LEGAL ASSESSMENT

We Determine the Citizenship Route and Your Legal Position Together

In a Turkish citizenship file, the first question is which application route suits your personal situation. Determining a citizenship already acquired through birth and parentage; making a new application based on residence, marriage or investment; and filing an action against a rejection decision each require a different review. Güneş & Güneş Law Firm assesses the person’s current citizenship, ties to Türkiye, family records and previous procedures together.

Meeting the statutory conditions or obtaining an investment conformity certificate does not mean that citizenship will definitely be acquired by decision of the competent authority. Depending on the basis of the application, the file is reviewed for the accuracy of documents, residence and family status, national security and public order. The decisions of the administration are also subject to judicial review within the limits set by law. We address application preparation and the risk of a possible dispute in the same file plan.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

Our Services in Citizenship Applications and Disputes

Review the heading that fits your needs. The procedures to be undertaken are determined by evaluating the documents and the conditions of the file.

Birth, Parentage and Foreign Birth Records

We review parentage with a Turkish-citizen mother or father, the citizenship status at the time of birth and foreign records. The assessment takes into account whether birth in Türkiye gives rise to citizenship and whether the child can acquire the citizenship of another state.

Registration of children born abroad and not reported to the civil registry; determination of citizenship for reports made after the age of eighteen
Assessment of recognition, paternity rulings and parentage documents in the case of birth out of wedlock
Application of the provisions on statelessness, foundlings and place of birth to the specific records

Citizenship by the General Route

We review five years of uninterrupted residence counted back from the application date, the type of permit and the intention to settle in Türkiye. Reaching the age of majority and the capacity to discern, Turkish language proficiency, income or profession, health, good character, and the requirements of national security and public order are assessed together.

Comparing residence permits and entries and exits in chronological order
Preparing documents showing family, work, company, education and property ties
Assessing the effect of criminal records and ongoing proceedings on the file

Citizenship by Marriage

In a marriage with a Turkish citizen that has lasted at least three years, we review living in family unity and the other statutory conditions. A marriage concluded abroad, a previous divorce, different addresses and children’s records are clarified before the application.

Registration and alignment of marriage and marital status records in Türkiye
Legal information on the scope of the interview and the family unity review
Effect of the spouse’s death, divorce or nullity of the marriage on the application; review of a rejection decision

Exceptional Citizenship and Investment Files

We determine the conditions for entry into the relevant exceptional category and the review by the competent authority. The conformity of an investment with the citizenship legislation is not the same assessment as its economic return or commercial suitability.

Legal conditions of the real estate, deposit, fixed capital, employment, debt instrument, fund and private pension options
Consistency of the investment conformity certificate, payment and commitment records with the application file
Assessment of exceptional service, the Turquoise Card, persons whose admission to citizenship is deemed necessary, and immigrant categories

Reacquisition and the Right of Option

We determine by which procedure and on which date the previous Turkish citizenship was lost. Reacquisition without a residence requirement, the routes tied to residence and the time limit of the right of option are distinguished from one another.

Obtaining the decisions on loss through a renunciation permit, deprivation and the right of option; conditions of the right of option for acquisition or loss
A three-year right of option from the age of majority for children who lost citizenship through their mother or father; the applicable reacquisition route if the time limit was missed
Review of loss or forfeiture (ıskat) decisions from the period of the repealed Law No. 403 under the transitional provisions

Adoption, KKTC and Special Applications

Adoption of a foreign minor, citizenship of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) by birth and admission as an immigrant under the Settlement Law each rest on separate legal bases. The documents and decision process of each status are prepared under its own conditions.

Adoption decision, finalization, the effect of a foreign decision in Türkiye and civil registry entry
Distinguishing KKTC citizenship by birth from KKTC citizenship acquired later
Documenting immigrant status under Law No. 5543 on Settlement (İskân Kanunu); following citizenship procedures separate from admission as an immigrant

Including Spouse and Children in the File

We determine separately in what capacity each family member can take part in the application. A person’s acquiring citizenship does not automatically give citizenship to the spouse or children under every procedure.

Marriage, custody, the other parent’s consent and documents showing the family tie
The child reaching the age of majority at the time of the application or decision, and the need for an independent application
Conditions for a foreign spouse and a foreign child who is a minor or dependent in the exceptional investment category

Citizenship Determination and Archive Research

When the aim is not to acquire new citizenship but to determine an existing one, we review birth and family records under the law of the relevant period. An old Ottoman record or family tree information alone does not prove current citizenship.

Civil registry, nationality, passport and consular records from the Ottoman and Republican periods
Comparing immigrant, population-exchange (mübadil), resettlement and citizenship decision records with family documents
Differences in name, surname, date and place of birth, and establishing that the records concern the same person

Rejections and Prolonged Applications

We evaluate the grounds for rejection, the last action in the file, service of the decision and letters requesting missing documents. We determine the choice between an administrative application and an action according to the deciding authority and the calculation of time limits.

Legal review of rejections based on residence, family unity, document inconsistency or security review
Documenting the specific request and the administration’s replies in files where no action has been taken
Annulment action, a stay of execution where the conditions are met, and follow-up of the implementation of the decision

Cancellation, Withdrawal and Deprivation Cases

Cancellation of an acquisition decision, withdrawal of a citizenship decision and deprivation of citizenship rest on different legal grounds. We prepare the defense and litigation plan by separating the basis of the act, the competent authority and the effect on family members.

Cancellation based on a false statement or concealment; withdrawal because legal conditions were absent or a decision was duplicated
Application plan according to service of the decision, publication in the Official Gazette (Resmî Gazete) and the time it takes effect
Effect on spouse and children; ordinary legal remedies and, where the conditions are met, individual application to the Constitutional Court

Renunciation of Citizenship and the Blue Card

In renunciation with permission, we examine the age of majority and the capacity to discern, acquisition of another citizenship or indications that it will be acquired, being sought for a crime or for military service, and financial and criminal restrictions. The renunciation permit and delivery of the renunciation certificate are separate stages.

Effect of renunciation on spouse and children, consent, and the requirement not to become stateless
Issuing and renewing the Blue Card, and entering the person and descendants in the Register of Blue Card Holders
Birth, marriage, divorce, death and address notifications; employment, land registry, inheritance and social security procedures

Multiple Citizenship, Name Equivalence and Registration

We review the consistency between the foreign identity and the information in the Turkish civil registry record. After a citizenship decision, we follow completion of registration, identity and passport procedures and the correct establishment of family records.

Notification of multiple citizenship and its entry in the civil registry
Name equivalence certificate, establishing that records concern the same person, and necessary civil registry corrections
Coordination of recognition, registration and name–surname procedures connected with foreign marital status decisions

CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT

Compare Investment Options and Eligibility Conditions

Citizenship by investment is one form of the exceptional acquisition procedure. Depending on the type of investment, the minimum amount or employment, the determination by the competent authority and the period for which the investment must be maintained vary. The summary below is not by itself a decision on the suitability of an investment or on citizenship. After the investment is found suitable by the relevant authority, the residence permit under Article 31/1-j of Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection and the citizenship application are prepared. The conformity certificate does not replace the citizenship decision; security, public order and other file reviews continue.

Minimum conditions and competent authority by type of investment
Type of investment	Minimum requirement	Key condition	Determining authority
Real estate acquisition	At least USD 400,000 or the equivalent in foreign currency	Condominium ownership, servitude of floor ownership (kat irtifakı) or land with a structure on it; three-year no-sale annotation. For a promise to sell, special form, up-front payment and annotation conditions.	Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change / General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre (TKGM)
Fixed capital	At least USD 500,000 or the equivalent in foreign currency	The nature and amount of the investment must be found suitable by the competent Ministry.	Ministry of Industry and Technology
Employment	Employment of at least 50 people	Determination of employment under the relevant legislation and the authority’s practice.	Ministry of Labor and Social Security
Bank deposit	At least USD 500,000 or the equivalent in foreign currency	Condition of keeping the deposit for three years in a bank operating in Türkiye.	Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK)
Government debt instruments	At least USD 500,000 or the equivalent in foreign currency	Condition of holding for three years.	Ministry of Treasury and Finance
Real estate / venture capital investment fund	At least USD 500,000 or the equivalent in foreign currency	Condition of holding the participation shares of the relevant fund for three years.	Capital Markets Board (SPK)
Private pension	At least USD 500,000 or the equivalent in foreign currency	Condition of keeping the contribution in funds determined by SEDDK and staying in the system for three years.	Insurance and Private Pension Regulation and Supervision Agency (SEDDK)

Legal Review Before Paying for Real Estate

The sale price exceeding the threshold amount is not sufficient on its own. The nature of the property in the land registry, information on the seller and the previous owner, attachments, mortgages and other encumbrances, restrictions on acquisition by foreigners, and whether the property has previously been used in a citizenship procedure are reviewed together. The valuation, payment and foreign currency purchase documents, the land registry and the conformity file must be consistent with one another.

On the purchase route, properties for which condominium ownership or a servitude of floor ownership has been established, or properties classified as land with a structure on it, are considered. Acquisitions of unbuilt land and agricultural property after December 12, 2023 do not form a basis for this citizenship route.

In a promise to sell executed before a notary, condominium ownership or a servitude of floor ownership, up-front payment of at least USD 400,000 or the equivalent in foreign currency, and a land registry annotation that no transfer or deregistration will be made for three years are required together. The contract does not transfer ownership by itself. A reservation or an ordinary written agreement is not a document that satisfies these conditions by itself.

The Amount Determination Document (Tutar Tespit Belgesi, TTB) based on a valuation report is checked to determine the amount accepted for the citizenship investment. According to the current TKGM announcement, the report of an SPK-authorized institution is the basis; the TTB is transmitted to the land registry system through TADEBİS. If more than 12 months have passed between the TTB and the transaction application, the underlying report is renewed. Changes affecting the value of the property may require earlier renewal. The TTB is not the same document as the citizenship conformity certificate or the citizenship decision.

The Foreign Currency Purchase Document (Döviz Alım Belgesi, DAB) and the bank receipt (dekont) for payment to the seller show different transactions. The DAB documents the sale of the relevant foreign currency to the bank; the receipt documents the transfer of the sale price. Identity, property, amount and date information are compared together. The consistency of the up-front payment and the time of issuing the DAB with the contract in a promise to sell is also checked separately.

Zoning, the architectural project, the construction permit, the occupancy permit, the actual condition and the construction quality may be reviewed separately for investment safety. The contribution of the relevant experts is planned for the technical review. The citizenship eligibility review does not constitute a guarantee regarding the economic return of the property or a citizenship decision.

The investment thresholds and authority practices are based on the source review dated October 4, 2026. The date of the property transaction and the current application conditions are checked again before the contract and payment.

BEFORE YOU DECIDE

Legal Distinctions to Know Before Applying

The basis of the application, past records and the situation of family members determine which route can apply. The distinctions below directly affect the preparation of the file and the assessment of the possible risk of rejection.

Being in Türkiye Is Not the Same as Qualifying Residence

In the general application, five years of uninterrupted residence counted back from the application date are required. The total time spent abroad during this period must not exceed 12 months; periods within the limit count toward residence. The type of residence permit and the intention to settle are also reviewed. Periods such as education or tourist stays are not automatically accepted as qualifying solely on the dates on the residence card; permit types and status transitions are assessed together.

Marriage Does Not Directly Grant Citizenship

Besides having been married for at least three years and the continuation of the marriage, family unity, a way of life compatible with marriage and other conditions are examined. There is a special provision that, if the Turkish-citizen spouse dies after the application, the requirement of living in family unity is not sought; death and divorce are not assessed with the same result.

Family Members Are Not Included in the Same Way in Every Route

As a general rule, the spouse’s citizenship does not change automatically. For children, custody, consent and age are examined. In the investor residence permit under Article 12/1-b of Law No. 5901 on Turkish Citizenship and in the Turquoise Card category, a foreign spouse and the foreign child of the person or the spouse who is a minor or dependent are regulated separately. Dependency is assessed on specific documents; not every adult child is automatically covered.

An Old Family Record Alone Does Not Show Current Citizenship

The existence of an ancestor who was an Ottoman subject or an old Turkish civil registry record does not by itself prove that the applicant is a citizen today. Births, parentage, loss decisions and the legislation of the relevant period are assessed together. A determination application is not confused with reacquisition or a new citizenship application.

Cancellation and Deprivation Affect the Family Differently

Articles 31 and 32 of Law No. 5901 regulate the cancellation of citizenship acquired through a false statement or concealment of important matters and its effect, depending on the person concerned, on a spouse and children who became citizens. Deprivation under Articles 29 and 30, on the other hand, is personal; it does not affect the spouse and children. Kinship is distinguished from acquisition under the same decision.

The Blue Card Is Not a Document of Turkish Citizenship

Persons who were Turkish citizens by birth and lost citizenship through a renunciation permit, and the descendants covered by the law, may benefit from certain rights, with exceptions. Exceptions such as the right to vote and stand for election, military service and permanent regular public duties are assessed separately. The Blue Card does not mean that citizenship has been reacquired or that all rights can be exercised to the same extent.

An Application Does Not Remove Existing Residence Obligations

The opening of a citizenship file does not replace a residence or work permit. The lawfulness of the stay in Türkiye, permit renewals and address notifications are followed under their own legislation. The scope of these procedures to be carried out together with the citizenship application is determined at the outset.

A Renunciation Permit and the Loss of Citizenship Are Separate Stages

Granting a renunciation permit does not by itself end citizenship; under the procedure in the law, the delivery of the renunciation certificate is decisive. The joint renunciation of children, the other parent’s consent and the requirement not to become stateless are examined separately. The need to reacquire citizenship later should also be assessed before the renunciation decision.

Withdrawal Is Distinct from Cancellation Based on a False Statement

Withdrawal of a citizenship decision also requires a separate review. It is determined whether the act is a cancellation based on a false statement or concealment, or a withdrawal because legal conditions did not exist or because of a duplicate decision; the defense and litigation grounds are prepared according to this legal basis. Article 40 of Law No. 5901 covers decisions on the acquisition or loss of citizenship. The conditions at the date of the decision, the transaction file and the specific situation of the person are examined.

In Reacquisition, the Reason for Loss Is Decisive

Missing the time limit of the right of option after a loss through a renunciation permit or a loss tied to the parents, on the one hand, and deprivation and loss through the right of option, on the other, are not subject to the same procedure. The route with no residence requirement is distinguished from the reacquisition route for which the law prescribes three years’ residence in Türkiye. The previous decision and, if any, the transitional provisions of the repealed Law No. 403 are examined.

ADMINISTRATIVE APPLICATION AND JUDICIAL REVIEW

Legal Routes for Rejection, Pending Applications and Loss of Citizenship

The rejection of an application, the later cancellation or withdrawal of a decision admitting someone to citizenship, and the lack of any action on a file for a long time are not subject to the same application regime. The review begins with the full text of the decision, the deciding authority, the application records and the service document.

The Grounds for Rejection and the Administrative File Are Reviewed

The elements of competence, form, reason, subject and purpose of the decision; whether the application was assessed under the correct category; the facts on which the administration relied and how the submitted documents were evaluated are examined. A reference to security or public order does not remove the importance of the specific file and of judicial review.

The Competent Court Is Determined by the Deciding Authority

The competent court is determined not only by the name of the application but also by the authority that issued the act under challenge. First-instance review of decisions of the President takes place at the Council of State; for individual acts of the Ministry, it takes place at the administrative court under the applicable rules of subject-matter and territorial jurisdiction. The rejection or loss decision and the service document are reviewed together. The provincial directorate that gave notice and the authority that issued the final decision may be different.

General Time Limit for Filing an Action and Its Starting Date

Where there is no special time limit, the general time limit for filing an action before the Council of State and the administrative courts is 60 days. For individual acts, the day following written notification is as a rule taken as the basis. In a deprivation decision, the treatment of publication in the Official Gazette (Resmî Gazete) as service, electronic notification and the representation rules are checked separately. The date of the decision alone is not sufficient.

Remaining Time Continues to Run After an Administrative Application

A timely administrative application within the scope of Article 11 of Law No. 2577 stops the running of the time limit for filing an action that has started to run. If the request is rejected or remains unanswered for 30 days, the remaining time continues to run. The days that passed before the application are not erased from the calculation. A new citizenship application or a file inquiry does not produce this effect by itself.

Thirty Days Without a Reply and Implied Rejection

In applications left unanswered, the implied rejection rule in Article 10 of Law No. 2577 is considered. Failure to reply to an application within this scope for 30 days may produce the result of a rejection as regards the route to court. This period is not a commitment to conclude the matter that would require citizenship to be granted within 30 days. A screen that has not changed does not by itself count as the start of the period; the specific request, the registration date and the administrative correspondence are examined.

Four-Month Upper Limit for a Non-Final Reply

If a non-final reply was given within the first 30 days, the options of suing on the basis that this reply counts as a rejection or of waiting for the final reply are examined. The statutory upper limit for waiting is four months from the application date; this does not mean that a citizenship file will necessarily be concluded within this period. The four months are not counted from the date of the interim reply. The effect of a final reply received later on the time limit for filing an action is assessed separately.

Stay of Execution and Implementation of the Decision

Filing an action does not automatically suspend all consequences linked to the citizenship act. A request for a stay of execution is prepared by explaining together the conditions of manifest unlawfulness and damage that is difficult or impossible to remedy. Whether the request is granted depends on the assessment of the judicial authority. A decision annulling the act also does not mean that the court itself grants citizenship; the administrative act appropriate to its reasoning and the implementation of the decision are followed.

Legal Remedies and Individual Application

The route of appeal (istinaf) and further appeal (temyiz) is determined by the type of decision and the competent court. An individual application to the Constitutional Court (AYM) requires that ordinary remedies have been duly exhausted and an allegation of a violation of a right within the common protection area of the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The general time limit is 30 days; the learning of the final decision and service are checked together. Not every citizenship rejection by itself creates an admissible application.

Time-sensitive procedures

If you have received a notice of rejection, cancellation, withdrawal or deprivation, please keep the entire decision, the service envelope or the electronic notification record. Please state the date of the decision and when it was notified to you in your first communication. The 48 hours stated for the first reply do not stop statutory application or litigation time limits.

OUR APPROACH

We Plan the Application and Litigation Strategy Within the Same File

We do not reduce the work to a list of documents. At the outset we review together the citizenship route, residence and family history, previous applications and differences between documents. If there is a difference in name or date of birth, an incomplete marital status registration or a problem concerning the conditions of the investment, we determine which procedure must be completed first.

We address the aspects of the citizenship procedure connected with residence, family, persons, real estate, commercial, tax or criminal law with their own legal consequences. Correspondence with authorities, missing documents, decisions and notifications are placed in a follow-up routine; the client is told the stage the file is at and the procedure expected of them. No favorable outcome or specific completion time is promised.

Determining the Situation and the Application Route
Current citizenship, family ties, residence history, previous Turkish citizenship and the investment situation are reviewed. The legal position of each family member is recorded separately.
Review of Documents and Time Limits
Identity and marital status records are compared; if there is a notice of rejection or cancellation, its time limit calculation is made first. A plan for completion is prepared for missing or contradictory documents.
Completing Related Procedures
Where necessary, birth or marriage registration, parentage, residence, land registry, investment conformity, apostille, certification, translation or civil registry correction is coordinated.
Submission of the File
The application is prepared for the governorate of the place of residence within Türkiye and for the diplomatic mission abroad, taking the procedure of the relevant route into account. Stages requiring a special power of attorney and personal attendance are determined. The application form and supporting documents are compared; the receipt record is kept.
Review and Information
The commission, the interview, correspondence with institutions and requests for missing documents are followed according to the file. The client is informed about the stage, the procedure required and the time limits notified.
Post-Decision Procedures
After a favorable decision, civil registry entry, identity, passport and family records; after an unfavorable decision, the appropriate administrative and judicial routes and the implementation of the decision are planned.

PREPARING FOR THE FIRST CONSULTATION

Preparing for the First Consultation in a Citizenship File

A brief summary of the facts is sufficient for the first application. Detailed documents are requested through a secure channel after the scope of the review has been determined.

What you can prepare at the start

A short summary of the facts describing the purpose of the application, current citizenship and your family, residence or investment ties in Türkiye
If any, the application number, information on the latest stage and the dates of previous applications
If any, the full decision of rejection, cancellation, withdrawal or deprivation; service, learning and publication information
Whether current and previous passports, residence or work permits and entry-exit records are available
A short list of documents showing marriage, children, previous Turkish citizenship or the basis of the investment

What may be requested depending on the file

Birth, marriage, divorce, death and family records; civil registry information of the Turkish-citizen spouse or parent
For children, a birth certificate, custody decision, required consent and documents on dependency
Residence and entry-exit statements; employment, income, profession, company and education records
Health and criminal record documents required for the type of application; documents of any current investigation or case whose scope has been determined
Records of previous citizenship, renunciation permit, renunciation certificate, deprivation, right of option and Blue Card
Land registry, encumbrance, valuation, foreign currency purchase, bank payment, commitment and investment conformity documents
Archive, immigrant, population-exchange, resettlement, name equivalence and consular records
Letters about missing documents, previous administrative applications, the case file and court decisions

Checking Names, Dates and Certification on Foreign Documents

The usability of a document is assessed according to the country that issued it, the type of document and the applicable international convention. The same apostille or certification method is not applied to every document. Where necessary, consular certification, approval of the relevant authority and a Turkish translation certified by a notary are planned; an apostille is not a general guarantee that the content of the document is accurate.

Name, previous surnames, parents’ names, date and place of birth, marital status, date of issue or validity and the spelling in the passport are compared. Name changes arising from transliteration between different alphabets are explained; any necessary determination, recognition or record corrections are identified before the application. If not all documents are on hand, a plan for the missing documents can be drawn up from the available information.

Confidentiality of your information

The information and documents you share are used, within the framework of attorney professional secrecy and the principles of personal data protection, only for legal assessment and for carrying out the matter that has been undertaken. Please do not send passwords, access codes or unnecessary identity information. For sensitive documents, please use the secure sharing method that the firm will communicate.

Statement on confidentiality and information security

REPRESENTATION AND COMMUNICATION

Citizenship Services Based in Antalya and Across Türkiye

Güneş & Güneş Law Firm, founded in Kemer on March 18, 1999 and with an institutional history of more than 27 years, provides services in citizenship applications and disputes in all 81 provinces of Türkiye, according to the duty and authority of the relevant authority and the representation conditions of the file. Our physical headquarters has been in Antalya since 2007; the place where the application is to be made and the personal attendance required are determined according to the file.

The Türkiye-related procedures of persons outside Türkiye can be prepared through online consultation and secure document sharing. Obtaining foreign-country documents, procedures with diplomatic missions and registration in Türkiye are planned together. Where legal representation is needed in another country, the contribution of legal practitioners authorized in that country is determined separately.

Our ability to communicate in Turkish, English, German and Russian supports understanding the stages of the application and organizing the flow of documents. Sworn translation, notary and certification services that may be needed in official procedures are assessed separately from this communication support.

Scope of Services and Fee

Application preparation, review of the investment contract, administrative follow-up and litigation services are determined with separate scopes. The attorney’s fee is explained separately from official service charges, notary, translation, valuation, court fees and litigation costs.

Personal Attendance and Special Power of Attorney

Procedures that can be carried out through an attorney-in-fact are separated from interviews, identity checks or other stages that require the applicant’s personal attendance. The scope of authority, the language and the conditions of use of a power of attorney issued abroad are checked before the procedure.

Follow-Up of the Investment and Other Permits

Tasks relating to the investment commitment, real estate or bank transactions and to residence and work permits are determined separately. Following the citizenship file does not cover all commercial, tax or technical procedures unless expressly undertaken.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Questions About Turkish Citizenship

The answers are general information. The route and conditions that apply to your request are assessed on the basis of the specific information and documents.

Does every child born in Türkiye become a Turkish citizen?

No. Acquisition through parentage with a Turkish mother or father is a separate route. Under the place-of-birth rule, statutory conditions are examined, such as whether the child born in Türkiye cannot acquire the citizenship of any state through the parents. The citizenship status of the parents is assessed together with the child’s birth certificate.

Is a five-year residence card enough for an application?

The total period on the card is not sufficient on its own. Actual entries and exits, permit types, transitions and the statutory conditions for the period before the application are examined. The intention to settle, income or profession and the other conditions are assessed separately; all periods of different types of residence are not automatically included in the same calculation.

If my Turkish-citizen spouse dies after I apply, is the file closed?

The law provides that, if the marriage ends because of the death of the Turkish-citizen spouse after the application, the requirement of living in family unity is not sought. The other conditions and the status of the file are examined separately. The death certificate and the application date must be reported to the authority correctly.

Does divorce or invalidity of the marriage necessarily end citizenship?

Divorce while an application is pending and divorce after citizenship has been acquired are not the same situation. As to a declaration of nullity of the marriage after acquisition through marriage, there is a special provision that takes good faith in the marriage as its basis. The outcome is determined by the type and timing of the decision and the basis on which citizenship was acquired.

I received an investment conformity certificate; is my citizenship considered final?

No. The document concerns the determination by the competent authority that the relevant investment conditions are met. The citizenship file, the situation of family members and other reviews are assessed separately. Without a decision of the competent authority granting citizenship, it cannot be concluded that Turkish citizenship has been acquired from the conformity certificate alone; civil registry entry after the decision is also followed.

Is it enough that my family has an Ottoman or Turkish civil registry record?

An archive record can be an important starting point for review; on its own it does not lead to the conclusion that citizenship exists. Parentage with the person in the record, the births and citizenship status of later generations, possible loss procedures and the legislation of the relevant period are assessed together.

What happens if my child, a minor when I applied, reaches the age of majority during the process?

The application category in which the child was included and the date on which the applicable provision is based are examined. Reaching the age of majority before a decision is made may require an independent application instead of a procedure tied to the same file. The provision on dependent children in the exceptional category is also not a general rule covering every adult child.

Does my citizenship application extend my residence or work permit?

A citizenship application is not an independent permit that replaces a residence or work permit. The validity of existing permits and the renewal conditions must be followed separately. While the application file is pending, the expiry of a permit or a change of status may also affect the information submitted to the authority.

Can I complete all procedures through an attorney without coming to Türkiye?

The procedures that can be carried out under a power of attorney are determined by the type of application. Where personal attendance, identity verification, an interview or biometric procedures are required, a power of attorney does not replace all of them. The stages that require personal attendance are planned in advance according to the country you are in and the authority receiving the application.

Do I need an apostille on every foreign document?

No. The type of document, the issuing country and international conventions may provide for different methods or exemptions. An apostille, consular certification, translation and notary procedures do not replace one another in every case. Determining which procedure is required before obtaining the document can prevent unnecessary expense and the need to obtain documents again.

The application screen has shown the same stage for a long time; can an action be filed?

A definite conclusion cannot be drawn from the screen wording alone. The date the application was registered, the status of missing documents, previous requests and the administration’s replies are examined. The request to take action and the implied rejection rules in the Administrative Procedure Law No. 2577 (İYUK) are assessed according to the specific application and replies in the file.

If I reapply after a rejection, is my right to sue protected?

Making a new application does not automatically stop, or restart, the time limit for an action against the earlier rejection decision. The effect of a suitable administrative application made in time under the Administrative Procedure Law (İYUK) is examined separately. The service record must be assessed together with the rejection decision.

If I win the annulment action, will the court grant citizenship directly?

In an annulment action, the lawfulness of the administrative act is reviewed; the court cannot take the administration’s place and exercise its discretion. The implementation of a judicial decision is binding; the scope of implementation is determined by the reasoning of the decision. Depending on the reasoning, the new assessment or act the administration must make and the implementation of the decision are followed. Winning the action does not automatically produce the same administrative result in every case.

Does holding a Blue Card mean that I am a Turkish citizen again?

No. The Blue Card shows the status defined in the law and the benefit of the rights tied to that status. Reacquiring citizenship may require a separate procedure or a right-of-option process. The reason for the earlier loss and conditions such as age determine which route is used.

If Türkiye accepts dual citizenship, is my previous citizenship also preserved?

The recording of multiple citizenship under Turkish law and the citizenship law of the other country are separate matters. The other state’s rules on permission, notification or loss of citizenship must be examined separately under that country’s current law. The notifications and name equivalence documents needed for the procedure in Türkiye are planned accordingly.

How long does an application take and what expenses arise?

Obtaining documents, the type of file, correspondence with institutions, the interview and the reviews affect the duration; a result in a particular month or a favorable decision cannot be guaranteed. The attorney’s fee and official service charges, translation, notary, valuation and litigation costs are explained separately according to the scope of the work. The time for the first reply is not the time in which the file will be concluded.

RELATED SERVICES AND LEGAL BASIS

Find Information Connected to Your Subject

International Law, Immigration and Cross-Border Matters

Official legal sources

The sources used in preparing this text were reviewed on October 4, 2026. The source review does not replace a legal opinion tailored to the individual.

NEXT STEP

Let’s Assess Your Matter Together

Please share your request, a brief summary of the facts and, if any, an upcoming procedural date. In the first consultation, which documents will be reviewed and which legal routes will be assessed are clarified.

Subject of the application: Turkish Citizenship Applications

Request a Consultation on Citizenship Request an Appointment

First response: within 48 hours at the latest. This period is not the time in which the legal review will be completed or the matter concluded.

Sending an application does not mean that an attorney–client relationship has been established or that the file and its time limits are being followed. The consultation fee is communicated in advance.

Turkish Citizenship Applications