Acquiring Turkish Citizenship and Application Conditions 2024

Important Notice: The explanations are for informational purposes only and you can access current and detailed information at e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr.

24/01/2024

Acquiring Turkish Citizenship and Application Conditions 2024

Almost every person in the world has a homeland. No person can be left stateless. Citizenship laws of each state differ. In this week's article, we will explain in detail how to acquire citizenship of the Republic of Turkey and what its conditions are. 

Turkish Citizenship can be acquired in 2 ways. It is citizenship acquired by birth and acquired later. 

Citizenship acquired by birth becomes valid from the moment of birth upon notification made at the time of birth. Turkish citizenship by birth is acquired based on lineage and place of birth.

Citizenship acquired by ancestry refers to citizenship acquired from a mother or father who is a Turkish citizen. It is sufficient that one of the mother or father is a Turkish citizen at the time of the child's birth. If one of the parents is a Turkish citizen, the fact that the child was born somewhere outside Turkey does not prevent him from gaining citizenship.   

If the child is born from an extramarital relationship, the process differs depending on the fact that the mother and father are Turkish citizens. If the mother is a Turkish citizen, the child can become a Turkish citizen from the moment of birth. But if the father is a Turkish citizen, it is necessary to recognize paternity or determine paternity by court decision. After that, the child is granted Turkish citizenship. 

Citizenship can also be acquired based on place of birth. Children born in Turkey can obtain Turkish citizenship if their parents are unknown, if they are stateless, and if they have not acquired citizenship in accordance with national laws. These children could not acquire citizenship of another country. Children who have been in Turkey are considered to have been born in Turkey unless proven otherwise. Young children who cannot express themselves are registered by the authorities in the population register of their location. 

There are various conditions to acquire Turkish citizenship later. This right can be earned when certain conditions are met. These conditions include the decision of the competent authority, adoption or usage of the right to choose. The terms of these three headings are as follows:

Turkish citizenship acquired by the competent authorities is obtained in the following ways:

• Earned through general means

• Foreigners who want to acquire Turkish citizenship in this way may be entitled to citizenship by the decision of the competent authority, if they meet the necessary conditions. These conditions are as follows: 

• If he has a homeland, he must be of legal age and can distinguish himself, according to his own law, if he is stateless, according to Turkish law, 

• Having lived in Turkey uninterruptedly for 5 years. These 5 years must be uninterrupted from the application date,

• Not having a disease that poses a threat to general health,

• Having good morals,

• Speak Turkish at a sufficient level

• To have an income or a profession that can support oneself and one's dependents in Turkey,

• Not being in a situation that would hinder national security and public order,

Acquiring Turkish Citizenship through Investment 

As amended in the Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law, foreigners have several investment options to qualify for Turkish Citizenship for themselves and their families. The applicant's spouse and children under the age of 18 can also obtain Turkish citizenship by providing one of the investment options listed below and meeting certain conditions. 

The criteria for eligibility for Turkish citizenship are as follows: 

• Foreign persons who make a fixed capital investment of at least 500,000 US dollars or equivalent currency or Turkish lira, 

• Foreigners who purchase real estate worth at least 400,000 US dollars or equivalent currency or Turkish lira (It is mandatory to annotate in the relevant land registry that this real estate cannot be sold for 3 years.) 

• Foreign individuals who create employment for at least 50 people, 

• Foreign persons who deposit at least 500,000 US dollars or its equivalent currency or its equivalent Turkish lira to banks operating in Turkey and keep their deposits in the bank for 3 years, 

• Foreign persons who purchase government bonds worth at least 500,000 US dollars or equivalent foreign currency or Turkish lira and keep a reserve for 3 years, 

• Foreign persons who purchase real estate investment fund shares or venture capital investment fund shares worth at least 500,000 US dollars or equivalent foreign currency or Turkish lira and keep a reserve fund for 3 years, 

Foreign investors who meet one of the conditions mentioned above can exceptionally qualify for Turkish citizenship by the decision of the President. 

Applications for acquiring Turkish citizenship are made to the governorship where the place of residence is in within the country, and to foreign representatives abroad by the person himself or by a special power of attorney to obtain their right. Having all the required conditions does not provide the person with an absolute right to acquire citizenship.

Exceptionally Earned 

Foreign persons with certain features can be accepted into Turkish citizenship even if they do not meet the general conditions required for citizenship. These exceptional cases are: 

• Relevant ministries must make a reasoned offer about those who have achieved or are expected to provide extraordinary service in scientific, technological, economic, social, sports, cultural or artistic fields, and those who are beneficial to the country, such as those who established industrial facilities in Turkey.

 • Those whose acquisition of Turkish citizenship is deemed important by the Council of Ministers for the interests of our country, the necessity of international relations or for any other reason. 

• Those who are accepted as immigrants according to the Settlement Law. According to this law, those who are of Turkish descent and are affiliated with Turkish culture and come to Turkey alone or collectively to settle and are accepted as immigrants. These decisions are made by the Council of Ministers. 

The person who will obtain citizenship under exceptional circumstances must be of a quality that will not disrupt national security and public order. In this case, the person who will obtain citizenship is granted Turkish citizenship upon the proposal of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the decision of the Council of Ministers, without any other conditions.

Regaining

A person who loses Turkish citizenship for some reason can regain his citizenship in two ways, with or without a residence condition. A person who wants to regain Turkish citizenship without the residence requirement can acquire citizenship in the following cases, if it does not pose an obstacle to national security: 

• Persons who lose Turkish citizenship to obtain a leave permit

• Those who lost their citizenship due to their parents against their will because they were not adults and who did not use their right to vote within three years after they became adults can regain Turkish citizenship. 

People who want to regain Turkish citizenship subject to the residence condition can regain their citizenship by requiring three years of residence in Turkey, if they were previously Turkish citizens but lost their citizenship. The restoration of the citizenship of these people is under the authority of the Council of Ministers. 

Likewise, people who reside in Turkey and lose their citizenship by exercising their right to vote can regain their Turkish citizenship by residing in Turkey for three years. In both cases, national security should not be an obstacle for people who want to regain their citizenship.

Acquired through marriage

A person who marries a Turkish citizen must have been married for at least three years. Only a person who has been married for at least three years and continues to be married has the right to apply for Turkish citizenship. The conditions required for a person who meets these prerequisites to acquire Turkish citizenship are as follows:

 • Living in family unity

• Not to take any action that is contrary to the marriage union

• Not to be in a situation that would disrupt national security and public order 

These conditions are determined by the competent authorities. When detecting actions that are contrary to the marriage union, criteria such as engaging in prostitution or mediating behaviors aimed at prostitution are investigated. The file of the investigations carried out by the competent authority is delivered to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It is decided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs if the spouse will acquire Turkish Citizenship.

Turkish citizenship acquired through adoption 

A minor foreign child adopted by a Turkish citizen can acquire Turkish citizenship if he/she does not behave in a manner that would disrupt national security or public order. Whether a child is an adult or not is determined according to his/her national law. For children who have more than one citizenship, their maturity is determined according to the laws of the country they are in close contact with. In case of adoption of minor children, the citizenship application is rejected directly. 

Turkish citizenship acquired with the right to choose 

People who have lost their Turkish citizenship by their parents against their will at a minor age must apply for Turkish citizenship within three years after they become adults. People who will exercise their right to vote can apply with a petition to the governorships in Turkey and to foreign representatives abroad. Applications are evaluated by the competent authorities. Acquiring or renouncing Turkish citizenship of the person exercising his right to vote does not affect the citizenship of his spouse.

People who will apply for Turkish citizenship should pay attention to the following processes:

 • If the applicant is in Turkey, he/she will apply to the governorship where he/she resides; if abroad, he/she will apply to the embassy, consulate general or consulate of the Republic of Turkey.

 • The application must be made by the person who will apply for citizenship personally or by his/her representative who has been given an official power of attorney. Applications made by mail are not accepted. 

Decisions on citizenship applications are made by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The decision cannot be made by the institutions to which the application is made. These institutions only determine whether the conditions are met. Regaining Turkish citizenship for people who have lost their citizenship is also done by the Council of Ministers.

 Application files are examined by the citizenship application review commission. The Examination Commission consists of representatives from the provincial directorate, provincial police directorate, provincial gendarmerie command, provincial national education directorate and social services provincial directorate, at least at the level of branch manager, under the chairmanship of the provincial governor or the deputy governor to be appointed by him. The commission, which decides that all conditions are met, forwards the report it has prepared to the application authority to be sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. After the application file is submitted to the Ministry of Internal Affairs from the application authority, the authorities decide on the request to acquire Turkish citizenship.

 We hope this article will be useful to our followers who will apply for Turkish citizenship. We would like to point out that there will be a continuation of our article. The e-ikametsigorta team continues to work to provide you with all the details about our country while ensuring that you get your foreign health insurance safely and quickly.

As E-İkametSigorta.com, you can complete your residence and citizenship processes completely, in accordance with legal processes and safely with our professional partner companies.

 Send your request to the WhatsApp number below, you can be sure that our authorized team will reach you during working hours and provide the necessary support.

E-Residence Insurance Team 

Regards

WhatsApp Number: https://wa.me/905304682003

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