Bright furnished living room of a holiday apartment

Short-Term Rental Law in Turkey: The Permit Rules for Airbnb-Style Lets

By Av. Talha Yayla · October 19, 2026 · 13 min read

Since 2024, renting out a home in Turkey (Türkiye) for periods of up to 100 days at a time — the Airbnb-style short let — requires a tourism rental permit obtained before the first rental contract is made. The permit is issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to the property owner, and an application must include a decision approving the activity taken unanimously by all the owners in the building. Renting without a permit carries an administrative fine for each dwelling, rising sharply if the activity continues; tenants may not sublet to tourists at all. The rules are in Law No. 7464 on the Rental of Dwellings for Tourism Purposes.

This guide explains which rentals are covered, who can obtain a permit and how, the limits on the number of units, the role of agencies and platforms, the fines, and what the law means for foreign owners who bought property in Turkey as an investment.

Scope: rentals of dwellings for up to 100 days at a time, for any purpose (Art. 1(3), 2(1)(g)).
Permit: mandatory before a tourism rental contract is made; a plaque must be displayed at the entrance (Art. 3(1)).
Who applies: the lessor — the owner, or the holder of a usufruct or building right (Art. 2(1)(d), 3(5)).
Neighbours' consent: a unanimous decision of all unit owners in the building (Art. 3(3)).
Cap: in buildings with more than three units, the same lessor may hold permits for at most 25% of them (Art. 3(4)).
No subletting: neither a tourism user nor a residential tenant may re-let to third parties (Art. 3(7)).
Intermediaries: only Group A travel agencies (Art. 3(5)).
Fines: per dwelling, escalating for continued unpermitted activity (Art. 4).

Legal status of this guide. It reflects Law No. 7464, adopted on 25 October 2023 and applied from 2024. The fine amounts stated in the Law are revalued each year, and application procedures and the qualifications required of dwellings are set by a regulation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Last updated: October 2026.

Which rentals are covered

The Law regulates the rental of dwellings to natural and legal persons for tourism purposes (Art. 1(1)). "Tourism-purpose rental" is defined broadly as the rental of dwellings to users for a period of up to one hundred days for any purpose (Art. 2(1)(g)). Rentals made for more than one hundred days at a time are outside the scope of the Law (Art. 1(3)).

Two points follow:

The purpose of the guest is irrelevant. A two-month let to a business traveller, a student between leases or a patient receiving treatment is a "tourism-purpose rental" if the term is one hundred days or less.
What counts is each contract. A rental of four months is an ordinary lease under the Code of Obligations. But the Law closes an obvious loophole: a person who, although making contracts of more than one hundred days each time, lets the same dwelling more than four times within one year of the first contract is fined (Art. 4(1)(g)).

A "dwelling" is any independent unit registered in the land register for residential use, or with a residential construction servitude or condominium title (Art. 2(1)(e)). Hotels, apart-hotels and other licensed tourism establishments operate under their own legislation.

Who can obtain a permit

The permit is a "tourism-purpose rental permit" issued to allow the lessor to rent the dwelling to natural or legal persons for a maximum of one hundred days (Art. 2(1)(c)). The lessor is the natural or legal person who owns the dwelling or holds it by way of a usufruct or building right (Art. 2(1)(d)).

The obligation to obtain the permit lies with the lessor (Art. 3(5)).
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism is competent to issue permits and may exercise this power through the governorates; it sets the permit and plaque fees (Art. 3(2)).
Nationality is not a criterion. A foreign owner applies on the same terms as a Turkish one.
A tenant cannot apply, since a tenant is not a "lessor" within the definition.
On the death of a permit holder, the permit becomes invalid unless the heirs apply within three months; on the ending of a legal entity it lapses. The rights of users under existing contracts continue until the end of their term (Art. 3(6)).

The provision with the greatest practical effect is Article 3(3): a permit application must be accompanied by a decision, taken unanimously by all the unit owners of the building in which the unit is located, that the carrying on of tourism-purpose rental activity is approved.

"All unit owners" means every owner in the building — not a majority at a meeting, and not the building manager alone. One objecting neighbour is enough to prevent a permit.
In residential complexes made up of several buildings, the requirement applies only to the building in which the dwelling is located, and a copy of the permit is sent to the site management.
For a detached house the question does not arise in the same way; for a house within a complex, check the management plan.

Before buying an apartment with short-term letting in mind, find out whether the other owners will consent and what the building's management plan says. In many ordinary apartment buildings the answer is no.

Limits on the number of units

In buildings consisting of more than three independent units, permits may be issued in the name of the same lessor for at most twenty-five per cent of the units (Art. 3(4)). An investor cannot turn most of an ordinary apartment block into short lets.

Where the number of units in the same building for which permits are sought in the name of the same lessor exceeds five, the application must also include:

a business opening and operating licence; and
where the building is within a residential complex of several buildings, a decision taken unanimously by all the unit owners — in addition to the consent required under Article 3(3).

High-quality residences

A different rule applies to "high-quality dwellings" (Art. 3(10)): buildings containing more than one unit whose management plan under the Condominium Law contains a provision permitting short-term rental, which have reception, security and daily cleaning facilities, and in which services such as health services, dry cleaning, laundry, transport, catering and shopping, and facilities such as a gym and swimming pool, can be provided.

For these, permits may be issued without the unanimous-consent and twenty-five per cent conditions.
Their rental activity may be carried out through a residence management company, in which case the permit is issued in the name of that company, and the subletting prohibition does not apply to this arrangement.

Serviced residences marketed for investment therefore sit in a separate category — but only if the management plan actually contains the short-term rental clause and the services exist. Ask for the management plan and have it read before purchase.

Hand opening an apartment door fitted with an electronic lock — The permit must be obtained before the first contract, and a plaque displayed at the entrance.

How to apply

Check eligibility: residential title; your status as owner or holder of a usufruct or building right; the building's size and how many permits already exist in your name.
Obtain the unanimous decision of the unit owners, in the form required, or confirm that the property qualifies as a high-quality residence.
Prepare the documents required by the implementing regulation — title deed information, identity or company documents, the owners' decision, and, where applicable, the business licence. The regulation also sets minimum qualities for the dwelling and its furnishings.
Apply through the electronic system used for these permits, accessed via e-Government; the Ministry may act through the governorate (provincial directorate of culture and tourism). A foreign owner without access can apply through an authorised representative under a power of attorney.
Pay the permit and plaque fees set by the Ministry.
Display the plaque at the entrance of the dwelling.
Only then conclude rental contracts and list the property.

Listings on booking platforms are expected to show the permit number; platforms remove listings without one when notified by the Ministry.

Obligations of the permit holder

Identity reporting. The provisions of the Identity Notification Law apply to dwellings with a tourism rental permit, and the permit holder is the person responsible for the notification (Art. 3(8)). Guests' identity details must be reported to the police system as hotels do, for every stay.
Information requests. Information and documents requested by the Ministry must be supplied within thirty days, complete and accurate (Art. 4(2)(a)).
Change of lessor. A change of lessor by a legal transaction other than inheritance must be notified within thirty days of registration in the land register (Art. 4(2)(b)).
Tourism contribution. The document showing payment of the tourism share under the legislation on the tourism promotion and development agency must be produced within the period set by the Ministry and on inspection (Art. 4(2)(c)).
Contract ends on its date. The contract between the permit holder and the user ends at the expiry of the period stated in it (Art. 3(9)) — the tenant-protection rules that prevent a landlord from ending an ordinary residential lease do not turn a short let into a long one.
Tax. Rental income is taxable; depending on the scale and manner of the activity it may be treated as rental income or as commercial income, with VAT and accommodation-tax consequences. Take tax advice before starting.
Standards. The dwelling must meet the qualities set by regulation and is subject to inspection.

Agencies, managers and platforms

Only Group A travel agencies. Where tourism-purpose rental activity is carried on by someone other than the lessor, the rentals may be made exclusively through Group A travel agencies certified under the Travel Agencies Law (Art. 3(5)). An unlicensed "property manager" who lets your apartment in their own name is not a lawful intermediary.
Intermediaries for unpermitted dwellings are fined for each contract (Art. 4(1)(d)).
Online platforms. Intermediary service providers that enable the electronic commerce and promotion of unpermitted rentals, and do not remove the content within twenty-four hours of a warning from the Ministry, are fined for each dwelling; removal of content or blocking of access may be ordered, with a right to apply to the criminal judgeship of peace against that decision (Art. 4(1)(e)).

An owner abroad who uses a manager should have a written agreement with a Group A agency, hold the permit in their own name, and keep control of the listing and the identity reporting.

Fines

The amounts below are those stated in the Law as enacted; they are increased each calendar year by the revaluation rate, so the figures applied today are higher.

Breach	Sanction (amount in the Law)	Basis
Renting a dwelling for tourism purposes without a permit	100,000 TL for each dwelling, and fifteen days to obtain a permit	Art. 4(1)(a)
Continuing without a permit after those fifteen days	500,000 TL, and a further fifteen days	Art. 4(1)(b)
Still continuing after both	1,000,000 TL	Art. 4(1)(f)
A user re-letting a tourism dwelling to third parties in their own name	100,000 TL for each contract	Art. 4(1)(c)
A residential tenant letting the rented home for tourism purposes in their own name	100,000 TL for each contract	Art. 4(1)(ç)
Acting as intermediary for unpermitted dwellings	100,000 TL for each contract	Art. 4(1)(d)
Platform not removing content within 24 hours of warning	100,000 TL for each dwelling; again for non-compliance with a removal order	Art. 4(1)(e)
Letting the same dwelling more than four times in a year, each time for more than 100 days	1,000,000 TL	Art. 4(1)(g)
Permit holder not supplying information within 30 days, or supplying incomplete or misleading information	50,000 TL	Art. 4(2)(a)
Not notifying a change of lessor within 30 days	50,000 TL	Art. 4(2)(b)

Further sanctions against permit holders — for failing to produce the tourism contribution document, for defects found on inspection, and ultimately cancellation of the permit — are provided in the remainder of Article 4 and the regulation.

An administrative fine can be challenged before the criminal judgeship of peace within the short period that runs from its notification, under the general rules on administrative fines. Challenges succeed mainly where the rental was not within the Law's scope — for example a genuine lease of more than one hundred days — or where the person fined was not the lessor.

Tenants and subletting

Article 3(7) contains two prohibitions:

a user who has rented a dwelling from a permit holder may not let it to third parties in their own name and on their own account; and
a tenant who has rented a dwelling to use as their own residence may not let it for tourism purposes to third parties in their own name and on their own account.

The only exception is a legal entity that rents a tourism dwelling and has its own personnel use it.

The common practice of renting an apartment on a long lease and listing it on a platform is therefore unlawful, whatever the landlord has agreed, and the tenant is fined for each contract. It is also a breach of the lease that gives the landlord grounds to act. For the ordinary rules between landlord and tenant, see tenant rights in Turkey.

What it means for foreign owners

Investment assumptions. A purchase justified by short-let yields depends on obtaining a permit, which in an ordinary building depends on every neighbour. Verify this before buying, not after. See can foreigners buy property in Turkey?
Existing owners who let before 2024 without a permit must have regularised or stopped; past practice gives no protection.
Alternatives. Let for more than one hundred days at a time under an ordinary lease — bearing in mind the four-times-a-year rule — or buy in a residence whose management plan permits short-term rental.
Residence permit and work. Owning and letting property does not give a right to work. Running short lets as a business on the ground — meeting guests, cleaning, managing several units — is a commercial activity; a foreigner doing so personally needs the appropriate work authorisation. See do foreign company owners need a work permit in Turkey?
Property used for a citizenship or residence application may be let, but check the conditions attached to the investment and the title annotations.
Fines attach to the lessor. An owner abroad whose manager lets without a permit is the person fined.
Buying a tenanted or listed property. A permit is personal to the lessor; a change of owner must be notified, and the new owner should not assume that the previous owner's permit continues.

Planning to let a property in Turkey short-term, or fined for doing so? Send the title deed details, the building's management plan if you have it, or the penalty notice with its date. Message Yayla Law on WhatsApp or use the contact form.

Frequently asked questions

Is Airbnb legal in Turkey?

Short-term rental is legal only with a tourism rental permit issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism before the first contract. Without a permit, renting a dwelling for up to 100 days at a time is subject to substantial administrative fines.

Who needs a short-term rental permit in Turkey?

Anyone who rents out a dwelling for a period of up to one hundred days at a time, for any purpose. The permit is obtained by the lessor — the owner, or the holder of a usufruct or building right.

Do I need my neighbours' permission?

Yes. The application must include a decision approving the activity taken unanimously by all unit owners in the building. In complexes of several buildings, only the building in which the dwelling is located is concerned. High-quality residences whose management plan allows short-term rental are exempt.

How many apartments can I rent short-term in one building?

In a building with more than three units, the same lessor may hold permits for at most twenty-five per cent of them. If more than five units are involved, a business licence and additional approvals are required.

Can a tenant sublet on Airbnb in Turkey?

No. A tenant who rented a dwelling as their own residence may not let it for tourism purposes in their own name, and is fined for each contract. A tenant cannot obtain a permit.

What is the fine for renting without a permit?

Under the Law as enacted, 100,000 TL for each dwelling, rising to 500,000 TL and then 1,000,000 TL if the activity continues after the fifteen-day periods given to obtain a permit. The amounts are revalued annually.

Does the law apply to rentals longer than 100 days?

No. Rentals of more than one hundred days at a time are ordinary leases. But letting the same dwelling more than four times within a year under such contracts is fined, to prevent circumvention.

Can a property manager rent my apartment for me?

Only a Group A travel agency may carry on tourism rental on behalf of a lessor, and the permit must still be obtained by the lessor. Unlicensed intermediaries are fined for each contract.

Can foreigners get a tourism rental permit?

Yes. Nationality is not a condition. A foreign owner applies on the same terms, in person or through a representative holding a power of attorney.

Legal basis and sources

Law No. 7464 on the Rental of Dwellings for Tourism Purposes and Amendments to Certain Laws, Articles 1–4 — official text at mevzuat.gov.tr.
Regulation on the Rental of Dwellings for Tourism Purposes.
Condominium Law No. 634; Identity Notification Law No. 1774; Travel Agencies Law No. 1618.
Ministry of Culture and Tourism — ktb.gov.tr.

This article provides general legal information on Turkish law as of October 2026. It is not legal or tax advice. Fine amounts are revalued each year and application requirements are set by regulation; confirm the current position before letting.