Turkish Citizenship by Investment

Who Turkish citizenship by investment is for

Türkiye runs one of the most accessible citizenship-by-investment (CBI) programmes in the world — often marketed as the Turkey golden visa, though it grants something stronger than a visa. Unlike most countries, it grants full citizenship and a passport, not just residency, in a matter of months, with no requirement to live in Türkiye, speak Turkish or renounce your existing nationality. That combination makes it one of the few genuine fast-track passports available to foreigners today.

This route tends to suit:

• Investors who want a second passport for travel freedom, business mobility and a hedge against political or economic risk at home.
• Property buyers who were going to invest in Istanbul, Antalya or the Aegean coast anyway, and want the passport as a bonus. Our Turkish real estate lawyers run the purchase and title checks as part of the file.
• US-bound entrepreneurs planning to use the Turkish passport to qualify for the US E-2 treaty-investor visa (covered in its own section below).
• Families who want citizenship for a spouse and minor children in a single application.
• People from countries with weaker passports who want visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to a large part of the world.

We act only for the investor — never for a developer or seller — so our advice on whether this is right for you is independent of any commission.

Recent rule changes you should know (2025–2026)

This programme is set by regulation, not by parliament, so the detail shifts. Several tightenings landed in 2025–2026 that older guides still get wrong. Here is what is current as of 2026.

None of these block a well-prepared application. They simply mean an out-of-date checklist — or an agent working from a 2021 playbook — will cost you time. We work from the current rules.

The legal framework: Law No. 5901 and its Regulation

Turkish nationality is governed by the Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901 and its Implementing Regulation. The general rule is naturalisation after five years of lawful residence. The investment programme is a special exception under the Regulation (article 20): it lets the State grant citizenship by Presidential decree to foreigners who make a qualifying investment, without the residence period.

The grant is discretionary

Since 2018 the grant is made by Presidential (Cumhurbaşkanı) decree. Meeting the financial criteria creates a very strong, well-established pathway, but it is not an automatic legal entitlement — applicants must also pass security and background checks. This is why we make no guarantees of outcome; anyone who promises a 100% certain result is misrepresenting Turkish law. What we do is build a clean, complete, low-risk file that gives your application the best possible footing.

The five qualifying investment routes

The Regulation sets out several qualifying investments. You only need to satisfy one. Each route requires the investment to be maintained for at least three years and verified by the competent authority. The table below compares them at a glance.

Most individual clients choose between the property route and the bank-deposit route; we model both below. The fixed-capital and job-creation routes suit investors building a real operating business — work that overlaps with our company formation team, and which often pairs with a fixed-capital contribution our corporate lawyers structure.

Property vs. bank deposit: which route fits you

The two routes most foreigners weigh up are property and a bank deposit. They behave very differently over the three-year hold. Here is the honest comparison we walk clients through.

The valuation report and CBRT exchange-rate mechanics

Two technical points trip up more property applications than anything else: the valuation report and the currency / exchange-rate rules. Get these wrong and the file is rejected at the Land Registry or the Ministry stage.

The three-value rule

In practice, three separate figures all need to clear the threshold for a property file:

• the price actually paid through Turkish banking channels, evidenced by a foreign-currency purchase document (DAB);
• the appraised value in the SPK-licensed valuation report; and
• the value declared on the tapu at transfer.

If any one of these falls below the threshold, the file fails — even if the others are comfortably above it. A common, avoidable mistake is declaring a low value on the tapuTapuTitle deed / land registry recordThe official title deed and the state land-registry record behind it — the only thing that proves who owns real estate in Türkiye.Glossary → to save on transfer tax.

Combining properties — and the off-plan trap

For completed transfers, you can combine several properties, each with its own tapu, in one citizenship file to reach USD 400,000. But for preliminary / off-plan (noter satış vaadi) sales, since 1 January 2023 the full amount must sit in a single notarised contract — separate off-plan contracts cannot be added together.

How USD is converted: the CBRT effective rate

The thresholds are in US dollars, but Turkish property is priced and registered in Turkish lira. Conversion uses the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (CBRT) effective selling rate on the relevant date. Because the lira moves, the lira figure you need to satisfy USD 400,000 shifts day to day.

Documents you will need

The exact list depends on your nationality and route, but for a typical property-route family application expect to provide:

Personal and family documents

• Valid passports for every applicant (investor, spouse, children).
• Birth certificates for children and, where relevant, the investor.
• Marriage certificate (to include a spouse).
• Recent passport-style photographs to Turkish biometric specification.
• A criminal-record / police-clearance certificate — now mandatory for both the main applicant and the spouse.
• Proof of any prior or current residence permit in Türkiye, if applicable.
• Health insurance valid in Türkiye.

Investment and financial documents

• Title deed (tapu) with the three-year no-sale annotation (property route).
• SPK-licensed valuation report.
• Foreign-currency purchase document (DAB) evidencing funds that entered through Turkish banks.
• Certificate of Conformity (Uygunluk Belgesi) from the relevant Ministry.
• For capital routes: bank, BDDK, SPK or Ministry confirmation of the qualifying investment.

If you cannot travel for every step, a properly drafted power of attorney (vekâletnameVekâletnamePower of attorneyThe notarised document that authorises a Turkish lawyer to act for you — the reason most matters can be handled without you travelling.Glossary →) lets us act for you on the purchase and much of the process — see our guide on granting a power of attorney for use in Türkiye. We keep the wording broad enough to be useful but tightly scoped for your protection.

Step by step: from valuation to passport

The property route is the most involved; capital routes follow the same back half (residence permit, citizenship file, decree) once the investment is verified. The short version:

1. Due diligence & valuation — title and charge checks, seller eligibility, and the SPK-licensed valuation. Nothing is paid to a seller until the property is cleared.
2. Purchase & funds transfer — funds move through Turkish banking channels so the DAB issues, and the tapu transfers with the three-year no-sale annotation registered.
3. Certificate of Conformity — we file for the Uygunluk Belgesi with the relevant Ministry, confirming the investment qualifies.
4. Residence permit — investor and spouse obtain the CBI residence permit (see the law note below).
5. Citizenship application — the full file goes to the Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs / Provincial Directorate of Migration Management.
6. Security checks & Presidential decision — vetting, then the citizenship decree; on approval you collect ID cards and passports.

Costs and a realistic timeline

Beyond the qualifying investment itself, budget for transaction and government costs. All figures below are indicative and change with regulation, exchange rates and the specific property.

Indicative additional costs (property route)

• Title-deed transfer tax — a percentage of the declared value, payable on the tapu transfer.
• SPK valuation report — a few hundred US dollars per property.
• Notary, sworn translation and apostilleApostilApostilleA certificate added to a public document in its own country so that it is accepted as genuine in Türkiye, without consular legalisation.Glossary → — typically a few hundred US dollars in total.
• Government application and ID/passport fees for each family member.
• Legal fees — our work is on a transparent fixed fee, agreed in writing before we start, with no success-fee surprises.

Indicative timeline

From a clean, ready file we typically see the citizenship decree in roughly four to eight months, and sometimes longer. Clean real-estate files sit at the faster end; bank-deposit and fund routes usually run longer because of the extra verification. Timing depends on the route, document completeness, security-check timing and current authority workload. We give you a realistic schedule for your specific case and tell you plainly if anything in your profile is likely to add time.

Common pitfalls (and how to avoid losing your money)

Most failed or delayed applications are not bad luck — they are avoidable mistakes, usually made by buyers who used an agent rather than an independent lawyer. The table below pairs the pitfall with how we prevent it.

Your family, dual citizenship and what the passport gives you

Who is included

One qualifying investment covers the main investor, their spouse, and dependent children under 18 in a single application. Adult children (18 or over) are not automatically included and need their own qualifying basis. Plan family timing carefully — a child close to 18 should be added before they age out.

Dual citizenship is allowed

Türkiye permits dual (and multiple) citizenship, so you do not have to give up your existing nationality. You should, however, check your home country's rules — a few countries restrict or tax dual nationals, and that is a question for a lawyer there.

What a Turkish passport actually gives you

• Visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel to a large number of destinations (commonly cited at around 110–120 as of 2026 — check the current list, as it changes).
• Eligibility for the US E-2 treaty-investor visa (see below) — a major draw for entrepreneurs.
• The right to live, work, own property and run a business in Türkiye without permits.
• No residence or language requirement to obtain or keep the citizenship.
• Citizenship passes to your descendants.

The US E-2 treaty-investor angle

One of the most valuable — and most misunderstood — features of Turkish citizenship is the US E-2 visa. Türkiye is a treaty country with the United States, so a Turkish citizen who makes a substantial investment in a genuine US business can apply for an E-2 treaty-investor visa to live in the US and run that business.

Why this matters

Many nationalities — notably citizens of India, China and others not on the E-2 treaty list — cannot use the E-2 visa at all. Acquiring Turkish citizenship can open that door. For entrepreneurs who want a US presence without the long green-card backlog, the path of Turkish citizenship → US E-2 visa is a well-known strategy — see our note on legal considerations for US entrepreneurs in Türkiye.

We do not file your US visa — that is US immigration work — but we structure the Turkish citizenship so it is clean, properly documented and fit for an E-2 application down the line. If part of the plan is a Turkish operating company, our commercial contract lawyers can paper the structure correctly.

How Lexin Legal handles your file end to end

We act for the investor only, in English, on a fixed fee agreed up front. We are not paid by developers, so our recommendation on property and route is independent of any sales commission.

What we do

• Independent strategy — we model the property versus capital routes for your situation, after tax and currency, before you commit a cent.
• Full due diligence — title search, charge checks, seller screening (sanctions and citizenship-history checks) and price benchmarking.
• The whole transaction — valuation, banking and DAB, the tapu transfer with the no-sale annotation, and the Certificate of Conformity.
• The citizenship file — residence permits for investor and spouse, document apostille and translation, and the citizenship application through to the Presidential decree.
• Largely remote handling — with a power of attorney we run most of the process without you in Türkiye, though investor and spouse should plan for a short in-person visit for biometrics.

One firm, one English-speaking point of contact, one fixed fee — from the first valuation to the passport in your hand.

For a realistic assessment of your eligibility, route and timeline, contact us and we will review your situation and give you a clear, written plan. You can also read more in our explainer on acquiring Turkish citizenship through investment and our guide to the bank-deposit route.

How we handle your file

Turkish citizenship by investment FAQ