Türkiye remains one of the easiest places to obtain residency, and especially citizenship. At first glance, there may seem to be other options for relocation and legalization. But is there truly a worthy alternative to Türkiye?
Spoiler: If one seeks residency or citizenship through real estate investment for permanent residency, all roads lead to Türkiye.
The cost of living in Türkiye is still lower than in Europe. The income needed for a comfortable life in Dubai, the EU, or the USA, compared to that in Türkiye, remains incomparable. And property prices are unmatched.
It's important to consider potential income, career prospects, and the standard of living one is accustomed to and would like to maintain after relocating to another country. Analyzing the situation can be as simple as comparing average salaries in different cities and countries for potential relocation. Even if a family doesn't live "paycheck to paycheck," these data can help analyze potential expenditure levels.
Popular Alternatives to Türkiye
Many consider Dubai for relocation. The UAE offers excellent opportunities to stay, with various types of visas, including property ownership visas valid for 2 or even 10 years. However, there are no prospects for citizenship. Exceptions are made for notable figures, outstanding cultural and scientific figures, major investors, and other individuals of interest to the UAE.
In countries where citizenship can be obtained through property purchase, it's not as straightforward for citizens of Russia as it once was. Since 2022, Russians and Belarusians have been excluded from the "citizenship by investment" program in Caribbean countries, and visa-free travel for those who already hold such passports is also in question. For example, in 2022, the EU suspended the visa waiver program with Vanuatu. Many are returning to Türkiye after exploring all available options.
It's one thing to obtain a passport for future prospects and mobility, and quite another for life in a new country. For instance, Antigua and Barbuda, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia. Passports from Caribbean countries primarily provide visa-free travel freedom to their holders, and even that is "under question." What other advantages do such passports offer? There aren't many answers.
Emigrant Checklist
When choosing a country to obtain a second citizenship, it's important to consider factors such as:
- Program specifics and benefits from your future investments.
- Foreigners' rights in property ownership.
- Prospects for citizenship through naturalization.
- Time required to obtain documents, bureaucratic nuances.
- Banking system, income legalization, transfer of large sums (Türkiye doesn't inquire about the source of funds for real estate).
- Social infrastructure.
- Language barrier, necessity to know the language for residency, citizenship.
- Costs of schooling and education for children, possibility of free public education.
- Higher education for foreigners, scholarship programs, choice of universities.
- Socialization, adaptation, development for children.
- Diaspora size, support from compatriots.
- Healthcare.
- Real estate, its quality and format, prices for apartments and villas.
- Career opportunities.
- Utility expenses, transportation.
- Taxation.
- Climate, ecology.
- Other nuances of the countries.
After analyzing the pros and cons in detail, many choose Türkiye for informed emigration.
Passport for investment. Are there no alternatives to Türkiye?
Real estate for citizenship or residency in Türkiye is a liquid asset.
Egyptian citizenship through investment, for example, has several peculiarities. There are four main programs to obtain Egyptian citizenship:
- $250,000 — non-refundable!! contribution to the program department's account in the Central Bank of Egypt. If any of our viewers have spare $250,000 — go ahead!
- $300,000 — purchase of state-owned property. It can be sold after 5 years.
- $350,000 — investment in a business project + non-refundable contribution of $100,000.
- $500,000 — opening a non-interest-bearing deposit in the Central Bank of Egypt.
Meanwhile, in Türkiye, by purchasing high-quality and liquid real estate worth at least $400,000, one can obtain citizenship without an exam in Turkish language.
By the way, Russians and Belarusians still have access to the "Coconut" passport from Vanuatu — citizenship for investments in the coconut biofuel sector. The program was announced as early as October 2023:
- $115,000 — investment for the passport.
- $50,000 — in the Future Fund for coconut oil (CNO Future Fund). They promise to return it with interest, 4-5% per year.
Only 120 applicants per year for "coconut passports."
Conclusion:
Buying real estate along with a passport is better than simply buying a passport.
How to stay in Türkiye
As of today, there are four main ways to legalize your stay in Türkiye for relocation:
- Touristic residency based on renting and purchasing real estate in "open" areas.
- Buyer's residency based on the cadastral value of the property from $200,000, and after 5 years of continuous renewal, you can apply for citizenship through naturalization.
- Official employment and work visa, after 5 years, you can also apply for a passport.
- Apply directly for citizenship when buying real estate worth $400,000, provided that both the property and the transaction comply with the law.
Stay Property offers an exclusive opportunity for our clients — we start the citizenship process for payments from $250,000 in some of our projects. The rest of the amount from the property's value is paid in installments. Details are provided in a personal consultation.
New programs and opportunities to stay in Türkiye legally and for a long time:
1. "Techno Visa" Türkiye Tech Visa for 3 years for those who open technological startups here. With its help, Türkiye aims to attract talents with experience in technology and startups with innovative business models and technology-based research. Details can be found on the website turkiyetechvisa.gov.tr
2. Türkiye's Digital Nomad Visa is available for applicants aged 21-55 from 32 countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. It can be applied for by both employees working for foreign (excluding Turkish) companies and self-employed individuals collaborating with foreign clients (excluding Turkish). You need to have an income of $3000 per month. Details can be found on the website digitalnomads.goturkiye.com
Stay Property offices operate in Alanya, Istanbul, Dubai, and Northern Cyprus. We can help you choose a location and property for residency or citizenship. Leave a message in the online chat on the website and get a free consultation.