Turkish Citizenship by Investment and Residence Permits: Rules and Deadlines

Turkish citizenship and residence are governed by two laws: the Turkish Citizenship Law (Law No. 5901) and the Law on Foreigners and International Protection (Law No. 6458). Work permits fall under the International Labour Force Law (Law No. 6735). This article sets out the main rules and the deadlines that matter most.

Citizenship by real estate investment

The Citizenship Law lists the cases in which citizenship can be granted by presidential decision as an exception to the ordinary route (Article 12). Real estate investment is one of them and is set out in Article 20 of the regulation implementing the law:

• The property must be worth at least USD 400,000 or the equivalent in foreign currency.
• It must be a unit with condominium ownership or condominium easement (kat mülkiyeti or kat irtifakı), or land with a building on it. Other land does not qualify.
• A three-year no-sale annotation is placed on the title deed.
• The foreign currency is sold to a bank operating in Turkey before the transaction, and the bank sells it on to the Central Bank.
• The Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change confirms that the conditions are met.

The amount and conditions are set by regulation and can change, so the current text should be checked before any purchase.

Other routes to citizenship

• Ordinary naturalisation: five years of uninterrupted residence in Turkey counted back from the application date, together with the other conditions in the law: being an adult, showing an intention to settle, having no illness that endangers public health, good character, sufficient Turkish, enough income or a profession to support oneself and one’s dependants, and no national security or public order concern (Law No. 5901, Article 11).
• Marriage: marriage alone does not confer citizenship. A foreigner married to a Turkish citizen for at least three years, and still married, may apply if the couple live together as a family, the applicant does nothing incompatible with the marriage and raises no national security or public order concern (Article 16).

Residence permits

A foreigner who wants to stay longer than a visa or visa exemption allows needs a residence permit. The law provides six types: short-term, family, student, long-term, humanitarian, and for victims of human trafficking (Law No. 6458, Article 30).

• A short-term permit can be granted, for example, to people who own real estate in Turkey, plan to set up a business or commercial links, or stay for tourism or medical treatment (Article 31).
• A family permit is granted to the foreign spouse and the minor or dependent foreign children of Turkish citizens, of foreigners holding a residence permit, and of refugees or subsidiary protection holders, for up to three years at a time (Article 34).
• A long-term permit can be granted, without a time limit, to foreigners who have lived in Turkey on a residence permit for at least eight uninterrupted years (Article 42).

Renewal is applied for from sixty days before the permit expires, and in any case before it expires (Article 24). A refusal or cancellation can be challenged before the administrative court within sixty days of notification, unless a special law sets another period (Law No. 2577, Article 7).

A work permit, or a work permit exemption, also counts as a residence permit. A residence permit granted for another purpose does not, by itself, allow the holder to work (Law No. 6735, Article 12).

Deportation, administrative detention and entry bans

• Deportation: the decision, with its reasons, is served on the foreigner, their legal representative or their lawyer. It can be challenged before the administrative court within seven days of notification. The court decides within fifteen days and its decision is final. During the filing period and until the case ends, the foreigner is not deported unless they consent (Law No. 6458, Article 53).
• Administrative detention: the foreigner, their legal representative or their lawyer can apply to the criminal judgeship of peace. The application does not suspend detention; the judge decides within five days and the decision is final (Article 57).
• Entry bans: foreigners who are deported are banned from re-entering Turkey. The ban lasts up to five years and can be extended by up to ten more years where there is a serious threat to public order or public security (Article 9). Entry bans are recorded as restriction codes; they are administrative decisions and can be challenged in the administrative courts.

This article is general information and is not legal advice. Legislation checked as of 13 October 2026.