In our law, with the regulation on the exceptional way of acquiring Turkish Citizenship, which is regulated in the Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901, it is easier for people who meet certain conditions to acquire Turkish Citizenship. With the amendments made on September 19, 2018, legal regulations regarding the acquisition of Turkish Citizenship by Investment were made. It is possible to acquire Turkish Citizenship with the options we will discuss below. In this regard, people who have invested in Turkey can acquire Turkish Citizenship more quickly than the general way, provided that they do not endanger national security and public order. Alternative ways to acquire Turkish Citizenship in an exceptional way consist of options such as "Employment investment, Capital Investment, Real Estate investment". In this article, we will introduce these options for informational purposes.A-) Exceptional Acquisition of Turkish Citizenship through Employment Investment
The procedures and principles regarding the exceptional way of acquiring Turkish Citizenship by foreigners who are the owners or partners in Turkey are listed under the title of extraordinary cases in acquiring Turkish Citizenship in Article 12 of the Citizenship Law No. 5901 in our Law. Article 20 of the Regulation on the Implementation titled "The exceptional acquisition of Turkish citizenship, the documents required for the application and the procedures to be done"; It has been stated that foreign nationals, whose status of employment for at least fifty (50) people has been determined by the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services, can acquire Turkish Citizenship by the decision of the President within the scope of subparagraph (b) of the first paragraph in Article 12 of the Law No. 5901.
AA-) Application and Evaluation Process
Based on the reason that it employs at least 50 Turkish citizens, it makes a written application to the General Directorate of International Labor Force under the Ministry of Family, Labor, and Social Services with the necessary documents that we will mention below. Complete applications made to the General Directorate of International Labor are finalized within seven working days. For applications made with missing documents, the applicant is given 30 days to make up for the missing document. If the current deficiency is not corrected within the given time, the application will be rejected.
AB-) Required Documents for Application
The following documents must be submitted to the General Directorate of International Labor Force in full.
- Application petition with wet signature personally signed by the applicant
- Employment Information Form filled in correctly and completely
- Approved signature statement with a wet signature obtained from the notary public, provided that it belongs to the applicant
- Trade registry gazette records of the company in which at least 50 Turkish citizens are employed, and Trade Registry Certification, provided that it is up-to-date
- Copy of passport (with all processed pages)
- Current workplace employee list obtained from SGK (Social Security Institution) regarding the workplace where at least 50 Turkish citizens are working
- The tax debt status of the workplace owned or partnered by the applicant — a letter with the current data obtained from the GİB (Revenue Administration) system
- The currently dated letter from the SGK Social Security Institution shows the social security premium debt status of the owner, workplace, or workplace in which the applicant has a share in the partnership
- In the administrative audits carried out by public institutions, a written declaration stating whether the applicant’s company related to the application has been penalized within the last six months or not.
- Marital Status Document The Ministry decides whether the capital share and share ratio of the applicant’s company, in which he is the owner or holding the partnership share, is sufficient.
B-) Acquisition of Turkish Citizenship by Capital Investment
Foreigners who bring fixed capital investment, not less than 500.000 USD (USD) for the acquisition of Turkish citizenship by fixed capital investment, are candidates for Turkish citizenship. The Ministry of Industry and Technology must determine the capital investment. Applications of candidates for citizenship shall be made in writing to the Ministry of Industry and Technology with the necessary documents.
BA-) Sermaye Yatırımı ile Vatandaşlık için Gerekli Belgeler
1. A report showing that the capital investment is not less than 500,000 USD (US Dollars) and approved by the Certified Public Accountant
2. Investment Information Form Completed by the applicant
3. 4 biometric photos
4. Reverse copy of the residence permit
5. Valid Passport
6. Marital Status DocumentC) Acquiring Turkish Citizenship by Real Estate Investment
A person who registers an immovable with an annotation that it will not be sold for at least three years, provided that it is not less than 250,000 USD (USD), is a candidate for Turkish Citizenship. The foreigner who bought the immovable; He/she shall accept and declare that he/she will not sell this immovable property for three years due to the purchase of Turkish Citizenship. Condominium servitude or condominium must be established on the purchased real estate. In addition, the value of the purchased real estate in US dollars will be determined at the rate announced by the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey on the date of the determination.CA-) Documents Required for Real Estate Investment and Turkish Citizenship
Applications are made to the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre, Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization. If there are no missing documents in the application, the application is finalized within seven working days.
1. Valid Passport
2. 4 biometric photos
3. Report on the value of the real estate
4. Documents showing that the buyer pays the real estate price to the seller (bank receipt, etc.)
5. The relevant land registry office document proves that the immovable cannot be sold for three years.
6. Marital Status DocumentD-) Acquiring Turkish Citizenship by Depositing in Banks
Those who deposit a minimum of USD 500,000 in Turkish banks are candidates for Turkish citizenship if they are not withdrawn for three years. This deposit can be made to a single bank or multiple banks in parts. Deposits made to a foreign branch of a Turkish bank are invalid. Only investments made within the borders of the Republic of Turkey are accepted.
DA-) Documents Required for Deposits in Banks and Application for Turkish Citizenship
1. Passport
2. Wet signed Form/Petition stating the request
3. Marital Status Document
4. Documents and documents proving that the person has made a minimum deposit of 500,000 USD
5. Receipt proving that the service fee has been paid.
An application is made to the Ministry of Internal Affairs with the completed documents. Applications made completely are entirely evaluated within seven working days.NOTES
-The applications made are evaluated by the commissions formed by the relevant ministries and sent to the Presidency. The final decision rests with the Presidency.
-The time reserved for all investment types is three years.
-The foreigner who has applied by fulfilling all the conditions specified in the regulation, together with his spouse and all children under the age of 18, if any, will acquire Turkish Citizenship and will remain as Turkish citizens for life. Their children will also be born as Turkish citizens.
- Citizenship applications of candidates applying with misleading documents will be suspended. These candidates will be disqualified even if they meet all the criteria.
For this reason, it is of great importance to receive consultancy during the application and evaluation process. In our law office, we provide professional consultancy and follow-up services regarding the whole process of acquiring the right to apply for Turkish Citizenship.
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