Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901 regulates the circumstances in which citizenship of the Republic of Turkey can be acquired and lost. Article 12 of the relevant law regulates the exceptional cases in the acquisition of Turkish citizenship. According to the relevant Law and Regulation, persons who purchase real estate that worth at least 400,000 (four hundred thousand) US Dollars or equivalent in foreign currency and undertake not to sell this real estate for a period of 3 years are entitled to Turkish Citizenship.
Legal Regulation on Acquiring Turkish Citizenship by Purchasing Real Estate
Article 20 of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law lists the necessary documents and procedures for the applications of persons included in these exceptional cases. Accordingly, Article 20 of the Related Regulation is as follows:
Exceptional acquisition of Turkish citizenship, required documents and procedures for application
ARTICLE 20 – (1) A foreigner may acquire Turkish citizenship exceptionally according to the cases listed in Article 12 of the Law, a
(1) A foreigner who fulfills any of the following conditions can acquire Turkish citizenship by the decision of the President within the scope of subparagraph (b) of the first paragraph of Article 12 of the Law:
b) (Amendment: OJ-6/1/2022-31711-C.K-5072/1 art.) Purchased or condominium or floor servitude for immovable property worth at least 400,000 USD or equivalent, provided that it is not sold for three years in the land registry. It is determined by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change that the sale of the immovable is promised by a contract drawn up in a notary public, provided that a commitment not to be transferred or canceled for a period of three years is annotated in the land registry. (3) With the 1st article of the Presidential Decision No. 5554 published in the Official Gazette dated 13/5/2022 and numbered 31834, the phrases “250.000” in this paragraph have been changed to “400,000”.
Is it possible to acquire Turkish citizenship by buying a house?
As we have mentioned in detail above, another way to gain citizenship of the Republic of Turkey is to buy real estate. Persons who buy real estate in Turkey for a price determined by the law or above, can acquire the right to citizenship with their application. There is a lower limit for real estate to be purchased in Turkey, as stated in the text of the above article. Even though this sub limit was $250,000, it was changed to $400,000 by the Presidential Decree dated 13/05/2022. For this reason, persons who are not citizens of the Republic of Turkey can acquire citizenship of the Republic of Turkey by purchasing an immovable with this price and the corresponding foreign currency value.
Application Documents for Citizenship Acquisition by Buying Real Estate
People who want to acquire citizenship by purchasing real estate in Turkey should apply to the relevant ministry in addition to these procedures. The continuation of Article 20 of the above-mentioned Regulation regulated the application documents. According to the relevant article, the application documents are as follows:
a) Form petition stating the request.
b) Passport or similar document showing the nationality of the person, if it is stateless, if it is possible to obtain it, the document related to it. c) Marital status certificate and marriage certificate if married, divorce certificate if divorced, death certificate if widowed.
ç) A document showing the identity of the person, such as a birth certificate or a copy of the birth certificate, and if married, a copy of the birth certificate or similar document proving the family ties of the spouse and children.
d) If there are first or second degree relatives of Turkish citizens, the application of these persons
Population registration sample taken from the system by the authorities.
e) If the person’s date of birth does not have a month and day, a document obtained from the competent authorities of his country for the completion of the date of birth, and if the document cannot be obtained, a signed statement that he agrees to take action in accordance with Article 39 of the Population Services Law No. 5490.
f) A receipt showing that the service fee has been paid to the Finance cashier.
(4) The completed file is sent to the Ministry for a decision. As you can see, all the necessary documents should be prepared meticulously and the application should be made completely. Otherwise, the application may be rejected. In this case, people who buy real estate may experience serious loss of rights. For this reason, it is important to carry out these procedures through an expert.
Can Turkish Citizenship Application Be Made With A Lawyer?
People who live abroad and are not citizens of the Republic of Turkey can acquire citizenship by purchasing real estate in Turkey. Applications of people who live abroad and do not have the opportunity to come to Turkey can be made by a lawyer. For this reason, you can contact our office and get information about the process.