Factories for Sale and Rent in Turkey for Foreign Investors

Yes, foreign investors can buy or lease a factory in Turkey. A manufacturer that will run the plant normally holds it through a company established in Turkey with foreign capital (Title Deed Law No. 2644, Art. 36), while a foreign individual can also buy industrial property personally under Art. 35. Before committing, check the industrial zoning, the occupancy permit (iskan), OSB approval where relevant and whether the building can carry your production.

Bosphorus Brokers is a licensed Istanbul brokerage (license no. 3408704). We help foreign companies looking for industrial property in Turkey find a factory for sale or a factory for rent in Istanbul, check it and negotiate the terms, working alongside your lawyer, accountant and engineers. Factories are part of our wider commercial property service in Turkey.

Where are factories for sale and rent in Turkey?

Inside Istanbul, industrial property is concentrated in Organised Industrial Zones (OSBs):

• İkitelli OSB (Başakşehir, European side)
• Beylikdüzü OSB (European side)
• Dudullu OSB (Ümraniye, Asian side)
• Tuzla OSB (Asian side)

Much of the region's manufacturing is in neighbouring provinces: Kocaeli (Gebze, Dilovası), Tekirdağ (Çerkezköy, Çorlu), Bursa and Sakarya. The choice between an Istanbul OSB and a site in these provinces usually comes down to where your workforce, suppliers and customers are, port and motorway access, plot size and the total cost of land and buildings.

Our base and focus is Istanbul. The checks on this page apply wherever the site is, and we will tell you plainly at the start how we can support a search outside the city.

Should you buy or lease a factory in Turkey?

Buying suits long-term production, heavy investment in machinery and installation, and buildings you plan to adapt. Budget for:

• the 4% title-deed transfer fee (legally 2% buyer and 2% seller, often agreed otherwise, so put it in writing) and a small revolving-fund fee;
• an official valuation report from an SPK-licensed appraiser, required for foreign buyers before the transfer;
• VAT, generally 20% on new commercial units sold by VAT-registered sellers;
• annual property tax, charged at higher rates on commercial buildings and land (Law No. 1319).

Leasing suits a new market entry, a project with an uncertain horizon, or capital better spent on equipment. A factory lease is a roofed-workplace lease under the Turkish Code of Obligations No. 6098: the deposit is capped at three months' rent (Art. 342), and on renewal the annual increase may not exceed the 12-month average of CPI (TÜFE) (Art. 344). If your company rents from an individual, it withholds 20% stopaj from the rent and pays it to the tax office (Income Tax Law No. 193, Art. 94).

The VAT and tax treatment depends on who buys and who sells, so confirm yours with an independent tax adviser. Our guide to buying commercial property in Turkey sets out the full purchase process.

How do OSB rules affect buying or leasing a factory?

Organised Industrial Zones are governed by Law No. 4562. Plots and buildings inside an OSB are allocated and transferred with the OSB management's approval, so the management is effectively a third party to your deal. Before you negotiate, find out:

• whether your activity fits the zone's rules and sector profile;
• what the management requires from a new owner or tenant;
• whether any dues or charges owed to the OSB are outstanding on the plot;
• how power, water, gas and wastewater are supplied inside the zone;
• which body handles building and business permits inside that zone.

Rules differ between zones and change over time, so they are confirmed with the OSB management for the specific plot. We make that contact early, before you spend money on surveys.

Which permits does a factory need in Turkey?

• Industrial zoning that allows your activity on the plot.
• Occupancy permit (iskan, yapı kullanma izin belgesi) covering the buildings as they actually stand.
• Workplace opening and operating licence (işyeri açma ve çalışma ruhsatı), normally issued by the municipality.
• Industrial registry certificate (Sanayi Sicil Belgesi), which manufacturers usually need.
• Environmental permits, such as an EIA (ÇED), depending on the activity.

What usually goes wrong is a building that has grown over the years: a mezzanine, an extra hall or a canopy added without permits, so the iskan covers less than what stands on site. We compare the iskan and approved plans with the building before you make an offer. Certificates held by the current operator generally do not pass to a new one automatically, so plan to apply in your own company's name with an independent adviser.

What technical points should you check in a factory?

Item	What we look at
Power capacity	Installed power and transformer capacity (kVA) against your machines' load, and whether supply can be increased
Ceiling height	Clear height under beams, cranes and services, not only at the roof apex
Floor load	Slab capacity for machinery, foundations, racking and forklifts
Cranes	Existing overhead cranes, their capacity and whether the structure can take new ones
Loading and truck access	Docks, ground-level doors, turning space for articulated trucks and the access road
Fire safety	Sprinklers, hydrants, alarms and escape routes suited to your process
Expansion land	Unused plot area and how much more the zoning allows you to build
Utilities	Natural gas, water and wastewater capacity for your process

Where a figure matters to your production, an engineer or surveyor of your choice confirms it. We flag the questions, collect the drawings from the seller and arrange access.

Can a foreign company own a factory in Turkey?

Yes. A company established in Turkey with foreign capital under Foreign Direct Investment Law No. 4875 can acquire property needed for its activities under Law No. 2644, Art. 36, with permission from the governorship after a military and security assessment. A foreign individual can buy under Art. 35, within the limits on military and security zones, 10% of a district's private land and 30 hectares per person, but an operating manufacturer will usually hold the factory in its Turkish company. Company set-up is a matter for your lawyer or accountant; we work to the structure you choose.

How does Bosphorus Brokers help you buy or lease a factory?

1. Brief: process, area, power, height, floor load, workforce location, budget, and buy or lease.
2. Search: listed and off-market sites, with video walk-throughs before you travel.
3. Checks: tapu records, mortgages and annotations, iskan against the building, zoning, OSB status and existing licences, and the price or rent against recent transactions.
4. Negotiation: price or rent, deposit, handover condition, which equipment stays and the fee split.
5. Coordination: your lawyer, accountant and engineer, the OSB management, the valuer, the notary and the authorities.
6. Completion: tax number, bank account, valuation report, translator and land-registry appointment, then the transfer or lease signing, in person or by power of attorney.

Why foreign manufacturers can rely on us

Burak Ünal, our founder and principal broker, is a licensed broker (licensing exam passed in 2021) with an MSc in Finance from the London School of Economics. Real-estate appraising and retail leasing are among his listed specialties: appraising matters with industrial property, where land, buildings and installations each carry value, and leasing experience shapes how we negotiate a factory lease. We act for you, not the seller, and charge the same fee as for Turkish clients: 2% plus VAT on a purchase, paid only on completion, with lease fees agreed in writing first (see our fees). We work in six languages and are rated 5.0 on Google. Read more about Burak Ünal, or see warehouses for sale and rent if storage is your main need.