Changes Made to the Requirements for Acquiring Turkish Citizenship by Investment!

The "Regulation Amending the Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law" has been published in the Official Gazette. Accordingly, the requirements for acquiring Turkish citizenship by investment have changed.

Previously, purchasing real estate worth USD 400,000 was considered sufficient for acquiring Turkish citizenship. With the regulation in question, clarity has been brought to the real estate to be purchased in order to acquire citizenship.

Before the amendment, one of the exceptional ways of acquiring Turkish citizenship in Article 20 of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law was set out as follows:

"Real estate worth at least USD 400,000 or the equivalent in foreign currency, purchased on condition that a restriction on sale for three years is annotated in the land registry records; or, for a property on which condominium ownership or a condominium easement has been established, a sales promise agreement drawn up before a notary, under which at least USD 400,000 or the equivalent in foreign currency has been paid in advance and an undertaking that no transfer or cancellation will be made for three years is annotated in the land registry, as determined by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change"

With this amendment, the phrase "real estate worth USD 400,000 or the equivalent in foreign currency" has been replaced with "real estate in the nature of a condominium unit or a unit with a condominium easement established, or land with a building on it, worth ... in foreign currency".

What Does the Change in the Requirements for Acquiring Turkish Citizenship Mean?

Under the article of the Turkish Citizenship Law titled "Exceptional Acquisition of Turkish Citizenship", the purchase of any real estate worth at least USD 400,000 or the equivalent value was previously considered sufficient for acquiring Turkish citizenship.

With the change in question, Turkish citizenship can now be acquired only by purchasing real estate worth at least USD 400,000 or the equivalent value that is either a condominium unit or a unit with a condominium easement established, or land with a building on it.

Acquiring Turkish Citizenship by Purchasing Land or a Field in Türkiye Is No Longer Possible

Before this change took effect, the purchase of any real estate worth at least USD 400,000 or the equivalent was sufficient to acquire citizenship. However, with this change, acquiring citizenship through the sale of fields and land has been abolished.