The foreign investor who has obtained the certificate of conformity from the relevant institution according to the type of investment made and has completed the short-term residence permit application in Turkey in accordance with Article 31/1 (j) of the Law No. 6458, can obtain Turkish citizenship at the offices of the Immigration Administration in Ankara and İstanbul with the following documents.
However, it is possible for a foreign person who has applied for the acquisition of Turkish citizenship through investment to apply on behalf of his/her family members (for children under the age of 18 with his/her spouse). In this case, the conditions for the family members of the applicant to apply for a short-term residence permit in Turkey or to make an additional investment are not sought. Other family members can only apply for Turkish citizenship with additional documents (passport, identity documents, marital status certificate, birth certificate, photo, etc.).
Required documents
- Turkish Citizenship Application Form (VAT-4)
- A valid passport and notarized Turkish translation of the passport
- 2 (two) color, current, passport type, biometric photographs
- A copy of the birth certificate approved by the Turkish Consulate or apostilled approved by the foreign investor from the country of citizenship, and a notarized Turkish translation of this sample.
- Birth certificate approved by the Turkish Consulate or apostilled approved by the foreign investor’s country of citizenship, and a notarized Turkish translation of this document.
- The marital status document of the foreign investor, obtained from the country of citizenship or approved by the Turkish Consulate, clearly showing that the foreigner is married, single, widowed or divorced, and a notarized Turkish translation of this document. Also, in addition to this document:
Additional documents…
- If the foreign investor is married, the apostilled approved by the country of citizenship or the Marriage Certificate approved by the Turkish Consulate, a copy of the birth certificate stating the spouse and children, and the notarized Turkish translations of these documents.
- If the foreign investor is divorced, the Divorce Certificate / Divorce Decision approved by the Turkish Consulate or apostilled approved by the foreigner’s country of citizenship, and the notarized Turkish translation of this document.
- If the foreign investor is widowed, the death certificate of the spouse, which is apostilled approved by the foreigner’s country of citizenship or approved by the Turkish Consulate, and the notarized Turkish translation of this document.
- If the child under the age of 18 in the custody of the applicant is also required to acquire Turkish citizenship, a document with the other parent’s apostilled approval obtained from a competent authority or approved by the Turkish Consulate, showing the consent of the other parent, and a notarized Turkish translation of this document.
- A receipt showing that the service fee has been paid to the finance cashier (This service fee has been determined as 15 TL for each person in 2021)
In addition, people who have applied for Turkish citizenship by investment have the right to receive a new Turkish name and surname. In this case, the foreigner’s Turkish ID or passport will be issued according to the preferred name and surname. This procedure is not mandatory, the foreign investor can also obtain a Turkish ID and passport to be issued under his own name.
How long does it take to be resulted your Turkish citizenship application?
A commission is formed by the relevant ministries, and citizenship applications of foreigners are evaluated and submitted to the Presidency for approval. The final decision is made by the President.
Obtaining the certificate of eligibility, short-term residence permit application for Turkey, receiving the residence permit card and submitting the documents and information required for the Turkish citizenship application can be concluded remotely with a special power of attorney without the need for the foreigner to enter the country. However, at the final stage of the application, the applicant and his/her first degree family members (spouse and children under the age of 18) must go to the nearest civil registry office and be present to obtain their Turkish citizenship IDs or passports by giving fingerprints.
There is no official regulation on the length of application processes. Turkey short-term residence permit applications are generally concluded within 2 (two) – 3 (three) weeks. Turkish citizenship applications are concluded between 4 (four) – 8 (eight) months.
Although the process of acquiring citizenship by investment method has been facilitated in the Republic of Turkey, it is important that the application is made correctly and completely. It is great importance that the process is followed completely and accurately. Any mistake that can be made during the application process or a deficiency in the documents will result in the rejection of the citizenship application. Or it may cause the application process to prolong unnecessarily.
