Getting Turkish citizenship: why, how much it costs and what is required

To begin with, let’s answer the question: “Why do I need a Turkish passport?”, because you can live in Turkey by obtaining an Ikamet (residence permit). One of the main advantages is that visa-free travel (or the opportunity to obtain a visa on arrival) is open to holders of a Turkish passport in 110 countries around the world. Another important advantage of Turkish citizenship is that Turkish citizens can apply for an EB-5 business visa to the United States or, in the future, obtain EU citizenship, since Turkey is on the list of candidates for membership.

Until recently, in order to obtain a Turkish passport, it was necessary either to invest a fairly large amount of money in the state or to live in Turkey for a long time.

Important! Starting from June 13, 2022, you can obtain Turkish citizenship when buying real estate in the amount of 400 thousand dollars or when investing in other assets in the amount of 500 thousand dollars.

Important! From January 6, 2022 Turkey has changed the rules of the citizenship by investment program. Now investors are required to convert foreign currency into Turkish lira before investing their funds in the relevant assets.

The main requirements for foreigners who apply for Turkish citizenship are:

In addition to the main applicant, the investor’s spouse and dependent children under the age of 18 also apply for citizenship. Moreover, the parents of the spouses can apply for citizenship if they are financially dependent on the applicants.

Important! There is no need to make additional investments for children or parents.

One of the most popular ways to obtain citizenship by investment in Turkey is to purchase real estate (residential, commercial, land) in the amount of 400 thousand US dollars. You can buy one or more objects for this amount.

For example, for 400 thousand. $ you can choose and buy:

Important! The object that you decided to buy should not have been used to obtain Turkish citizenship before. If you plan to buy several properties, then no more than two months should pass between transactions.

If you are not interested in purchasing real estate in Turkey, then citizenship can be obtained for a deposit in a Turkish bank, the amount here is higher — from 500 thousand US dollars. The amount is deposited into the deposit account for 3 years. You can also invest in Turkish companies that are approved for the program by the Ministry of Industry and Technology or purchase securities for this period.

Another option is to create your own company in the territory of the Republic of Turkey, which will employ more than 50 employees. The company must have worked for at least 3 years and you will need the approval of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security.

Apartments in Eyupsultan, Turkey

222 000 €

More detailed

Apartments in Gaziosmanpas, Turkey

245 000 €

More detailed

Apartments in Kucukcekmej, Turkey

278 000 €

More detailed

What does the process of obtaining Turkish citizenship look like? It’s pretty simple:

1. Meeting the requirements of the program.
   At this stage, you need to choose real estate, purchase securities, open a business or deposit in a bank. For all these operations, it is necessary to open an account in a Turkish bank and obtain an individual taxpayer number.
2. Preparation of necessary documents.
   You need a standard set of documents: a completed application form, copies of your passport, photos and payment receipts for payment of state duties. In addition, you need to provide:
3. permission for data processing by local officials. It must be issued by a notary in Turkey;
4. a certificate of no criminal record;
5. documents confirming the implementation of investments (a certificate from the cadastral service, a market assessment, an extract from a bank or investment fund, constituent documents of the company).

All documents are submitted with a translation into Turkish, must be notarized and have an apostille.

6. Obtaining a short-term residence permit.
   When applying for an Icameter, the main thing is to indicate that you need it to obtain investment citizenship, and there will be no problems!
7. Applying for citizenship.
   It can be submitted at the Turkish registry office or at the consulate abroad. In addition to the above documents, you will need to attach a certificate and submit biometric data. The documents will be reviewed by the Turkish Interior Ministry within three months.
8. Getting a passport.
   As soon as a positive decision is made on your application, you can come to Turkey and pick up your passport. You can also get it through a lawyer by proxy.

One of the pleasant moments when buying Turkish citizenship is the fact that all investments are refundable. The term is the same for all methods — 3 years. After this period, you can sell real estate, securities and close your bank account, liquidate the company.

Do you want to buy a property in Turkey to obtain citizenship? Check out our selection of objects for Turkish citizenship! The specialists of our portal will help you with the purchase of real estate, as well as with the entire process of obtaining Turkish citizenship.

Источник