Turkish Citizenship by Real Estate Investment: 2026 Guide

It is a legal route under the Turkish Citizenship Law (No. 5901, Article 12) and its implementing regulation that lets a foreign national apply for citizenship after buying property worth at least USD 400,000 and committing not to sell it for three years. The decision is made by the President of Türkiye after the investment is certified and security checks are completed.

USD 400,000, or the equivalent in another foreign currency or Turkish lira. This threshold has applied since 13 June 2022, when it rose from USD 250,000. Budget for purchase costs on top of this amount, because fees, commissions and taxes do not count toward the 400,000.

Yes. As of September 2026 the property route is active and processing applications. Rules have been tightened several times since 2017, so always confirm the current requirements with a licensed lawyer before you commit funds.

No. The investment makes you eligible to apply. Citizenship is granted by presidential decision after the Land Registry certifies the investment and the authorities complete background and security checks. A clean record and a correctly structured purchase are what make approval routine.

Most foreign nationals aged 18 or over. Property purchase is restricted for a few nationalities (Syrian citizens, for example, cannot acquire property in Türkiye), and anyone considered a risk to national security or public order will be refused.

No. There is no minimum stay before or after approval, no language test and no citizenship exam. You do need to be in Türkiye for a few days to give biometrics and sign documents.

Yes. You do not have to renounce your current nationality under Turkish law. Check your home country's rules, since some countries restrict dual nationality.

Besides property (USD 400,000), the regulation lists a USD 500,000 fixed-capital investment, a USD 500,000 bank deposit, USD 500,000 in government debt instruments, USD 500,000 in real estate or venture capital investment fund shares, USD 500,000 in private pension funds, or creating jobs for at least 50 people. Most families choose property because it is the lowest threshold and remains a tangible asset.

Residential or commercial property that is registered as an independent unit under the Condominium Law, or that has a building permit (off-plan units with floor easement). Apartments, villas, shops and offices all qualify when they meet the valuation and payment rules.

No. Since 12 December 2023, undeveloped land and agricultural land are not accepted for citizenship. The property must be a built unit or a unit in a permitted project.

Yes. You can buy two or more units as long as each one carries the three-year no-sale annotation and the combined certified value meets the threshold. Every unit must pass the valuation, deed and payment checks on its own terms.

Yes, through a notarised promise-to-sell contract that is annotated on the title and restricts transfer or cancellation for three years. The full price must be paid up front, the unit must be clearly identified in the project, and only a single contract per unit is accepted. Developer strength and project permits matter more here than anywhere else.

Generally no. Property owned by a foreign national or a foreign-controlled company, and property transferred from such owners to Turkish citizens in the past three years, is excluded from the citizenship calculation. Property already used for someone else's citizenship cannot be reused either. Your lawyer checks the full ownership history before you sign.

No. Purchases from your own spouse or children, and property held through a company in which you or your family hold shares, do not count. Property you already owned before starting, or property you inherited, does not qualify either. The qualifying purchase must be a new acquisition in your own name.

Spouses are covered by a single qualifying investment, so a couple does not need two properties. Two unrelated applicants (for example business partners) would each need a share whose certified value is at least USD 400,000.

Yes. Military and security zones are closed to foreign buyers, and foreigners as a group may own up to 10% of a district's private land, with a personal cap of 30 hectares nationwide. Istanbul's central districts, where most citizenship buyers invest, are generally open.

Through a Tutar Tespit Belgesi (Value Determination Certificate) issued via the Land Registry's (TKGM) valuation system. Since 9 December 2024 this certificate replaced the older valuation-report practice. It is prepared by a licensed valuation company and is currently valid for six months.

Four figures are checked independently: the certified value on the Tutar Tespit Belgesi, the sale price written on the title deed, the amount on the Foreign Currency Purchase Certificate (DAB), and the bank transfers to the seller. If any one of them falls short, a higher number elsewhere will not fix it.

No. VAT, the title deed fee, commissions and other costs are paid on top and do not count toward the qualifying amount. The certified value, the price on the title deed, the currency purchase certificate and the transfers to the seller must each reach USD 400,000 on their own.

The transfers to the seller are part of the evidence, so they should be made by the person who buys and applies, from an account in their own name. If family money is involved, move it into the buyer's own account first and pay the seller from there. Ask your lawyer to confirm the paper trail before any transfer.

The property will not qualify on its own, even if you agreed to pay more. You can negotiate, choose another unit, or add a second property. This is why the valuation should be done before you transfer money or sign binding contracts.

The Döviz Alım Belgesi is issued when your foreign currency is brought into a Turkish bank and sold for Turkish lira. It proves the investment came from abroad in foreign currency. The Land Registry will not certify a citizenship purchase without it.

No. Payment must go through the Turkish banking system with documented transfers from the buyer to the seller's account. Cash and crypto payments do not count toward the investment.

The qualifying amount must be paid in full with foreign currency you bring into Türkiye. A Turkish bank loan cannot make up any part of the USD 400,000. If a mortgaged property is later sold by forced sale, the investment certificate can be cancelled.

The Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (TCMB) rate applicable to each document. Leave a margin above USD 400,000 so that exchange-rate moves and bank charges never push a figure below the line.

A Land Registry escrow mechanism in which the buyer's funds are blocked at an authorised bank and released to the seller only when the title transfer completes. Official announcements say it becomes mandatory for property sales from 1 October 2026. It adds protection for buyers and does not replace the DAB requirement.

Get a Turkish tax number and bank account, choose and legally check the property, obtain the value certificate, bring in funds and receive the DAB, transfer the title with the three-year annotation, receive the investment certificate from the Land Registry, get an investor residence permit, submit the citizenship application, and receive your ID card and passport after approval.

Typically 4 to 8 months from the start of the purchase to passport, depending on how clean the file is and the volume of applications. The property purchase and certification usually take 3 to 6 weeks; most of the waiting is in the security review.

Formerly called the Certificate of Conformity (Uygunluk Belgesi), it has been renamed the Taşınmaz Yatırımı Tespit Belgesi (Real Estate Investment Determination Certificate). The Land Registry issues it once it has confirmed the purchase meets every citizenship condition, and it opens the door to the residence permit and citizenship application.

The regulation requires applicants to hold a residence permit issued for investment purposes. It is a short-term permit that the migration authority issues on the basis of your investment certificate. The main applicant and the spouse each receive one.

In February 2026 the Istanbul migration office introduced an optional accelerated track in which biometrics, residence permit approval and citizenship filing can be completed in one visit, often saving a second trip. Reported service fees are around USD 1,000 for the main applicant and USD 500 for each additional applicant. The security review itself cannot be sped up.

The Ministry of Interior prepares the file after archive and security checks, and citizenship is granted by presidential decision. Once approved, you are entered in the civil registry and can collect your Turkish ID card and passport.

Most steps can be handled with a power of attorney: tax number, bank account, title transfer and filings. You still need to come to Türkiye for biometrics and certain signatures. Give a limited, purpose-specific power of attorney rather than an unlimited one.

Your spouse and your children under 18 are included in the same application at no extra investment. Adult children who are dependent because of a disability can also be included.

Not under your investment. An adult child needs their own qualifying investment or must qualify through another route, such as the standard naturalisation path after years of residence.

No. Parents and siblings are not dependants for this programme. They would need their own qualifying investment.

Yes. Under the current practice both the main applicant and the spouse give biometrics in person and provide certified, translated criminal record certificates. Children usually do not need to attend for biometrics, though requirements can vary by office.

They are Turkish citizens by descent and are registered through a Turkish consulate or civil registry office. No further investment is needed.

Typically: valid passports, biometric photos, birth certificates, a marriage certificate for the spouse, criminal record certificates for the main applicant and spouse, and the property and payment documents (title deed, value certificate, DAB, bank receipts, investment certificate). Your lawyer confirms the exact list for your case.

Yes. Civil documents must be apostilled (or legalised through a consulate if your country is not in the Hague Apostille Convention), translated into Turkish by a sworn translator and notarised. Recently issued documents avoid rejections; many offices expect them to be under six months old.

Often one trip of a few days is enough, especially with the Istanbul accelerated track. Some families make two trips: one to choose the property and one for biometrics and filing.

There is no language test or formal citizenship interview. You attend the appointments for biometrics and document submission.

Plan for roughly 5 to 7% extra in most purchases: title deed fee (4% of the declared price, customarily split between buyer and seller but often paid by the buyer), value certificate, legal fees, translations and notary, residence permit and card fees, compulsory earthquake insurance (DASK), and passport fees. VAT can add more on new builds unless an exemption applies.

VAT applies to the first sale of new properties by developers and ranges from 1% to 20%. Non-resident foreign buyers can be exempt on the first sale of a residential or commercial unit when payment is brought in as foreign currency and the other conditions are met. The exemption is clawed back with interest if the conditions are broken, so check it with your lawyer or accountant.

Annual municipal property tax (0.1% to 0.6% of the registered value depending on location and type), building maintenance fees, insurance and utilities. Very high-value homes can also fall under the valuable housing tax.

Citizenship alone does not make you tax resident. Tax residence depends on having your domicile in Türkiye or staying more than six months in a calendar year. If you do move, Law No. 7582 (gazetted 4 June 2026) offers new residents who had no Turkish tax residence in the previous three years a 20-year exemption on foreign-source income, with a reduced 1% inheritance tax rate during the exemption.

Yes. The annotation stops you from selling, not from using or letting the property. Rental income is taxable in Türkiye and should be declared.

The no-sale annotation can be lifted and you are free to sell. Your citizenship is permanent and is not lost when you sell after the holding period. If you sell at a gain within five years of purchase, capital gains tax can apply.

It gives visa-free, visa-on-arrival or eVisa access to around 110+ destinations, including Japan, Singapore, South Korea and much of Latin America. The United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Schengen countries still require a visa.

Türkiye is a treaty country for the US E-2 Investor visa, so Turkish citizens can apply for it. E-2 is a separate US process with its own investment and business requirements.

No. Türkiye is not an EU member, so a Turkish passport does not give the right to live or work in the EU.

Under Military Service Law No. 7179, men who acquire citizenship later are treated as having completed service if they served in their previous country or were aged 22 or over when they became Turkish citizens. Younger sons may become liable between ages 20 and 41, with paid-service and abroad-residence options usually available. Check your sons' specific situation with a lawyer before applying.

Yes. You can ask to register a Turkish name (or keep your own) at the citizenship stage, and your ID and passport will be issued in that name.

The most common causes are security or public-order concerns, inconsistencies between the value certificate, deed price and payments, property that was not eligible (for example previously foreign-owned), incomplete or improperly apostilled documents, and undeclared prior issues in Türkiye.

The property stays yours. You can request the reasons and, with a lawyer, challenge the decision in the administrative courts. Selling is still subject to the three-year annotation, so the safest protection is a thorough legal check before you buy.

Compare with recent sales in the same building and street, get the value certificate before paying, and be wary of prices quoted only in USD with no comparables. A property priced far above local market value for citizenship buyers can be hard to resell after three years.

Title history, zoning, debts, construction permits and the foreign-ownership rules decide whether a purchase qualifies. A licensed agency and an independent lawyer working for you (not the seller) check these before any money moves. At Property Istanbul we coordinate both from shortlist to passport.