developer. Both parties are expected to then follow the payment schedule recorded in the contract of the property sale. Note that any reservation deposit made before the signing of the contract is deducted from the first installment.

Application for Purchase Permit:

A permit to purchase from the Council of Ministers in North Cyprus is then applied for by your solicitor. This may take around 12-18 months to be clarified.

Transfer Fees, Taxes and Other Costs

Once the permission is granted, the purchaser is entitled to register his or her name at the Land Registry as the registered legal owner of the North Cyprus Property. Again, in the absence of the purchaser, a Power of Attorney will allow the solicitor who will, on the clients behalf, deal with all these formalities. Most likely the solicitor will notify you when the permission has been granted and he/she will then fill out all of the necessary land registry valuation forms for the valuation of the property that you have purchased. It is usually at this point that taxes will be payable. The taxes are calculated based on the land registry valuation (usually the open market value of the property on the date the transaction took place) and are currently at the following rates:

Land Registry Transfer Fee at 6% (however, every purchaser has a once in a lifetime option to reduce this fee from 6% to 3%. At the time of transfer, you will be asked whether you wish to use this option and so, you will only pay 3%)
VAT at 5%
Stamp Duty at 1.5% (stamp duty is payable at 0.5% of the contract value if paid within 1 month upon signing the contract. If it is not paid within this time, it will increase to 1.5%. You will have the option to pay up front or pay during the transfer of title deed with a higher rate).

The sales process will come to an end when all of the above taxes are paid and the title deeds are registered in your name.

Apart from the above-mentioned costs you will also need to pay and average of 500 GBP for water & electricity meters and a charge levied by the Telecommunications Office for the connection of telephone lines. For a standard family (of up to four people) the monthly utility bills (electricity, water, telephone, etc.) would be approximately  £150 - £200. (these figures may however vary depending on the property size and standard of living that the family has acquired.) Furthermore, the yearly property tax is around £80.