Turkish Citizenship by Investment

It is the exceptional acquisition of citizenship by foreigners who meet certain economic thresholds in capital, real estate or deposits. The procedures are legally carried out under the relevant law and its implementing regulation. Consultancy from a Turkish citizenship by investment lawyer is helpful for the correct application steps.

There is definitely no requirement to know Turkish or to reside continuously for long years for foreign investors applying through the exceptional route. Only after the investment procedures are successfully completed, obtaining the special short-term residence permit document stated in the law from the official authorities is a legal requirement.

When the Turkish citizenship investment conditions are met, you do not need to renounce your own country's citizenship. Turkish law fully allows dual or multiple citizenship status. Unless your own country's domestic legislation requires otherwise, you can hold more than one passport.

Foreigners can acquire citizenship by buying real estate worth at least 400,000 US dollars or the equivalent in foreign currency. An official annotation that the property will not be sold for three years must be placed on the title deed. Working with a Turkish citizenship by investment lawyer is recommended for a flawless process.

The property used in the application must be a residence or workplace with established condominium ownership or construction servitude. For land-qualified properties, a permanent structure with an occupancy permit must exist on the land. Unbuilt vacant land or agricultural fields are not accepted.

Yes, you do not have to meet the investment amount with a single property. If the total value of more than one property purchased exceeds the 400,000 US dollar limit, you gain the legal right to apply. The total value is proven to state institutions with the relevant value determination documents.

The property to be purchased must definitely not be registered in the name of any foreign real person in the title deed. In addition, the property must not be among those transferred by a foreigner to a Turkish citizen in the last three years. The purchase must be made from Turkish citizens or Turkish companies.

Buying property as a share (co-ownership) can be used in a citizenship application, provided the value of the applicant's share alone meets at least 400,000 US dollars. In this case, the value of the relevant share is taken as the basis in the valuation report and the value determination document. If the share value falls below the limit, the application is not accepted.

Obtaining a foreign exchange purchase document (DAB) in the transactions is a legal and firm requirement. An investor who wants to obtain Turkish citizenship by buying property must sell the foreign currency corresponding to the sale price to a local bank operating in Turkey, to be sold on to the Central Bank.

The valuation report is a special document showing the current market value of the property, prepared by licensed experts. The value determination document is an official paper issued by the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre confirming that the amount paid meets the legal limit required for citizenship.

For properties with established condominium ownership or construction servitude, an application can be made directly by drawing up a sales promise agreement at a notary. Paying the determined amount of at least 400,000 US dollars in advance and annotating the three-year non-transfer undertaking on the registry are absolute conditions.

A mortgage on the property does not completely prevent the application. However, in mortgaged property purchases, the net amount remaining after the existing mortgage debt is deducted from the official sale price must fully meet the 400,000 US dollar minimum investment limit stated in the law.

You must deposit at least 500,000 US dollars or the equivalent in foreign currency in official banks operating in Turkey. Making a firm undertaking that this high amount will be kept in the bank for three years is a legal requirement.

The deposited foreign currency amounts are compulsorily sold to the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey through a bank before the transaction. The Turkish lira obtained is kept in Turkish lira deposit accounts for three years. Thus, the foreign investment is officially integrated into the legal system.

In investments made through bank deposit, the mandatory certificate of eligibility is issued by the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency. This document confirms before the state that the condition of keeping the 500,000 US dollars in the system for three years is met.

Foreigners who make a fixed capital investment of at least 500,000 US dollars to contribute concretely to the Turkish economy gain the right to apply. It must be officially determined by the Ministry of Industry and Technology that the relevant large investment meets the conditions.

Foreign investors who create employment for at least 50 people within a legal business they establish or partner in can request citizenship. It is examined in detail and approved by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security that this minimum employment capacity is met.

Qualified foreigners who buy at least 500,000 US dollars of government debt instruments can apply. The bonds must be kept by the investor for three years without being sold. It is determined and documented by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance that this strict condition is met.

You can apply to state institutions by buying at least 500,000 US dollars of real estate investment fund or venture capital investment fund shares. The shares must be held for at least three years, and the eligibility approval is issued by the Capital Markets Board.

Foreigners who deposit at least 500,000 US dollars of contribution into the private pension system can make an official application. These funds must remain in the system for at least three years. The relevant investment eligibility document is issued by the Insurance and Private Pension Regulation and Supervision Agency.

In all investment methods, obtaining a short-term residence permit after receiving the certificate of eligibility from the relevant state institution is a firm legal requirement. Specially arranged under the Law on Foreigners and International Protection, this permit is one of the most critical and basic steps of the application process.

Investing foreigners make their residence permit applications directly to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management in their province. Applications can also be made through special joint offices set up in metropolitan cities. The help of an expert Turkish citizenship by investment lawyer is always useful for the safe management of the process.

Under the current legislation, the right to obtain a short-term residence permit is also granted for the spouses of foreigners who will make a large investment. Together with the main applicant, the spouse and minor children can also benefit from this special residence permit status as a family.

Together with the main investor who applies, the spouse and children under eighteen also benefit from the citizenship right. When the Turkish citizenship investment conditions are met, the basic unity of the family is preserved and simultaneous official citizenship is granted to all eligible members.

Independent children who are adults and have fully completed the age of eighteen cannot be directly included in the investor's application file. However, if the child has an official dependent status requiring care, an exceptional special assessment can be requested from the administration, provided it is proven with valid health reports.

During the short-term residence permit and ID card issuance stages, giving fingerprints, which are biometric data, to the state authorities is mandatory. However, through official power of attorney methods, the foreigner's physical presence in Turkey is not legally required in the initial investment stages.

It is the mandatory registration number that foreign investors obtain to open a bank account in Turkey and carry out official commercial transactions such as real estate or deposits. It is easily obtained within a few seconds from the authorised tax offices or online through the system.

The processing time varies according to the accuracy of the submitted documents and the scope of national security investigations. This administrative procedure, which can take a few months on average, depends on the periodic workload of the competent authorities. No fixed and unchanging conclusion period is clearly stated in the relevant law.

After the application file is examined in detail, the decision for people who pose no objection in terms of national security and public order to obtain a Turkish passport is submitted to the higher authorities. The final and conclusive approval authority in the process is the President of the Republic of Turkey.

While the file is being processed, a comprehensive archive investigation is carried out by the General Directorate of Security and the National Intelligence Organisation. The requests of foreigners with illegal acts posing a danger in terms of public or national security are rejected directly, even if all investments have been made.

All application steps can be carried out entirely remotely with a duly issued special power of attorney, without the foreigner needing to come to Turkey. Working with an experienced Turkish citizenship by investment lawyer is frequently preferred by investors for a flawless and fast legal process.

If the purchased property is sold early or the deposit is withdrawn before three years, the relevant institutions detect the situation immediately in inspections. Due to the deliberate breach of the legal undertaking, the issued certificate of eligibility is deemed invalid and a case to annul the acquired citizenship is officially started.

If it is understood later that a false declaration was made or critical information was deliberately concealed during the citizenship acquisition, the decision authority annuls the citizenship immediately. After the annulment, the person's assets in Turkey enter a legal liquidation process and they begin to be treated as a foreigner.

People whose citizenship is annulled for legal reasons become subject to foreigner legislation. Where the administration deems it necessary, these people are ordered to liquidate their property within one year at the latest. Property not liquidated is sold by the treasury and the proceeds are kept securely in a public bank.

The general military service procedures of people who later officially pass to Turkish citizenship while being foreign nationals are determined according to the age at which they acquired citizenship and the current military service laws. Those who officially document that they previously did military service in their own country are generally fully exempt from this obligation under the laws.

After the mandatory three-year holding period set by law legally expires, investors are completely free to convert their investments to cash. The principal capital and profit shares obtained from the sale can be freely transferred from Turkey abroad within the legal financial limits.

Together with the main investor who will apply, the spouse must also submit a criminal record obtained from their own country and duly certified with an apostille. These criminal records are examined in detail by the security units to conclusively prove that you pose no threat in terms of public order.

During the citizenship application process, there are service fees, title deed costs, foreign exchange fees and residence permit document fees to be paid to the state. These costs are collected by the relevant offices at the amount set and updated in the legislation each calendar year.

Foreigners not settled in Turkey can benefit from the VAT exemption on the first delivery of a residence or workplace, provided they meet certain legal conditions and bring the price into Turkey from abroad as foreign currency. This significantly reduces the cost of acquiring Turkish citizenship by buying real estate.

When you become a Turkish passport holder, you gain the special right to travel to many countries without obtaining long visas in advance or with visa-on-arrival convenience. Thanks to the current international diplomatic agreements, your tourist and commercial travel to a large number of countries worldwide becomes significantly easier.

In a property purchase, the undertaking declaration is taken simultaneously when the title deed transfer is carried out or when the sales promise agreement is made at the notary. The relevant Land Registry Office immediately records the official annotation that the property will not be sold in any way within three years.

Yes, it is possible to combine more than one property under a single notary sales promise agreement and exceed the legal limit. However, fragmented applications made with more than one separate sales promise agreement are definitely not taken into account within the scope of citizenship acquisition.

Payments made retroactively during investment transactions are subject to certain rules. Although receipts before the start of the Foreign Exchange Purchase Document practice are accepted, no payment receipt before 12 January 2017 can be legally used in citizenship acquisition.

Paying the minimum legal foreign currency amount required for the investment in advance, before the application or at the latest on the contract date, is a legal requirement. The remaining parts can be paid in installments by the parties, but the determined minimum limit forming the basis of citizenship can definitely not be paid in installments.

The basic rule is that the principal of the money you deposit in the bank is not withdrawn in any way for three years. However, during this mandatory period the money stays in the bank, there is no legal obstacle to benefiting from interest, profit shares or similar legal returns within banking rules.

The exceptional investment program is specially designed only for people with legally foreign status. Blue Card holders who left Turkish citizenship with permission, citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, or existing Turkish citizens with dual citizenship are not considered to have foreign status and cannot apply to this program.

The regulation legally covers only properties that people acquire individually and personally in their own name. Properties acquired through commercial activity in the name of a company legal entity in which foreigners are partners or managers are definitely not taken into account in the Turkish citizenship investment calculation.

A property can only be subject to citizenship acquisition once. A second foreign person can never request citizenship with the same property that another foreigner previously legally used to acquire citizenship and for which a Value Determination Document was issued.

The mandatory service fees and transaction fees paid to the state for the file procedures are generally not refunded. However, the principal deposit blocked in the bank or the annotations on your property are lifted if your application is rejected, and your personal assets are released.

Certificates of eligibility are issued as a result of legal reviews carried out by official ministries and authorised institutions of the state. For this supervision process carried out by the institutions, there may be various administrative transaction fees or foreign exchange spread costs at the amount set and updated in the legislation.

Yes, in line with the special agreements between the two countries and Council of Ministers decisions, provided the other conditions are also met, properties registered in the name of TRNC citizens can be made subject to an exceptional Turkish citizenship acquisition request by foreign national buyers.

If the property is registered in the name of a foreign or international-capital company legal entity, an independent unit from this property can be made subject to citizenship, provided it is documented that the entire construction investment was made by the owner company from the first permit date. Where the construction was carried out by the construction company on a flat-for-land basis, independent units registered in the name of the contractor can be subject to investment, but those remaining in the name of the owner company cannot.

In determining the monetary values (dollar equivalents) required for citizenship, the effective selling rate and/or cross exchange rate of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (TCMB) on the date of the investment transaction or the foreign exchange conversion is taken as the basis. In transactions where payments are converted to Turkish lira, the dollar equivalent written in the Foreign Exchange Purchase Document (DAB) is the basis.

Yes, it is possible to switch between the investment types under the regulation in order to complete the minimum legal period of three years uninterruptedly.

Turkey has offered citizens of 183 countries the possibility to buy property without seeking a reciprocity condition. However, due to their special legal status, under Law No. 1062 on Reciprocity, Syrian citizens cannot apply for Turkish citizenship through property acquisition.

Our Izmir-based office runs Turkish citizenship by investment processes end to end, from the certificate of eligibility to passport delivery. Whichever province in Turkey you buy property from, we follow the procedures from our Izmir office through power of attorney, without you having to come.

Yes. A citizenship by investment application can be made in any province of Turkey with a property worth at least 400,000 US dollars and of a quality compliant with the legislation. Foreign property purchases are intense in regions such as Izmir (Cesme, Urla), Mugla (Bodrum, Fethiye, Marmaris), Aydin (Kusadasi, Didim) and Antalya. As a Turkish citizenship by investment lawyer team, we also run your acquisitions in these regions remotely through power of attorney.