Turkish Citizenship by Investment: Requirements and Process

Citizenship by investment is a form of the exceptional acquisition route set out in Article 12 of Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901 (TVK). Unlike the general route, it does not require five years' residence, knowledge of Turkish or proof of income. In return, the investment must match exactly one of the forms listed in Article 20 of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law, and it must be confirmed by a certificate of conformity issued by the relevant authority. The decision is made by the President.

The most frequently asked question is the amount of investment. As amounts and conditions are amended from time to time by Presidential decision, what follows is the general framework of the rules in force; the current text of the regulation and the announcements of the relevant authority should be checked before any transaction.

Which investments qualify?

Article 20 of the Regulation lists several categories of investment. One is real estate; the others are financial investments and investments that create employment. The thresholds applied at the time of writing are those set by the 2022 amendment:

Purchase of real estate worth at least USD 400,000 or its equivalent in foreign currency, with an annotation in the land register that it will not be sold for three years
A promise-to-sell agreement for the same amount, executed before a notary, for a property in respect of which condominium ownership or construction servitude (kat irtifakı) has been established; here too, an annotation is registered that the agreement will not be transferred for three years
Fixed capital investment of at least USD 500,000
Bank deposits of at least USD 500,000 held for three years
Government debt instruments of at least USD 500,000 held for three years
Real estate investment fund or venture capital investment fund units of at least USD 500,000 held for three years
Contributions of at least USD 500,000 to the private pension system kept in the system for three years (added by the 2022 amendment)
Creating employment for at least 50 people

A different authority issues the certificate of conformity for each category. For real estate, the certificate is issued by the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre (TKGM); for deposits, by the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency; for funds, by the Capital Markets Board; for fixed capital investment, by the Ministry of Industry and Technology; and for employment, by the ministry responsible for labour.

Requirements for real estate investments

Since most applications are based on property purchases, most practical problems also arise in this category. The purchase price is expected to be paid through the banking system, and a foreign currency purchase certificate showing that the foreign currency was converted into Turkish lira at a bank in Türkiye is expected to be included in the file. The value of the property is determined by a report from a valuation firm licensed by the Capital Markets Board; the sale price shown in the land register should not be lower than this valuation.

The threshold can be reached with more than one property, but each property must meet the annotation and valuation requirements separately. For shared ownership, only the value corresponding to the applicant's share is taken into account. According to TKGM's implementation guidance, a property can be used for citizenship purposes only once; property registered in the name of a foreign national, property transferred from a foreign national to a Turkish citizen or company within the last three years, and property registered in the name of someone who acquired citizenship by investment cannot be used for this purpose. It is therefore important to review the property's ownership history before purchase.

For applications based on a promise to sell, the building may not yet be complete; however, construction servitude must have been established and the agreement must be executed before a notary in official form. In projects still under construction, the risk of delayed delivery and the contractor's financial position should also be assessed. The zoning status, occupancy permit and any mortgage, attachment or interim injunction recorded in the land register are also part of the pre-purchase review.

From certificate of conformity to citizenship decision

Making the investment: buying the property, opening the deposit account or acquiring the fund units.
Certificate of conformity: obtained from the relevant authority, showing that the investment meets the requirements of the regulation.
Residence permit: on the basis of the certificate, an application is made for a short-term residence permit under Article 31 of Law No. 6458.
Citizenship application: the file is submitted to the competent unit of the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs (NVİ). The spouse and minor children may be included in the same file.
Investigation and decision: a security investigation is carried out, the file is sent to the Presidency through the Ministry of Interior, and the decision is notified to the applicant.

The time required depends on the content of the file and the authorities' workload; there is no officially guaranteed decision period. Common causes of delay at this stage are missing apostilles or translations, inconsistent spelling of names and requests for additional information during the security investigation.

Common problems in practice

Showing a price in the land register that differs from the price actually paid can have serious consequences for both tax and citizenship. TVK Art. 31 allows citizenship obtained through false statements or concealment of material facts to be annulled. Informal arrangements under which part of the purchase price is to be returned to the buyer are similarly risky.

Another problem is selling the property before the annotation period ends. No transfer can be made within the three-year period; the annotation can be lifted only after the period has expired in accordance with the rules. Where transactions are conducted through agents or consultants, failing to document to whom and to which account payments were made also leads to problems of proof later on.

The financial investment options require similar care. In deposit-based applications, an undertaking is given that the funds will not be withdrawn for three years, and the bank acts in line with that undertaking. For fund units or government debt instruments, the units are expected to be blocked at the intermediary institution and held for the full period. Withdrawals before the period ends may remove the basis of the certificate of conformity.

Negative decisions and legal remedies

Refusal to issue a certificate of conformity, refusal of the residence permit and refusal of the citizenship application are separate administrative acts, and an action may be filed against each of them within the time limit under Administrative Procedure Law No. 2577. Time limits for challenging a refusal of citizenship and the review of administrative discretion are covered on the Refusal of Citizenship Applications and Annulment Actions page.

Our work in this area

Before the investment, we assess whether the chosen type of investment complies with the regulation, and for property purchases we review the land register, zoning status and contract. We help prepare and follow up the file at the certificate of conformity, residence permit and citizenship application stages. For the real estate side, see the Real Estate Law and Residence Permits pages, and for a detailed look at practical problems, our article on citizenship through real estate investment.

Main topics

Applications based on property purchase or a promise-to-sell agreement
Fixed capital investment, bank deposits and government debt instruments
Real estate and venture capital investment fund units, private pension system
Certificate of conformity and the no-transfer annotation on the title deed
Valuation report and foreign currency purchase certificate
Including the spouse and minor children in the file
Legal review against refusal and annulment risks

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to speak Turkish or live in Türkiye to obtain citizenship by investment?

No. Under the exceptional route in TVK Art. 12, the five-year residence, Turkish language and income requirements of the general route do not apply. However, there must be no obstacle in terms of national security and public order.

Can I sell the property before the three-year period ends?

Because of the annotation in the land register, the property cannot be transferred before three years have passed. Any attempt to act contrary to the annotation should be assessed separately, as it may call into question the basis of the citizenship decision.

Can my spouse and children also obtain citizenship?

The applicant's spouse and minor or dependent children may be included in the same application. For adult children, a separate route to citizenship should be considered.

Have the investment amounts changed?

The amounts are amended from time to time by Presidential decision. The amounts on this page are the thresholds set by the 2022 amendment. The current text of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law should be checked before any transaction.

Can I reach the threshold by buying more than one property?

Yes, the threshold can be reached with the combined value of several properties. Each property must meet the valuation, payment and annotation requirements separately.

Legislation and sources

The information on this page is general and does not constitute legal advice. As legislation may change, the current rules must be assessed separately for your particular situation.

Turkish Citizenship by Investment