The ordinary route is the principal way of acquiring Turkish citizenship after birth. Foreign nationals who do not fall within the marriage, investment or exceptional routes apply through it. Its conditions are set out in Article 11 of Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901, and the detail is supplied by the regulation implementing that law.
What distinguishes this route is not the number of conditions but the fact that meeting all of them still gives the applicant no guaranteed entitlement. The law says so expressly.
Legal basis
Article 11 of the law lists the conditions for an application by the ordinary route. The regulation then sets out how each of those conditions is to be understood; in practice it is usually the text of the regulation that decides matters.
The ordinary route differs from the marriage route in two respects. First, actual residence in Türkiye is required here, whereas it is not on the marriage route. Second, conditions such as Turkish, means of support and an intention to settle come into play. In exchange, the three-year marriage and family-unit conditions of the marriage route do not arise.
The conditions
The following must be satisfied together.
- Majority and capacity of discernment: Assessed according to the applicant's own national law. For stateless persons the Turkish Civil Code applies.
- Five uninterrupted years of residence: Counted back from the date of application.
- Confirming by conduct a decision to settle in Türkiye: The regulation ties this condition to specific forms of conduct, dealt with separately below.
- No illness constituting a danger to public health: Evidenced by a medical report on terms determined by the Ministry of Health.
- Good character: The regulation describes this as behaving with the sense of responsibility that living together in society requires, inspiring confidence in those around one, and having no habits contrary to the values of society.
- Sufficient command of Turkish: The regulation's measure is a level adequate to adapt to social life.
- Income or an occupation sufficient for support: The support of the applicant and of dependants is assessed together.
- No impediment on national security or public order grounds: Subject to a separate investigation.
The law further provides that, alongside these conditions, renunciation of the applicant's existing nationality may also be required. The power to determine the principles governing that discretion rests with the administration.
How the five years are counted
The law defines residence as "living in Türkiye in conformity with Turkish law". The period must therefore rest on a lawful residence permit; mere physical presence is not enough.
The period must be uninterrupted. The law nonetheless allows some flexibility: within the five years the applicant may spend up to six months in total outside Türkiye, and that time still counts towards the residence period.
Where the six-month limit is exceeded, how the period is treated depends on the reasons for the departures and on the file as a whole. The application file includes a document from the provincial police directorate showing entry and exit dates, so the residence period rests on records rather than on the applicant's statement.
Which residence permits do not count on this route
This is the point that causes the most disappointment in practice. The regulation provides that, even where a lawful residence permit exists, an application is not taken up where the residence is of a kind that does not demonstrate an intention to settle. The text lists the following:
- Applicants for asylum or refuge, and asylum seekers.
- Residence granted for the purpose of study.
- Residence granted for tourism.
- Residence granted to accompany a child studying in Türkiye.
- Residence granted for medical treatment.
So a person who has spent five years in Türkiye on a student residence permit may not obtain the expected result by relying on that period under the ordinary route. If that is your position, it is worth having your residence history examined by permit type before applying.
What "confirming by conduct a decision to settle" means
The regulation does not leave this condition abstract; it lists the forms of conduct that may be accepted. They fall into two groups.
| Conduct creating an economic link | Circumstances creating a personal link |
|---|---|
| Acquiring immovable property in Türkiye | Marrying a Turkish citizen |
| Setting up a business or making an investment | Applying as a family |
| Transferring one's commercial and business centre to Türkiye | Having a parent, sibling or child who previously acquired Turkish citizenship |
| Working at a workplace subject to a work permit | Completing one's education in Türkiye |
The regulation lists these forms of conduct by way of example, using the words "and the like". Other conduct not on the list may therefore be advanced; whether it is accepted is assessed within the file as a whole.
The Turkish-language condition and the interview
The law speaks of "sufficient command of Turkish"; the regulation sets the measure as a level adequate to adapt to social life. No particular examination or certificate is required; the assessment is made at interview.
The interview is conducted by the Citizenship Application Review Commission. The regulation states that the following are to be established at interview:
- Whether the conditions required for the application are met.
- The applicant's ancestry.
- Proficiency in spoken Turkish.
- How the applicant supports themselves.
- Whether the applicant has adapted to social life in Türkiye.
The commission also checks that the documents in the file are complete. Where established by medical report, the interview of a person unable to speak or hear is conducted through someone who understands their signs, or in writing if they are literate.
How the process works
The application is made to the governorship of the applicant's place of residence (the Provincial Directorate of Population and Citizenship). The process has five broad stages.
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Preliminary examination | The receiving authority examines whether the application can be taken up |
| Compiling the file | A file is prepared comprising the documents listed in the regulation |
| Police investigation | The provincial police directorate examines national security and public order, good character, date of arrival, the purpose of the residence and departures abroad |
| Commission interview | An interview covering the conditions, Turkish, means of support and adaptation; documents are checked |
| Ministry decision | A file found to satisfy the conditions is sent to the Ministry, which takes the decision |
Where the commission's examination shows that the conditions are not met, the file is not sent to the Ministry and the applicant is notified. An adverse outcome can therefore arise at the provincial stage, not only at the Ministry.
Documents required
The list below follows the documents set out in the regulation. The current list should be confirmed before applying.
| Document | Note |
|---|---|
| Application form stating the request | Obtained from the receiving authority |
| Passport or equivalent | Establishing nationality |
| Identity document | Birth certificate or registry extract; if married, a document proving the family link of spouse and children |
| Civil status document | Marriage certificate if married, divorce document if divorced, death certificate if widowed |
| Registry extract for Turkish relatives | Where there are first- or second-degree relatives; retrieved from the system |
| Medical report | On terms determined by the Ministry of Health |
| Proof of income or occupation | Work permit, tax registration certificate, undertaking or similar |
| Entry and exit record | Evidencing the five years' residence; obtained from the provincial police directorate |
| Residence permit | Must remain valid long enough for the procedure to conclude |
| Final court decision | Certified copy, where one exists in respect of any offence |
| Receipt for the service fee | The amount is revised annually |
Official documents issued by foreign authorities are certified in accordance with the Regulation on the Implementation of the Population Services Law; in practice this means the document must carry an apostille or be certified by a Turkish consulate. For documents such as passports and diplomas, a notarised Turkish translation is treated as sufficient.
When an application is not taken up
The regulation separately lists the situations in which an application is not accepted at the preliminary examination stage:
- Lacking majority or capacity of discernment under one's own national law.
- Not having resided in Türkiye for five uninterrupted years counted back from the date of application.
- Being present without a lawful residence permit, or holding a type of residence that does not demonstrate an intention to settle.
- Having criminal proceedings pending, or being under sentence or in detention.
- Being unable to produce the documents listed in the regulation.
In these cases the applicant is notified in writing.
The administration's discretion
The law leaves no room for doubt on this point: meeting the required conditions creates no absolute right to citizenship. Even where every condition is satisfied, the decision rests with the Ministry.
That does not make an application futile; it means that how the file is prepared matters. Where a request is refused, the act is administrative in nature and the administrative courts are open.
The position of spouse and children
Acquiring citizenship by the ordinary route does not affect the spouse's nationality. The spouse must apply separately, satisfying the conditions in their own right.
As for children, the rule is that they are processed together with the parent. Minor children in the applicant's custody at the date citizenship is acquired acquire it through that parent, provided the other parent consents. Where consent is withheld, the matter proceeds according to the decision of a judge in the country of the parent's habitual residence.
Children not processed together may apply in their own name after reaching majority, and the ordinary-route provisions described here apply to them. Including children in the file is therefore among the first steps in preparing an application.
How long does it take?
The duration depends on whether the file is complete, when the police investigation and the interview conclude, and on the examination at the Ministry stage. For that reason no single figure can honestly be given. It can be said, however, that the ordinary route takes longer than the exceptional route — acquisition through investment, for example: here the police investigation and the commission interview are each completed in turn, and only then is the file sent to the Ministry. The residence permit must remain valid throughout: the regulation requires a permit valid long enough for the procedure to conclude.
Frequently asked questions
- I completed five years on a student residence permit — can I apply? The regulation lists residence granted for study among the situations that do not demonstrate an intention to settle. If that is your position, your residence history needs to be examined separately.
- Can I travel abroad during the five years? The law allows up to six months in total outside Türkiye within that period.
- Do I have to sit a Turkish examination? No particular examination or certificate is required; proficiency is assessed at the commission interview.
- How much income do I need? The law sets no figure; it requires income or an occupation sufficient to support the applicant and their dependants. The assessment is made on the file.
- Must I renounce my existing nationality? The law provides that this condition may also be required; the principles governing it are for the administration to determine.
- Does my spouse become a citizen with me? No. Acquiring citizenship does not affect the spouse's nationality; the spouse must apply separately.
- I meet every condition — is citizenship certain? The law expressly states that meeting the conditions creates no absolute right. The decision rests with the Ministry.
- What can I do if I am refused? Depending on the grounds, the deficiency may be remedied and the application refiled, or the matter taken to administrative court.
- Does being married help on this route? Marriage to a Turkish citizen is among the circumstances confirming an intention to settle. If the conditions for the marriage route are met, that route may also be considered.
How we work on these files
Before the application we examine the residence history by permit type and against entry and exit records, and assess whether the conditions are met. We prepare the documents as to certification and translation and plan the inclusion of children in the file. We prepare for the interview stage and follow the file through to conclusion; where it is refused, we examine the grounds and identify the course to take.