Citizenship by investment programs has specific requirements and procedures for every country which offers such an option. Rules on obtaining citizenship in Turkey are set out in the Turkish Citizenship Law. Like the golden visas in the EU, foreigners can buy property worth $400,000 to become Turkish citizens. This is one of the most popular citizenship programs under the Turkish Citizenship Law. The applicant must hold the property bought for citizenship application for 3 years. This must be recorded by an annotation in the land registry; any violation during this period might result in loss of citizenship. Applicants do not need to wait for the entire 3-year period to receive their citizenship and benefit from the resulting right, including visa-free travel to certain countries.
The investor is also granted residency before the citizenship. Family members of the investor are also granted residency and citizenship. The most common way for investors and their family members to obtain citizenship is investment by property ownership. This option requires the title deed to state that the property will not be sold for 3 years.
Can I get citizenship if I buy a house in Turkey?
Buying a property in Turkey is one of the alternatives for getting Turkish citizenship by investment. Purchasing a house would first grant you the right to residency in Turkey. This is also a precondition for citizenship by real estate investment in Turkey. Briefly, buying property in Turkey for citizenship involves the following stages:
- Purchasing real estate which qualifies for citizenship application
- Getting short-term residency in Turkey by using the real estate purchase as the basis
- Application for citizenship by investment
- Receiving a Turkish passport
The above stages are an overall guideline, and specific conditions for each transaction must be carefully examined. For example, the Presidency of Migration Management announced that 1169 neighbourhoods are unavailable for foreign residency application as of 1 July 2022. This and other preliminary issues must be addressed when a foreigner considers buying property for migration, including becoming a Turkish citizen.
How much must I invest in Turkey to get citizenship by purchasing real estate?
Foreigners must purchase real estate worth at least $400,000 to get Turkish citizenship. However, the location and type of the property, as well as land registry records, must be examined to see whether it qualifies for citizenship application. The property’s price alone is one of many criteria, especially considering the foreigner’s nationality.
How long can you stay in Turkey if you own a property?
A foreigner who owns a property in Turkey which qualifies for citizenship application may stay in Turkey as long as they wish once their citizenship application is approved. If the foreigner chooses not to apply for citizenship or has not purchased a property which qualifies for citizenship application, it is still possible to reside in Turkey. It is also possible to buy real estate in Turkey to get residency. Real estate residence permit requirements in Turkey are less strict than citizenship requirements. If the conditions are met, the foreigner may be eligible to apply for short-term residency based on property ownership in Turkey. Please view our article about Turkey’s short-term residency requirements for further details.
Turkey citizenship by investment required documents
These are the essential documents for citizenship in Turkey documents:
– Biometric photos
– Suitability document
– Vat-4 form
– A copy of the previous residence permit and registration form for the current permit
– Original and translation of passport
– Birth certificate
– Proof of health insurance
– Documents showing application fees are paid
– Marital status documents
– Additional documents are needed if the applicant’s spouse or children under 18 are planning to benefit from the scheme
While the above documents show the general framework of required documents and intend to provide guidance, this is a partial list. There are additional and specific documents based on the conditions of each particular application.
Can investors obtain Turkish citizenship by other means of investment in Turkey?
There are several different investment routes to becoming a Turkish citizen. Nevertheless, citizenship through property investment is one of the most popular ways of foreign investment in Turkey.
- Buying and holding real estate investment fund shares or venture capital investment fund shares worth $500,000, whether in Turkish lira or foreign currencies and holding them for 3 years gives foreigners the right to obtain citizenship.
- Alternatively, investors can deposit $500,000 in Turkey and obtain Turkish citizenship. Foreign investors must deposit this amount in a Turkish bank and not withdraw it from their bank accounts for three years.
- Obtaining Turkish citizenship is also possible if foreigners purchase government bonds worth $500,000 in Turkish lira or foreign currencies and do not sell for 3 years.
- Create jobs for at least 50 people or make a minimum capital investment of $500,000 or equivalent foreign currency or Turkish lira.
- Finally, citizenship can be obtained by investment worth $500,000, whether in Turkish lira or foreign currencies, into the personal retirement insurance system and do not sell for 3 years.
Despite these alternatives to getting a Turkish passport, the Turkish real estate market remains attractive to foreigners who wish to obtain Turkish citizenship through investment.
Does Turkey allow dual citizenship?
Dual citizenship is allowed in Turkey. However, countries such as Germany do not allow citizenship. Because of this, some German citizens with Turkish origins apply for the blue card in Turkey, which gives the holder certain citizenship rights (voting rights are not provided). Some foreign citizens whose country of citizenship does not allow dual citizenship follow these steps to get the blue card: (1) apply for Turkish citizenship, (2) after becoming a Turkish citizen, receive the blue card, (3)