Investing on agricultural land in Türkiye: how do permits work?

Which rules apply to agricultural land permits?

The core text is Law 5403 on Soil Protection and Land Use. Two recent changes matter, and much of what is published elsewhere predates them.

• New regulation: the 2017 regulation has been repealed and replaced by the Regulation on the Protection and Use of Agricultural Land of 4 April 2026. Under an amendment of 4 August 2026, applications filed before that date stay under the old regulation.
• Law 7584: published on 20 June 2026, it amended Articles 8, 20 and 21 of Law 5403. Fines went up and unpermitted buildings can no longer get utility connections.

Does your facility count as an agricultural structure?

Start here, because the permit route splits on this question. Article 3 of the Law lists agricultural structures: irrigation infrastructure, non-integrated livestock and aquaculture units, dairies, a producer’s storage for its own crop, flour mills, greenhouses and similar. It also covers plants for crops that lose quality if not processed within two hours of harvest.

The Regulation separately defines the integrated agricultural facility: a plant, outside the recognised agricultural structures, where produce is physically or chemically processed after primary production. Our reading is that a typical food factory sits close to this definition and does not get the agricultural structure route. The provincial directorate decides on the actual project.

Who grants the permit?

The Article 13 cases include defence needs, plans and investments with a public interest decision, renewable energy and geothermal technological greenhouses. An ordinary private industrial investment is not listed as a separate case.

What are the steps?

1. Land status: check parcel class, great plain boundaries, and any pasture or olive grove status. The classification survey is prepared by at least two agricultural engineers through the TAD Portal.
2. Alternative site: for non-agricultural requests, the authority must look at whether the need can be met from planned areas or lower potential land. For agricultural structures in a plain, the investor’s land outside the plain and any specialised agricultural zone in the same district come first.
3. Board and decision: where the Soil Protection Board must give an opinion, a positive opinion needs at least six votes.
4. EIA: for projects under the EIA Regulation, the investment cannot start until the required decision is issued.
5. Plan and building permit: a building permit is required under Article 21 of the Zoning Law.
6. Operation: under Article 30 of Law 5996, a food business must get approval before starting, or register, depending on its type.

Two deadlines matter. Missing documents must be completed within six months if they come from public bodies, and within three months otherwise. A land use permit lapses if it is not converted into an approved plan or building permit within two years of notification.

What do specialised agricultural zones offer?

The agriculture-based specialised organised industrial zone (TDİOSB) is governed by Article 26/A of Law 4562. It brings crop and livestock production together with the plants that process them. Under the regulation, a zone is set up with Ministry approval. Except for geothermal greenhouses, 75 percent of the land must be registered to the Treasury. Other than crop and soil-based greenhouse projects, the site cannot be absolute, planted, special crop or irrigated land.

Buying a parcel in an existing zone and founding a new zone are very different jobs. See our Site Selection and Permitting service for expansion and parcel decisions.

What other limits can appear?

• Subdivision: the minimum agricultural parcel cannot be set below 2 hectares on absolute, marginal and special crop land, 0.5 hectares on planted land and 0.3 hectares under cover. Subdivision and share transactions need Ministry permission.
• Pasture: under Article 14 of Law 4342, pasture cannot be used otherwise unless its allocation is changed.
• Olive groves: under Article 20 of Law 3573, plants releasing chemical waste, dust or smoke that harm olives cannot be built in olive areas or within at least 3 kilometres of them, olive oil mills excepted.

What happens if work starts without a permit?

Under Article 21 the governorship stops the work. The fine is TRY 2,500 per square metre used, with a TRY 1,000 minimum, doubled in great plains. If no permit is obtained after applying within one month, two months are given to demolish. The fine then triples and demolition follows. Electricity, water and gas connections cannot be opened for unpermitted buildings. Fine amounts are revalued yearly under the Law on Misdemeanours.

This guide is general information, not legal advice, and outcomes depend on the parcel. Foreign investors should also read our foreign investor guide. Test the site in a feasibility study before you commit.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• 5403 sayılı Toprak Koruma ve Arazi Kullanımı Kanunu, güncel metin (7584 sayılı Kanun işlenmiş)
• Tarım Arazilerinin Korunması ve Kullanılması Hakkında Yönetmelik, Resmî Gazete 04.04.2026, sayı 33214
• Tarım Arazilerinin Korunması ve Kullanılması Hakkında Yönetmelikte Değişiklik, Resmî Gazete 04.08.2026
• 7584 sayılı Kanun, Resmî Gazete 20.06.2026, sayı 33286
• 4562 sayılı Organize Sanayi Bölgeleri Kanunu, madde 26/A
• Tarıma Dayalı İhtisas Organize Sanayi Bölgeleri Yönetmeliği, güncel metin
• 4342 sayılı Mera Kanunu
• 3573 sayılı Zeytinciliğin Islahı ve Yabanilerinin Aşılattırılması Hakkında Kanun
• 3194 sayılı İmar Kanunu
• 5996 sayılı Veteriner Hizmetleri, Bitki Sağlığı, Gıda ve Yem Kanunu
• Çevresel Etki Değerlendirmesi Yönetmeliği, güncel metin
• 5326 sayılı Kabahatler Kanunu, madde 17

This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Programme terms can change, so check the current official text before applying.