Turkish citizenship by investment: the step-by-step process and documents required

The Turkish citizenship by investment process at a glance

The legal basis is Article 12(1)(b) of Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901. Foreigners who hold an investor residence permit can acquire citizenship by Presidential decision, together with their foreign spouse and their own and their spouse's minor or dependent foreign children. The general naturalisation conditions do not apply, but an application is refused if there is a national-security or public-order obstacle. The real estate threshold has been USD 400,000, or the equivalent in foreign currency, since 13 June 2022.

No authority publishes an official duration for each stage, so the last column shows what the rules fix rather than a promised number of weeks.

Step 1: Choose a property that qualifies

Not every property counts. Since 12 December 2023 it must be an independent unit under condominium (kat mülkiyeti) or construction servitude (kat irtifakı), or land registered as arsa with a permanent, lawful building that has an occupancy permit. Unbuilt land, agricultural land and timeshares cannot be used.

• As a rule, the seller must not be a foreigner or a person who acquired Turkish citizenship through investment.
• No such person may have transferred the unit to a Turkish citizen or company in the last three years. Property built under construction contracts is exempt from this look-back.
• The property must not come from your Turkish first-degree relatives, or from a company in which you or your relatives are partners or managers.
• Mortgaged amounts and foreign-currency loan amounts are not counted. Property under a statutory mortgage, or with registry entries such as pending litigation, cannot be used.
• An off-plan unit can qualify through a notarised sales promise only if the unit already has kat irtifakı or kat mülkiyeti, at least USD 400,000 is paid upfront by the contract date, and a single contract covers the full amount.

The property must be bought in your own personal name, and you must hold the whole unit. Property registered to your spouse, your children or a company in which you are a partner or manager does not count. Shares acquired since early 2023 are excluded, so a couple buying one apartment 50/50 cannot use it. Outright purchases made at different times and places can be combined if the total meets the threshold. Once a Certificate of Conformity has been issued for a property, it cannot be used for another foreign investor.

Step 2: Valuation and the Amount Determination Certificate (TTB)

A Tutar Tespit Belgesi (TTB), or Amount Determination Certificate, is mandatory for a citizenship purchase. It is produced in the TADEBİS valuation system as an annex to a licensed valuation report and sent electronically to the land registry; a TTB submitted on paper is not accepted. The price declared in the deed and the bank transfers must each reach USD 400,000 and be confirmed by the TTB. If the TTB value is below the threshold, the application is rejected.

The valuation request is filed on Web Tapu by the registered owner, normally the seller. The fee is notified by SMS or e-mail and must be paid before a valuation firm is assigned. Under an update to TKGM Circular 2024/2 dated 28 September 2026, the report can be prepared by any valuation firm licensed by the Capital Markets Board (SPK) that is an active member of the Turkish Appraisers Association (TDUB) and is integrated into TADEBİS. The firm is chosen on Web Tapu, either directly or by automatic assignment. From March 2024 until this update, only reports prepared by GEDAŞ were accepted for citizenship.

Valuation reports used at the land registry are valid for 12 months, and TKGM's Your Key Türkiye portal states that no more than 12 months may pass between the TTB and the citizenship-related application. An earlier official FAQ gave a shorter period, so confirm the current rule when you buy. For buildings under construction, a value can be assessed only within limits: the building permit must be less than two years old, or between two and five years old with the construction stage shown in photos. TKGM may also order a control valuation, paid for by the applicant.

Step 3: Payment and the Foreign Currency Purchase Certificate (DAB)

Before the transaction, you sell the foreign currency to a bank operating in Türkiye. The bank sells it on to the Central Bank and issues a Döviz Alım Belgesi (DAB), or Foreign Currency Purchase Certificate. It sends the DAB to the land registry by registered e-mail (KEP); the DAB cannot be hand-delivered. The official deed price is drawn up on the Turkish lira amount shown on the DAB.

The DAB must show your name, your passport number, the property and the USD equivalent, and state that the purchase is for Turkish citizenship. The currency sold for the declared value must cover the property price alone, with no VAT, fees, taxes or other charges included. Payment to the seller is proven by a bank-approved receipt (dekont). A declared cash payment is not accepted, while a SWIFT record is. Several partial DABs, for example for instalments, can be added together.

Step 4: Title deed and the three-year no-sale annotation

The land registry office checks the DAB, the deed, the payment receipt and the TTB. It then notifies the title deed fee and the revolving-fund fee by SMS, followed by the signing appointment. At signing, you commit in the official deed not to sell for three years. The annotation is entered on the register and the title deed is handed over.

After three years, the annotation is removed at the owner's request. If removal is requested earlier, the civil registration and migration authorities are notified, which leads to revocation of citizenship. A transfer after three years back to the previous owner, or to that owner's first-degree relatives, cancels the Certificate of Conformity. The property can pass by inheritance, and the commitment then passes to the heirs.

Step 5: The Certificate of Conformity

Once the commitment is registered, the land registry sends the file to TKGM's General or Regional Directorate. That directorate issues the Real Estate Investment Determination Certificate (TYTB), also called the Certificate of Conformity. It goes by official letter to the Directorate General of Civil Registration and Citizenship (NVİGM) and to the Presidency of Migration Management, and by e-mail to you. Minor formal gaps, for example in a power of attorney or in receipt approvals, can be completed later without lifting the commitment.

Step 6: The investor residence permit

With the certificate, you apply to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management for a short-term residence permit under Law 6458, Article 31(1)(j). The provision also covers your foreign spouse and your own and your spouse's minor or dependent foreign children. Permits on this ground can be issued for up to five years at a time. Applications are made by appointment through e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr, and you bring the original documents on the day.

This investor permit is separate from the ordinary property-owner permit, which Migration Management's document list ties to a home worth at least USD 200,000 that you live in rather than rent out.

Steps 7 and 8: Citizenship application and decision

Once you hold the investor permit, you apply on form VAT-4. You can file at the Provincial Directorate of Civil Registration and Citizenship or at the joint investor offices in Ankara and İstanbul; NVİ names the Avrupa Yakası Nüfus Hizmetleri Merkezi in Zeytinburnu as İstanbul's application centre. The file then goes to NVİGM. Before approval, the Ministry of Interior says, a comprehensive security investigation and archive research is carried out through the General Directorate of Security and the National Intelligence Organisation. Citizenship is granted by Presidential decision and takes effect from the date of the decision.

Turkish law recognises multiple citizenship, and the investment provisions contain no requirement to renounce your existing nationality. Whether you can keep it depends on your home country's law. You must keep meeting the investment conditions for the required period.

Documents required for Turkish citizenship by investment

Requirements differ by stage. Foreign documents generally need an apostille or consular legalisation and a notarised Turkish translation. For the residence permit, the criminal record certificate comes from Türkiye if you have lived here for the last five years, otherwise from your home country; Migration Management recommends requesting it at least three months ahead. NVİ lists the 2026 service fee for an exceptional citizenship application at 135.45 TL for each person in the file.

Who is included: spouse and children

The route covers your foreign spouse and your own and your spouse's minor or dependent foreign children. Adult children who are not dependent are not covered. Acquiring citizenship by decision does not automatically change a spouse's status, so family members need to be included in the application themselves.

Timing matters for children close to adulthood. NVİ states that a child who is a minor at application but becomes an adult before the process is completed can no longer acquire citizenship through the parents and must file an individual application. The official texts we reviewed do not define 'dependent', so confirm how it applies to your family with a qualified lawyer.

How long does the process take?

No official authority publishes processing times for the real estate route. Private advisory firms publish their own estimates, which differ widely, and none is an official figure. The rules do fix a few time windows worth planning around.

• No more than 12 months may pass between the TTB and the citizenship-related application.
• Land registry fees and the signing appointment are notified by SMS once the documents have been checked.
• Security investigation and archive research take place after the Certificate of Conformity and before the decision.
• The home-country criminal record certificate in the citizenship file must have been issued within the last six months.

Do you need to be in Türkiye?

The land registry purchase and commitment can be signed through a power of attorney that expressly grants that authority. The later stages are different. NVİ's FAQ states that foreigners must apply in person for the Certificate of Conformity, the short-term residence permit, collection of the permit card and the citizenship application. NVİ's 2018 procedure, however, accepts a special power of attorney for the certificate. Plan for time in Türkiye, and confirm current practice before booking travel.

How Angelina Estate helps

Angelina Estate was founded by Angelina Ryabkova, who has been based in Türkiye since 2003. We find qualifying İstanbul properties and check them against the rules above. We then coordinate the valuation, banking and land registry steps with trusted partner lawyers, and stay with you through the residence permit and the citizenship filing. Once the purchase is complete, our own architecture and renovation team can renovate the property, and we can manage it for you afterwards. Every family's case is different, so we start by mapping your route together.

Frequently asked questions