Acquisition of Citizenship by Investment

Pursuant to Article 11 of the TCC, foreigners who wish to acquire Turkish citizenship must fulfil the following conditions

• To be an adult and have the power of discernment according to his/her national law or, if he/she is stateless, according to the Turkish Civil Code No. 4721,
• To have resided in Turkey for an uninterrupted period of five years prior to the date of application,
• Deciding to settle in Turkey; acquiring immovable property in Turkey, establishing a business, making an investment, transferring the trade and business centre to Turkey, working in a workplace subject to a work permit, etc. or marrying a Turkish citizen, applying as a family, having parents, siblings or children who have previously acquired Turkish citizenship or completing their education in Turkey,
• Not having a disease that poses a danger to general health,
• To show that he/she has good morals by behaving with the sense of responsibility required by living together in society, to give confidence to his/her environment with his/her behaviour, not to have bad habits that are not welcomed by the society and contrary to the values of the society,
• To be able to speak Turkish at a level that can adapt to social life,
• To have an income or occupation that will ensure the subsistence of oneself and one’s dependents in Turkey,
• Not having an obstacle in terms of national security and public order.

These conditions are listed in the Turkish Citizenship Law and it is possible to acquire Turkish Citizenship with separate conditions in the cases of obtaining residence in Turkey with a work permit for 5 years, acquiring real estate in Turkey with a value of $ 400,000 and above and making a commitment not to sell this real estate for 3 years or keeping $ 500,000 in bank accounts and declaring that they will not use this price for three years, being married to a Turkish citizen for 3 years.

Let’s examine the acquisition of citizenship due to investment in this article.

The process to be followed in the acquisition of Turkish citizenship through investment

1. For capital investment, 500 thousand US Dollars (USD) or its equivalent in foreign currency or TL must be held in your bank account in Turkish banks for at least 3 years.
2. The Ministry of Industry and Technology is authorised to determine the evaluation of persons who have made a capital investment of at least 500,000 US Dollars (USD). Therefore, it is necessary to obtain a certificate of conformity from the Ministry of Industry and Technology that the investment requirement is fulfilled.

The Ministry of Industry and Technology has determined the procedures and principles regarding the fixed capital investment of USD 500,000 or equivalent foreign currency or Turkish Lira to be invested within the scope of acquisition of Turkish citizenship. The documents required for the certificate of conformity are as follows: A) Investment Information Form
B) Valid passport and notarised Turkish translation of the passport
C) Four (4) pictures suitable for passport
D) Copy of the residence permit (if any);
E)Certified Public Accountant (CPA) approved special purpose report showing that at least USD 500.000 or equivalent foreign currency or equivalent Turkish Lira has been deposited as fixed capital

3. In accordance with subparagraph (j) of the first paragraph of Article 31 of the Law No. 6458, it is necessary to apply for a short-term residence permit and this application must be approved.
4. After all these conditions are fulfilled, the application to the Population Directorate for obtaining Turkish citizenship through investment and the follow-up of the process will be the last step.

After the certificate of conformity is obtained from the relevant institution according to the investment made and the short-term residence permit application is completed in accordance with Article 31/1(j) of Law No. 6458, the last step is to apply to the Provincial Directorate of Population and Citizenship for the acquisition of citizenship. Thus, the citizenship application file will be prepared and sent to the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs. At the same time in the application; It is investigated whether the applicant foreigner has a situation that will prevent the acquisition of citizenship in terms of national security and public order.

In the event that the NVGM archive research is positive, it submits the file to the Ministry of Interior. Upon the approval of the Ministry, it is sent to the Presidency of the Republic for a Presidential Decision by the relevant Authority. If the President of the Republic decides positively on the acquisition of citizenship, the foreign investor will now have acquired Turkish citizenship.

Documents Required for Turkish Citizenship Application through Investment

• Application Form
• 2 biometric photographs
• Passport and notarised Turkish translation
• Birth certificate
• Certificate of marital status
• Title deed or documents showing the investment
• Real estate valuation report
• A full copy of the birth certificate
• Fee payment receipt