General Information on Turkish Citizenship by Investment Program
The Process:
There are two ways to acquire Turkish citizenship. The first one is through birth and birthplace. If a person is a child of a Turkish mother or father, the baby is accepted as a Turkish citizen. If the mother is a Turk and the father is a foreigner or unknown the baby gets citizenship immediately but if the father is a Turk and the mother is a foreigner, the baby gets Turkish citizenship after the DNA test is done and compatibility between the baby and the father is proved to the Turkish court. Another way to get Turkish citizenship is through birthplace. If a child is born in Turkey and the mother and father are unknown, the baby is accepted as a Turkish citizen automatically. Also, if the baby’s parents are stateless, the baby can get Turkish citizenship, too.
The second way to get Turkish citizenship is through an application by meeting some criteria. Foreigners and stateless people can apply for Turkish citizenship when they believe they meet the criteria mentioned below:
1. The person needs to be an adult according to their own country’s constitution. If the person is stateless, the person must be an adult according to the Turkish constitution. This is the primary rule for application. However, there are no restrictions for family applications, the parents can apply for their non-adult children, too.
2. The person must live at least five years before the application date. It means that you must be living in Turkey for five years on the day you apply for citizenship. In some situations such as investment or business establishing the rule of five years may not be necessary. Also, for Turkish country citizens, the minimum limit for living in Turkey is two years.
3. The person must prove his/her intention to live in Turkey by meeting some conditions. The proof of intention can be shown in different ways. These are:
Turkish Citizenship through Property Investment
According to Turkish Citizenship Law, you can apply for and get Turkish citizenship if you buy an immovable asset such as a house, land, or office worth at least $400,000. This amount was $1.000.000 before 2018 but it was reduced to $250.000 and now increased to $400,000. Turkey welcomes property investors for citizenship.
However, there are some rules that need to be followed. For example, the immovable asset can’t be in Turkish security places such as military bases and can’t be sold for three years. There are companies that help you to find houses and help you in the application process. Thus, buying immovable assets through these companies enables you to guarantee your investment and citizenship. Big cities like İstanbul and Ankara, tourist and trade cities like Antalya and İzmir, and industry and winter tourism cities like Bursa are very profitable cities for property investment with their increasing potential and expanding living areas. For opportunities in these cities and for investments compatible with Turkish citizenship law.
Capital Investment and Business Establishing
You can apply for and get Turkish citizenship by establishing businesses, too. A foreigner can become a Turkish citizen if he or she establishes a business that employs at least 50 people.
Marriage
If a foreigner marries a Turkish citizen and stays married for three years, he or she can apply for and get Turkish citizenship via marriage. In the case of divorce after three years, the citizenship status of a foreigner is not affected by divorce. But if a divorce takes place before three years, the citizenship status of a foreigner is reevaluated by the Ministry of Interior Affairs.
Education
Education is regarded as proof of intention to live in Turkey and enables foreigners to get Turkish citizenship. If a foreigner decides to get his or her education, he or she can apply for citizenship.
Family Applications
Even though it is not a condition, it is always better to apply as a family as proof of intention to live in Turkey.
These are the conditions that take place in the Turkish Citizenship Law. The applicants who want to be Turkish citizens have to meet the required criteria and deliver the necessary documents to the Turkish authorities. Turkey welcomes all types of people from investors to workers and students as long as they show the intention to live in Turkey and don’t pose a threat to Turkish national security and social order.
Important information:
The program also offers simplified routes to relocating to both the UK and the USA under respective visa categories available for Turkish nationals. Investors may relocate to the UK through the Turkish Businessperson Visa and start the journey to British Citizenship. Additionally, there is an option to reside in the US as an E-2 Investor.
You must be a Turkish national and show that:
If you want to join an existing partnership or company you must show:
https://www.gov.uk/turkish-business-person