A will signed outside Türkiye can be valid in form for Turkish property. That does not mean every instruction in it will take effect, or that presenting it will automatically change the land register. Three questions need separate answers: was the will properly made, which inheritance rules govern the property, and what procedure is needed to implement the document?
For a family owning an apartment in Türkiye and assets elsewhere, checking these questions while the owner is alive can prevent conflicting instructions and an incomplete document file later.
Which law applies to the will and the property?
Articles 7 and 20 of Law No. 5718 set out the relevant rules. Under Article 20(4), the form of a will is assessed under Article 7; a will made in the form required by the deceased's national law is also valid as to form. Article 7 allows the formal requirements of the place where the will was made, or of the substantive law governing the disposition, to apply. Testamentary capacity is addressed separately in Article 20(5).
However, Article 20(1) applies Turkish law to immovable property in Türkiye. A foreign will therefore does not, merely by being validly signed, displace the Turkish succession rules applicable to that property. Whether a beneficiary receives the intended interest needs its own assessment.
International treaty rules also matter. Türkiye is a party to the 1961 Hague Convention on the form of testamentary dispositions. The Convention provides further grounds on which a will may be valid as to form. These depend on the circumstances and any applicable reservations, so nationality alone does not settle the question.
Keep the wills and property records together
Give the lawyer reviewing your estate plans every will and later amendment, together with accurate details of the Turkish property and the share you own. A document intended only for an apartment in Türkiye should be checked for clauses that might unintentionally revoke an earlier will covering assets elsewhere.
Include the testator's nationalities, residence history, and the place and date of signing. Make sure those who will handle the estate know where the original is kept. If there is already a foreign probate order or inheritance certificate, provide that separately: it may raise different procedural questions from the will itself.
Translation, authentication and any apostille or consular requirements should be assessed for the issuing country, document and intended use. An apostille is not a decision on inheritance rights. Likewise, one should not assume that every foreign will needs the same recognition proceedings as a foreign judgment.
Do I need a separate Turkish will?
Not automatically. First review the existing document and the assets it covers. If another will is appropriate, both documents should be coordinated so that their scope and revocation clauses do not conflict.
Can my heirs take the foreign will straight to the land registry?
Do not assume that the will alone is sufficient. The required estate documents, any court procedure and registration steps must be identified for the particular case before promising a transfer date.
Having an existing will reviewed
Make a free initial enquiry with LP Legal. We communicate fluently in Turkish and English; a paid interpreter can be arranged on request. To begin, tell us where the will was signed, the relevant nationalities and where the Turkish property is located. Detailed review and representation are agreed separately.
Prepared for LP Legal by Selahattin Hakan Yıldırım. Contact us to discuss a specific situation.
This article provides general information as at 21 October 2026. It is not legal or tax advice and does not create a lawyer-client relationship.