Turkish Citizenship
Article 20 of regulation regarding implementation of “the Law for Turkish Citizenship” enacted in 2010 specifying requirements for foreigners to acquire Turkish citizenship, was amended by the presidential decree signed by President Erdogan on 19 September 2018. The decree with number 106 was published in the Official gazette and went into effect as of said date.
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Based on amended text, the fixed capital amount required to apply for citizenship was reduced from US$ 2 million to USD $ 500 thousand. According to the new regulation foreigners who own real estate in Turkey worth a minimum of USD $400,000 (instead of USD $1 million) can apply for Turkish citizenship. Please note the $400,000 minimum threshold has been increased in 2022 from $250,000 previously. The expression “providing employment to at least 100 persons” which is among the conditions of eligibility for citizenship, was changed as “50 persons”. The amount of deposit to keep in banks in Turkey to acquire citizenship was also reduced from US$ 3 million to USD $ 500 thousand.
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On the other hand foreign investors should hold the properties or continue the minimum limit of financial investments for at least three years to meet the criteria for Turkish citizenship.
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A foreign person that meets any of the below conditions may acquire Turkish citizenship:
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A foreign person who has made a fixed capital investment amounting to at least USD 500,000 and where such investment has been determined by the Ministry of Economy,
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A foreign person who has acquired an immovable amounting to at least USD 400,000 on the condition that an annotation has been put to the title deed stipulating that the immovable will not be sold for three years and where such acquisition has been determined by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization,
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A foreign person who employs at least 50 persons and where such employment has been determined by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security,
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A foreign person who has deposited at least USD 500,000 to a bank active in Turkey on the condition that such amount is kept in the account for three years and where such deposit has been determined by the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency,
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A foreign person who has acquired Government debt securities amounting to at least USD 3,000,000 on the condition that such amount is kept for three years and where such acquisition is determined by the Under secretariat of Treasury.
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