How to get Turkish citizenship?

1. Obtaining citizenship under the simplified procedure. Get Turkish passports for all your family!

Acquiring of real estate is one of the five options to obtain Turkish citizenship by investment.
Unlike others, this option is relatively quick, simple and does not require passing of Turkish language test and history test.

Obtaining Turkish citizenship by real estate investment takes about 6 months and is performed under simplified procedure. An applicant does not need to become a resident to pay taxes, there is no need to declare your income or property in other countries. Moreover, there is no need to declare the source of funds in case of real estate acquisition. Any type of real estate type is suitable for obtaining Turkish citizenship: secondary market or newly built, residential or commercial property, land plot – WITH ONE EXCEPTION – real estate that has already been used for obtaining citizenship.

The procedure allows to became a full-fledged citizen of the Turkish Republic, but the process itself has some technicalities, along with the special requirements to acquirable real estate. Stay Property company offers its customers a full-range support in obtaining Turkish citizenship by acquiring real estate. Our portfolio includes a great choice of liquid real estate corresponding to all requirements for obtaining citizenship.

We provide a full-range support of our clients during every step of application for a Turkish passport.

! Important: Turkish citizenship is granted to the owner of the real estate, spouse and children under 18 years (it is advisory to undergo this procedure in advance before their coming of age). According to the program, investor's parents and children over 18 years could obtain residence permit in Turkey provided that the real estate object is located in the neighbourhood open for residence permit and Iskan is submitted.

2. Essential requirements to obtaining citizenship

Owners of real estate with its cost of more than $400,000 could apply for obtaining a Turkish passport. It is not necessary to buy one object for a full amount. You can buy several objects for a total cadastral value of over $400,000.

Cadastral value is an official price of real estate, that is stated in TAPU ownership document and is registered in municipal Cadastral Directorate.

Important! Cadastral value could significantly differ from market price. Quite often it is indicated lower than the sale price (market price) for tax optimization.

! Important: all real estate for obtaining citizenship should be acquired in accordance with specific rules. Earlier acquired real estate in case it was not duly formalized considering the opportunity of passport obtaining cannot be added to the object portfolio for application.

In order to participate in 'citizenship by investment' program as well as to obtain residence permit, a real estate expert evaluation report is needed.

Key provisions and requirements to real estate for citizenship obtaining:
• Real estate should be acquired only from a Turkish individual or legal entity, that had been owning it for at least 3 years. If an object has earlier been used for obtaining citizenship, it no longer suits the program.
• The payment for real estate should be made via bank transfer from a customer's private account, opened in foreign or Turkish bank, to Seller's account in Turkish bank. It applies to cadastral value of an object ($400,000). Payment purpose description should state that the real estate is being acquired for obtaining citizenship. If the same procedure has not been performed for previously acquired objects, their price could not be added up in the current application. Our company will help you sell previously acquired objects and buy new ones in accordance with all applicable rules.

• Once a customer receives a TAPU ownership document in the Cadastral Directorate, he should also sign a written obligation stating that he does not have a right to sell real estate within three years from the acquiring date, if this real estate is used for obtaining a citizenship.

• An applicant should not hold any criminal records in their country of citizenship and in the Turkish Republic.

There are some other requirements and individual nuances for every specific case.

Important! For obtaining citizenship there is no difference in what neighbourhood the acquired real estate is located, whether in open or close for residence permit.

3. List of documents required for obtaining citizenship by real estate acquisition

We recommend to contact Stay Property in advance to get a consultation on collection of the documents in your residence country (prior to your arrival in Turkey), to avoid delay of the submission process due to any missed details.

Some documents could be certified by a notary in your residence country, while others could only be certified in the Turkish Republic. We will assist you in collecting documents, their translation into Turkish, apostilling and will offer certified translator services.

You will require:
- International biometric passport,
- TAPU for acquired real estate and purchase contract
- Valid IKAMET of an investor
- Birth certificate,
- Marital status certificate,
- Criminal record certificate,
- Income certificate,
- Other documents and certificates.

All documents should be translated into Turkish and have an apostille.

You can ask our consultants about all relevant requirements and list of necessary documents depending on your citizenship.

4. Taxes and duties

In Turkey real estate acquisition tax is 4% of the object's cadastral value. Other expenditures arising from obtaining a residence permit or citizenship, cost of legal advice if required, and other expenses could vary in each individual case. Tax rates and duties are often changed, you can get the most relevant information from Stay Property consultants.