Invest in Türkiye: Citizenship, Residence and Property for Foreign Investors

Why foreign investors look at Türkiye

Türkiye is one of the few countries where an investor can obtain citizenship while keeping the capital in an asset held in their own name. Most applicants buy residential property, which can be let out during the three-year holding period and sold afterwards. Others prefer a bank deposit, government bonds, investment fund units or a pension contract. Unlike the Caribbean programmes, there is no non-refundable government donation.

The country also offers a residence permit to property owners from USD 200,000, a large and liquid housing market in Istanbul, Antalya, Izmir and Bodrum, and a location within a few hours' flight of Europe, the Gulf and Central Asia. Türkiye allows dual citizenship, so most investors keep their original passport, subject to the rules of their own country.

The case is not one-sided. The Turkish lira has been volatile, purchase costs are paid in lira while thresholds are set in dollars, and in 2026 the Interior Ministry announced that citizenship decisions for 6,134 people had been cancelled or withdrawn, mostly over inflated valuations and irregular transactions. A clean, well-documented file matters more than ever.

The seven citizenship by investment routes

Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901 (article 12) and article 20 of its implementing Regulation list seven investment routes. Each leads to the same citizenship for the investor, the spouse and children under 18.

Since January 2022 every route is funded in US dollars or another foreign currency, which is sold to a bank in Türkiye and on to the Central Bank against a Foreign Exchange Purchase Certificate (DAB). For the bank deposit this means the money is held in Turkish lira for three years, so the investor carries the currency risk.

Property route: the rules that decide whether a purchase qualifies

Most rejected or delayed files fail on the property itself, not on the applicant. Before you sign, check every point below with your lawyer and broker.

• Three amounts must each reach USD 400,000: the price on the title deed, the payments to the seller proven by bank records, and the market value in the valuation report. The Land Registry then issues an Amount Determination Certificate (TTB).
• The valuation report must come from a valuation firm licensed by the Capital Markets Board (SPK); it is valid for 6 months.
• The foreign currency is converted before the transaction and a DAB is presented to the Land Registry; payment goes through banks, never in cash.
• The property must be an independent unit registered under the Condominium Law (since 12 December 2023). Land does not qualify.
• It must not be bought from a foreigner, from someone who became a citizen through investment, or from a company or person who received it from them in the last three years.
• Shares (hisseli) of a property acquired since 1 February 2023 do not qualify. Several whole properties can be combined, but an application based on a promise-of-sale contract needs the full amount in a single contract.
• A three-year no-sale annotation is recorded on the title deed. Selling earlier, or selling back to the previous owner or their close relatives, cancels the investment certificate.

Residence permit by buying property

A foreigner who buys a home in Türkiye can apply for a short-term residence permit. For property acquired since October 2023, the sale price on the title deed must be at least USD 200,000, converted at the Central Bank rate on the purchase date, and the threshold is the same in every province. Owners who bought earlier keep the rules that applied when they bought.

The property must be residential, the permit is renewable while you own it, and applications are filed online through e-ikamet; the migration authority may take up to 90 days to decide. The restriction on closed neighbourhoods, which once blocked first applications in some districts, has been lifted, so all neighbourhoods are open again.

A residence permit does not lead to citizenship by itself. After eight years of continuous legal residence you can apply for a long-term residence permit; citizenship through investment requires the USD 400,000 property route or one of the other six routes.

From first call to Turkish passport

Citizenship by investment usually takes 8 to 12 months end to end. No authority publishes an official processing time, so no adviser can guarantee one.

1. 1

   Strategy and due diligence

   Choose the route, check the property's title, zoning, seller and pricing, and prepare source-of-funds documents. A few weeks.

2. 2

   Tax number, bank account and currency conversion

   Obtain a Turkish tax number, open an account, transfer the funds and obtain the DAB.

3. 3

   Valuation, TTB and title deed

   SPK-licensed valuation, Amount Determination Certificate, then the title deed transfer with the three-year annotation and a compulsory earthquake insurance (DASK) policy in your name.

4. 4

   Certificate of conformity

   The competent ministry confirms that the investment meets the citizenship conditions. Usually a few weeks.

5. 5

   Residence permit and citizenship application

   Biometrics in Türkiye, a short-term residence permit, then the citizenship file with the Provincial Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs.

6. 6

   Security review and Presidential decision

   Usually the longest stage. The file is reviewed by several institutions before the decision is published.

7. 7

   Identity card and passport

   After approval, you and your family collect Turkish identity cards and apply for passports.

What buying property in Türkiye costs

Budget these on top of the purchase price. Fees are paid in Turkish lira, so their dollar value moves with the exchange rate.

Taxes after you buy

Owners pay an annual property tax to the municipality, assessed on the property's tax value. Rental income is declared and taxed under the income tax rules each spring. If an individual sells a home within five years of acquiring it, the gain is subject to income tax above an annual exemption; after five years, the gain from the sale is not taxed.

Spending more than six months of a calendar year in Türkiye can make you tax resident, which changes how your worldwide income is treated. Türkiye has double taxation treaties with many countries. This is general information, not tax advice: confirm your position with a Turkish tax adviser and one in your home country.

After citizenship: military service and the US E-2 visa

Men who acquire Turkish citizenship are treated as having completed military service if they were 22 or older in the year of naturalisation, or if they document that they served (or were deemed to have served) in their previous country (Law No. 7179, article 43). Younger men may defer service for two years on request.

Türkiye has an E-2 investor treaty with the United States, which is why many investors look at a Turkish passport. Since the AMIGOS Act of December 2022, however, US law requires anyone who obtained their nationality through an investment to have been domiciled in that country for at least three continuous years before applying for an E visa. Plan the E-2 step with a US immigration attorney before you invest for that reason.

Guides and tools for investors in Türkiye

• Turkish citizenship by investmentRequirements, process, costs and FAQ for the programme.
• The USD 400,000 property ruleHow the valuation, TTB and three-year annotation work.
• The seven routes comparedProperty, deposit, bonds, funds, pension, fixed capital and jobs side by side.
• Buying property in Türkiye as a foreignerStep by step, from due diligence to the title deed.
• Opening a bank account in TürkiyeDocuments, account types and currency transfers.
• Turkish citizenship guide for foreign buyersWho the programme suits and what to check first.
• Türkiye digital nomad visaFor remote workers who want to live in Türkiye without investing.
• Cost calculatorEstimate programme costs for your family.
• Eligibility quizTwo minutes to see which routes fit your goals and budget.

How Golden Visa Partners helps

We are based in Istanbul and work on the ground with buyers, lawyers, valuation firms, banks and the Land Registry. Our founder is a licensed real estate broker, which lets us review a property's pricing and paperwork before you commit, not after. We are independent: we compare Türkiye with the other programmes you may be considering and tell you when another country fits better.

Golden Visa Partners is the brand that Gordion Partners Organizasyon Danışmanlık Limited Şirketi uses for its investment advisory services.

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