Turkish citizenship by investment: what are the requirements?

Short answer: A foreigner may acquire Turkish citizenship by decision of the President if one of the investments listed in Article 20(2) of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law is confirmed by the competent authority. The most common route is buying property worth at least 400,000 US dollars with a three-year no-sale annotation on the title deed. The other routes require 500,000 US dollars (fixed capital investment, bank deposit, government debt instruments, real estate or venture capital fund units, or private pension contributions) or the creation of jobs for at least 50 people. Meeting a threshold makes you eligible; citizenship itself remains a discretionary decision.

Legal basis

The Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901 allows citizenship to be granted on an exceptional basis by Presidential decision. Article 20(2) of the implementing Regulation lists the investments that qualify under Article 12(1)(b) of the Law. The amounts were last raised by Presidential Decisions No. 5072 (Official Gazette, 6 January 2022) and No. 5554 (13 May 2022), and the property route was narrowed by Presidential Decision No. 7938 (12 December 2023).

The investment routes and amounts

Each route must be confirmed by the authority named in the Regulation:

• Fixed capital investment of at least 500,000 US dollars, confirmed by the Ministry of Industry and Technology.
• Property worth at least 400,000 US dollars with a three-year no-sale annotation, or a notarised promise to sell with the price paid in advance, confirmed by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change.
• Creating employment for at least 50 people, confirmed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.
• A bank deposit of at least 500,000 US dollars kept for three years, confirmed by the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency.
• Government debt instruments of at least 500,000 US dollars held for three years, confirmed by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance.
• Real estate investment fund or venture capital investment fund units of at least 500,000 US dollars held for three years, confirmed by the Capital Markets Board.
• Private pension contributions of at least 500,000 US dollars kept in the system for three years, confirmed by the Insurance and Private Pension Regulation and Supervision Agency.

Amounts may also be invested in the equivalent foreign currency.

The property route in detail

Since 12 December 2023, only units with condominium ownership or a floor easement, or land with a building on it, qualify; vacant land no longer does. The property must be worth at least 400,000 US dollars, and a no-sale annotation for three years is entered in the title deed. Alternatively, the investor can sign a notarised promise to sell for a unit with condominium ownership or a floor easement, pay at least 400,000 US dollars in advance and have an undertaking not to transfer the right for three years annotated in the land registry, which allows off-plan purchases.

Because every sale to a foreigner requires a valuation report, the qualifying value is assessed against that report rather than the price in the contract alone. In practice the payment is also documented through the banking system so that the investment can be proved. For the general rules on buying, see can foreigners buy property in Türkiye?

How the application works

1. Make the investment and obtain the certificate of conformity from the competent authority.
2. Obtain a residence permit on the investment ground; Article 31(1)(j) of Law No. 6458 allows such permits for investors, their spouses and their minor or dependent children, for up to five years at a time.
3. Submit the citizenship application with civil status, birth and family documents to the competent application office.
4. The Ministry of Interior carries out the archive and security checks, and the file is submitted for a Presidential decision.

The applicant’s spouse and minor children can usually be included in the same application. The authorities may refuse an application on public order or national security grounds even if the investment is in place.

The three-year holding period

Every route except job creation requires the investment to be kept for three years. For property, the annotation on the title deed prevents a sale during that period. Selling, withdrawing or transferring the investment early means the condition on which the application is based is no longer met, so plan your finances for at least three years before choosing a route.

Common mistakes

• Buying vacant land or a unit without condominium ownership or a floor easement after 12 December 2023.
• Paying a price far above the valuation report and assuming the full price counts.
• Combining informal payments or cash with the official price, which makes the investment hard to prove.
• Signing a promise to sell outside a notary, or without the required annotation.
• Treating eligibility as a guarantee: the final decision is discretionary.

For support with the investment, the property purchase and the application file, see our international clients and real estate law pages. You may also read residence permit types in Türkiye.

Sources

• Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901, Article 12
• Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law, Article 20(2) (as amended by Presidential Decisions No. 5072, Official Gazette 6.01.2022, No. 31711; No. 5554, 13.05.2022, No. 31834; No. 7938, 12.12.2023, No. 32397)
• Law on Foreigners and International Protection No. 6458, Article 31(1)(j) and (5)

Prepared by: Att. Kaan Kaplan · Last updated: 6 November 2026. This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice on any specific matter.