Research · North Cyprus · updated 2026-11-04
Foreign property purchase permits in North Cyprus, 2019–2026
In 2024 the TRNC Council of Ministers granted property purchase permits to about 7,100 foreign individuals (7,090 counted). January–July 2025 was 44% below January–July 2024 (2,596 persons against 4,628). The Council's lists end on 30 July 2025; decisions printed in the Official Gazette in 2026 (to November 2026) cover at least 8,349 persons, already more than in all of 2024.
Persons granted a purchase permit, by year
| Year | Persons | Jan–Jul | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1,621 | 962 | Council list, decisions in 12 of 12 months |
| 2020 | 1,188 | 902 | Council list, decisions in 9 of 12 months |
| 2021 | 1,851 | 1,107 | Council list, decisions in 12 of 12 months |
| 2022 | 2,224 | 1,267 | Council list, decisions in 10 of 12 months |
| 2023 | 5,434 | 3,185 | Council list, decisions in 11 of 12 months |
| 2024 | 7,090 | 4,628 | Council list, decisions in 12 of 12 months |
| 2025 | 2,596 | 2,596 | Council list, ends 30 Jul 2025 (decisions in 6 months) |
| 2026 | 8,349 | — | Official Gazette, to November 2026, lower bound (some issues missing) |
Date = date of the Council of Ministers decision, not the purchase date. New permits only; amendments of earlier permits are excluded. Counts ±5 %. 2026 figures are the head-counts stated in each decision. Monthly figures: permits-by-month.csv · yearly: permits-by-year.csv.
Buyer origin by name — estimate, % of persons
| Year | Turkish | Slavic/CIS | Anglo/Western/Nordic | German | Iranian | Arab | Other | Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 55.3 | 11.0 | 17.5 | 1.0 | 3.9 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 8.6 |
| 2020 | 51.9 | 16.2 | 12.9 | 0.6 | 5.6 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 11.0 |
| 2021 | 43.9 | 18.5 | 13.3 | 0.4 | 10.6 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 10.0 |
| 2022 | 71.4 | 6.6 | 3.9 | 0.6 | 8.7 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 7.4 |
| 2023 | 84.4 | 3.6 | 2.4 | 0.1 | 4.2 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 4.3 |
| 2024 | 71.6 | 9.3 | 5.3 | 1.9 | 4.2 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 6.9 |
| 2025 (Jan–Jul) | 57.3 | 14.1 | 8.5 | 3.3 | 5.1 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 9.4 |
Estimates, not nationality: each name is classified by its linguistic origin with fixed rules (87 of 100 agreed in a hand-checked sample; read every share as ±3–5 points). A Turkish name can belong to a German or British citizen; spouses carry a partner's surname.
Method
We counted every person named in the official foreign purchase-permit lists published by the TRNC Council of Ministers (2019 to 30 July 2025) and added the head-counts stated in the 2026 decisions printed in the Official Gazette. Origin shares come from classifying each name by its linguistic origin; no individual names are published.
Frequently asked questions
How many foreigners got permission to buy property in North Cyprus in 2024?
About 7,100: the Council of Ministers' published decisions for 2024 name 7,090 persons in new purchase permits (counts ±5 %).
Did foreign property purchase permits in North Cyprus fall in 2025?
Yes. January–July 2025 had 2,596 persons against 4,628 in January–July 2024, 44% fewer. By name origin (an estimate), the fall was concentrated among Turkish-named applicants; the other groups grew from small bases.
Where do foreign buyers in North Cyprus come from?
Estimated from the origin of names, not from nationality: in 2024 about 72% of permit holders had Turkish names, 9% Slavic/CIS, 5% Anglo/Western/Nordic, 4% Iranian and 2% German. In January–July 2025 the Turkish-named share was 57%.
Is a purchase permit the same as a purchase?
No. A permit is the Council of Ministers' approval of a foreigner's application to acquire property, often months after the contract. Some buyers never complete, and TRNC citizens never appear in these lists.
What about 2026?
The Council's own list stops at 30 July 2025, and counts for August–December 2025 were never published. Decisions printed in the Official Gazette in 2026 (to November 2026) state at least 8,349 persons, more than the whole of 2024; this is a lower bound because a few gazette issues are unavailable. The gazette prints no names, so the 2026 origin mix is not known.
Research by tagmac.dev — custom market research on North Cyprus, built on series like this one. Research and data, not valuation, brokerage or investment advice. Asking-price data: North Cyprus Property Price Index.