With the amendment made to the Regulations Regarding the Implementation of Turkish Citizenship Law, in 2018
Foreigners now may acquire Turkish citizenship through the exceptional means of purchasing real estate worth at least USD 250.000 or equivalent thereof in foreign currency or in Turkish Lira starting from the date 18.09.2018, provided that the land registry entries are annotated to the effect that the real estate will not be sold for 3 years.
For the real estate(s) purchased between the dates 12.01.2017 and 18.09.2018, the real estate must be worth at least USD 1.000.000 and above.
Starting from 07.12.2018, it is also possible to acquire Turkish citizenship if the agreement, which is issued before the notary public in a manner to include promise of sale for a real estate with condominium or construction servitude created thereon worth at least USD 250.000 or equivalent thereof in foreign currency or in Turkish Lira deposited in cash along with the undertaking of no transfer and cancellation for 3 years, is annotated into land registry.
It is not possible to apply for citizenship with real estate(s) purchased before the date 12.01.2017 and the real estate(s) covered by an agreement for the promise of sale before the date 07.12.2018.
In case of purchase of real estate(s) worth USD 250.000 and an undertaking of not selling the same for 3 years, or in case of agreement, which is issued before the notary public in a manner to include promise of sale for a real estate along with the undertaking of no transfer and cancellation for 3 years, then a “Certificate of Eligibility” will be issued by the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre as a document to be relied upon for citizenship request.
Upon receiving the certificate of eligibility, foreigners first file an application for residence permit before the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management and then an application for citizenship before the Provincial Directorate of Civil Registration and Citizenship Affairs.
Turkish citizenship, conditions and advantages
The Turkish passport is ranked 39th in the world according to the 2018 classification, and its holder has the right to travel to 69 countries without a visa, and to 33 countries by obtaining a visa upon arrival automatically, and Mexico and Sri Lanka grant visas to Turks online directly and routinely.
Among the countries that completely exempt Turkish citizens from obtaining a visa, there are 8 Arab countries, namely, Iraq, Libya, Morocco, the Sultanate of Oman, Palestine, Jordan, Qatar and Tunisia.
In addition to the aforementioned Arab countries, other countries also grant complete exemption to Turkish passport holders from entry visas, which are Albania, Antigura and Barbuda, Argentina, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poatsuna, Brazil, Brunei, Chile, Colombia Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Macau, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mortius, Micronesia, Moldova, Montenegro, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Louis, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Saint Vincent and Grenada, Swaziland, Trinada, Ukraine, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela .
As for the countries that routinely give visas to Turkish passport holders upon arrival, they are Comoros, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sudan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Dominica, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Maldives, Islands Marshal, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nepal, Palau, Samoa, Seychelles, Suriname, Taiwan, Tanzania, East Timor, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
As for the countries that impose a visa on Turkish citizens, it is 94 countries, and a large number of them grant Turkish passport holders a visa with easy and unimpeded conditions.
Among those countries also are the countries of the European Union, which are still ongoing negotiations between Ankara and the Union to lift the entry visa for Turkish citizens, and these negotiations may result in granting the right to enter Europe without a visa to the holder of a Turkish passport in the future.
It is worth noting that investors can now obtain Turkish citizenship in exchange for a real estate investment of at least $ 250,000, provided that it is not sold for three years, and under the real estate ownership, the owner has the right to apply for Turkish citizenship.
How to obtain Turkish citizenship:
Buying a property with a value of more than 250 thousand US dollars, instead of the previous value, which was estimated at one million dollars, but on the condition that the property is not sold within 3 years.
Amending the condition of depositing a sum of money in Turkish banks in exchange for obtaining citizenship, as the condition now stipulates the deposit of an amount of 500 thousand dollars instead of 3 million dollars.
Reducing the fixed investment in exchange for citizenship from two million dollars to 500 thousand dollars.
Establishing a project that provides job opportunities for 50 Turkish citizens, after it was previously required to employ 100 citizens.
Executive actions:
According to the new amendments, which came into effect by publishing them in the Official Gazette, every foreigner who meets the required conditions can apply for Turkish citizenship.
Forming a committee consisting of representatives from the Ministries of Interior, Treasury, Finance, Environment, Urban Development, Labor, Social and Family Services, Industry and Technology, to monitor and follow up on the affairs of applicants for Turkish citizenship.
Opening special offices to receive applications for obtaining Turkish citizenship and running their affairs, and these offices will be subject to the control of the committee consisting of the aforementioned ministries.
