SimplyTR

Turkish Citizenship FAQ

The Turkish citizenship by investment program (often referred to as a Turkey Golden Visa) was launched in 2016. It allows foreign investors to obtain a Turkish passport within three to six months.

Since the first quarter of 2020, the Turkish property market has grown exponentially. Recent amendments in Turkish National Law, which occurred on September 19, 2018, allows foreigners to become citizens if they own property.

As stated in the amendment, foreigners purchasing $ 400,000 USD in Turkey can obtain citizenship with their spouses, as well as any children under the age of 18. However, one condition in the amendment requires that the purchased property not be sold for three years. The Turkish government is making the property ownership attractive to foreign nationals, in an effort to boost the Turkish local market.

To achieve its goal, Turkey has outlined a number of important laws. One was to change the financial limit for obtaining a Turkish passport for property ownership, which was reduced from $ 1,000,000 USD to $ 400,000 USD. This is mainly due to the recent depreciation of the Turkish Lira. Second, the process of obtaining a Turkish visa has been simplified, thus allowing more people to qualify.

In the wake of Turkey’s growing demand for foreign exchange, the above-mentioned legislative amendments have been approved, which has resulted in a positive response from local authorities and high levels of Turkish investment. Indeed, this new approach will eliminate process and bureaucratic barriers for foreign investors, and allow for faster and easier transactions.

According to data from the Turkish Statistics Institute, the share of sales to foreign investors is growing every year. These data clearly show a direct relationship between the current need for citizenship through new investment laws with a dramatic increase in real estate sales in the country.

How to get Turkish citizenship by investment?

The minimum investment option is to buy a property for at least $ 400,000. Other options include investing in government bonds or starting a business that will create jobs for Turkish citizens. You must keep your investment for at least three years.

  • Purchase real estate worth at least $400,000.
  • Purchase at least $500,000 worth of government bonds and hold the investment for at least three years.
  • Establish a company that will employ at least 50 people.
  • Make a capital investment of at least $500,000.
  • Deposit at least $500,000 in a Turkish bank and keep it for a minimum of three years.
  • Invest at least $500,000 in a real estate investment fund share or venture capital investment fund share for at least three years.

FAQ about Turkish Citizenship

A Turkish passport can be obtained in several ways:
  1. by investments from $400,000;
  2. through marriage;
  3. by birth, if at least one parent is Turkish;
  4. through employment after five years of work;
  5. through naturalization after five years of living in Turkey;
  6. for special merits and outstanding achievements.
The Turkish citizenship by investment program (often referred to as a Turkey Golden Visa) was launched in 2016. It allows foreign investors to obtain a Turkish passport within four to six months. The minimum investment option is purchasing real estate worth at least $400,000.
There is no obligation to complete residence permit or citizenship applications within a certain period of time.
The process is completed within an estimated minimum of 4 months and a maximum of 6 months. Exceptions can of course be made.
  • Depositing 500.000 USD in the bank.
  • Making a commitment that the deposited money will be kept in the bank account for at least 3 years
  • The investment made is approved by the BDDK
  • Preliminary examination form (a standard form VAT-4)
  • Notarized Turkish translation of the passport
  • Identity registry copy of the applicant
  • Birth Certificate of the applicant
  • Marital Status Certificate/Document
  • Valid residence permit obtained through the process above outlined
  • Receipt slip for the application service charges made
  • If the applicant is divorced; Divorce Certificate/Decree
  • If the applicant is married; Marriage Certificate
  • If the applicant is widow; Death Certificate regarding his/her spouse

Due to coronavirus pandemic and international travel restrictions, we can now open the bank account remotely, and we can also finalize the property transfer as well as other necessary tasks remotely. We can proceed on behalf of you with an apostilled PoA (Power of Attorney) including bank account opening, property sale transfer as well as further Turkish Citizenship application procedures without your travel to Turkey required.

Yes. To facilitate the investment of real estate for our clients, we have established a special housing department that operates within our firm. Once we have started working on your citizenship case; Our real estate consultants will introduce you to a few new, luxurious, and high-quality buildings available to continue and comply with the rules of the Turkish citizenship program. We only work with financially strong companies to ensure that our clients’ investments are on the safe side. Our team of experienced real estate agents and attorneys for Turkish citizenship will ensure that all points are properly considered before investing.

The Turkey Citizenship by Investment program allows large investors / applicants to invest in multiple properties / units, as long as the total value is more than $ 250k USD, you can proceed with the ownership multiple properties.

The property shall essentially meet certain criteria including having a verified expert valuation report in place as well as a building license, and the title deed shall also be ideally clear out of any restrictions on the Title Deed before finalising the sale transfer. Otherwise it will not be suitable to proceed for Turkish Citizenship.

Yes, it is possible to earn regular interest on the deposited amounts.
No, there is no residency requirement in Turkey both during the application process or after obtaining Turkish citizenship. You can keep living abroad after acquiring Turkey citizenship.

It is possible to obtain Turkish citizenship for the Investor (Main Applicant) as well as for all family members: spouse (wife) and children below 18 years old. There is actually no limitation on the total number of family members (applicants). However Children above 18 yeard old, and Parents cannot be included into the same application.

It would be necessary to make a separate investments for them to obtain the Turkish citizenship or alternatively, you can consider to apply for Turkish Residency Permit (Turkish PR) for the other family members that cannot be included into your application which is subject to different rules than citizenship program.

There is no Turkish language requirement to apply for Turkey citizenship by investment program.

Pakistani citizens can easily obtain Turkish Citizenships by investing in Turkey. Pakistanis proceed mosty with the property investment option to apply for Turkey citizenship program in which it is essential to make a property investment in Turkey minimum worth $250,000 USD.

Pakistan and Turkey enjoy very close relations historically and traditionally. This has made Turkish Citizenship by investment program quite popular among Pakistan nationals. Pakistan citizens living in Pakistan or abroad can apply for and obtain Turkish Citizenship shorly within 3 Month period by making an eligible investment in Turkey under Turkey Citizenship by Investment scheme.

Yes, Turkish law allows dual or multiple Citizenship when you become a Turkish citizen.

%4 of the Sales Price of the property.

Yes. We have successfully advised several Chinese Clients who have already obtained Turkish Citizenships. It is sufficient to meet one of the investment requirements for Chinese citizens to get Turkish Citizenship. It should be noted that the required documentation and the attestation of the documents will have to be evaluated carefully for Chinese as these are subject to a different procedure, prior submitting new Turkish citizenship applications.

Acquiring Turkish Citizenship for Palestinian Nationals is now possible and as per new amendments to Turkish Law, the documentation and application procedures have been relaxed and simplified.

  • A lifetime Turkey citizenship granted in 6 months.
  • No minimum residency in Turkey required.
  • Full medical assistance included.
  • Pension programs are available.
  • Free education and university reimbursement plans.
  • Turkey Passport allows visa free travel to more than 110 countries.
  • Future access without visa to EU and Schengen countries.
  • A solid investment with rental returns.
Yes, Turkish allows dual even multiple citizenship. Therefore you can apply to Turkish citizenship and keep your original passport at the same time.
COUNTRYCONTINENTVISA TYPEDURATION
AndorraEuropeVisa-Free90 Days
Antigua ve BarbudaNorth AmericaVisa-Free180 Days
ArjantinSouth AmericaVisa-Free90 Days
AlbaniaEuropeVisa-Free90 Days
AzerbaijanAsia, EuropeVisa on arrival30 Days
BahamasNorth AmericaVisa-Free
BahrainAsiaVisa on arrival15 Days
BarbadosNorth AmericaVisa-Free90 Days
Belarus-White RussiaEuropeVisa-Free30 Days
BelizeNorth AmericaVisa-Free90 Days
BolivyaSouth AmericaVisa-Free90 Days
Bosna-HersekEuropeVisa-Free90 Days
BotsvanaAfricaVisa-Free
BrasilSouth AmericaVisa-Free90 Days
BruneiAsiaVisa-Free30 Days
Doğu TimorAsiaVisa on arrival30 Days
DominikaNorth AmericaVisa-Free21 Days
Dominican RepublicNorth AmericaVisa on arrival30 Days
EkvadorSouth AmericaVisa-Free90 Days
El SalvadorNorth AmericaVisa-Free90 Days
IndonesiaAsiaVisa on arrival30 Days
ErmenistanEuropeVisa on arrival120 Days
FasAfricaVisa-Free90 Days
FijiOceanianVisa-Free90 Days
Fildişi SahiliAfricaE-visa 
PhilippinesAsiaVisa-Free30 Days
FilistinAsiaVisa-Free30 Days
GuatemalaNorth AmericaVisa-Free90 Days
The Republic of South AfricaAfricaVisa on arrival30 Days
South KoreaAsiaVisa-Free3 ay
GeorgiaEuropeVisa-Free1 year
HaitiNorth AmericaVisa on arrival90 Days
HondurasNorth AmericaVisa-Free90 Days
Hong KongAsiaVisa-Free90 Days
IraqAsiaVisa on arrival10 Days
İranAsiaVisa-Free90 Days
JamaicaNorth AmericaVisa-Free90 Days
JapanAsiaVisa-Free90 Days
TRNCEuropeVisa-Free 
KampucheaAsiaVisa on arrival30 Days
MontenegroEuropeVisa-Free90 Days
QatarAsiaVisa-Free30 Days
KazakhistanAsiaVisa-Free30 Days
KenyaAfricaE-visa 
KirghizstanAsiaVisa-Free 1 ay
ColombiaSouth AmericaVisa-Free90 Days
ComorosAfricaVisa on arrival 
KosovoEuropeVisa-Free90 Days
Costa RicaNorth AmericaVisa-Free90 Days
LebanonAsiaVisa-Free90 Days
MadagascarAfricaVisa on arrival90 Days
MacauAsiaVisa-Free30 Days
MacedoniaEuropeVisa-Free90 Days
MaldivsAsiaVisa-Free30 Days
MalezyaAsiaVisa-Free90 Days
MauritiusAfricaVisa-Free30 Days
MexicoNorth AmericaE-visa30 Days
MongoliaAsiaVisa-Free30 Days
MoldovaEuropeVisa-Free90 Days
NikaraguaNorth AmericaVisa-Free90 Days
NiueOceanianVisa-Free30 Days
UzbekistanAsiaVisa-Free30 Days
PalauOceanianVisa-FreeSüresiz
PanamaNorth AmericaVisa-Free6 ay
ParaguaySouth AmericaVisa-Free90 Days
PeruSouth AmericaVisa-Free90 Days
RwandaAfricaE-visa 
SamoaOceanianVisa on arrival60 Days
Sao Tome ve PrincipeAfricaVisa-Free15 Days
Saint Kitts (Saint Christoper) ve Nevis AdalarıNorth AmericaVisa-Free90 Days
Saint LuciaNorth AmericaVisa-Free6 Weeks
Saint Vincent ve Grenadinler IslandsNorth AmericaVisa-Free90 Days
SenegalAfricaE-visa 
The SeychellesAfricaVisa-Free90 Days
SerbiaEuropeVisa-Free90 Days
SingaporeAsiaVisa-Free90 Days
Sri LankaAsiaVisa on arrival or E-visa30 Days
SyriaAsiaVisa-Free90 Days
SvazilandAfricaVisa-Free30 Days
ChileSouth AmericaVisa-Free90 Days
TajikistanAsiaE-visa60 Days
TanzaniaAfricaVisa on arrival90 Days
TaylandAsiaVisa-Free30 Days
TayvanAsiaVisa on arrival30 Days
TogoAfricaVisa on arrival 
TongaOceanianVisa on arrival31 Days
Trinidad ve TobagoNorth AmericaVisa-Free30 Days
TunisiaAfricaVisa-Free90 Days
Turks ve Caicos AdalarıNorth AmericaVisa-Free90 Days
TuvaluOceanianVisa-FreeSüresiz
UkraynaEuropeVisa-Free60 Days
UmmanAsiaVisa on arrival30 Days
UruguaySouth AmericaVisa-Free90 Days
JordanAsiaVisa-Free90 Days
VanuatuOceanianVisa-Free30 Days
VenezuelaSouth AmericaViza-free90 Days
British Virgin IslandsNorth AmericaVisa-free30 Days
ZambiyaAfricaVisa on arrival30 Days
ZimbabweanAfricaE-visa 
HomePropertiesCitizenshipContact
Turkish Citizenship FAQ | SimplyTR