Acquisition of Turkish citizenship is regulated in two ways: at birth or by later acquisition. Turkey has not adopted the right to acquire citizenship based on birth place. Therefore, being born in Turkey will not provide any right in terms of citizenship. Citizenship at birth is based on kinship. A person may be a Turkish citizen at birth only if one of his/her parents is a Turkish citizen.
The second way to obtain a Turkish citizenship is to make an investment in Turkey, through one of the following methods.
- Foreigners who are confirmed to have invested a fixed capital of minimum USD 500,000 by the Ministry of Industry and Technology,
- Foreigners who are confirmed to have purchased real estate worth minimum USD 400,000 or promised to purchase a real estate with floor ownership or floor easement corresponding to a minimum USD 400,000 or same amount equivalent to Turkish Lira with a sale contract certified by notary public and annotation of refusal of sale for three years added to the records of the title deed registry by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization,
- Foreigners who are confirmed to have created employment for at least 50 people by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services,
- Foreigners who are confirmed to have deposited minimum USD 500,000 or an equivalent of the same to Turkish Lira in a bank that operates in Turkey by the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency provided that it will be kept in the account for three years,
- Foreigners who are confirmed to have purchased and held for three years real estate investment fund participation shares or venture capital investment fund participation shares worth minimum USD 500,000 by Capital Markets Board,
- Foreigners who are confirmed to have purchased state borrowing instruments worth minimum USD 500,000 on the condition of holding them for three years by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, may apply for exceptional Turkish citizenship.
Depending on the workload of the relevant authorities, the whole process will take an a approximate period of 3 to 4 months and the applicant shall visit the relevant authorities in person 2 times during the process.
However, foreigners who intend to extend their stay in Turkey after the time limit specified in their visa or the ones who require a visa exemption for their entry and exit into or from Turkey, without an investment stated above, may consider obtaining a residence permit instead of citizenship.
Obtainment of a residence permit in Turkey is addressed in another article by Kutadgu & Arsın.
Please do not hesitate to contact us, should you have further queries regarding the obtainment of a Turkish citizenship or a residence permit in Turkey.