Investment and relocation advisory in Türkiye
A single point of contact for foreign investors entering the Turkish market, coordinating the licensed professionals each part of the move actually requires.
Written and kept current by Burak Unal, registered Turkish Trademark and Patent Attorney (Marka ve Patent Vekili, reg. 1677 and 2900) and licensed Real Estate Broker (Emlak Danışmanı, yetki belgesi 3408704) in Istanbul.
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Most costly mistakes in a cross border move are not made inside any one workstream. They are made between them: a property bought before the residence route was checked, a company set up in the wrong form for the intended visa, an IP portfolio left unregistered until a distributor registers it first.
This is the part of my work that holds those threads together. I am not your lawyer, your accountant or your immigration adviser, and I do not act as one. I coordinate them, and I bring my own two regulated practices into the same plan so that the property side and the intellectual property side stop being separate conversations.
What coordination actually covers
The value here is sequencing and translation, in both senses. Knowing which step has to come first, and making sure the Turkish process is explained in a language you can make a decision in.
- Orientation on property investment options in Istanbul, with the trade offs stated rather than the brochure version
- Coordination of the property side of residence and citizenship by investment routes, on the thresholds and conditions in force at the time
- Referral to vetted licensed professionals for legal, tax, accounting and immigration work, and management of the handovers between them
- One point of contact who holds the timeline across every Turkish engagement, so nothing waits on a question nobody owns
Where the boundaries are
Being explicit about scope is not a disclaimer exercise. It is what makes the coordination trustworthy, because you always know which hat I am wearing and which advice carries which licence behind it.
- Trademark, patent, utility model and design work is done by me, as a registered attorney before Turkpatent
- Istanbul property transactions are done by me, as a licensed real estate broker
- Legal opinions, tax advice, certified accounting and notarial work are referred to the licensed professionals who may give them
- Immigration applications are handled by specialists; I keep the property side aligned with what that process needs and when
How an engagement runs
- 01
Orientation call
You describe the objective rather than the shopping list: what the move is for, on what horizon, and what has already been decided. I tell you which parts of it I can do myself and which need somebody licensed for them.
- 02
Sequencing
We put the workstreams in an order that does not create dead ends, and identify the decisions that lock others in. This is the step that saves the most money and takes the least time.
- 03
Assembly and referral
I bring in the professionals each part needs and brief them once, in full, so you are not re-explaining your situation to every new party. Introductions are made on the basis of fit, not commission.
- 04
Execution and review
I run my own workstreams, hold the calendar across the others, and come back to you at each decision point with the options and a recommendation rather than a status update.
Questions about coordinated advisory
Is this legal or immigration advice?
No. I am a registered trademark and patent attorney before Turkpatent and a licensed real estate broker, and those are the two capacities in which I advise. For legal opinions, tax, accounting and immigration applications I refer you to professionals licensed for that work and keep the pieces coordinated.
Can a property purchase support a residence or citizenship application?
It can, subject to the thresholds and conditions in force at the time of the application. I coordinate the property side so that it is documented the way the immigration process needs, and work alongside the specialist handling the application itself.
How are you paid for advisory work?
On an agreed scope and fee, quoted before anything starts. Where a referral goes to another professional you contract with them directly, and I tell you plainly if any arrangement exists between us.
Official sources
Start with the objective, not the paperwork
Tell me what you are trying to achieve in Türkiye and on what timeline. I will come back with the sequence, who needs to be involved, and what I can take on myself.
I usually respond within one business day.