KÜHEYLAN HUKUK
Turkish Citizenship through Real Estate Purchase: Conditions and Process of 400,000 Dollar Investment It was prepared based on TVK No. 5901 Art. 12, Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law Art. 20, Land Registry Law No. 2644 Art. 35, the legislation in force as of 2026 and official sources dated October 2026.
Purchasing real estate alone does not create citizenship rights. If a foreigner acquires a real estate in the amount and quality stipulated in the legislation, provided that the title deed is not sold for three years, he can acquire Turkish citizenship by the decision of the President. The current threshold is $400,000. The critical point in the application is that the investment is not only in terms of price; The nature of the real estate, the sale of foreign currency to the bank, and the completion of every step required in terms of valuation and annotation.
Can I Become a Turkish Citizen by Buying Real Estate?
Yes, but this method is regulated as "exceptional acquisition" in the Turkish Citizenship Law. While five years of uninterrupted residence is required before application in the general route (TVK article 11), this period is not required for citizenship by investment. The decision is made by the President upon the file prepared by the Ministry.
The text of the law clearly states that the requests of those who pose an obstacle in terms of national security and public order will be rejected by the Ministry (TVK article 12/2). In other words, fulfilling the investment requirement does not provide an absolute right. The security and criminal record aspects of the file are also evaluated.
What Legal Regulations Apply?
TVK no. 5901 article 12 Gaining exceptional citizenship, Presidential decision, security obstacle Legal basis of the road
TVK Implementation Regulation article 20 Investment types, amounts, documents, exchange rate basis Original text with thresholds and conditions
Article 35 of the Land Registry Law No. 2644 Real estate acquisition by foreign real persons, area borders, military forbidden zones Condition for acquiring real estate
LFIP no. 6458 article 31/1-j Short-term residence permit for investors Residence permit size
What Does the $400,000 Threshold Include?
The investment required in accordance with subparagraph (b) of the second paragraph of Article 20 of the Regulation is at least 400,000 US Dollars or equivalent foreign currency; It is the purchase of a real estate that is qualified as a land with a condominium or floor easement established or a building on it. The real estate is acquired by adding an annotation to the title deed that it cannot be sold for three years.
This amount was previously $250,000; It was increased to $400,000 by the Presidential Decree dated May 13, 2022. Decision No. 7938 dated December 12, 2023 narrowed the nature of the real estate. Thus, only immovable properties with which condominium ownership or floor easement has been established, or immovable properties that qualify as land with a building on them, are included in the scope.
Can more than one real estate be collected?
The text of the regulation uses the expression "immovable property" and does not contain detailed provisions on collection. Whether the value of more than one property will be evaluated together is a matter subject to the determination of the Ministry and must be confirmed in advance in each file. In such a setup, the file becomes complicated as the annotation and valuation procedures for each property will be carried out separately.
Is it possible to purchase with a sales promise?
Yes. If the sale of the immovable property on which a condominium or floor easement has been established is promised with a notarized contract and at least $400,000 is deposited in advance, a commitment that no transfer or cancellation will be made for three years is annotated in the land registry. This option is especially used in cases of project purchasing.
Is it mandatory to sell foreign currency to the bank?
According to the tenth paragraph of Article 20 of the Regulation, the foreign currency to be used in real estate investment is sold to a bank operating in Türkiye before the transaction, and the bank is sold to the Central Bank. In determining the monetary amounts, the effective selling rate of the Central Bank and/or the cross exchange rate on the date of determination is taken as basis (paragraph 6).
The most common mistake in practice is to make the payment directly to the seller in foreign currency. In this case, it becomes difficult to prove that the investment was made in the manner required by the law.
The land registry, restrictions, zoning status and settlement status are examined. It is checked at the title deed whether the real estate is within the borders of a military restricted zone, military security zone or strategic zone; Foreign acquisition is not possible in these places (Article 35 of the Land Registry Law).
The sale of foreign currency to the bank is documented with the foreign exchange purchase document and payment records issued by the bank.
Before the sale process, a valuation report prepared by a licensed organization showing the value of the real estate is provided. The value in the report must confirm each other with the sales price in the title deed and the foreign exchange purchase document.
The sale is made at the land registry office; An annotation of not to be sold for three years is placed on the record.
The institution that determines the compliance of the investment with the conditions is the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change in terms of real estate. The institution that makes the determination determines the determination procedures and principles (Regulation Art. 20/9). Citizenship application is made with the prepared document.
The file is prepared by the application authorities upon the instruction of the Ministry in accordance with the Regulation article 20/3: form petition, passport, civil status certificate, civil registry copy, service fee receipt and other relevant documents. The completed file is sent to the Ministry for decision.
Do Spouses and Children Also Acquire Citizenship?
Within the scope of TVK Article 12/1-b, it is possible for the foreign spouse, the investor and his/her spouse's minor or dependent foreign children to acquire citizenship. The civil registration records of marriage and children must be presented with official documents. If there is a divorce file, new marriage or custody issue, this aspect of the file should be examined before application.
Is it possible to sell the property within three years?
Due to annotation, sales cannot be made in the title deed. The Regulation only allows transition between investment types in order to complete the period (Art. 20/8). This provision does not mean that the immovable property annotation can be removed; In each case, the circumstances and method by which transition can be made should be evaluated separately.
What Limits Are There When Acquiring Foreign Real Estate?
Foreigners who can acquire real estate are real persons who are citizens of countries determined by the President. The total area of real estate acquired by foreign real persons cannot exceed ten percent of the privately owned district's surface area and cannot exceed thirty hectares per person throughout the country. If unstructured real estate is purchased, the project must be submitted to the relevant ministry for approval within two years; Otherwise, the liquidation process may begin. Acquisition cannot be made in military restricted zones, military security zones and strategic regions.
What to do if the application is rejected?
The Ministry's rejection is an administrative procedure. In accordance with Article 7 of the Administrative Procedure Law, the period for filing a lawsuit is sixty days from the day following the written notification. If an application is made to the higher authority (İYUK article 11) within this period, the period stops; If no response is given within thirty days, the request is deemed rejected and the process begins again with the remaining part of the period. According to IYUK Article 32, the competent court is the administrative court where the administrative authority carrying out the action is located.
The determination of the reason for rejection, the security record in the file, and the nature of the investment determines the litigation strategy.
Real estate nature Immovable property qualified as land on which condominium ownership or floor easement has been established or with a building on it
Exchange rate basis Central Bank effective sales and/or cross exchange rate on the date of determination
foreign exchange transaction Sale to the bank, from the bank to the Central Bank; before the procedure
decision making authority Presidential decision; The file is prepared through the Ministry
Event Summary Form: Fictional example: An investor residing abroad buys a flat from a project under construction in Istanbul for 420,000 dollars. He makes the payment directly to the construction company in foreign currency, signs a promise of sale contract at the notary, but does not have a commitment annotated in the title deed stating that no transfer or cancellation will be made. Process: During the determination phase of the Ministry, it is understood that the payment was not made in foreign currency sold to the bank and there is no annotation. A certificate of conformity is not issued. The investor is forced to reconstruct both the contract and the payment chain to complete the deficiencies. Result: Application is delayed for months. If the transaction had been carried out with legal advice from the beginning, this delay could have been prevented by determining the payment plan and annotation process in advance.
If I buy the real estate in my spouse's name, will I have citizenship rights?
The citizenship decision is made for the person making the investment; Spouse and children are considered dependent on the investor within the scope of the law. In whose name the real estate will be acquired, which party will be the applicant and the property regime must be determined before the file is established.
Can the threshold amount be paid in Turkish lira?
The regulation determines the amount in US Dollars or equivalent foreign currency and requires the foreign currency to be sold to the bank before the transaction. At the beginning of the process, the banking transaction must be structured correctly.
Can real estate be sold after the citizenship decision is issued?
Due to the annotation in the title deed, the sale cannot be made in the title deed before the three-year period expires. In addition, if the citizenship decision was made as a result of false declaration or concealment of important issues, it can be canceled in accordance with Article 31 of the TVK; Therefore, it is essential that the investment is real and documented.
Can a foreign national acquire real estate from any country?
No. Pursuant to Article 35 of the Land Registry Law, acquisition is possible for citizens of countries determined by the President. Current status regarding nationality must be verified before the title deed process.
How long does the process take?
The duration varies depending on the speed of the Ministry's determination and file review. There is no specific period for this in the legislation; For this reason, it is important not to rely on exact dates when planning the calendar.
Foreign currency is paid directly to the seller without being sold to the bank and therefore the investment cannot be documented. Failure to check whether the nature of the real estate is within the scope of condominium ownership, floor easement or land with a building on it. Failure to annotate the promise of advance payment and prohibition of transfer in the sales contract. Overlooking Land Registry Law restrictions such as the military restricted zone, the district ten percent limit or the thirty hectare limit. Missing the sixty-day lawsuit period against the rejection decision.
Turkish citizenship through real estate is a predictable legal path when constructed correctly; However, they are the links of a chain, each stage of which is determined separately in the legislation. The nature of the real estate, foreign exchange flow, valuation, title deed annotation and Ministry determination must complement each other. Küheylan Law Firm carries out the legal review of foreigners and citizenship law files before the investment is made, the establishment of the document series and, when necessary, the administrative judicial process against rejection proceedings.
Important Legal Notice: The legal explanations contained in this guide have been prepared by Küheylan Law Firm for general information purposes and do not constitute legal advice. The unique conditions of each file may change the outcome. In order not to miss the application, objection and lawsuit deadlines, it is recommended to get legal support from a lawyer before the process begins. © 2026 Küheylan Law Firm. All rights reserved.
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