Turkey's Short-Term Rental Permit Certificate: The Complete Guide to the New Rental Law (2026)

For years, renting out an apartment by the day through Airbnb or Booking was treated as an ordinary private arrangement between landlord and guest. That changed completely on January 1, 2024. Under Law No. 7464 on the Short-Term Rental of Residences for Tourism Purposes and Amendments to Certain Laws, anyone who rents out their home short-term must first obtain government permission. The industry calls it the 'Airbnb Law,' but its scope is much broader: whether you list on Airbnb, Booking, or your own site, every residential rental shorter than 100 days falls under the same rule.

This guide isn't a theoretical summary of legislation. It sets out, in concrete terms, exactly who must obtain the permit certificate, how the application actually works, which documents are required, what role your building's co-owners play, and the current 2026 fine amounts for operating without a permit. The goal is to help you put your business on solid legal footing and avoid six-figure administrative fines.

What Did Law No. 7464 Change?

The law and its implementing regulation were published in the Official Gazette on December 28, 2023, and took effect on January 1, 2024. The core rule is this: renting out a residence to users for any purpose for a maximum of 100 days counts as a 'tourism-purpose rental,' and doing so requires a permit certificate from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The 100-day threshold is what determines coverage — any rental shorter than that falls under the law, while a classic residential lease of 100 days or more under a single contract does not.

The law has a dual purpose: bringing the fast-growing, largely unregulated short-term rental market into the formal system (for tax and security reasons), and addressing the disturbance that daily rentals can cause for neighbors in apartment buildings and residential complexes. So this isn't just a 'license' — it layers in requirements like co-owner consent, a mandatory plaque, and liability for platforms. Let's start with who is covered.

Who Must Obtain the Permit Certificate?

What matters isn't the name or brand of your property — it's the length of the rental and the nature of the unit. If you're renting out a unit legally classified as a residence for less than 100 days, you're covered. It makes no difference which platform you use — Airbnb, Booking, your own website, or a real estate agent.

Who Issues the Permit Certificate, and Where Do You Apply?

The permit certificate is issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism; in practice, applications are reviewed by the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism in the province where the property is located. Applications can only be filed electronically, through e-Devlet (turkiye.gov.tr) or the Ministry's citizen portal (vatandas.ktb.gov.tr). Physical applications submitted in person or by mail are returned without review.

If you're applying as an individual, you select 'Natural Person'; if applying on behalf of a company, you select 'Legal Entity.' There's no separate application fee — the certificate fee, any applicable establishment fee, and the plaque fee are only paid after your application is approved, once the Ministry notifies you with a 'fee notice.' These fees are updated annually by Ministry communiqué; in 2025 the combined certificate-plus-plaque cost was around 15,000 TL, so it's best to confirm the current amount with the Provincial Directorate at the time you apply.

Required Documents and Paperwork

The application hinges on the document file. A single missing document can stall the process for weeks — the co-owners' resolution and title deed records are especially critical. The table below summarizes the documents typically required and where to obtain them:

Co-Owner Consent: The Unanimity Requirement

This is the toughest provision in the law, and the one that blocks the most applications. If you want to rent out a unit inside an apartment building or residential complex for tourism purposes, you must present a notarized resolution — adopted unanimously by ALL co-owners of the building — stating that they approve of tourism-purpose rental being carried out in that unit. It requires unanimity, not a majority: even a single co-owner's objection stops the application in its tracks.

Three or More Units: The 25% Rule and the 5-Unit Threshold

The law sets a separate cap for anyone looking to grow a portfolio beyond a single unit. In a building with more than three independent units, permit certificates can be issued to the same landlord for at most 25% of those units. So in a 12-unit building, a single person can rent out no more than 3 units for tourism purposes.

There's a second threshold: if the number of units for which the same landlord requests a permit certificate in the same building exceeds 5, a business opening and operating license is also required. In practice, this means that once you scale up, the activity is treated as a genuine 'business.' If the property sits within a residential complex, these requirements apply only to the specific building containing the tourism-rental unit, and a copy of the permit certificate must be shared with the complex's management.

How to Get the Permit Certificate — Step by Step

Once your documents are ready, the whole process runs electronically. Here's the typical flow:

1. Log in to e-Devlet (turkiye.gov.tr) or vatandas.ktb.gov.tr with your e-Devlet password and select 'Natural Person' or 'Legal Entity.'
2. Enter the property's title deed information, along with the address and unit details, into the system.
3. Upload the notarized unanimous co-owners' resolution, along with the title deed, ID, and building documents.
4. The Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism reviews the application; an on-site inspection of the property may be carried out if necessary.
5. If the application is approved, you'll be notified with a fee notice, and you pay the certificate and plaque fees.
6. The permit certificate is issued and the plaque is delivered; you must display the plaque visibly at the entrance to the property.

Penalties: The Cost of Operating Without a Permit

This is the most expensive part of the equation. Renting a property for tourism purposes without a permit certificate triggers tiered administrative fines, and the amounts increase every year by the official revaluation rate. The updated 2026 figures start at six figures and climb into the millions of lira. What's more, the fine can be applied separately for each individual unit.

Let's translate the numbers into operational terms: choosing to stay unlicensed instead of paying the roughly 15,000 TL certificate-and-plaque fee means risking a fine that starts at 180,617 TL on a single violation — about 12 times the cost of getting legal. With the separate intermediary fine and platforms pulling listings on top of that, staying unlicensed simply doesn't make economic sense.

Permit Certificate, KBS, and Tax: Three Obligations, One System

The permit certificate alone isn't enough — two more obligations run alongside it. The first is KBS (guest identity reporting): under Law No. 1774 on Identity Notification, the identity of every guest staying in a tourism-rented property must be reported to the police — exactly as hotels and guesthouses do. The second is tax: short-term residential rental is treated in most cases not as simple rental income (GMSİ) but as commercial income, which is why tax registration is also required as part of the permit certificate application. Depending on the nature of the activity, a 2% accommodation tax and VAT obligations may also apply.

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Assuming 'I already pay tax, so I don't need a permit'

Tax registration and the tourism-purpose rental permit certificate are two separate obligations. Even if you pay your taxes on time, going without a permit certificate still leaves you exposed to the 180,617 TL fine. Both are required — neither substitutes for the other.

Mistake 2: Leaving co-owner consent until the last step

Trying to collect the unanimous co-owners' resolution as the very last step is the mistake that derails most applications. A single objection invalidates the entire process. Test the odds of getting consent before you decide to rent out the apartment — or even before you buy it.

Mistake 3: Not displaying the plaque

Obtaining the permit certificate and leaving the plaque in a drawer is incomplete compliance. The plaque must be displayed visibly at the entrance to the property — failing to do so is a separate line item subject to its own administrative fine. It's one of the first things inspectors check.