DASK Earthquake Insurance in Turkey: What Changes on 5 September 2026
From 5 September 2026 a seller’s compulsory earthquake policy ends the moment the title is registered — it no longer passes to the buyer. If you are completing a Turkish purchase this autumn, this is the one change most likely to catch you out at the tapu appointment.
The policy no longer follows the property
Compulsory earthquake insurance has been part of every Turkish property completion for years, and most foreign buyers meet it as a line on a closing checklist rather than as something they think hard about. That has been possible because the rule was forgiving: if the seller held a valid policy, it carried over to the buyer along with the building, and the new owner inherited whatever term was left to run.
That arrangement ends on 5 September 2026. An amendment to the Compulsory Earthquake Insurance General Terms — published in the Resmî Gazete on 21 August 2026 — provides that where a property changes hands through a sale or a comparable transaction for consideration, the existing policy terminates on the date the transfer is registered at the land registry. It does not lapse at the end of its term, and it does not transfer. It simply ends, on the day ownership moves.
In its place, the buyer is expected to hold cover in their own name. The amendment also gives that expectation teeth: at the point of transfer, the land registry directorate or other authorised institution checks whether compulsory earthquake insurance exists in the name of the new owner. For a buyer, this converts DASK from something arranged loosely around completion into a precondition of completion itself.
The seller is not simply out of pocket. Where a policy terminates because the property has been sold, the premium relating to the unexpired days can be refunded on application — a detail worth raising with your insurer at closing, because it depends on someone asking.
Not every transfer is treated this way. Where the interest in a property passes without a sale — inheritance and gifts are the everyday examples — the contract continues with the new interest holder rather than terminating, subject to a notification duty covered further down this page. If you are working through an estate, our guide to inheritance law in Turkey sets out the wider position.
The 5 September 2026 amendment at a glance
Compulsory Earthquake Insurance General Terms, as amended
How a purchase now runs through the DASK requirement
The sequence a foreign buyer completing after 5 September 2026 should expect, and where the new check lands.
Confirm the property’s registry details
A compulsory earthquake policy is issued against the property itself — its land registry particulars, address and built area — not against a name in the abstract. Those details come off the title deed record, which is the same document your conveyancer should already be examining for annotations and encumbrances.
Get your Turkish tax number in place first
Insurance, banking and the title transfer all sit downstream of a Turkish tax number, so it belongs at the start of the sequence rather than the middle. A buyer without one will find several of the later steps simply cannot be started.
Arrange cover in the buyer’s name before the appointment
Because the land registry checks for a policy in the name of the new owner at transfer, the policy has to exist before you sit down to register. Compulsory earthquake insurance is sold through licensed insurance companies and their agents; your conveyancer or agent will normally arrange it as part of the pre-completion pack.
Let the seller close out their own policy
The seller’s cover terminates on the registration date by operation of the amended terms. They may apply for a refund of the premium relating to the unexpired days. This is the seller’s administrative task rather than yours, but it is worth flagging in negotiation so nobody discovers it late.
Complete the transfer at the land registry
Ownership passes on registration. This is the moment the seller’s policy ends and the moment your own cover needs to be live — the two events are tied to the same date by design, which is precisely why the gap has to be closed in advance.
Open utilities and keep the policy current
Utility subscriptions cannot be opened without compulsory earthquake insurance in place, so the policy you arranged for the transfer does double duty immediately afterwards. From then on it renews annually like any other policy, and remains a condition of future transactions on the property.
What compulsory earthquake insurance does and does not do
DASK is a structural policy with a defined scope. Understanding its edges is what tells you whether you need anything else.
It insures the structure
Cover attaches to the building itself — foundations, load-bearing walls, columns, floors, stairs and roof. It is designed to put the structure back, not to restore how you had it finished.
Earthquake and its consequences
The policy responds to earthquake damage and to directly related events: fire, explosion, tsunami and landslide arising from an earthquake. That chain of consequence is part of the cover rather than an add-on.
Not your contents
Furniture, appliances, electronics, personal belongings and fit-out are outside the scope. Owners who want those protected buy a separate home contents policy alongside, which is the normal arrangement rather than an unusual one.
A condition of transacting
Beyond the protection itself, the policy functions as an administrative key. Without it the land registry will not complete a transfer and utility providers will not open subscriptions.
Issued per property
A policy is tied to a specific registered property, which is why the details on it must match the registry record. Buying a second property means a second policy rather than an extension of the first.
Annual and renewable
Cover runs for a term and is renewed. The 2026 amendment changes what happens on sale; it does not change the fact that an owner is expected to keep a current policy for as long as they hold the property.
What the amendment changes, side by side
The position under the previous general terms compared with the position from 5 September 2026.
| Situation | Before 5 September 2026 | From 5 September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Property sold | Policy passed to the new owner for the rest of its term | Policy terminates on the registration date |
| Buyer’s own policy | Not required at the point of transfer — cover was inherited | Expected to exist in the buyer’s name |
| Land registry check | No verification of cover in the new owner’s name | Registry checks for a policy in the new owner’s name |
| Seller’s unused premium | Ran on with the property, nothing to reclaim | Refundable on application for the unexpired days |
| Inheritance or gift | Contract continued with the new interest holder | Contract still continues with the new interest holder |
| Notification duty | No fixed window in the general terms for this case | New interest holder notifies within 15 days |
| Insurer’s response | No fixed turnaround stated | Endorsement issued within 24 hours of notification |
| Utilities and transactions | Cover required to open utilities and to transfer | Unchanged — cover remains a condition of both |
Completing a Turkish purchase this autumn?
We run the title, annotation and permit checks as standard, and make sure the pre-completion pack — tax number, banking and compulsory insurance — is in place before your tapu appointment.
DASK earthquake insurance — frequently asked questions
What foreign buyers ask most about compulsory earthquake insurance and the September 2026 change.
Where to go next
The rest of our foreign-buyer library, from the title deed record to the full purchase walk-through.
- The tapu and Turkish title deeds — what the deed records and how to read the annotations page.
- Seven pitfalls foreign buyers still fall into — the avoidable omissions that cause most problems.
- The habitation certificate (iskan) — the occupancy permit and why a building without one is a problem.
- Inheritance law in Turkey — how property passes on death and what heirs need to do.
- Selling property in Turkey — the seller’s side of the transaction, including closing out cover.
- Turkey property law changes in 2026 — the wider regulatory picture for foreign buyers this year.
- All Turkey property guides — our full index of buyer guides and area research.
- Turkey property buyer’s guide — the complete purchase walk-through for foreign buyers.
Have the pre-completion checks run properly
Tell us the property you are buying and we will make sure the title record, annotations, permits and compulsory insurance are all in order before you sit down at the land registry. We work with licensed Turkish conveyancers, appraisers and insurance agents.
Присоединиться к обсуждению