Turkey grants citizenship status to foreign nationals pursuant to the terms and stipulations of the Turkish Citizenship Law numbered 5901, which was enacted in 2009 (published in the Official Gazette dated 12 June 2009 and numbered 27256) and the secondary legislation thereof.

The main principle behind the enactment of this law is to allow Turkey to integrate more openly with the global community and create a fertile foreign investment climate in the country.

The citizenship program of Turkey has placed the country on the global immigration map. Infrastructure projects have been invoked, social services have been enhanced and the country’s demography has been enriched by the diversity of the influx of new residents.

Types of eligible Investments

Turkey allows the following investment types for the grant of Citizenship:

1. Investment in Residential or Commercial Real Estate for a value of, or greater than USD$250,000; The property must be held on to for at least 3 years.
2. Investment of Fixed Capital for a value of, or greater than USD$500,000; verified by the Turkish Ministry of Industry and Technology. Investment of fixed capital should be read as purchase of land, building, machinery and equipment for the purpose of producing goods and services. This provision also allows the foreign national to purchase a verifiable equity in an existing Turkish company valued at US$500,000.
3. Establishment of a business where at least 50 job opportunities are created for citizens or residents of Turkey; verified by the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services.
4. Cash Deposits; A minimum of USD$500,000 deposited in a governmentally licensed bank in Turkey. The deposit must be held on to for no less than 3 years.
5. Purchase of Public Debt Instruments; A minimum investment of USD$500,000 in public debt instruments must be made where the instruments must be held on to for no less than 3 years.
6. Investment in Venture Capital Funds or Real Estate Funds; a minimum investment of USD$500,000 is required where maturity and redemption of the fund is not less than 3 years.

Family members

As per the Foreigners and International Protection Law numbered 6458, which was enacted in 2013 (published in the Official Gazette dated 11 April 2013 and numbered 28615), an investor may include his/her spouse and minor children on his/her application. Children above the age of 18 are not eligible as dependents unless the child suffers mental or physical incapacitations.

Children aging over 18, are required to make their own investments in Turkey if they wish to be naturalized.

Military Service

The Military Service Law numbered 7179, which was enacted in 2019 (published in the Official Gazette dated 26 June 2019 and numbered 30813), sets out the procedures and principles applicable to compulsory military service in Turkey.

• Male children who are naturalized before turning 18 years of age are normally required to serve in the Turkish Army once they hit the age of 20.
• Financial substitutes may be paid to reduce the service time from 12 months to 1 month. Those who do not reside in Turkey and do have multi citizenship have an option to pay financial substitutes in FX only (without serving in the Turkish Army) as long as they have been residing in the respective foreign country for at least 3 years.

• All foreign nationals will have an option to postpone their military service for 2 years as of their acquisition of Turkish citizenship.
• Male children/adults who are naturalized at or after the age of 22 (by using their own investment, that is independent from their parent) are not required to serve the Turkish Army. Those who evidence that they have already performed military service in their respective country of origin or that they are considered as having done so in their respective country of origin will be exempt from military service in Turkey.

Processing Times

Once an application is submitted, it is reasonably expected to consume between 8-12 months to process. Naturally, if any complications exist in an applicant’s background, this could cause additional delays.

ACIC's Scope

ACIC Implements the same processing policies used in its European and North American practices. We act as the coordinators of the immigration process and the custodian of the client's best interest throughout the entire scope. We ensure that local legal practitioners are handling the file with world class standards, we also ensure that the right asset is selected for the purpose of the citizenship application and the client's investment appetite. In cases where clients chose assets of higher values, ACIC, at client's request implements its signature Due Diligence on the asset sought by the investor.