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Digital Land Registry: Cadastre in Turkey
- Gökçe Bal
- Oct 7, 2025
- 6 min read
Updated: Oct 28, 2025
Today, more than 58 million parcels in Turkey can be searched digitally in seconds. How is this possible ? The answer lies in the years-old databases and modern technologies of the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre (TKGM) in Turkey. Since 1924, cadastral engineers have completed the measurement of approximately 58.5 million parcels, creating the country's two-dimensional cadastre. Managing this vast real estate stock today requires not only traditional mapping but also expert systems , geographic information systems (GIS) , mobile applications, and three-dimensional (3D) modeling technologies.
Contents
TAKBİS: Türkiye's Digital Cadastre System
The Land Registry and Cadastre Information System ( TAKBİS ) is the backbone system that brings Turkey's cadastral data to the digital world. It stores land registry records electronically using advanced databases and GIS solutions, speeding up transactions and increasing their reliability. Launched in the mid-2000s, TAKBİS not only stored information but also pioneered data integration with other institutions. For example, thanks to protocols signed with the Ministry of Justice, transactions such as e-Mortgage, e-Seizure, and e-Abandonment became available online.
This system also centralizes the geometry, address (integrated with the MAKS National Address System), and ownership information for each parcel. This makes accessing land and building information easier, and local governments and other institutions can use TAKBIS data to develop city infrastructure and investment plans.
Parcel Inquiry: Title Deed Information at Your Fingertips
From illegal construction to cadastral disputes, a wide range of mapping issues are resolved with the "Parcel Inquiry" application. Through TKGM's Parcel Inquiry web application or similar services offered through the e-Government portal, you can instantly access attributes such as a parcel's boundaries, map sheet information, and surface area.
"Our system allows us to conduct parcel inquiries for real estate, such as plots and land, online," say TKGM officials. This means that once you have a block or parcel number, you can quickly determine the property's location and technical specifications. GIS infrastructures developed by cartographers for this process use satellite imagery or aerial photography to display a colorful map of the parcel on your screen.
In fact, the system you see offers a land view, if necessary, via Google Maps or the Turkish National Map Presentation (turkiye.gov.tr map layers). These services make the process much more accessible and practical for both citizens and surveyors. Land registry offices, even through teleconferencing, eliminate the need for parties in different cities to be physically present simultaneously for land registry transactions, allowing anyone to inspect their parcel from home.
Web Land Registry and E-Government Integration: Land Registry Now in Your Mobile
Waiting in long lines to process transactions at the land registry offices is now a thing of the past. With the Web Land Registry application, citizens can access information about their properties online and authorize others. They can even apply remotely, submit documents, and complete a sale simply by signing the title deed. Anyone wishing to sell a property simply enters their application into the system from home, pays the title deed fee, and other fees via e-Government. When the application is complete, they receive an SMS notification and proceed to the land registry office at the designated time to complete the transaction. Furthermore, e-signature and security technologies prevent fraud and save time.
This system is also complemented by mobile apps : Apps like " Türkiye Tapu " allow you to access your digital title deed via QR code. So, while your title deed was once a mere paper detail, it's now accessible on your mobile phone like a detailed digital portfolio.
Data Sharing: A Bridge Between Institutions with TAKPAS
To increase the synergy of land registry and cadastral data, TKGM developed the TAKPAS (Land Registry and Cadastre Sharing System) module. This system enables the sharing of land registry, cadastral, and map data produced or archived by TKGM with relevant institutions. Data flow between institutions has gained speed and transparency.
Thanks to TAKPAS, numerous organizations, from municipalities and banks to tax offices and public institutions, can directly access TKGM data through systems like e-Municipality. Data such as a property's title deed, ownership information, or boundaries can now be queried in seconds. This system makes it possible to track real estate assets like a live inventory.
Planning is carried out using up-to-date maps, and every institution speaks from the same digital map. TAKPAS creates a digital memory for cities by making cadastral information accessible to everyone. This way, the land registry system and urban information systems work together, making investment decisions more accurate and transparent.
High-Tech Measurement: Drones, GPS and LIDAR
Land surveying technologies are entering a brand new era; drones that measure land with lasers and 3D systems that scan with millimeter precision are now operational. With the 2018 regulation, cadastral detail measurements can now be performed with drones equipped with GPS/GNSS receivers, LIDAR scanners, or flying camera systems. A drone approaches the land surface like a high-resolution scanner, capturing every detail with millimeter precision.
LIDAR uses thousands of laser beams to project a stunning three-dimensional point cloud from the sky. This allows surveys of large forested areas or rural lands in a week, operations that previously took months. Innovative surveying techniques complement traditional total stations and GNSS methods, adding speed and accuracy. Surveyors are now using unmanned aerial vehicles and next-generation cameras, in addition to RTK GPS systems and advanced surveying equipment. This has led to the gradual shift from traditional two-dimensional mapping to advanced technologies that generate three-dimensional spatial data.
3D Cadastre and Digital Twin Cities
As we mentioned earlier, the 21st century is no longer content with two dimensions. Starting January 1, 2025, in Turkey, it will be mandatory to submit a three-dimensional digital building model along with architectural projects for condominium and floor easement transactions . This means that every new building will now appear in the title deed file as a digital twin. Hakan Gedikli, General Director of Land Registry and Cadastre, states that this implementation will fundamentally transform the real estate sector and make a strong contribution to Turkey's digitalization vision. This creates real-time digital twins of cities; each building's geometry, surface area, facade, and floor information are digitally transferred and modeled in detail.
This comprehensive 3D cadastral project combines a myriad of technologies. Photogrammetric photographs of the city are taken and combined with satellite orthophotos, and 3D databases are built in standard data formats such as CityGML and CityJSON . Each building is scanned and inspected on GIS-based platforms: systems developed by TKGM ensure quality with a 400-item checklist, and interactive queries are made possible through REST APIs and WebGL. Ultimately, citizens will be able to access details about a new building, such as its square footage, facade, and number of rooms, through smart city applications or mobile web interfaces.
This data will be used in a wide range of areas, from energy planning to cultural heritage monitoring, from disaster management to traffic analysis. For example, after an earthquake, search and rescue teams will be able to virtually see the inside of collapsed buildings using 3D cadastre and determine the fastest response route. Similarly, the tax office will be able to quickly identify buildings whose physical dimensions differ from those registered in the land registry and ensure fair taxation.
Solutions and Future Outlook with Cadastre
Modern land registry and cadastral technologies offer solutions to many problems. Long lines, complicated paper archives, and intercity bureaucratic delays are finally a thing of the past . Now, property owners and buyers living in different cities can complete transactions remotely via video calls thanks to the Web Land Registry system; signatures can be signed simultaneously from different locations. Documents in the land registry archives are scanned and stored electronically. With the new circular, these scanned documents are kept in their original form, eliminating the need for physical archives. This reduces the risk of forgery and reduces the time it takes to access information to mere seconds.
Digital cadastre saves lives during earthquakes. After demolition, GPS coordinates of buildings can be matched with satellite maps in seconds. Furthermore, as new buildings are constructed, the "digital building" model will be automatically processed into the system, making it easier to track buildings without occupancy permits. Intervention in illegal construction will be accelerated, and urban planning will be more efficient. Another example is Smart Urbanism . Municipalities will be able to calculate the city's solar potential using shadow analyses derived from 3D building data or design mass housing projects based on the profiles of their beneficiaries.
This transformation also puts surveying engineers at the forefront. Traditional manual surveying methods are becoming obsolete, and high-tech devices like 3D laser scanners and Kinect sensors are now widely used in daily practice. Engineers coding automation with Python are as technology-focused as drone pilots in the field. The result is a fast, secure, and transparent land registry and cadastral system for everyone. Every parcel measured, every drone frame captured, and every building modeled becomes a brick in the future of the land registry system. Thus, Turkey's cadastral network comes to life, vividly and completely, on a digital screen.
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