The investment appears as an important method of obtaining Turkish citizenship. The investment provides various advantages for Turkey while ensuring that both foreign citizens and individuals obtain Turkish citizenship. At this point, many foreign citizens can get great advantages by obtaining Turkish citizenship through investment. Now let’s look at the details about obtaining Turkish citizenship by investment together.

The Legal Side of Obtaining Turkish Citizenship by Investment

The legal regulations on obtaining Turkish Citizenship by investment were amended on September 19, 2018, and the requirements on this issue were reduced. As a result;

1. Foreigners who have brought a fixed capital investment of at least US$500,000 or
2. Those who have purchased real estate worth at least US$250,000, provided that they do not sell it within three years from the date of purchase, or
3. Those who deposit a minimum of US $ 500,000 in Turkish banks, provided that it is not withdrawn for three years, will be able to obtain Turkish citizenship. In addition, a foreigner who owns a business with a working capacity of at least 50 people will also be eligible to obtain Turkish citizenship.

Foreigners who have been determined by the Ministry of Industry and Technology to have invested US$500,000 in fixed capital may be granted Turkish citizenship by the decision of the President. In accordance with the relevant legal regulations, applications for citizenship of foreigners requesting citizenship based on a fixed capital investment of US $ 500,000 will be submitted in writing to the Ministry of Industry and Technology together with the necessary documents.

Terms of Citizenship by Investment

The fixed capital expense will be calculated for applications to be made in the following years, while expenses made in the last 3 years will be taken into account. If additional, fixed capital investment is made in an already existing investment, an increase in the amount of fixed capital investment will be taken into account from the beginning of the additional investment.

In addition to fixed capital investment; foreigners can also obtain Turkish citizenship if they purchase a minimum of $ 250,000 worth of real estate determined by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization and documented by the land registry, provided that it is not sold for three years. In this context,

1. For the sale of immovable property; In order to determine the amount reported in the application; It is necessary to prepare a real estate valuation report in accordance with the Capital Markets Board valuation standards by licensed valuation firms of the Capital Markets Board.
2. The value of the value in US dollars in the valuation report showing the market fair value of the real estate will be calculated at the effective sales rate or cross-rates announced by the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey on the date of determination.
3. A foreigner who buys real estate; will accept and declare that he will not sell this real estate for a period of 3 years due to the fact that he buys it for the purpose of obtaining Turkish citizenship.
4. Registration of title deeds in the name of a foreigner will be carried out after the completion of all this procedure.

Other Details about Investing in Turkey

The time frame for all types of investments is 3 years. If there is a foreigner who meets all the conditions specified in the regulation, together with his wife and all children under the age of 18, he will obtain Turkish citizenship and will remain a Turkish citizen for life, and also his children who will be born later will be born as a Turkish citizen. Citizenship applications of candidates applying with false or misleading documents will be suspended and their further applications will not be considered even if they have fulfilled all the criteria. 

Therefore, it is important to get counseling during the application and evaluation process. In addition, a foreigner who buys a house in Turkey is also entitled to a residence permit that is extended for certain periods for both him and his family. With this residence permit, the children of foreigners have the opportunity to study in Turkey, and also it becomes easy for foreigners with a residence permit to find a job and companies to obtain a work permit for foreigners. In this whole process; working with professionals specializing in real estate law will always be in favor of the buyer.

Required Documents for Turkish Citizenship

There are some documents required from foreign citizens for Turkish citizenship. These documents are as follows. 

• Application Form (Completed by our expert consultants.)
• 2 biometric photos
• Translation of passports and notarized Turkish
• Birth certificate
• Certificate of marital status
• Health report
• Documents showing the income status
• Day counting certificate (Important, please take advantage of our expert consultancy services.)
• Original and photocopy of valid residence permit card
• Receipt of payment of fees