Requirements for Foreign Nationals to Acquire Turkish Citizenship in 2026 and the Application Process

By which routes and under which conditions foreign nationals can acquire Turkish citizenship under Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901; application authorities, the document file, the commission interview, the security investigation and the steps to take after the decision.

This article is based on Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901, the Regulation on its Implementation and the application information published by the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs (NVİ), as in force in October 2026. As document lists, service fees and investment amounts may change through administrative regulations, they should be checked separately with official sources as of the date of application. The Turkish version of this article prevails.

The first question a foreign national who has lived in Türkiye for several years usually asks about citizenship is “Am I eligible to apply?” This question cannot be answered by looking at a single condition. The Law provides quite different routes for acquiring citizenship later in life, and each route has its own criteria in terms of residence, family, income and security. One route may be closed to a person while another is open.

Below we first explain the general structure of the system, then each route to acquisition and the administrative process from application to decision, according to the provisions in force.

The difference between acquisition by birth and subsequent acquisition

Law No. 5901 (TVK) divides Turkish citizenship into citizenship acquired by birth and citizenship acquired subsequently. Acquisition by birth is based on descent or place of birth and occurs automatically. Subsequent acquisition occurs in three ways under TVK Art. 9: by decision of the competent authority, by adoption or by exercising the right of option.

Almost all applications by foreign nationals fall into the first group, i.e. acquisition by decision of the competent authority. The basic rule here is in TVK Art. 10: meeting the conditions required by the Law does not create an absolute right to acquire citizenship. The administration may reject even an application that meets the conditions following an assessment of public order and national security. This power is not unlimited; as discussed below, it is subject to judicial review.

Acquisition by the general route: the conditions in TVK Art. 11

The general route is intended for foreign nationals who have lived in Türkiye for a long time. The applicant must meet all of the following conditions:

• Being of full age and having capacity of discernment under their own national law or, if stateless, under Turkish law
• Having resided in Türkiye without interruption for five years immediately before the application date
• Confirming through their conduct that they have decided to settle in Türkiye
• Not having a disease that poses a danger to general health
• Being of good moral character
• Being able to speak sufficient Turkish
• Having an income or profession sufficient to support themselves and their dependants
• Not having any circumstance that constitutes an obstacle in terms of national security and public order

The Law also contains a provision empowering the authorities to require the applicant to renounce their existing citizenship (Art. 11(2)). As Turkish law, as a rule, permits dual citizenship, this power is not used in every application. However, the legislation of the person’s own country may attach consequences such as loss of citizenship to acquiring another citizenship; this should be checked before applying.

How is the five-year residence calculated?

A significant proportion of rejections arise from this calculation. The period is counted back from the application date and must have been spent with a valid residence permit. According to NVİ’s application information, periods spent abroad totalling up to six months within the five years count as residence; periods abroad exceeding this interrupt residence. Certain types of residence, such as student residence, residence for tourism purposes and residence for medical treatment, are not accepted as valid residence for this calculation. In practice, people who have changed their type of residence permit need to check one by one which of their former permits count towards the period.

Intention to settle, Turkish and means of subsistence

These three conditions take concrete shape in the commission interview more than in documents. Having a permanent job, home or family life in Türkiye are facts showing an intention to settle. For Turkish, the Law does not provide for a standard examination; the ability to communicate in daily life is required, and this is assessed in the interview. For means of subsistence, the declared income is expected to be supported by a work permit, tax registration or bank movements.

Acquisition by marriage (TVK Art. 16)

Marrying a Turkish citizen does not in itself confer citizenship. A foreign national who has been married to a Turkish citizen for at least three years and whose marriage continues may apply, provided that they live in family unity, do not engage in activities incompatible with the marital union and have no circumstance constituting an obstacle in terms of national security and public order. If the Turkish citizen spouse dies after the application, the condition of living in family unity is no longer required. If the marriage is declared void, a spouse acting in good faith retains the citizenship acquired.

The most decisive stage on this route is the family unity investigation carried out by the police. Whether the spouses actually live together is examined through their shared home and daily life. For details, see our Turkish Citizenship by Marriage page.

Acquisition by the exceptional route and investment (TVK Art. 12)

The exceptional route operates by Presidential decision and does not require general route conditions such as five years’ residence, Turkish and means of subsistence. The Law provides this route for persons who bring industrial facilities to Türkiye or who have rendered, or are expected to render, outstanding services in scientific, technological, economic, social, sporting, cultural or artistic fields; persons who make the investments set out in the Regulation; Turquoise Card holders and their family members; persons whose naturalisation is deemed necessary; and persons accepted as immigrants.

For applications through investment (Art. 12(1)(b)), the Regulation sets separate minimum amounts or criteria for options such as fixed capital investment, acquisition of real estate, bank deposits, government debt instruments, fund units and employment. The amount required for real estate acquisition has, since 13 June 2022, been at least USD 400,000 or its equivalent in foreign currency. Formal requirements such as the land register annotation, foreign currency sale and valuation, and the problems encountered in practice, are covered separately in our article on citizenship through real estate investment.

Reacquisition and Blue Card holders

The Law provides an easier route for persons who were formerly Turkish citizens and lost that citizenship. Under TVK Art. 13, persons who lost citizenship by obtaining permission to renounce, and those who lost it through their mother or father and did not exercise their right of option in time, may reacquire citizenship by decision of the Ministry regardless of how long they have resided in Türkiye; it is sufficient that there is no circumstance constituting an obstacle in terms of national security. For persons deprived of citizenship or who lost it under certain provisions of the Law, Art. 14 requires three years’ residence in Türkiye.

Persons who were Turkish citizens by birth and left citizenship with permission to renounce, and their descendants up to the third degree, continue to enjoy many rights by obtaining a Blue Card under TVK Art. 28. They benefit from the rights granted to Turkish citizens, except for exceptions such as the right to vote and stand for election, military service obligations and employment in permanent core public service posts. Blue Card holders who lost citizenship with permission to renounce may, if they wish, apply for reacquisition under Art. 13.

Position of children and the spouse

Acquisition of citizenship by decision of the competent authority does not affect the spouse (TVK Art. 20). The spouse must apply separately under their own conditions. For minor children, custody is decisive: a mother or father who acquires citizenship may request that the children under their custody also acquire citizenship; the consent of the other parent is required for this. If consent is not given, the matter is handled according to a judge’s decision in the country of the child’s habitual residence. If the mother and father acquire citizenship together, the children also acquire citizenship. Children who are not processed together with their parent may apply by the general route after reaching full age.

Where and how to apply

Foreign nationals living in Türkiye apply to the governorship of the province where they reside, in practice to the provincial directorate of population and citizenship. The application is made in person or through a special power of attorney issued for this purpose; applications by post are not accepted. An appointment must be obtained through NVİ’s appointment system. Applications from abroad may be made through diplomatic missions, depending on the type of application.

The content of the file varies according to the type of application. For the general route, the basic documents are a passport, birth and marital status documents, a medical report, documents showing income or profession, an entry-exit record from the provincial police directorate, a valid residence permit and a service fee receipt. Documents obtained from foreign authorities must carry an apostille or consular certification and a sworn translation. The most up-to-date version of the document list is published on NVİ’s relevant application page.

From interview to decision: commission, security investigation and notification

In general route and marriage applications, the file goes to the Citizenship Application Review Commission established at provincial level (TVK Art. 18). The commission interviews the applicant and assesses their level of Turkish, social integration in Türkiye, source of income and the consistency of their statements with the documents. Answers given in the interview that conflict with the documents in the file may turn into grounds for rejection at later stages.

After the commission’s assessment, a security investigation is carried out and the file is sent to the Ministry of Interior (Art. 19). For the general route, marriage and reacquisition, the decision is taken by the Ministry; for the exceptional route, by the President. The Law does not set a binding period for the decision; because of the security investigation, the process may take months. The acquisition decision takes effect from the date of the decision (Art. 20) and is notified to the person concerned (Art. 41).

Steps to take after the decision

After the decision is notified, the person is registered in the civil register and given a Turkish identity number; an application is then made to the population directorate for an identity card. Land register, bank, tax and social security records kept under the foreign national identity number may need to be matched with the new number. For male applicants, military service obligations should be assessed separately according to age and the provisions of Military Service Law No. 7179.

Can the acquisition decision be set aside later?

Yes, in two different ways. Under TVK Art. 31, if citizenship was acquired through false statements or concealment of material facts, the authority that took the decision cancels it; the cancellation may also have consequences for persons who acquired citizenship through that person (Art. 32). TVK Art. 40 provides that decisions later found to have been made without the legal conditions being met, or in duplicate, will be withdrawn. Every statement in the application file being accurate and capable of being supported by documents therefore remains important even after the decision is issued.

If the application is rejected

Administrative application and annulment action routes are available against a rejection under Administrative Procedure Law No. 2577. An annulment action must, as a rule, be filed within sixty days of notification of the decision (İYUK Art. 7). The limits of discretion, the competent court and appeals are explained in detail in our article on refusal of citizenship applications and legal remedies.

Frequently asked questions

Conclusion

Meeting the conditions on paper and having a file that is persuasive before the administration are not the same thing in a citizenship application. Correctly calculating the residence period, consistency of income and family information with the documents, and answers in the interview that are consistent with the file often affect the outcome as much as the conditions themselves.

Although the provisions of the Law have kept the same framework for a long time, investment amounts, document lists and application procedures may change through regulations and administrative arrangements. Foreign nationals considering an application would do well to have their own situation assessed against the current rules before starting to prepare the file. You can reach us with your questions through our contact page.

References

• Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901 (in Turkish)
• Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law (Legislation Information System, in Turkish)
• Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection (in Turkish)
• Administrative Procedure Law No. 2577 (in Turkish)
• General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs – Citizenship applications
• Presidency of Migration Management – Residence permits