TURKISH CITIZENSHIP

Acquisition of Turkish citizenship is regulated in two ways, at birth or by later acquisition. Turkey has not adopted the right to acquire citizenship based on the place of birth. Therefore, being born in Turkey will not provide you any rights in terms of citizenship. 

Acquisition of Turkish Citizenship at Birth ;

 Citizenship at birth is based on kinship. A person may be a Turkish citizen at birth only if one or both of their parents are Turkish citizens. A child of a Turkish mother or father is automatically a Turkish citizen. However, adults whose mother and father are Turkish citizens but not registered to a civil registry office before the age of 18 can be issued citizenship if the Ministry decides upon an investigation.

Later Acquisition

 If you fulfill the specified requirements of the Turkish Citizenship Law, you can acquire Turkish Citizenship upon the decision of the relevant authorities. However, fulfilling the stated requirements does not provide an absolute entitlement to Citizenship.

The Following are the requirements for Later Acquisition ;

• You can apply for Turkish Citizenship if you have lived in Turkey for 5 years without interruption. However, additional conditions such as a good command of Turkish, good morals, and not being diagnosed with a disease that may constitute a hazard to general health are also requirements. 
• Married to a Turkish citizen for at least 3 years, you can apply for Turkish Citizenship. 
• Foreigners who are confirmed to have invested a fixed capital of a minimum of 500,000 USD by the Ministry of Industry and Technology.
• Foreigners confirmed to have deposited a minimum of 500,000 USD, in a bank that operates in Turkey by the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency—provided that it is kept in the account for three years. 
• Foreigners confirmed by the Capital Markets Board that they have purchased real estate or venture capital investment fund participation shares worth a minimum of 500,000 USD and are held for three years.  
• Foreigners whom the Ministry of Treasury and Finance confirms to have purchased state borrowing instruments worth a minimum of 500,000 USD on the condition of holding them for three years can be applied for exceptional Turkish Citizenship.
• Foreigners confirmed by the Ministry of Family, Labour, and Social Services to have created employment for at least 50 people.
• Foreigners confirmed by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization to have purchased real estate worth a minimum of 400,000 USD. 
•  Foreigners who promised to buy real estate corresponding to a minimum of 400,000 USD, through a sales contract certified by a notary public and annotation of refusal of sale for three years added to the records of the title deed registry.

For further information about the application for Citizenship and how to apply, you can visit; www.nvi.gov.tr or call the hotline at 199.

Turkish Citizenship Through Real Estate Acquisition 

Amendments to the Regulations Regarding the Implementation of Turkish Citizenship Law allow foreigners to acquire Turkish citizenship by exceptional means. By Purchasing real estate worth at least 400.000 USD or equivalent in Turkish Lira provided that the land registry records an annotation stating that the property can not be sold for 3 years. 

(For the real estate(s) purchased between12.01.2017 and 18.09.2018, the real estate must be worth at least 1.000.000 USD).

From 07.12.2018, it is also possible to acquire citizenship through a contract issued before a notary that promises the selling of real estate worth at least 400.000 USD (or equivalent in Turkish Lira) deposited in cash along with the commitment of no transfer and cancellation for 3 years, is annotated into the land registry.

In these cases( via direct purchase or notary contract), a “Certificate of Eligibility” will be issued by the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre as a document to be relied upon for citizenship request.

Upon receiving the Certificate of Eligibility, foreigners first apply for a residency permit before the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management and then apply for citizenship before the Provincial Directorate of Civil Registration and Citizenship Affairs.

For further information, please contact one of our Realtors or our Lawyer.