How to Check a Real Estate Agency's License in Turkey

Checking a real estate license in Turkey means confirming, in the Ministry of Trade's official records, that a property agency is authorized to broker sales and rentals. You search the public page of the Real Estate Trade Information System by certificate number, business name or province, and it takes a few minutes. This guide walks through the steps and what every listing must show. It is written for buyers, owners and agencies, including foreigners working in Turkey's property market. It is general information, not legal advice.

What the authorization certificate is

The authorization certificate (yetki belgesi) is the official document issued to businesses that trade in real estate. Its basis is the Ministry of Trade's Regulation on Real Estate Trade (Official Gazette, 5 June 2018, No. 30442, as amended; Turkish only).

Under Article 5 of the regulation:

• Only businesses and franchise offices holding a certificate may broker property sales and rentals.
• The provincial trade directorate where the business is based issues, renews and cancels the certificate through the Ministry's system.
• Each business gets its own certificate, and it cannot be transferred. One office's certificate does not cover another office using the same brand.
• For companies, the certificate shows the registered name, address and trade name; for small traders, the business name and owner's name.

To get a certificate, the business must be registered with a professional chamber and the tax office, and at least one of its responsible agents must hold a Level 5 vocational qualification, along with the training, experience and criminal record conditions in Article 6. In short, the certificate shows that the office is registered and run by a qualified person.

How to check a license, step by step

You do not need an e-Devlet login. The Ministry's page is public, though it is only in Turkish.

1. Open ttbs.gtb.gov.tr/Home/BelgeSorgula. The page title reads "Taşınmaz Ticareti Yetki Belgesi Sorgulama" (real estate authorization certificate search).
2. Fill in "Yetki Belgesi Numarası" (certificate number) or "İşletme Unvanı" (business name). Pick "İl" (province) to narrow the results if needed.
3. Click "Ara" (search).
4. Compare the record with what the agency gave you: the name, province and certificate number should match exactly.

If you do not have the number, ask the agency for it in writing. Since the regulation already requires it on listings and contracts, a reputable agency will share it without hesitation. Article 11 also says the Ministry publishes an up-to-date list of licensed businesses on its website.

The page design may change over time. If the field names look different, search by number or name in the same way.

If the agency does not appear in the search

A missing record does not always mean the agency is unlicensed; a spelling difference or missing detail can also be the cause. Try these in order:

1. Check the number again. Copy the digits exactly from the agency's written details, the ad or the contract.
2. Search by name. Use the full business or trade name on the certificate, not the brand. Company trade names are usually longer than the brand.
3. Change the province filter. If the office is a branch of a company set up in another province, the record may appear there.
4. Ask the agency. Ask whether the certificate is being renewed or updated, and get the answer in writing.

If there is still no record, do not sign an authorization contract, do not pay a deposit or fee, and do not give listing authorization on e-Devlet. You can report the situation to the Ministry of Trade or the provincial trade directorate.

Who should check, and why

What to look for

A record existing is not enough on its own. The details need to match what you were shown.

• Matching name: The name on the ad and contract should match the business name in the search result. Ads that show only a brand name can be misleading.
• Province: The certificate is issued in the province where the business is based. If an agency working in Antalya appears in another province, ask why.
• Franchise offices: For offices in a franchise network, the certificate also shows the name and number of the parent business. Check which business the number on the ad belongs to.
• Number on the contract: Under Article 15, the written authorization contract shows the agency's certificate number and the responsible agent's name and signature. If it is missing, ask before you sign.

Listing authorization on e-Devlet (EİDS)

To curb fake and duplicate ads, the Ministry introduced the Electronic Listing Verification System (EİDS). According to the Ministry's announcement (in Turkish), unverified property ads cannot be published on listing platforms from 1 January 2025.

The owner authorizes the agency through e-Devlet, Turkey's government portal. The announcement describes this flow:

1. Open the "EİDS Taşınmaz İlanı Yetkilendirme İşlemleri" service on e-Devlet.
2. Click "Yetkilendirme İşlemleri"; the properties registered in your name are listed.
3. Select the property and click "Devam Et" (continue).
4. Enter the agency's certificate number.
5. Choose the "Yetki Bitiş Tarihi" (authorization end date). The announcement says it must be at least three months.
6. Click "Kaydet" (save).

The number matters here too: a typo means you authorize a different business. Check it on the search page first, then go to e-Devlet. Foreign owners need e-Devlet access to complete this step themselves.

This authorization only allows the ad to be published. It does not replace the written contract with the agency and does not cover title deed transactions.

The license number on ads and on your website

Article 12 of the regulation requires agencies advertising online to follow the rules in Article 14. Under Article 14(2)(i), ads must clearly show:

• The certificate number
• The business name or trade name on the certificate
• The property's province, district, neighbourhood, block and parcel (not the full address)
• The other property details required in the authorization contract
• Contact details
• The energy performance details, if any

The same article requires an ad to be removed within three days after the property is sold or let, or after the authorization contract ends. Agencies may not advertise property they are not authorized to market.

On your own website, that translates into:

Managing the number from one field in the admin panel is safer than typing it into each listing; when the trade name changes, every listing updates at once. Making block and parcel required fields in the listing form also stops incomplete ads going live. We describe this setup on our page about real estate websites that show your license number on every listing. Keeping your trade name, address and phone number identical on the site and on your Google Business Profile also helps your local SEO.

For agencies working with foreign buyers

In areas such as Antalya, Alanya, Kaş and Fethiye, many buyers do not speak Turkish. For them, your certificate number is the one concrete detail they can check against the official record on their own. On English, German or Russian listing pages, show the number with a translated label such as "Authorization Certificate No." and link to the Ministry's search page with a short explanation. Because the search page is only in Turkish, a sentence explaining which field to fill in goes a long way towards building trust.

Common mistakes

• Putting the number only on the "About us" page and not on listings.
• Showing the brand but not the trade name.
• Hiding the number inside a small logo or image, which is unreadable on phones and invisible to search engines.
• Leaving sold or let properties online as "for sale" for months.
• Showing the number on Turkish listings but forgetting the English, German or Russian pages.
• In a franchise office, showing the head office's number instead of its own, or the other way round.
• Not tracking the e-Devlet authorization end date and only noticing when the platform takes the ad down.

Unlicensed agencies and complaints

Under Article 22, the Ministry applies the administrative fines set out in the relevant laws to those who break the rules. Fine amounts are updated every year, so we do not quote figures here.

If you come across unlicensed activity or a misleading ad, you can contact the Ministry of Trade. The search page shows the Ministry's call centre number (444 8 482). For a dispute with an agency, you can also contact the provincial trade directorate.

The regulation changes often

The Regulation on Real Estate Trade has been amended many times since 2018. In 2023, listing platforms were given identity and authorization checks; in 2025, unjustified price increases in online ads that do not match general economic data were banned (Official Gazette, 30.05.2025, No. 32915); in 2026, provisions on amending certificates and on a payment system for property sales were added (Official Gazette, 29.04.2026, No. 33238; the payment system provisions were amended by Official Gazette No. 33387 of 01.10.2026). Check the current text on mevzuat.gov.tr before relying on any rule.

Checklist

For owners and buyers:

• [ ] I have the agency's certificate number and full trade name in writing
• [ ] I found the record on the Ministry's search page
• [ ] The name and province match the ad and the contract
• [ ] The authorization contract shows the number and the responsible agent's signature
• [ ] I gave e-Devlet authorization with the right number and end date

For agencies:

• [ ] Every listing page shows the number, trade name and location details as text
• [ ] The footer shows the trade name and number
• [ ] The details are the same in every language version
• [ ] Sold or let listings come down within three days
• [ ] The number and trade name are managed in one place in the panel

Summary

A license check takes a few minutes, yet it protects owners, buyers and honest agencies alike. For agencies, the real work is keeping this information correct on every listing. We explain how to plan listing structure, filters and multilingual pages in our guide to building a real estate website. If you think your listings are missing these details, get in touch.