Turkish Citizenship by Investment Cost: Fees, Taxes and Extras

The real Turkish citizenship cost by investment is higher than the single number most applicants see first. As of 2026, the real estate route most investors choose has a legal minimum of a property worth 400,000 USD, but the true total is set by what gets added on top: the title deed fee, the valuation report, notary and translation costs, official application charges and consultancy fees.

Below we explain each of these items one by one, with honest, current ranges. Every figure here is accurate as of the time of writing and should be confirmed with an advisor before you act, because the rules and rates change often.

What does the Turkish citizenship cost actually include?

The Turkish citizenship cost breaks down into three layers: the investment itself, the official fees and charges paid to the state, and the costs of running the process. The investment amount is a reversible asset (a property you can later sell, for example), but the other two layers are pure expense and do not come back. When you plan your budget, look past the 400,000 USD threshold alone, to the roughly 6 to 10 percent in extra costs that sit on top of it.

At Golden Visa Partners we have handled more than 2,000 citizenship and residence files since 2018, for clients from over 40 countries. The team is led by Burak Unal, Director of Investment and Immigration Programs (LSE MSc in Finance, licensed Turkish real estate advisor). Our experience shows that applicants are most often surprised by this second and third layer, not the first. As an independent, country-agnostic consultancy, this is why we lay out every cost upfront when assessing the program: a 400,000 USD figure on its own in a brochure is misleading, because the real budget of a file is shaped by the extras. See our citizenship by investment overview for how this program compares with other routes.

Real estate investment for citizenship: the main investment item

Real estate investment for citizenship is the most common route in Turkey, and the minimum threshold as of 2026 is a property worth 400,000 USD. Most people pursuing Turkish citizenship by investment choose this route, because the asset is reversible and can be sold once the holding period ends. The General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs requires a three-year non-sale commitment, recorded as an annotation on the title deed; selling before that period puts the citizenship at risk. The value is documented through a valuation report prepared by a Capital Markets Board licensed appraiser, and the foreign currency amount must be converted into Turkish lira through the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey.

Routes other than real estate ask for a higher threshold: 500,000 USD in a bank deposit or government bonds (held for three years), a 500,000 USD fixed capital investment, or employing at least 50 people. For the official thresholds, the citizenship page of the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs publishes the current figures at the time of application. To weigh which route suits you, see our comparison of all seven Turkish citizenship by investment routes.

Official fees and charges paid to the state

The largest single state charge in a real estate purchase is the title deed fee. Under the practice of the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre, the fee is 4 percent of the declared sale price and is, as a rule, split between buyer and seller; in practice, most contracts have the buyer pay their own 2 percent share. The General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre publishes the current rate and exemptions.

Foreigners buying a home or workplace for the first time with foreign currency may qualify for a VAT exemption under certain conditions. These generally require bringing the funds in as foreign currency from abroad and holding the property for a set period. This exemption is not automatic and requires the file to be structured correctly from the start.

Turkish citizenship application fees form a separate group: the residence permit fee, the card fee, application processing charges, the passport fee and biometric procedures for every applicant. Each item looks small on its own, but for a family applying with a spouse and children, the total becomes significant, because most of these charges repeat per person.

Consultancy and service fees

Citizenship consultancy fees are the third main cost category, separate from the investment and the state fees, and they vary with how complex the file is. This fee covers eligibility analysis, vetting the right property and seller, managing the valuation and title deed process, document preparation and following up the application. With a good consultancy, this line item should be seen as protection rather than expense, because it lowers the risk of the file being delayed or rejected.

In our experience, the documents most often rejected at file review are missing apostilles, inconsistent name spelling and outdated civil status records; these details look minor at first, but a single faulty document can cause weeks of delay.

Taxes and ongoing obligations

The Turkish citizenship process creates ongoing tax obligations beyond the fees paid at the time of purchase. Once you own property, you pay an annual property tax, with the rate varying by the type of property and the municipality it sits in. Mandatory earthquake insurance, known as DASK, is a yearly renewed item for residential property and is usually a modest amount.

On the sale side, a capital gains tax can apply if you sell the property within five years of acquiring it, and the three-year non-sale annotation already extends this period in practice. If you spend more than 183 days a year in Turkey, you may be considered a tax resident, which can bring your worldwide income into the Turkish tax system. For this reason, the decision should weigh not just the application cost, but also whether citizenship or a residence permit suits your situation better.

Hidden extras: the costs most applicants overlook

The items that actually surprise a budget are the hidden extras that brochures leave out. In our experience, the costs that most often delay a file or push up its total are:

• Valuation and a second report: a Capital Markets Board licensed appraiser's report is mandatory; if the value comes in under the threshold, you may need to add funds or commission a new report.
• Notary, certified translation and apostille: passports, civil status and birth records are translated and certified for every applicant; this line grows quickly for larger families.
• Power of attorney and file follow-up: running the process without being physically present requires a power of attorney and local representation.
• Currency conversion and transfer spreads: because the funds must be converted into Turkish lira through the Central Bank, exchange rate and transfer costs apply.
• Per-family-member fees: official charges and document costs for a spouse and children under 18 repeat per person.
• Source-of-funds documentation: extra documents proving where the money came from, and sometimes their translation, can be an entirely unexpected cost.

These items look small individually, but together they add a meaningful load on top of the investment amount, which is why the budget should be built with the extras in mind from the start. Our requirements and document checklist breaks down exactly which documents each applicant needs.

How timing affects the total cost

The timeline affects the Turkish citizenship cost indirectly but genuinely. Valuation, title transfer, the residence permit and the citizenship application are sequential steps; a missing document at one stage delays the ones after it and can create extra translation or updated-document costs. Building the file completely from the start reduces both the time and the repeat expenses.

A notable advantage of Turkey's program is that the same investment can include the applicant's spouse and children under 18. This lowers the cost per person, but official fees and document costs still repeat for each family member.

Turkish citizenship cost: an example breakdown

The table below shows the typical line items for a single applicant on the 400,000 USD real estate route. The figures are estimated ranges as of the time of writing and vary with the property's value, the city and the size of the family; confirm the current figures with an advisor. The point of the table is not to fix a single price, but to help you separate which items are expense, which are a reversible asset, and which are an ongoing obligation.

Item	Typical range	Nature
Real estate investment	400,000 USD and above	Reversible asset
Title deed fee (buyer's share)	About 2 percent of price	Expense
Valuation report	A few hundred USD	Expense
Notary, translation, apostille	Varies per person	Expense
Official application and residence fees	Varies per person	Expense
Consultancy fee	Varies by file	Expense
Annual property tax and DASK	Low, recurring annually	Ongoing

If you are weighing lower total-cost alternatives, our comparison of the cheapest citizenship by investment and golden visa programs sets Turkey side by side with Caribbean and other options.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum investment for Turkish citizenship?

As of 2026, the minimum threshold on the most common real estate route is a property worth 400,000 USD, with a three-year non-sale requirement. Routes such as a bank deposit, government bonds or a fixed capital investment ask for 500,000 USD. These figures can change, so confirm the current amount before applying.

What other costs are there besides the 400,000 USD?

On top of the investment, you add the title deed fee (the buyer's share is usually around 2 percent), the valuation report, notary and translation costs, official application and residence fees, and the consultancy fee. Together these extras typically run 6 to 10 percent of the investment on most files, though the exact amount varies with family size.

Do foreigners pay VAT when buying real estate in Turkey?

Foreigners buying a home or workplace for the first time with foreign currency may qualify for a VAT exemption under certain conditions. These include bringing the funds in as foreign currency from abroad and holding the property for a set period. The exemption is not automatic, so the file needs to be structured correctly from the start.

Do I pay annual tax in Turkey after getting citizenship?

As a property owner you pay an annual property tax and, for residential property, DASK earthquake insurance each year. If you spend more than 183 days a year in Turkey, you may be considered a tax resident, bringing your worldwide income into the Turkish tax system. It is advisable to have a qualified advisor assess your personal situation.

How do family members affect the cost?

A spouse and children under 18 can be included in the same application without a second 400,000 USD investment. However, official fees, document translations and biometric procedures repeat per person, so larger families see a noticeably higher total budget.

If you would like to see citizenship by investment in Turkey broken down cost by cost for your own situation, contact us for a free consultation; we will plan your file from start to finish with a single senior advisor.

Disclosure: This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal, tax, immigration or investment advice. Programs and amounts can change; confirm current details and your personal eligibility with a qualified advisor before acting.