Turkish Citizenship by Investment in 2026: The Complete Guide

When families ask me about Turkey, the first thing I explain is that this is not a fund contribution. In most cases you buy a real asset, keep it for three years and then decide what to do with it. That changes how you choose the property, how you pay for it and how you plan the exit. Here is how the route works, based on the law, the implementing regulation and what BRIDGES publishes from its practice.

What the law says

Turkish citizenship for investors is an exceptional route under Article 12 of the Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901. Point (b) of its first paragraph, added in July 2016, covers foreigners who hold a residence permit issued under Article 31(1)(j) of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection No. 6458 because they invested in the scope and amount set by the President, and holders of the Turquoise Card. Their foreign spouse and their own and their spouse’s minor or dependent foreign children are covered too.

Two sentences in the law are worth reading before anything else:

• Citizenship is granted by decision of the President, provided there is no obstacle in terms of national security and public order.
• Article 10 says that meeting the conditions does not give an absolute right to citizenship.

In plain terms: the investment opens the door, but the state still checks the person.

The seven investment routes

Article 20 of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law lists the routes. Each is confirmed by a different state body.

Route	Minimum	Condition	Confirmed by
Real estate	$400,000	No-sale annotation on the title for at least 3 years	Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change
Bank deposit	$500,000	Kept in a bank in Türkiye for at least 3 years	Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency
Government debt instruments	$500,000	Held for at least 3 years	Ministry of Treasury and Finance
Real estate or venture capital fund shares	$500,000	Held for at least 3 years	Capital Markets Board
Private pension system	$500,000	Stays in the system for 3 years	Insurance and Private Pension Regulation and Supervision Agency
Fixed capital investment	$500,000	Investment in fixed assets	Ministry of Industry and Technology
Employment	50 jobs	Employment created for at least 50 people	Ministry of Labour and Social Security

Amounts can also be made in an equivalent foreign currency. The value is set at the effective selling rate of the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye on the date of determination.

Why most private clients look at real estate

BRIDGES points out the obvious attraction: after three years the annotation is lifted, the property can be sold and the citizenship is not reviewed again. The deposit route has lower sunk costs, but it locks up $100,000 more, and BRIDGES notes that the interest accrues in lira and carries currency risk. The job creation route is rarely used by private families. I go through the property rules in detail in my guide to real estate and valuation.

Who can apply and who joins

The main applicant is an adult foreigner. BRIDGES adds two practical filters: the applicant must not already be a Turkish citizen or a Blue Card holder, and the source of the invested money has to be documented.

The spouse and children under 18 join the same application and do not need a separate investment. Parents and adult children cannot be added; each of them would need a separate application and their own investment. The details are in my guide for families.

BRIDGES also reports that Türkiye has not closed the programme to any nationality. Citizens of Russia, Belarus, Iran and China apply on general terms.

How the process runs

In short, the order is: a preliminary check of the family and the money, the investment itself, a certificate that the investment meets the requirements, an investor residence permit for the family, and then the citizenship application. You do not have to live in Türkiye, but the residence permit is a required step before filing. The full sequence is in my step-by-step process guide, and the papers are in the documents checklist.

How long it takes

Article 12 does not set a deadline for the President’s decision. From its practice, BRIDGES gives six to twelve months to the passport, with the purchase and the investment certificate taking a few weeks of that. I always present this as a range. The decision belongs to the state.

What changed recently

These dates come from the timeline BRIDGES keeps on its programme page:

• 13 June 2022. The real estate threshold rose from $250,000 to $400,000. The other routes stayed at $500,000.
• 1 February 2024. Land Registry guidance: an appraisal report is valid for three months, a second-hand property must not have passed from a foreign owner to a Turkish one in the last three years, and a property can be used for citizenship only once.
• 15 July 2025. The European Commission introduced a visa cascade for Turkish citizens. It brings longer Schengen visas, not visa-free travel.
• 28 September 2026. New valuation rules: any valuation firm licensed by the Capital Markets Board can prepare the report, not only GEDAŞ; the amount confirmation document is valid for 12 months instead of 6; and purchases from real estate investment trusts need a valuation report. The $400,000 threshold did not change.

What the passport gives and what it does not

A Turkish passport gives visa-free entry to a number of countries, including Japan for 90 days, and BRIDGES highlights that Türkiye is on the list of countries with an E-2 investor treaty with the United States. It does not give visa-free travel to the Schengen area. Dual citizenship is possible. I cover all of this, plus the residence permit as an alternative, in the passport guide.

Who this route suits, and who it does not

It suits families who want to keep their money in an asset, need a passport for the whole core family and are comfortable with a three-year holding period. It is a weaker fit if:

• free travel in Europe is the immediate priority (BRIDGES itself suggests a Caribbean programme in that case);
• you need to include adult children or parents in one file;
• you cannot document where the money came from.

One more point I raise with every family that has sons: Turkish male citizens are liable for military service. BRIDGES notes that people who become citizens as adults and live abroad can use deferral and paid exemption, but the position of minor sons should be discussed before you start.

If you want to compare these points with the full programme page, BRIDGES keeps one on Türkiye citizenship by investment. Last checked 18 October 2026.