New provisions for obtaining Turkish citizenship through real estate ownership

The Turkish official gazette published on Tuesday, December 12, a Republican decision issued by the presidency of the Republic of Turkey and Turkish President "Recep Tayyip Erdogan" and bearing the number 32397 regarding making some amendments to the conditions for granting Turkish citizenship through real estate ownership

Amendments to Turkish citizenship by real estate ownership

The above-mentioned Republican decision made 3 major amendments to the conditions of the property granting Turkish citizenship, and these amendments are:

I- confirmation of the value of the property that grants Turkish citizenship

The Republican decision confirmed that the value of the material property granting Turkish citizenship should not be less than 400 thousand US dollars or its equivalent in other currencies.

II- the exception of agricultural land from complying with the conditions of Turkish citizenship

From the date of the issuance of the said Republican decision onwards, agricultural land, i.e. land that is not suitable for urbanization and with fertile soil that is suitable for agricultural investment only, no longer meets the conditions of the property that grants Turkish citizenship, although agricultural land itself is a type of real estate or immovable property that was previously granted Turkish citizenship, even if the purpose of purchasing it was agriculture.

III- exclusion of distressed properties under construction from granting Turkish citizenship

Sometimes some construction and contracting companies are exposed to stumbling and exceeding the legal limit granted and recognized for the construction of any real estate project in Turkey, which is five years, and therefore the project properties no longer comply with the conditions of Turkish citizenship according to the last amendment issued yesterday, especially since a real estate appraisal report cannot be issued in their name and therefore they cannot also obtain a real estate title deed document.

 

What are the Turkish properties that grant Turkish citizenship after the new amendment?

All types of Turkish real estate not mentioned in the latest amendment, whether residential, commercial, touristic, or industrial real estate, ready or under construction, that have any type of tapu (complete tapu or easement tapu), still comply with the conditions for granting Turkish citizenship through real estate ownership.

What advantages does the method of granting Turkish citizenship through ownership have over other methods?

1. The method of granting Turkish citizenship by ownership is the lowest investment value because it does not need more than a property worth 400 thousand dollars, unlike other investments in which the minimum amount is not less than 500 thousand dollars.
2. Turkish citizenship through real estate ownership grants three main goals of purchase, namely housing in Turkey, real estate investment or obtaining Turkish citizenship, and more than one goal can be collected at one time, such as investment and obtaining citizenship
3. Buying a property in order to obtain Turkish citizenship and keeping it for a period of 3 years without selling it does not mean that it is prohibited from investing, but it can be invested in all ways except resale
4. The buyer of a property that meets the conditions of Turkish citizenship has the right to start investing in it as soon as he owns it, even during the conduct of the Turkish citizenship transaction, noting that real estate investment does not affect the citizenship file, and he can continue investing after obtaining Turkish citizenship
5. Turkish law does not oblige the property owner to sell his property after the expiration of the legal period to keep it, but opens up other investment options for him after that
6. The law on granting Turkish citizenship through ownership does not grant the owner of the property from housing with his property or investing through renting it or housing his relatives or friends in it
7. The owner of the property receives monthly rental proceeds for the duration of its retention without any legal obstacles related to Turkish citizenship