10 Questions About Obtaining Turkish Citizenship

A law granting Turkish citizenship to foreigners through investment was issued at the beginning of 2017, and it underwent several amendments in the subsequent years, with the latest one in May 2022. We receive numerous questions related to Turkish citizenship on our website 'Property Superiors' and our social media platforms. From these, we have selected the top 10 Questions.

1- What are the ways to obtain Turkish citizenship through investment?

Turkish law has created several investment methods that allow the foreign investor to choose between them in accordance with his budget and the type of investment he desires. These types are:

Turkish citizenship through real estate ownership:

By purchasing a property worth no less than $400,000 and not selling for at least 3 years.

Turkish citizenship via bank deposit:

Deposit $500,000 in any Turkish bank without withdrawing for a period of no less than 3 years.

Turkish citizenship through deposit in the Individual Retirement Fund:

Deposit $500,000 in the aforementioned fund and keep it for a minimum of 3 years.

Turkish citizenship through purchasing government bonds:

The value of the bonds must not be less than $500,000 and be held for 3 years.

Turkish citizenship through public investment:

Establish a company and employ at least 50 Turkish workers and not lay off any of them for 3 years.

2- Does the investor’s family obtain Turkish citizenship if he meets the conditions?

Once the client goes to one of the methods mentioned in the question and completes the related requests, he can start, in cooperation with his real estate consultant, to prepare the application file for obtaining Turkish citizenship and include in it the investment papers in addition to his personal papers and those of his family consisting of one wife and children under the age of 18 so that they can together get naturalized.

3- Is the foreign investor entitled to own more than one property (their total values exceed 400 thousand dollars) in order to obtain Turkish citizenship?

Yes, this is possible, provided that all conditions are met and papers, payment notices, etc. are submitted.

4- Is purchasing a property under construction considered compliant with the conditions for obtaining Turkish citizenship?

Yes, if a real estate title deed is available.

5- Is it possible to pay the value of the property in cash (manually)?

The property value must be paid via bank transfers, and manual cash payments are not accepted.

6- Can the property be purchased with US dollars or any other foreign currency?

Previously, this matter was available, but at the beginning of the year 2022, a presidential decision was issued requiring that the foreign currency be sold to the Turkish Central Bank and replaced with the local currency, with the necessity of obtaining a notice from the Turkish Central Bank stating that the reason for the sale is to obtain Turkish citizenship and then transfer the value of the property in lira to the account of the Turkish seller and that All this is done through an intermediary bank.

7- Is Turkish real estate purchased in installments accepted in order to obtain Turkish citizenship?

Mortgage and partial installments are not acceptable in the process of obtaining Turkish citizenship through real estate ownership, but if the value of the first installment of the property installment exceeds $400,000, an application to obtain Turkish citizenship can be submitted regardless of the value and number of installments remaining on the property, provided that there is a tapu document. real estate.

8- Does applying for Turkish citizenship require the investor’s presence inside Turkey?

The foreign investor can go towards any type of obtaining Turkish citizenship, starting from the idea to obtaining Turkish citizenship and handing over temporary IDs to his family at the Turkish consulate abroad, all while he is in his country or in any country outside Turkey.

9- Do I have to reside in Turkey or master the Turkish language during the process of obtaining Turkish citizenship?

There are no requirements related to residency or speaking the Turkish language fluently in order to obtain Turkish citizenship through investment.

10- Do I have to give up my original passport after obtaining Turkish citizenship?

The Turkish Nationality Law allows a foreign investor to hold two nationalities in addition to Turkish nationality, taking into account the laws in the home country as some countries do not allow dual nationality.

Property Superiors services for Turkish citizenship through real estate ownership:

• Follow up on the real estate ownership process in Türkiye.
• Extracting the title deed from the Real Estate Registry Directorate.
• Obtaining legal authorization (agency from the investor)
• Preparing the application file for obtaining Turkish citizenship.
• Include in the file all investment papers and personal papers.
• Following up on the stages of naturalization until the issuance of the official decision.
• Go with the investor and his family to the Civil Status Directorate to fingerprint and obtain temporary IDs.
• Assisting the client in submitting applications for him and his family in order to obtain a Turkish passport.