There are different ways to become a Turkish citizen. Here are briefly some of them. However, the main topic of our article is “obtaining Turkish citizenship through an investment or by purchasing a house-dwelling”. Obtaining Turkish citizenship by investment is an opportunity that gives a person the right to apply for Turkish citizenship by providing other conditions resulting from different types of investments provided for in different ways.
Below, we will explain the necessary conditions for obtaining Turkish citizenship through investment, the legal procedure that must be followed, the actual situation and documents that must be prepared, the authority and deadlines for applying, etc., which are essential parts.
Foreigners’ law is an area where it is flexible compared to other areas of law and where the administration has greater discretion. For this reason, the process of becoming a Turkish citizen through investment should be carried out with great precision and in full. Accordingly, we recommend that the entire article be read in order
1 Conditions of Turkish Citizenship by Investment
1.1 Documents Required for Turkish Citizenship by Investment and the Procedure to be Followed
1.2 Where is the Application for Turkish Citizenship by Investment Made?
1.3 The Authority That Will Make the Decision on Obtaining Turkish Citizenship through Investment
2 Important Details about Obtaining Turkish Citizenship by Buying Real Estate
2.1 Does Gaining Turkish Citizenship Through Investment Cover Spouses and Children?
2.2 Administrative Evaluation of Turkish Citizenship Application through Investment and Objection to Administrative Decision
2.3 How Long Does the Process of Obtaining Turkish Citizenship Through Investment Take?
2.4 Fees and Other Expenses in the Process of Obtaining Turkish Citizenship through Investment 2022
2.5 Ways to Obtain Turkish Citizenship in General
2.6 The Importance of a Lawyer in Turkish Citizenship by Investment
- Conditions of Turkish Citizenship by Investment
The Turkish Citizenship Law does not contain details of obtaining citizenship by investment, but the relevant regulation includes them. A significant change has been made as of September 2018 with the regulation on the Application of the Turkish Citizenship Law on this issue, and the conditions for Turkish citizenship have been facilitated through investment.
Here are the new and old versions of the conditions for obtaining citizenship by investment with this change in the following infographic.
| Requirements for residence & citizenship in Turkey | |||||
| Investment | Purchasing of real estate | Creating employment | With a deposit | Holding government debt instruments | |
| Formerly | Investing at least $2 million fixed capital | Purchasing of at least $1 million of real estate | Creating employment for at least 100 people | With a deposit of at least $ 3 million | Holding at least 3 million TRY of government debt instruments for 3 years |
| New | making a fixed capital investment in foreign currency for $500,000 or the equivalent in TRY | Purchasing of real estate for $250,000 or equivalent in foreign currency or TRY | Creating employment for at least 50 people | With a deposit of at least $ 500.000 | Holding at least 500,000 TRY or equivalent in foreign currency or TRY of government debt instruments for 3 years |
Accordingly, to obtain Turkish citizenship through investment, the foreigner must realize one of the following:
- To buy real estate for an amount of 250,00 American dollars and above and to make a statement that it will not be sold for 3 years from the land registry for this real estate. Another currency, or TRY, will be valid for the equivalent of 250,000 American dollars. 250,00 American Dollars is the minimum amount. (In the previous arrangement, this amount was USD 1 million, but it has been reduced to $250,000.)
- A capital investment of $5000,000 or more. It doesn’t necessarily have to be dollars. Another Currency or TRY is considered valid for 500,00 Dollars. 500,00 American Dollars is the minimum amount. (In the previous arrangement, this amount was USD 2 million, but it has been reduced to $5000,000.)
- The conclusion of a real estate sales promise contract for a condominium or a building with a floor easement for at least $250,000 will also give the foreigner the same opportunity. Here, it is added to the promise of sale contract made at the notary that the condominium or building cannot transfer for three years. (In the previous arrangement, this amount was USD 1 million)
- The person who creates at least 50 jobs in Turkey obtains citizenship through investment. (In the previous arrangement, this number was 100, not 50)
- The person who deposits $500,000 or equivalent amount of foreign currency or TRY in Turkish banks for at least 3 years has the same opportunity. (In the previous arrangement, this amount was $3 million)
- The person who purchases at least $500,000 or more, provided that he/she keeps the state borrowing instruments for at least 3 years, also obtains Turkish citizenship through investment. Here, the amount of foreign currency or TRY that covers $500,000 is considered valid. (In the previous arrangement, this amount was $3 million)
- The person who purchases at least $500,000 or equivalent “real estate investment fund participation share” or “venture capital investment fund participation share” or the equivalent in foreign currency or TRY and commits to keeping them for at least three years also obtains citizenship in this context. (In the previous arrangement, this amount was $1,5 million)
The person who has fulfilled one of these conditions will apply for Turkish citizenship through investment. In his/her application, he/she must submit the necessary documents, which we will list below, to the competent authorities.
Of course, having met these conditions does not give the person the right to enter citizenship in absolute terms. After all, this is a matter of the State’s right to sovereignty, and The State may not accept a citizenship application if it deems it inconvenient. Therefore, it is useful to follow the process with a foreigners lawyer with experience.
Apart from these particular conditions, it is necessary to have specific general requirements. It is required not to pose a problem in terms of the national security of the Turkish State, not to have features that will negatively affect the general health and morality of society.
The exceptions mentioned above already indicate that the person has a certain level of financial opportunity and that his/her relationship with Turkey is aimed at continuing.
1.1 Documents Required for Turkish Citizenship by Investment and the Procedure to be Followed
Some documents are also among the requirements to become a Turkish citizen through investment. Accordingly, the following documents must be completed before application:
- Application form containing the relevant application way
- Identity certificate from the country he/she is a citizen
- If the foreigner is married, his/her spouse’s identity document, if they have children under the age of 18, their identity document.
- Documents proving family ties with family members (marriage certificate etc.)
- ID photos from other members of the family
- Birth certificate
- Official document of divorce if the applicant is divorced,
- if the applicant is a widow, the document says he/she’s a widow (death certificate etc.)
- Residence permit or tourist visa issued to the foreigner
- If the spouse or other relatives of the foreigner applicant are Turkish citizens, their ID copies and residence documents
- Documents, receipts, etc. related to the payment made before the application.
Other than/before these documents, some documents are required for foreign people to purchase real estate. We can list them as follows:
- The passport and photocopy of the foreigner who will purchase the real estate together with the translated version into Turkish
- Real estate valuation certificate obtained from the authorized real estate appraisal company
- Compulsory earthquake insurance policy if the real estate is a house or workplace
- One biometric photo of the person selling the real estate, 2 biometric photos of a foreign person.
- If the foreigner does not speak Turkish, a sworn interpreter must be present.
- If the sale of real estate is made by proxy to the proxy, the original power of attorney. If the power of attorney is not issued in Turkey, it must be translated by a sworn translator in Turkish.
After the purchase of the property, a short-term residence permit must be obtained, as we will mention in detail below. The documents required for the application for a short-term residence permit are as follows:
- Application form containing residence permit
- Original passport with a period exceeding 60 days of the requested residence permit period and a copy of the relevant pages
- At least 4 biometric photos taken in the last 6 months
- A valid health insurance policy to cover the requested period of residence
- Receipt of payments related to the application fee and the required valuable papers
- Deed registration certificate of the purchased property
1.2 Where is the Application for Turkish Citizenship by Investment Made?
We have mentioned in our article which authorities will determine the types of Turkish citizenship through investment and the fulfilment of the requirements related to them. Accordingly, applications for relevant determinations will be made to the ministries or institutions mentioned above. However, we need to mention some application places regarding the way to purchase real estate.
An application will be made to the land registry office for the purchase of the property. After that, as mentioned above, a short-term residence permit must be obtained. The documents we have specified for the short-term residence permit must be prepared, and an application must be made to the Provincial Immigration Administration. After getting this residence permit, a citizenship application will be made.
After the necessary conditions are met for all these ways, the application for Turkish citizenship must be submitted to the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs ( Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü). As we can see, this process is a multi-stage and delicate process. Each stage should be carefully progressed so that no previous erroneous or negligent actions will lead the person to the beginning of the process by the time it comes to the end.
1.3 The Authority That Will Make the Decision on Obtaining Turkish Citizenship through Investment
Detailed regulation on Turkish citizenship by investment has been included in Article 20 of the Regulation on the Application of the Turkish Citizenship Law. In this article, it is clearly stated that the President is authorized to issue citizenship by investment.
In other words, the President’s decision is required for the person who meets the conditions mentioned above to become a Turkish citizen. This is actually one of the changes introduced in 2018. According to the previous regulation, the Council of Ministers was authorized to decide after the ministerial proposal. However, this process is now going before the President.
Below we will also mention where each application will be made, but once the conditions are reached, the citizenship request is directed to the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs (Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü). However, the authorities that will determine whether the conditions mentioned above have been met, are specified separately for each. According to which:
- The authority that will determine that $500,000 or more of capital investment has been made is the “Ministry of Industry and Technology” (Sanayi ve Teknoloji Bakanlığı).
- The authority that will determine the purchase of real estate with a value of $250,000 or more or the promise to sell real estate is the “Ministry of Environment and Urbanization” (Çevre ve Şehircilik Bakanlığı).
- The authority that will determine the creation of at least 50 employments in Turkey is the “Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policies” (Aile, Çalışma ve Sosyal Politikalar Bakanlığı).
- The “Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency” ( Bankacılık Düzenleme ve Denetleme Kurumu) is the authority that will determine that an amount of $500,000 or more is being held in Turkish Banks.
- The determination on the purchase of Government debt instruments in the amount of $500,000 or more is made by the “Ministry of Treasury and Finance” (Hazine ve Maliye Bakanlığı).
- The determination regarding the purchase of a “real estate investment fund participation share” or “venture capital investment fund participation share” of $500,000 or more is made by the “Capital Market Board” (Sermaye Piyasası Kurulu).
- Important Details about Obtaining Turkish Citizenship by Buying Real Estate
As mentioned above, today, a foreigner having $250,000 has the opportunity to obtain Turkish citizenship. This is a great opportunity for foreigners. Because, as we mentioned above, this figure was $1 million in the previous arrangement.
There are some serious situations here. Firstly, this foreigner will not sell this real estate for three years. There is already an obligation to annotate this to the land registry.
Here, $250,000 is not an absolute determination. This is the minimum amount. Any amount above this is undoubtedly valid. In addition, the American dollar is also not required. Another currency or TRY payment is also accepted, equivalent to $250,000. The most important thing to remember here is that for a foreigner to purchase real estate, he/she must first have a residence permit.
First, the foreign person must find a real estate property suitable for this specified price and purchase the property by paying the price through the bank payment to the owner.
For the subsequent citizenship application to be accepted, the ministry must determine that the property’s price is actually $250,000 or more. For this purpose, real estate experts operating within the CMB conduct research to determine the price of the real estate.
After that, by the ministry’s instructions, an annotation will be placed on the land registry stating that the real estate cannot be sold for three years. Then the application documents mentioned above are submitted to the relevant authorities, and if there is no violation of the conditions specified at the beginning of the article, the foreigner will now have obtained Turkish citizenship.
2.1 Does Gaining Turkish Citizenship Through Investment Cover Spouses and Children?
In accordance with the provisions of both the Turkish Citizenship Law and the regulation on the implementation of the law, the subsequently obtained citizenship statuses do not extend to the spouse. However, citizenship earned through investment is an exception.
Accordingly, thanks to the investments determined by the President due to the reference of Article 12 of the Turkish Citizenship Law to the short-term residence permit, the spouse of the naturalized person and the non-adult child of him/herself or his/her spouse also gain citizenship.
In other words, exceptionally, the right of citizenship earned by the foreign person through investment extends to the spouse and the minor own child or stepchild. One of the advantages of obtaining Turkish citizenship through investment is the ability to cover this spouse.
2.2 Administrative Evaluation of Turkish Citizenship Application through Investment and Objection to Administrative Decision
After all this process, which is being followed to be admitted to Turkish citizenship, a commission is created by the ministry mentioned above regarding which type of investment is involved. This commission prepares its assessment of the naturalization of the foreigner and submits it at the discretion of the President.
During this evaluation process, the person is called for fingerprint identification and interview by the relevant law enforcement agencies. The person who will ultimately decide on acceptance or rejection is the President.
Suppose the decision or legal action of the ministry or another public institution during the citizenship application process is considered to be unlawful. In that case, it is possible to file an annulment lawsuit in the administrative courts.
The filing period here is 60 days unless specified in the particular laws regarding the concrete case. In other words, the administrative court can be applied up to 60 days after the relevant procedure. The deadline for appealing the decision of the administrative court is 30 days. This 30-day period begins with the notification of the decision to the person.
We have said that the President has the power to make a final decision regarding granting citizenship. The appeal against this decision of the President must be directed to the State Council. The State Council is authorized to hear an annulment case like a first-degree court.
The deadlines are the same as for the application to the administrative court. Yani The application period to the State Council is 60 days, the appeal period against the decision of the State Council is 30 days.
2.3 How Long Does the Process of Obtaining Turkish Citizenship Through Investment Take?
The conclusion of the application for Turkish citizenship, the naturalization of a person, etc., can take place in different time periods. First of all, we mentioned the types of investment ways above. All these are processes completed in separate periods of time.
However, the workload of the ministry and the delegations in the province where the application is made is effective in terms of duration in this process. Significantly since the amount of investments has been reduced in 2018, the number of applications has increased.
In addition, in all application methods, whether holding money in a bank or buying real estate, the relevant investment must last “at least 3 years”. However, in general, the preparation of the documents listed above, the preparation of applications, and the receipt of the necessary answers from the administration can take 4 months and up to 1 year.
Factors such as the administration rejecting the application and then applying to the court, and starting the process all over again can certainly extend the period. This 4-month – 1-year time frame varies depending on these factors. Of course, another important factor in the temporal shortening of the process here is undoubtedly to seek the legal support of an experienced foreigners lawyer.
2.4 Fees and Other Expenses in the Process of Obtaining Turkish Citizenship through Investment 2022
In the sale of real estate, there is a deed fee payment that varies according to the property’s value. In addition, there is a revolving capital fee and a service fee payment to the Land Registry.
This process is not a single stage, as mentioned above. No matter which investment method is chosen, many applications are required, and the number of transactions to be made increases accordingly. But in general, we can mention the presence of the following expense items:
- Service fee paid to the State before all these applications
- The costs of the determination evaluations made by the CMB
- Compulsory earthquake insurance fee
- Sworn translation and notarization expenses
- Amounts paid for documents received from different authorities
As of 2022, these figures are around 13000 TRY in total, excluding title fees.
2.5 Ways to Obtain Turkish Citizenship in General
Let’s also briefly mention other ways of gaining citizenship other than investment.
The Turkish Citizenship Law clearly states that the right to citizenship can be obtained in 2 ways. There are two ways to get citizenship by birth or other methods.
Gaining citizenship other than by birth can be in different ways. Here they are:
- Obtaining Turkish citizenship by the decision of the competent authority
- Obtaining Turkish citizenship in a general way
- Obtaining Turkish citizenship by exception
- Recovering Turkish citizenship
- Obtaining Turkish citizenship by marriage
- Obtaining Turkish citizenship by adoption
- Obtaining Turkish citizenship by preference
The issue of what we call Turkish citizenship by investment is essentially included in the above classification in the “Obtaining Turkish Citizenship by the decision of the competent authority” section “Obtaining Turkish citizenship in a general way and by exception” in the above classification.
2.6 The Importance of a Lawyer in Turkish Citizenship by Investment
As we can see, it is a very friendly and helpful way to obtain Turkish citizenship through investment. It provides excellent convenience to foreigners. But one of the most important sovereign rights for a State is the right to grant citizenship. Based on the importance of this, the State acts quite delicately in this process and does not forgive the shortcomings in the process.
Therefore, erroneous or negligent actions can cause significant harm to people, rewind the process, lead to the rejection of applications. It can even lead to the waste of money spent as an investment. So, legal support should be obtained from a foreigners lawyer with experience not to suffer temporal and monetary losses. Lawyer support for foreigners is more vital than citizens’. This is because the foreign person is far from the country’s legislation and the general approach and functioning of state institutions.
Before embarking on the purchase of a property in Turkey, we strongly suggest you read our article on Real estate scam, the most important forms and how to deal with them in Turkey
