Buying a Home in Cyprus by Power of Attorney
Short answer: Buying a home in Cyprus by power of attorney is possible: you give your lawyer in the TRNC a special power of attorney issued by a notary, and the lawyer handles the contract registration, Council of Ministers permit application, and title deed transfer on your behalf. You make payments directly by bank transfer. Limit the power of attorney to a single property and do not grant authority to collect money.
This article has been prepared for those who live in Turkey or abroad and want to buy a property without coming to the TRNC several times. We explain the steps of buying a home in Cyprus by power of attorney, how to issue the power of attorney, which authorities should and should not be granted, how to make payments securely from a distance, and the real risks of buying a home without seeing it. You can find the general purchase process in our article Buying a home in Cyprus: step-by-step guide.
Is it possible to buy a home in Cyprus by power of attorney?
Yes. Almost all official steps of purchasing property in the TRNC can be handled by a lawyer authorized by the buyer: title deed search, registration of the contract at the Land Registry Office, payment of stamp duty, permit application to the Ministry of Interior, and transfer of the title deed after the permit is issued.
There are also matters that cannot or should not be handled by power of attorney. You must provide personal documents such as your passport and criminal record certificate yourself. As for payments, it is best for both security and record-keeping to make them from your own account. The power of attorney is for carrying out the transaction, not for managing money.
This is also the topic Akol Global’s sales team discusses most often with buyers abroad: the buyer usually comes once to see the property or project, every subsequent step proceeds by power of attorney, and the second visit often coincides with key delivery.
Remote purchase step by step
A remote purchase follows the same order as an on-site purchase; the difference is that the signature and document flow is handled through the lawyer and courier. The practical process is as follows:
- Choosing a lawyer and initial meeting. Agree with a TRNC lawyer independent from the seller via a video meeting and obtain the fee quote in writing.
- Title deed search. Request the parcel information from the seller and forward it to the lawyer; the lawyer checks the title deed (koçan) type, mortgages, and attachments, then sends a written report.
- Preparation of the power of attorney text. The lawyer sends the draft text; you read and limit the authorities.
- Issuing the power of attorney. You sign it at a notary in Turkey, at a Turkish consulate abroad, or at a local notary; additional certification is obtained if required.
- Sending the documents. The original power of attorney, passport copy, and criminal record certificate are delivered to the lawyer by courier.
- Signing the contract. The lawyer signs the contract by proxy, or you sign the copy sent to you by courier.
- Registration and permit application. Stamp duty is paid; the contract is registered at the Land Registry within 1 month, and the permit application is made within the same period.
- Permit and title deed transfer. Once the permit is published in the Official Gazette, fees are paid within 75 business days, and the title deed is transferred into your name within 1 year.
The periods are valid as of October 2026 under Decree No. 89/2026 and may change. Take courier time into account: although documents may reach the TRNC from Turkey within a few days, the 1-month registration period starts with the signing of the contract, so the power of attorney must be prepared before the contract. We explained how to choose a lawyer in our article How to choose a real estate lawyer in Cyprus.
Which authorities should be included in the power of attorney?
The power of attorney given to buy a home in Cyprus by proxy should not be a general power of attorney but a special power of attorney: a document limited to the purchase of a specific property, containing clear authorities and a defined duration. The parcel, block, and independent unit number of the property should be written in the text.
| Authority | Should it be granted? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Conducting a title deed search, obtaining a registry copy | Yes | For the specific parcel |
| Signing the sales contract and registering it at the Land Registry | Yes | Agree in writing that the contract will be signed with your approval |
| Applying for Council of Ministers permission, submitting documents | Yes | Before the Ministry of Interior |
| Paying taxes and fees on your behalf | Yes, subject to receipt | With the amount you send |
| Receiving the title deed transfer | Yes | After the permit |
| Collecting money on your behalf, opening an account | No | The biggest risk item |
| Selling or mortgaging other properties | No | Avoid general powers of attorney |
| Transferring the power of attorney to another person (substitution) | Limited | Only to lawyers from the same office |
It is also sensible to put an end date in the power of attorney. Since the length of the permit process is uncertain, a period of a few months is not enough; considering that the permit period is stated in sources to range from a few months to more than a year, it is safer to choose a reasonable period such as 2 years and renew it if necessary.
How is a power of attorney issued?
If you live in Turkey, the power of attorney is issued at a notary; if you are abroad, it is issued at a Turkish consulate or at a notary in the country where you are located. Before signing, you should ask your lawyer in the TRNC which method will be accepted in the TRNC without problems.
- Buyers in Turkey: You go to the notary with the text sent by the lawyer. For property transactions, the power of attorney is expected to be issued in the form of an official deed, to include a photograph, and to be signed with an identity card. Your lawyer should confirm whether any additional certification or certified copy is required for the document to be used in the TRNC.
- Turkish citizens abroad: You can have a power of attorney issued at the Turkish consulate in the country where you are located; consular powers of attorney have the same nature as notary documents in Turkey. Consulates generally work by appointment.
- Other foreigners: An apostille is usually obtained for a document signed before a local notary, and a sworn translation is made if necessary.
As of October 2026, there is no single up-to-date official source regarding the certification requirements in TRNC practice; the form requested by land registry offices and the Ministry of Interior may change from time to time. The most common delay occurs when a power of attorney with missing certification or an incorrect scope is rejected. Therefore, obtain the text from your lawyer and do not write it yourself. For official announcements during the application process, you can follow the TRNC Ministry of Interior website.
Making payments securely from a distance
The biggest risk in a remote purchase is not the power of attorney, but the flow of money. The rule is simple: send the sales price from your own account by bank transfer to the seller company account stated in the contract; ask your lawyer for official receipts for taxes and fees.
Example: For a flat worth 140.000 £, a 30% down payment equals 42.000 £. You send this amount in one transfer, writing "Project name, Block B, Flat 12, down payment" in the description. Then 140.000 × 0.5% = 700 £ for stamp duty is sent separately to your lawyer and a receipt is obtained in return. The same description format is maintained for each payment of the remaining 98.000 £ installments. In this way, the payment history that may be requested at the permit and title deed stage is automatically created.
- Use the account number only after confirming it from the contract and by phone with the seller. Never act on "our account has changed" messages received by email without phone verification.
- Do not send the sales price to the personal account of the lawyer or real estate agent.
- Take SWIFT costs and intermediary bank deductions into account; an installment that arrives short may be considered a delay under the contract.
Exchange rate risk, sterling accounts, and transfer methods are a separate topic; we cover the details in our article Money transfer to Cyprus and property purchase.
Buying without viewing: risks and solutions
Buying a home without ever seeing it is legally possible, but in practice seeing it on site at least once or having someone you trust view it significantly reduces risk. Most of the problems encountered in remote purchases are not legal, but differences in expectations: view, orientation, noise, distance to the road.
| Risk | Remote solution |
|---|---|
| The visuals and the actual unit being different | Ask the seller for an uninterrupted live video tour at a time you choose; have them show the view from the balcony and the corridor |
| Uncertainty about the pace of project progress | Dated construction site photos and addresses of projects delivered by the same contractor |
| Defects not being noticed at delivery | Have the delivery inspection carried out on site by a relative or an independent technical person |
| Choosing the wrong area | Seeing 2–3 areas in the same week with a short inspection trip |
If you decide to come, you can plan how many days to allocate and which areas to see with our article Cyprus property viewing trip. To review ongoing and completed projects in advance, the Akol Global projects page is a good starting point.
Remote ownership after delivery
With key delivery, the second stage of remote ownership begins: electricity and water subscriptions, maintenance fee payments, and, if you will rent it out, tenant and maintenance follow-up. A second, narrower power of attorney or a property management agreement may be required for these tasks.
It is safer to keep the first power of attorney separate rather than extending it to these matters; once the purchase is completed, you can terminate the purchase power of attorney with a revocation notice at a notary. If you want to manage rental and maintenance remotely, you can review the scope of our rental and property management service.
Frequently asked questions
Do I never need to come to buy a home in Cyprus by power of attorney?
You are not required to come for official procedures; your lawyer can handle contract registration, the permit application, and title deed transfer with a power of attorney. Still, seeing the property or project at least once and meeting your lawyer face to face reduces risk. Many buyers make an inspection trip, complete the next steps remotely, and return for key delivery.
Can I give the power of attorney to the real estate agent?
It is not recommended. The real estate agent is the party receiving commission from the sale and is not the person authorized to carry out legal procedures. Give the power of attorney only to the TRNC lawyer you choose, who is independent from the seller; the lawyer’s name, bar association details, and the property details should be clearly included in the text. If you have to give it to someone you know, still limit the authorities to a single property.
If my spouse and I are buying jointly, are two powers of attorney required?
In a joint purchase, both buyers must grant authority for the transactions. This can be done in the same document as two principals or with separate powers of attorney; your lawyer will tell you which is preferable. Also remember that acquisition rights may be assessed together with spouses’ properties, and clarify whose name will be used for what before signing.
How do I cancel the power of attorney?
A power of attorney is terminated by going to the notary where it was issued or any notary, having a revocation notice issued, and having it served on the attorney. If you are abroad, you can carry out the same process at a consulate. Since transactions carried out before the revocation is served may remain valid, also inform your lawyer and, if necessary, the relevant land registry office in writing separately.
Who signs the contract in a remote purchase?
There are two ways: your lawyer signs the contract by proxy, or the contract is sent to you by courier, and you sign and return it. In the second method, the courier period uses up part of the 1-month registration period. Whichever method is chosen, you must approve the final text in writing before signing and obtain a copy of the signed version.
If you would like to discuss your remote purchase plan step by step, you can contact the Akol Global team; together we can evaluate at which stage your presence in the TRNC will truly make a difference.
This article is for informational purposes only; it does not replace legal, tax, or financial advice. Last updated: October 2026.