Cross-Border Inheritance in Turkey

An inheritance becomes considerably more complicated when the deceased, the heirs and the assets are located in different countries. A person living abroad may discover that a deceased relative owned an apartment, land, a bank account or company shares in Turkey. Even when the family relationship is undisputed, accessing and transferring those assets may require proceedings before Turkish courts, tax authorities and land registry offices.

Foreign heirs should therefore understand that a probate document obtained in another country may not be sufficient, on its own, to complete every inheritance transaction in Turkey.

International inheritance cases can require the coordination of Turkish inheritance law, foreign family records, court proceedings, taxation and title deed rules. Treating each application as an isolated administrative task can result in inconsistent documents, rejected applications and missed deadlines.

A Turkish inheritance lawyer can assist foreign heirs with:

Determining the applicable legal framework Identifying assets located in Turkey Obtaining a certificate of inheritance Reviewing and preparing foreign documents Completing tax and land registry procedures Examining estate debts and property restrictions Representing heirs in inheritance disputes Negotiating the division or sale of inherited property Managing proceedings through a power of attorney