Many Danish buyers assume they must fly to Antalya at least once to sign for a home in Turkey. You do not. With a correctly drafted power of attorney, called a vekaletname, an attorney in Turkey signs the title deed for you while you stay in Denmark. The whole purchase, from tax number to keys, can run remotely.
This guide walks through what the document must authorize, how to issue it from Denmark, and the safeguards that keep a remote purchase under your control.
Why a power of attorney is the pivot
A Turkish power of attorney for real estate must be notarized to be legally valid. Once it names an attorney with authority to buy, that person can sign the tapu (title deed) at the Land Registry on your behalf. You do not need to be physically in Turkey for the transfer. The same document can authorize every supporting step a purchase needs.
There are two scopes. A general power of attorney hands over broad authority across many acts. A special (limited) power of attorney authorizes only the specific tasks you name. For a Danish buyer completing one purchase from a distance, the limited version is both the standard choice and the safer one.
What the vekaletname must authorize
To finish the purchase without flying in, the document should grant each of the following powers explicitly. Leaving one out usually means a second PoA later.
| Power to grant | Why it is needed | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| Sign the tapu and Land Registry documents | Completes the actual title transfer | Closing |
| Obtain a Turkish tax number (vergi kimlik numarasi) | Required before any bank or registry step | Setup |
| Open a Turkish bank account | Needed to move funds and prove payment | Setup |
| Take out DASK earthquake insurance | Mandatory for the tapu and utilities | Closing |
| Set up utilities (water, electricity) | Activates the home in your name | Post-purchase |
| Pay taxes and fees | Tapu fee and notary charges settled on your behalf | Closing |
A Turkish tax number is the first domino: you need it before opening a bank account, and the attorney can obtain it at a local tax office on your behalf. Banks then typically ask for the PoA, a passport translation, the tax number, an address declaration and your mobile number.
How to issue it from Denmark
You have two clean routes from Denmark:
1. Issue at a Turkish consulate or embassy. The vekaletname is prepared in Turkish on the spot, so it needs no apostille and no separate translation. You attend in person with your passport.
2. Notarize locally, then apostille. Sign before a Danish notary, add a Hague apostille, and have a sworn translator render it into Turkish. Denmark is a Hague Convention member, so an apostille is sufficient; no consular legalization is required.
Either way the finished document must be in Turkish to be valid before Turkish institutions, and your passport copy plus signature are part of the file.
What it costs
The paperwork is cheap relative to the purchase. A sworn translator fee runs roughly EUR 20 to 50, an apostille about EUR 20 to 100 depending on the issuing office, and official translation inside Turkey about EUR 20 to 50 per page, plus the notary fee for execution.
Keeping a remote purchase safe
The convenience of a PoA is also its risk. A broad document, or one you forget to cancel, lets the holder keep acting on any task it lists. The safeguards are simple:
- Keep it limited. Name the specific property where possible, for example "valid only for the purchase of Apartment No. X at Address Y."
- Choose an independent attorney. Appoint a lawyer who is not introduced by the seller or the agent, so control is not concentrated on the other side of the deal.
- Verify the property in parallel. A remote purchase is only as safe as its due diligence. Confirm the occupancy permit and an independent valuation before the attorney signs anything.
- Revoke when done. When the purchase closes, cancel the PoA through a notary with an azilname. PoAs notarized from 1 January 2023 can be revoked online via WebTapu; the attorney's authority ends the moment it is recorded.
Before the attorney signs, make sure the home itself checks out: read our guide on No İskan, No Safe Purchase: Check the Occupancy Permit Before Buying a Turkish Holiday Home and on The Mandatory Property Appraisal in Turkey: What Danish Holiday-Home Buyers Pay and How It Protects You. And because DASK is one of the powers your PoA should cover, see how Managing DASK Earthquake Insurance From Abroad: A Scandinavian Holiday-Home Owner's Guide works for remote owners.
Bottom line
A Danish buyer can run an entire Turkish purchase from home on the strength of one well-scoped document. Issue a limited vekaletname to an independent attorney, list every power the purchase needs, verify the property remotely, and revoke when the keys are yours.