Turkish Citizenship

Akkas & Associates Law Firm is a globally recognized Turkish citizenship law firm with a long record of excellence and professional leadership in Istanbul, Turkey. Our Turkish citizenship lawyers are prepared to handle real estate acquisitions to get Turkish citizenship. Our investment for Turkish citizenship practice includes; buying, leasing, and selling residential and commercial properties to both domestic and foreign customers in Turkey. Our Turkish real estate lawyers also represent our clients in real property acquisition, we prepare real estate sale contracts or amend the contracts that are prepared by the developers. We also represent our clients throughout Turkish citizenship application process until they get their Turkish passport.

Our Turkish Citizenship Lawyers do perform Turkish citizenship services with investment options. We have extensive experience in immigration law in Turkey and we have obtained more than 400 passports. We have successfully represented clients from Iran, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Egypt, Tunis, Libya, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Hong Kong, Macao, China, Djibouti, Macedonia, USA and we know how to get required paperwork done in each country.

Our Turkish Citizenship Lawyers perform legal services for making an investment and getting a conformity certificate for the investment to apply for Turkish citizenship. Once the investment step is completed, we will apply for residency for the main applicant. After that, we will prepare Turkish citizenship file for the main applicant and his/her spouse and kids.

Generally, it takes 3-4 months to get a Turkish citizenship application accepted. We did not have any refusals so far. We got our last application accepted in 85 days. Once your application is accepted, you can apply for Turkish ID card and passport and get your fingerprints at Turkish Embassy in your country, you don’t have to come to Turkey at all.

However, if you like to come and get it done in Istanbul one of our English-speaking Turkish lawyers will help the you to get fingerprints and apply for Turkish ID card and passport. Turkish passport and ID card will be mailed to our office address.

We’re Turkish Citizenship Lawyers in Istanbul

The Council of Ministers has adopted a decision published at the Official Gazette dated January 12, 2017. Accordingly, the Turkish Government introduced the option of obtaining a Turkish Citizenship via making an investment in Turkey, like other countries in the world, with certain reservations. In line with the further amendments made by The President Decision No. 106 entered into force on September 19, 2018, the amounts of investment required for acquiring Turkish citizenship applications are lowered.

More recently, one of the exceptional cases based on purchasing a real estate with a minimum value of $250,000.- (Two Hundred Fifty Thousand US Dollars) was amended by the Presidential Decree No. 408 through the publication in the Official Gazette dated December 7, 2018 and it is now possible to apply for Turkish citizenship by executing preliminary sale contract before notary public as for the real estates under construction projects provided that a real estate has construction servitude deed or condominium deed. Accordingly, foreigners who satisfy at least one of the below-noted investment requirements may be granted a Turkish citizenship, subject to the approval and an administrative decision of the President.

Turkish Citizenship Law’s Article 12 allows foreign investors to acquire Turkish citizenship in exceptional terms; with 18.09.2018 dated 106 numbered Presidential Decree, amendatory new arrangements have been made regarding the amounts mentioned in the Article 20 of the Regulation on the Implementation of the aforementioned Law.

In line with the recent regulatory amendments, foreigners who satisfy at least one (1) of the below criteria will be granted Turkish citizenship subject to the approval of the Council of Ministers:

1. Purchase of a real estate property in Turkey with a minimum value of $250,000 (prior to the amendment such amount was $1,000,000), such property shall also have an annotation of no-sale for at least three years at the relevant title registry; or purchase a real estate which has a property ownership or a construction servitude on it, with a preliminary sale contract executed before a notary public and at least $250,000 or amount of foreign currency or Turkish Liras has been paid in advance and such notarized preliminary sale contract should be recorded at the relevant title registry with the undertaking not to assign or de-register the agreement for a period of three years
2. A fixed capital investment of a minimum $500,000 (prior to the amendment such amount was $2,000,000) in a Turkish corporate entity
3. Generate employment for at least 50 individuals in Turkey (prior to the amendment such amount was 100 individuals)
4. Deposit a minimum of $500,000 to banks that operate in Turkey (prior to the amendment such amount was $3,000,000) with the condition to keep such deposit at such bank for at least three years
5. Purchase minimum of $500,000 public borrowing vehicles of Turkey (prior to the amendment such amount was $3,000,000) and keep them for at least three years;
6. Purchase minimum of $500,000 of Turkish real estate participation fund shares or Turkish capital investment trust fund shares (prior to the amendment such amount was $1,500,000) and keep those shares for at least three years

Turkish Citizenship with Property Purchase

We do perform legal services for property purchase and management for foreign clients. Our services include preparation, legal help and representation regarding the sale or purchase of a real estate property in Turkey.

An English-speaking attorney will prepare your purchase and sale agreement to buy or sell an off-plan or second-hand house or apartment in Turkey. Our lawyer will advise you of any potential pitfalls, recommend specific changes that would benefit you, discuss or negotiate these concerns and changes with the other party, and accompany you to the Title Deed Office to close the transaction. Nowadays, there is huge demand for Turkish citizenship via the route of the USD 250,000 property investment law. Our attorneys will help from real estate purchase until you get Turkish citizenship.

Our Real Estate Purchase Services Include;

• Discuss Client concerns and issues with Client.
• Draft or review the offer, purchase contract.
• Discuss or negotiate the offer or contract with the Developer or the Developer’s lawyer.
• Prepare up to two sets of revisions or responses to counteroffers, if necessary.
• Review the information provided by the developer (if the property is off-plan).
• Check whether the house is free of charges and/or rented out (if the property is a second-hand home).
• Check whether the Real Estate Tax payments are in good standing.
• Check the local Municipality whether the Developer has all necessary licenses.
• Accompany you to the Title Deed Office in order to sign the purchase and sale deed.
• Change the property title in the Cadastral office.
• Process Client stamp duty tax on your behalf.

Our Turkish Citizenship Application Shall Consist of All Following Matters;

• Prepare residency application documents for Client, his wife and children.
• Prepare Turkish citizenship application documents for Client, his wife and children.
• Follow up application until the Turkish passports given.

Below Turkish Citizenship Services are Also Included in Our Fees:

• Getting the documents translated and notarized.
• Applying for the Turkish Tax Id Number.
• Assistance for opening a bank account in Turkey.

Property Management Services:

After we completed your property purchase, we can provide below services with an additional fee;

• Registering your property with local Municipality to pay annual Environmental and Garbage Collection Tax.
• Arrange a real estate agent to list your property to lease.
• To sign a lease contract with your tenant.
• To make sure if the tenant is paying rent on time.
• If the tenant is not paying rent on time, we will send him/her a warning letter.
• If it is needed, we can file a law suit to evict the tenant.
• To observe if the tenant is paying monthly dues to the management.

Real Estate Purchase Details for Receipt of Conformity Certification

Obtaining conformity certificate from Ministry of Environment and Urbanization for purchasing a real estate property with a minimum value of $250,000 or equivalent foreign currency or equivalent amount of Turkish Liras [prior to the amendment such amount was $1,000,000] and attached an annotation of no-sale for at least three years at the relevant title registry.

Purchasing a real estate property which has a property ownership or a construction servitude on it, with a preliminary sale contract executed before a notary public and at least $250,000 or amount of foreign currency or Turkish Liras has been paid in advance and such notarized preliminary sale contract should be recorded at the relevant title registry with the undertaking not to transfer or assign the agreement for a period of three years. In order to obtain conformity certificate from Ministry of Environment and Urbanization following steps should be taken into consideration:

In order to apply for Turkish citizenship by way of real estate investment in Turkey, the real estate should be purchased with a minimum value of $1,000,000 between the dates January 12, 2017 – September 18, 2018. If such real estate is purchased after September 19, 2018 and/ or such real estate is purchased with preliminary sale contract issued before notary public after December 7, 2018; the minimum value should be $250,000

A real estate value assessment report that shows the value of such real estate should be drafted by a real estate appraiser with a valid license approved by Capital Market Board in order to determine the value of the subject real estate. The date of issuance of such assessment report should be three months (at most) prior to the application date. Such value assessment report shall be valid until the end of the transaction. In case the applicant completed the purchasing transactions before obtaining a real estate value assessment report, the date of real estate value assessment report should be same with the date of purchase.

Previously, the sale price of the real estate indicated in the official deed shall not be less than amount which is stated in the real estate value assessment report. Now, the sale price of the real estate indicated in the official deed and a real estate value assessment report should be higher than $250,000 whereas the sale price of the real estate indicated in the official deed is not required to be higher than the amount stated in the real estate value assessment report.

Real Estate Purchase in Installments

New regime has brought the option to purchase real estate in installments provided that a real estate property should be purchased after September 19, 2018 and each installment should be made after September 19, 2018. The amounts paid as an installment before September 19, 2018 shall not be taken into consideration. The foreign currency amounts of the installments shall be determined based on the currency exchange rate of the Turkish Central Bank at the date of transactions regarding purchasing a real estate.

In case of the sale of one or more independent sections with the property ownership or construction servitude, the amount that paid in advance should be at least $250,000 or equivalent amount of foreign currency or Turkish Liras and also the transfer of sale price should also be realized after December 7, 2018 through banks as stated below.

The transfer of the sale price should be realized through banks and should be supported by bank approved receipts when the price is deducted from the buyer account and deposited in the seller’s account (the bank approved receipts should be submitted to General Directorate of Land Registry before notification period).

The real estate should not be registered to any other person, including the foreigner’s spouse or children. Also, the real estate should not have been purchased before January 12, 2017 by the foreigner himself, foreigner’s spouse or children.

In case of the real estate being mortgaged or purchased as mortgaged, mortgage cost shall be deducted from the value of the real estate in order to determine the real value of the real estate.

The real estate should not be registered on behalf of the company where the foreigner is the partner or manager.

The real estate shall also have an annotation of no-sale for at least three years at the relevant title registry which shall be recorded during the purchase transaction. If such record is not registered during the purchase transactions, the owner of such real estate shall request to register an annotation of no-sale for at least three years at the relevant title registry.

Turkish Citizenship with Bank Deposit

Our attorneys will help you to open a bank account. We generally open bank accounts with a Power of Attorney (PoA) given to us by our clients. Some of our client give us PoA in their own country either at Turkish Embassy or local notary and apsotille. A PoA can be given in a way called double legalization in some countries like China. In this way a PoA is prepared by a local notary and attested by the Foreign Ministry of that country and after that it is attested by Turkish Embassy.

In order to be eligible for bank deposit option, one must invest at least 500.000 US Dollars or its equivalent foreign currency or equivalent of Turkish Lira and make commitment to hold the amount of deposits for three years at banks operating in Turkey and for whom a certificate of conformity is issued by the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency.

Our Bank Deposit Services Includes Following Matters;

• Passport translation and notarization
• Obtaining tax id number for client
• Opening bank account
• Arrange bank deposit
• Prepare documents to be signed by the Client.
• Follow up our paperwork with BBDK.

Our Turkish Citizenship Application Shall Consist of All Following Matters;

• Prepare residency application documents for Client, his wife and children.
• Prepare Turkish citizenship application documents for Client, his wife and children.
• Follow up application until the Turkish passports given.

Below Turkish Citizenship Services are Also Included in Our Fees:

• Getting the documents translated and notarized.
• Applying for the Turkish Tax Id Number.
• Assistance for opening a bank account in Turkey.

Additionally, we have extensive experience on resident permit and immigration & Turkish citizenship services for foreign citizens.

Nowadays, there is huge demand for Turkish citizenship via the route of the USD 250,000 property investment law. Our attorneys will help from real estate purchase until you get Turkish citizenship.

Details on Bank Deposit for Receipt of Conformity Certification

Obtaining conformity certificate from Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency for depositing a minimum of $500.000 or equivalent foreign currency or equivalent amount of Turkish Lira to banks that operate in Turkey [prior to the amendment such amount was $3,000,000] with the condition to keep such deposit in the relevant bank for at least three years.

Foreigners should deposit a minimum of $500,000 or equivalent amount in foreign currency or Turkish Liras to banks that operate in Turkey with the condition to keep such deposit at such bank for at least three years. The amount should be convertible and should be equivalent to $500,000.

It’s not required that such amount should be deposited to only one single bank that operates in Turkey. In this context, foreigner may deposit the money more than one bank operating in Turkey with the condition to keep such deposit at such bank for at least three years and the total deposited amounts should be equal to $500,000.

It’s essential to deposit such amount to banks that operate in Turkey. Therefore, it is not possible to assume an amount as convenient for the Turkish citizenship application which is deposited to a bank in abroad even if it is a branch office or association of Turkish Bank.

Foreigner shall also apply for Turkish citizenship based on a joint account (with his/her spouse or any other person) provided that joint account holder(s) other than the applicant has an express consent that they keep such deposit at bank for at least three years.

It is possible to change the currency or type of investment which is mentioned in Regulation (such as purchasing a real estate investment fund share and capital investment trusts fund share with a minimum value of $500.000). However, in case of shifting the amount to another investment type, such process should be instantaneous and there should not be any interruption for three years period. Otherwise, the BRSA shall promptly inform the Ministry of Internal Affairs regarding such interruption.

Please also note that in such three-year period, a foreigner may benefit from the interest, dividend and similar returns arising from the deposited amount pursuant to executed contracts with banks and type of the bank account provided that the deposited amount shall not fall below the amount of $500.000.

In the event that a currency other than the U.S. Dollar is deposited in the banks, the U.S. Dollar equivalent at the date of the opening of the account shall be determined and the deposited amount shall be expected to remain in the banks at the same rate determined for three years. Therefore, potential alterations on exchange rates shall not be considered.

The amount which deposited in a Turkish bank will be blocked for three years with applicant’s request. However, this is not a blockade that makes the amount cannot be withdrawn by the holder of the bank account. As soon as the amount withdrawn by the account holder or it is fallen under 500.000 USD, the bank will report the situation to the BRSA and the BRSA will immediately inform the Ministry of Internal Affairs for initiation the cancelling process for Turkish citizenship.

If this occurred once, new application will not be considered as an on-going time span [three year period]. Since the amount can be withdrawn by the applicant, there should not be any restriction on the deposit account such as a sequestration or any other legal limitations. If there occur any restriction, circumstance will be announced to Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Turkish Citizenship by Investment Consists of Three Stages:

1. Fulfilling the one of the investment conditions and obtaining receipt of a certificate of conformity
2. Obtaining a short-term residence permit
3. Applying for Turkish citizenship by investment.

Required documents for these steps are summarized below:

Opening a bank account within Turkey in order to handle bank transfer for the investment type. Required documents are listed below in order to open a bank account in Turkey:

• Document showing a residence address in foreigner’s home country (such as phone, electricity, gas bill)
• Passport
• Turkish tax number (we can obtain tax number for you)

Receipt of conformity certification for the investment type:

• A real estate value assessment report which shows the real value of the real estate shall be required for purchasing a real estate investment.
• Particular purpose report from a certified public accountant (CPA) shall be required for making a fixed capital investment of a minimum $500,000.

Obtaining Short Term Residence Permit forTurkish Citizenship by Investment Applicants

A foreigner who applies for Turkish citizenship by way of investment should first obtain short term (temporary) residence permit. Normally, in order to make a short-term residence permit application, the foreigner should enter Turkey with a valid visa, or by benefiting from a visa exemption.

Following valid entry to Turkey, foreigners who wish to extend their stay in Turkey, should apply for a “short-term residence permit”. In order to apply for a short term residency permit; foreigner should enter Turkey legally and an online application shall be made where an appointment date for the application shall be reserved from the Directorate of Immigration so that the applicant could be present in Turkey at such reserved application date.

For regular short-term residence permit application process the waiting period for an appointment/interview date at many popular districts (such as Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara) is quite long (2 to 3 months). However, in such citizenship by investment based special short-term applications the waiting period for an appointment date is shorter (within 1 to 10 days after making online application and there is a special office of the Immigration Directorate handling these affairs).

The residence permits granted within the scope of subparagraph (j) the Article 31, can be issued up to five (5) years (but generally applied and granted for 1 year, the term is dependent on the validity term of the passport and the health insurance policy term obtained) and the residence permit cards are mailed to the residence address of the foreigner in Turkey within 2-4 weeks.

Required Documents for Short-Term Residence Permit are:

• Valid visa or non-expired exemption term following entry at the date of application
• Valid Passport (with enough validity for the residence term to be applied for)
• Power of Attorney to our firm to authorize professional assistance for handling procedures
• Four (4) passport type pictures in color
• Private health insurance. We can assist you to obtain a private health insurance policy as well and the costs are between $150.- to $400.- including taxes and expenses depending on your age, health etc.
• Address information: a residence address in Turkey is required during the online application. A hotel address declaration may be enough at initial application however, foreigner may also submit his/her notarized lease agreement (if any) or the address of the real estate purchased for residence purposes. Please also note that workplace addresses cannot be declared as residence addresses.
• Conformity certificate for the investment type

Filing Turkish Citizenship Application

Required documents for Turkish Citizenship Application by way of investment are:

• Preliminary examination form (a standard form VAT-4)
• Notarized Turkish translation of the passport
• Identity registry copy of the applicant
• Birth Certificate of the applicant
• Marital Status Certificate/Document
• Valid residence permit obtained through the process above outlined
• Receipt slip for the application service charges made

In addition to this:

• If the applicant is divorced; Divorce Certificate/Decree
• If the applicant is married; Marriage Certificate
• If the applicant is widow; Death Certificate regarding his/her spouse

Turkish Citizenship Questions and Answers

1. How many ways of obtaining Turkish Citizenship via exceptional procedures?

• who make fixed capital investment at least 500.000 US Dollars or equivalent foreign currency or equivalent amount of Turkish Lira and for whom certificate of conformity is issued by the Ministry of Industry and Technology,
• who purchase the immovable property at least 250.000 US Dollars or equivalent foreign currency or equivalent amount of Turkish Lira and attached annotation at land registration not to sell this property for three years and for whom a certificate of conformity is issued by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization,
• who employ at least 50 employees and for whom a certificate of conformity is issued by the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services,
• who invest at least 500.000 US dollars or its equivalent in foreign currency or equivalent amount of Turkish Lira and make commitment to hold the amount of deposits for three years at banks operating in Turkey and for whom a certificate of conformity is issued by the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency,
• who purchase public borrowing instruments at least 500.000 US Dollars or equivalent foreign currency or equivalent amount of Turkish Lira and make commitment to hold these instruments for three years and for whom certificate of conformity is issued by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance,
• who purchase a real estate investment fund participation share or venture capital investment fund participation amount of at least 500.000 US Dollars or equivalent foreign currency or equivalent amount of Turkish Lira and make commitment to hold these participation shares for three-years and for whom a certificate of conformity is issued by the Capital Market Board.

2. How does the Turkish citizenship with Turkish Property Investment application process work?

Foreigners can obtain Turkish citizenship by buying real estate whose total worth is more than 250,000 USD or equivalent.

1. You must buy one or more real estate to achieve the 250,000 USD requirement.
2. You can buy any kind of real estate (house, apartment, office, shop or land) in any province of Turkey.
3. You must get an official appraisal for each property.
4. Each of the property must be bought after September 19, 2018.
5. You must sign a statement that you won’t sell the property for 3 years at the Title Deed Office.

3. Will my family get Turkish Citizenship?

Yes. You, your spouse (wife or husband) and dependents (your children under the age of 18, on the application date) can get Turkish citizenship. Turkish law does not recognize same-sex marriages, polygamy and other types of partnerships. So a spouse should be a person of opposite sex and the couple should be legally married. If a male applicant has multiple wives, only one of them is eligible for Turkish citizenship.

4. If the property I buy is not worth 250,000 USD, can I buy several properties to fulfill the 250,000 USD limit?

You can buy several properties which have a total value of minimum 250.000 USD.  The values declared at the sale at Title Deed Office and appraisal values should be consistent with that value.

5. How long does it take to become a Turkish citizen?

After the property is bought and the application is filed, it takes between 3 to 6 months to get the Turkish citizenship and Turkish passport. Turkish Government is doing its best to reduce time.

6. Can I buy a commercial property with rental income and get Turkish Citizenship with investment?

Yes, any property you buy is eligible for citizenship. You can rent the properties to someone else. The only restriction is you cannot sell for three years.

7. It looks like it is complicated to apply and get Turkish Citizenship. Can I get assistance for this process?

Akkas & Associates Law Firm offers full services until you get Turkish Passport. We work with real estate agents from all provinces of Turkey to find the best residential or commercial property as per request.

8. I do not have time to come to Turkey. How can I get Turkish Citizenship?

If you give us power of attorney, we can follow up with the complete process. (Buy the real estate for you, get the appraisal report, transfer the title to your name, give the statement at Title Deed Office, and file all documents for your application.)

9. How many people can apply for Turkish citizenship with one Title Deed?

Only one person can apply for Turkish citizenship, his/her spouse and dependents are also eligible with this application.

10. I bought property in Turkey previously. May I apply for citizenship now?

Title deed applications at Property Register Office after 20.09.2018 may obtain Turkish citizenship by a real estate investment of 250,000 USD. Before this date, the minimum value was 1,000,000 USD.

11. Which nationalities may apply for Turkish passport?

All foreigners who are allowed to buy property in Turkey by Turkish law, may apply for Turkish citizenship by investment.

12. Do I get a Residence Permit when I file the citizenship application?

Residence permit (no:6458/31-J) is granted to you, your spouse and your dependents.

13. Is it possible to have dual nationality in Turkey?

Yes, Turkey allows dual nationality, as long as your original country allows it. If you are a citizen of a country which does not allow dual citizenship, you need to forfeit your original citizenship. But if your original country allows dual citizenship, you can have dual citizenship.

14. Does the applicant need to reside in Turkey prior and during the application process? What’s the detailed requirements?

No, there is no need for the applicant to reside in Turkey, the applicant should give us power of attorney to follow up procedures and filing citizenship application. The PoA can also be given to purchase a property on behalf of the client.

15. What are the main investment options?

1) USD$ 250,000 in property

2) USD$500,000 in fixed bank deposit

3) USD$500,000 in fixed capital investment.

I would suggest options 1 and 2. We have filed several Turkish citizenship applications with property purchase and many for bank deposit. Bank deposit is easier to full fill, however not many people have 500,000 USD.

16. What’s the general time frame for the application?

For option 1, property purchase process takes some time, for option 2, depositing money and getting the approval takes about 1 week and we can file the residency application first. Whole process should take between 4-6 months.

17. Do you help clients to choose the corporate entity to investment for the capital investment option? Yes, we help clients to open bank accounts

If you choose the real estate option, it is better to travel to Turkey to view the property, but in theory do they need to be in Turkey for purchasing the property?

It is better them to be here to see the property, once they decided to buy, then can give us PoA to follow up property purchase and complete the whole procedure. So, they can come see the property and give us PoA and can go back to their country in a couple of days.

18. Do you have some contacts from the local real estate developers that you can introduce to us?

Yes, we have companies that work together.

19. As for the bank deposit option, which bank do you work with?

We have access to several banks, clients have some banks in their mind. There are government banks, private banks, interests vary. It is important to find banks with English speaking staff, we can help you. Banks will not request information regarding source of the funds from its clients.

20. Regarding to fees for Turkish citizenship application

Health insurance premiums: It varies and depends on the age, sex, weight, height etc. and around 500 TL, visa fee (460 TL), official appraisal fees for property purchase is around 1,500 TL, notary and translation fees around 1,500 TL,  fee for residency permit = 426.54 TL, document fee =  89. TL.

Required Documents For Turkish Citizenship Application

• Application form (Vat-4)
• Passport or ID card that shows his/her nationality. If he/she is stateless approved documents with Turkish translate certified from the notary.
• Consent letter (taken from notary or the related officer in domestic, if abroad external representation or from the authorized offices from his/her country) for the children who are under their mother’s/father’s custody and applying the Turkish citizenship with.
• Marital status document and if married marriage certificate, if divorced divorce certificate, if widow/widower death certificate.
• Birth certificate that shows personal information, or population register sample document and if married family registration certificate that proves the family bond between his/her spouse and children.
• Service charge receipt from finance cashier desk.
• 2 biometric photograph (50×60 mm, white background, machine readable, plain set by ICAO).

Turkish Citizenship Application in General Terms

Apart from these options for investors; please note that Turkey is still very conservative in its citizenship applications. According to Turkish Nationality Act No.5901, a foreigner applicant should meet the following requirements in order to apply for Turkish nationality (excluding the exceptions provided with the new amendments for investor immigrants):

• Should be at the age of consent according to his/her national law (if he/she is not a citizen of any country, Turkish law is taken into consideration which requires 18 years old as the age of consent)
• Should reside in Turkey for the last five (5) years (without intervention/break) and should have the intention of settling in Turkey
• Should be in good health
• Should speak enough Turkish
• Should have enough financial resources to support the applicant and the applicant’s family.

If one meets the conditions above, a Turkish nationality Application can be made through the Consulate General or the local Governor’s office in Turkey with the following documents:

• A document revealing the present nationality of the applicant (passport or birth certificate)
• If married to a Turkish national, the official documents confirming the identities and family ties of the spouse and the couple’s under aged children
• Certification of applicant’s ability to speak Turkish (a certificate will be issued by this Consulate General upon a successful interview of the applicant)
• A medical certificate confirming the applicant’s good health and being free from any infectious diseases that may endanger the public health (this certificate can be obtained from hospitals or family doctors)
• Four (4) passport type pictures in color
• Completed application forms which can be obtained from Consulate General or Governorships in Turkey
• Document obtained from Provincial Directorate of Security showing uninterrupted residency as well as entrance and exit dates into Turkey
• Certification and translation fee payment slips
• Administration fee payment slips

Completed application files are submitted to the Ministry of Interior, which will consider and process the applications on their merits. It may take six (6) to twenty-four (24) months to obtain a ruling on the application.

 Five (5) Year Rule and Extended Stay for Longer Term in Turkey

As outlined above (and except for special investment immigration options to be reviewed at a further section) foreigners shall reside in Turkey legally for longer than five (5) years to become eligible for Turkish citizenship applications. Alternatively, foreigners who reside in Turkey for longer than eight (8) years also become eligible to obtain an indefinite term residence permit (like  US Greed Card) if they do not wish to switch to Turkish citizenship. Such valid longer term stay in Turkey could be achieved with different methods.

Marriage with a Turkish Citizen

Foreigners are eligible to stay in Turkey for longer terms and/or become Turkish citizens upon marriage with a Turkish citizen. For becoming eligible for Turkish citizenship, the foreigner and the Turkish citizen shall be married for at least three (3) years.

Reach us for Turkish Citizenship Lawyers

Akkas & Associates is a solution-oriented law firm that empowers clients to meet the diverse and changing demands of today’s citizenship with investment law. Since 1992, our lawyers have been helping clients’ complex legal challenges and maximize opportunities for success. Our law firm is now one of the leading Turkish Citizenship law firms in Istanbul, Turkey. You may reach us for Turkish Citizenship Lawyers in Turkey through our Contact page.