Moving Money from China to Turkey: Property and Citizenship

If you live in mainland China and want to buy property in Turkey, for a residence permit or for Turkish citizenship by investment, the money has to leave China lawfully and reach Turkey through a bank. China's USD 50,000 annual foreign exchange quota cannot be used to buy property abroad, and Turkey registers a foreign buyer's purchase only when a bank in Turkey has converted the foreign currency into Turkish lira and issued a foreign exchange purchase document (Döviz Alım Belgesi, or DAB). Talk to your own bank in China and a licensed adviser before you sign a contract or send any money.

China's annual foreign exchange quota and what it covers

Under the personal foreign exchange rules that the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) lists as in force, each individual in mainland China has an annual facilitation quota for buying foreign currency equal to USD 50,000 per calendar year. Unused quota does not carry over. Within the quota you buy at your bank with your ID and declare the purpose on the personal foreign exchange purchase application form. Above the quota, current account payments need documents that prove the transaction is genuine.

SAFE's form and published guidance say this plainly. The quota is a convenience limit, not a permission to send money for any purpose: the purpose decides what is allowed.

One development to watch: since 1 July 2026, the State Council Provisions on Outbound Investment (Order No. 837) name resident individuals as investors, with detailed rules for individuals to be issued separately. We could not find those rules as of October 2026, so it is not yet clear how they will treat a home purchase abroad. Ask your bank in China what currently applies.

Use lawful bank channels only

Your bank in China is the place to ask what you may lawfully send abroad and which documents you need. Chinese banks also carry out anti-money laundering checks, so expect questions about any large transfer. SAFE's rules list what individuals must not do:

• give a false purpose, or false documents, when buying foreign currency;
• lend your quota to others, or use relatives' or friends' quotas to split one large purchase into several smaller ones;
• use underground banks or "offsetting" arrangements, where money is paid in China and received abroad;
• carry large amounts of cash: taking more than USD 5,000 in foreign cash out of mainland China needs a permit, and individuals may in principle not carry more than USD 10,000.

SAFE can put a person on its watch list, which removes the annual quota for that year and the next two years, refer the case for anti-money laundering investigation and record it in the person's credit file. Fines apply under the Foreign Exchange Administration Regulations, and illegal foreign exchange trading can be prosecuted as a crime under a 2019 judicial interpretation. Informal channels also fail in Turkey: money that does not arrive through a bank in Turkey cannot produce a DAB, and you risk losing it altogether.

What Turkey requires when the money arrives

Under Article 13 of the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye's Capital Movements Circular, a foreign buyer pays for property in Turkey in foreign currency. Before the title deed transfer, that currency is sold to a bank in Turkey, which sells it on to the Central Bank, and the seller is paid in Turkish lira. The bank sends the DAB electronically to the land registry office. The General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre (TKGM) has required the DAB for purchases by foreign individuals since 24 January 2022. For citizenship, Article 20 of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law requires the same sale to a bank in Turkey, under the Central Bank's implementing instruction.

For the USD 400,000 property route, the steps usually run in this order:

1. You open a bank account in Turkey in your own name and agree the transfer with the bank before sending anything.
2. You send foreign currency by bank transfer, normally from your own account abroad. Ask the bank in Turkey and the land registry office which sources of funds they accept for a citizenship file.
3. The bank converts the sale price into lira at the Central Bank's rate and issues the DAB. TKGM's citizenship guide says the amount must not include VAT, commission, fees or taxes.
4. The lira is paid into the seller's account. Keep the bank-certified receipt: the land registry asks for proof of the buyer-to-seller transfer.
5. A licensed valuation company values the property, and the title deed is transferred with a note that it will not be sold for three years. TKGM then issues the certificate of conformity for the citizenship application.

For thresholds and property rules, see USD 400,000 property for Turkish citizenship and our Turkish citizenship by investment 2026 guide.

Source of funds checks at Turkish banks

Banks in Turkey, and businesses that trade in or broker real estate, are obliged parties under Law No. 5549 on the Prevention of Laundering Proceeds of Crime and the Regulation on Measures of the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK). They must identify you before the transaction, may apply stricter checks, and must report suspicious transactions to MASAK without telling you. Expect the bank to ask where the money came from. Prepare:

• your passport and any other identity documents the bank requests;
• documents showing how you earned the money, such as salary, tax or business income records, or the sale contract of a previous property;
• bank records showing that the money left China through a bank;
• the sale contract for the property in Turkey.

The bank decides what it accepts. It can ask for more documents, delay the transfer or refuse it.

Buying property for a residence permit

The DAB rule applies to every property purchase by a foreign individual, not only to citizenship. For a short-term residence permit as a property owner, the document list of the Presidency of Migration Management states that the property must be worth at least USD 200,000. See our residence permit service for the application itself.

What Turkey Residence Agency does and does not do

Turkey Residence Agency is an immigration advisory firm. We can help you prepare your citizenship or residence permit application and organise your documents. We do not handle, hold or transfer money, we do not give financial or legal advice, and we cannot tell you how to move funds out of China. Ask your own bank in China and a licensed adviser. You can contact us about the application itself.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use my USD 50,000 annual quota to pay for a flat in Turkey?

No. Foreign currency bought within the quota may not be used to buy property abroad, because overseas property is a capital account item not yet open to individuals.

Can family members each buy USD 50,000 and send it to me?

No. Using other people's quotas to split one purchase is prohibited, and everyone involved can be put on SAFE's watch list.

Can I pay the seller in cash or through a money changer?

The land registry relies on the DAB from a bank in Turkey. Cash or money changed at an exchange office does not produce one, and carrying cash out of China is strictly limited.

Does the DAB have to cover the full price?

Yes. It must cover the sale price declared at the land registry, or the advance under a promise of sale contract, without VAT, commission or fees.

Can Turkey Residence Agency send the money for me?

No. We do not handle money transfers. Ask your bank in China, your bank in Turkey and a licensed adviser.

Rules checked in October 2026. They change, so confirm them with your bank in China, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange and your bank in Turkey before you act.