Turkish Citizenship by Investment: Conditions, Process and Current Thresholds

Türkiye grants citizenship on an exceptional basis to foreign nationals who make a qualifying investment. The route rests on Article 12/B of Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901, with the implementing rules set out in the Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law. This guide sets out the process step by step, with current figures and the procedural pitfalls we see most often in practice.

Legal basis

Alongside the ordinary naturalisation route, Turkish Citizenship Law provides an exceptional route. Under Article 12/B, a foreign national who satisfies the investment conditions laid down in the Regulation may acquire Turkish citizenship by presidential decision, provided there is no impediment on grounds of national security or public order.

Because the investment types and minimum amounts are fixed in the Regulation rather than the Law itself, these figures can change. The real estate threshold in particular has been revised more than once. The text in force should therefore be confirmed before any application is filed.

Which investment routes qualify?

Real estate is by far the most commonly used route, but the legislation recognises several alternatives. Which one suits you depends on your financial structure and your plans in Türkiye.

The steps below follow the real estate route. For the other investment types the first stage differs, while everything after the certificate of conformity is broadly the same.

Step 1: Acquiring a qualifying property

This is the decisive stage. Most of the problems that surface later originate in errors made here. It is not only the value of the property that must satisfy the conditions, but also its legal status.

• Legal status of the property: There must be no attachment, mortgage or similar encumbrance preventing transfer. The title register must be examined before you commit.
• Who the seller is: The legislation restricts purchases from the investor themselves, their spouse or certain relatives, and from foreign nationals who previously disposed of the same property. This must be checked in advance.
• Determination of value: What counts is the officially determined value, not the price declared in the contract.
• More than one property: Several properties that individually fall short of the threshold can be combined to satisfy it.

How is the value determined?

The value is established through the process operated on the Land Registry's WebTapu system. The practice changed at the end of 2024: valuation reports obtained under the previous regime were valid for three months, whereas the Value Determination Document issued under the new arrangement is valid for six months.

The distinction matters. If you are holding a report obtained under the earlier regime, it may already have expired — and an application supported by an expired document will be refused.

Why the Foreign Exchange Purchase Certificate (DAB) is mandatory

You must be able to document that the investment amount was brought into Türkiye from abroad in foreign currency and converted here. This is evidenced by the Foreign Exchange Purchase Certificate (DAB) issued by the bank, which is expected to name both buyer and seller.

Where payment is made in instalments, a separate certificate may be issued for each payment; it is enough that the total meets the threshold. One of the most common failures we see is money transferred outside the banking system, or transferred without obtaining the certificate. In that situation the investment may well have been made, yet the citizenship condition is treated as unmet.

The three-year non-sale annotation

At the time of registration, an undertaking that the property will not be sold for three years is annotated on the title. The annotation secures the continuing validity of the citizenship condition. When the three years expire, or removal is requested, the relevant authorities are notified and the record is cleared.

Step 2: Certificate of conformity

Once the investment is complete, it must be formally confirmed that the transaction complies with the legislation. The land registry transmits the transaction details to the relevant ministry; if the review is favourable, a certificate of conformity is issued in the investor's name and forwarded to the authorities handling the citizenship stage.

The title record, the value determination document and the foreign exchange certificates are assessed together at this point. A defect in any one of them can send the process back to the start.

Step 3: The investor residence permit

To file a citizenship application, the investor must hold a lawful right of stay in Türkiye. Rather than joining the ordinary residence permit queue, a short-term permit is applied for under Article 31/j of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection, which exists specifically for investors.

This permit is a precondition of the citizenship application. It does not create any obligation to live in Türkiye.

Step 4: The citizenship application and decision

With the certificate of conformity and the residence permit in hand, the application is filed with the Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs. Personal documents — birth certificate, marital status certificate, passport and their translations — are submitted at this stage. The investor must be present in Türkiye when the documents are submitted; this is the only step that cannot be handled under a power of attorney.

After checks on national security and public order grounds, the file is submitted for presidential decision. Where the decision is favourable, the identity card and passport are issued.

Do you have to travel to Türkiye?

There is no obligation to reside in Türkiye for any period, either during the process or after citizenship is granted.

However, the documents must be submitted in person in Türkiye. This step cannot be handled under a power of attorney, so the trip should be built into your planning. Every other stage can be conducted by proxy.

Which family members are included?

The application covers the investor's spouse and children under 18. No separate investment is required for them, but identity and family relationship documents must be provided for each, apostilled and accompanied by sworn translations.

How long does it take?

The total duration has two distinct parts, and conflating them is the source of most unrealistic expectations.

• Investment stage: Finding the property, legal due diligence, value determination, currency transfer and registration. How long this takes depends entirely on the investor's readiness.
• Citizenship stage: Certificate of conformity, residence permit and the citizenship decision. Where the file is complete, this averages 3 to 6 months.

Claims that "citizenship is obtained in three months" are therefore misleading. That figure applies once the investment is finished and the documentation is ready.

Why are applications refused?

In our experience most refusals and delays arise not from any legal impediment but from procedural error. The most frequent are:

• The determined value falling below the threshold because the declared contract price was relied upon.
• An uncleared attachment, mortgage or restrictive annotation on the property.
• No foreign exchange purchase certificate, or payment made outside the banking system.
• An expired value determination document.
• A seller falling within the restricted categories.
• Missing apostille or sworn translation.
• Filing before the investment is actually complete.

Every item on this list is preventable through a title and document review carried out before the transaction.

Frequently asked questions

• What is the minimum amount? USD 400,000 for the real estate route and USD 500,000 for the other routes. What counts is the officially determined value, not the declared sale price.
• Do I have to live in Türkiye? No, there is no residence obligation for any period. However, the documents must be submitted in person in Türkiye, which requires one trip.
• Can several properties be combined? Yes. Properties that individually fall short can be combined in a single application if their total value meets the threshold.
• Does my family obtain citizenship too? The spouse and children under 18 are covered by the application, with no separate investment required.
• Must I renounce my current citizenship? Turkish law permits dual citizenship. Whether your own country does is a separate question governed by that country's law.
• What if I sell before three years? The annotation on the title prevents the sale from being registered. Breaching the condition may also have consequences for the citizenship granted.
• Is there a language requirement or interview? No. The exceptional route involves no language test or interview.
• Why is a value determination required? Whether the threshold is met is assessed on the officially determined value. Without it the application is not considered.
• What happens if no DAB is obtained? Even where the investment has genuinely been made, the inflow of foreign currency cannot be evidenced and the condition is treated as unmet.
• What can I do if my application is refused? Depending on the grounds, the defect may be remedied and the application refiled, or the matter taken to administrative court. Reading the grounds correctly is what determines the right course.
• Can the whole process be handled under a power of attorney? Every stage except the in-person submission of documents can be. The power of attorney must be notarised and apostilled.
• Do I need a lawyer? It is not a legal requirement. But title encumbrances, value determination and evidencing the currency transfer are technical matters, and the cost of a procedural error can be the rejection of the investment.

How we work on these files

Before the investment we examine the title register and the legal status of the property, and check the seller against the statutory restrictions. We follow the value determination, the documentation of the currency transfer and the registration itself, then carry the certificate of conformity, the residence permit and the citizenship application through to conclusion. Your point of contact does not change along the way.