Granting Turkish Citizenship to Investors - Important Legal Matters
2026-11-04
32,608 Views
Granting Turkish Citizenship to Investors According to the New Law - Important Legal Issues
Attorney Khalil Arslan writes: Legal points to consider regarding the decision to amend the conditions for granting Turkish citizenship to investors.
Many foreign investors headed to Turkey following the issuance of the decision amending the conditions for obtaining Turkish citizenship recently published in the Turkish Official Gazette, in order to obtain Turkish citizenship through real estate investment in Turkey.
It is essential to pay attention to some points that must be considered in this regard, as many investors had their applications for Turkish citizenship rejected due to not completing the necessary documents and failing to carry out some essential procedures, in addition to some mistakes. Only 44 investors managed to obtain Turkish citizenship under the previous conditions which required an investment of one million dollars according to the previous citizenship law issued on 12/01/2017.
I would like to mention some points that investors must consider that were not mentioned in the citizenship granting law:
The properties purchased between the issuance of the first decision on January 12, 2017, and the date of issuance of the amendment decision on September 19, 2018, and the property deed (title deed) was received during this period, do not allow their owners to apply for citizenship, according to the fundamental principles of the law and consultations with some officials in governmental departments.
In other words, today the investor must buy one or more properties with a total value of no less than 400 thousand US dollars, according to presidential decree No. 5554 issued on May 13, 2022, with proof of value by an accredited real estate appraisal report, payment in foreign currency through banks, and a commitment not to sell it for three years.
An investor who completes the value of one million dollars after the date of issuance of the amendment decision has the right to apply for citizenship.
Properties that were purchased before the amendment decision and sold by the method of collusion (Muvazaa Satış) then repurchased legally enable the investor to apply for citizenship currently, but since the purpose of the decision was to attract foreign currency to Turkey to stimulate the Turkish economy, it is possible that a circular will be issued in the coming days canceling this right according to the mentioned purchase method.
Investors with property valued at 400 thousand US dollars purchased via installment with mortgage in Turkish banks have the right to apply for Turkish citizenship, but it is expected that a new circular will soon be issued canceling this right.
Regarding the investor’s family eligible to apply for Turkish citizenship, children under 18 years old obtain citizenship when the investor receives it. Meanwhile, the investor’s wife obtains Turkish citizenship after three years from the husband’s acquisition of citizenship.
If the investor has more than one wife, only one wife is entitled to obtain Turkish citizenship because Turkish law prohibits polygamy.
However, the other wives can apply independently for Turkish citizenship as investors after meeting the necessary conditions.
The children over 18 years old can obtain Turkish citizenship after a certain period of time.
Obtaining Turkish Citizenship Through Investment and Other Methods
Investment in Turkey worth 500 thousand US dollars or equivalent in foreign currencies or Turkish Lira, verified by the Turkish Ministry of Industry and Technology.
Buying property in Turkey worth more than 400 thousand US dollars or equivalent in foreign currencies or Turkish Lira, provided the property is not sold within 3 years, verified by the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Urbanization.
Providing operational job opportunities for at least 50 Turkish citizens, verified by the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services.
Depositing a sum of 500 thousand US dollars or equivalent in foreign currencies or Turkish Lira in banks operating in Turkey, with a requirement to keep it for three years, verified by the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency.
Purchasing government debt instruments worth 500 thousand US dollars or equivalent in foreign currencies or Turkish Lira, verified by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance.
Edited by: Imtilak Real Estate©
Source: Turkpress
Related Topics:
Do you like this topic? You can share it with your friends now!
Do you like this topic? You can share it with your friends now!
