Turkish Citizenship by Property Investment

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 property bought for citizenship application must be held by the applicant for 3 years. This must be recorded by an annotation in the land registry and 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 of obtaining citizenship for investors and their family members 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. Buying 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 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 not available for residency application by foreigners as of 1 July 2022. This and other preliminary issues must be addressed when a foreigner considers buying property for migration purposes 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 not the only criterion, 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 not a complete 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, in Turkey citizenship by property investment is one of the most popular ways of foreign investment in the country.

1. Buying and holding real estate investment fund share or venture capital investment fund share worth $500,000 whether in Turkish lira or in foreign currencies and holding for 3 years gives foreigners the right to obtain citizenship.

2. Alternatively, investors can deposit $500,000 in Turkey and obtain Turkish citizenship. Foreign investors must deposit in a Turkish bank and not withdraw this amount from the bank accounts for 3 years.

3. Obtaining Turkish citizenship is possible also if foreigners purchase government bonds worth $500,000 whether in Turkish lira or in foreign currencies and do not sell for 3 years.

4. Creating jobs for at least 50 people or making a minimum capital investment of $500,000 or equivalent foreign currency or Turkish lira.

5. Finally, citizenship can be obtained by investment worth $500,000 whether in Turkish lira or in foreign currencies into the personal retirement insurance system and do not sell for 3 years.

Despite these alternatives to get Turkish passport, the Turkish real estate market remains attractive to foreigners who wish to obtain Turkish citizenship by investment.