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Turkish Citizenship
Turkish citizenship is popularly demanded as the country is quickly progressing to become a superpower within Europe in terms of both energy production and real estate. This has caught the attention of investors who seek various opportunities to make lucrative profits as well as to gain Turkish citizenship.
The investors looking for citizenship could also let their spouse and children apply for Turkish citizenship, but before we learn about those conditions, take a look at the following ways one could get a Turkish passport.
Obtaining Turkish Citizenship
Gaining Turkish citizenship requires the following scenarios to be true, which are also among the most common methods used by foreigners to obtain Turkish passports.
Turkish Citizenship By Marriage
An investor or an applicant who has married a Turkish passport holder could obtain Turkish citizenship after they complete three years of marriage with their spouse. If the applicant has kids, they may be able to apply for their citizenship too, as long as the prohibiting conditions aren’t true for them. The process and duration of obtaining their citizenship may vary based on several factors.
Turkish Citizenship By Capital Investment
Most ex-pats and investors prefer to make a capital investment of various kinds to obtain both profits on their investment and to obtain Turkish citizenship. Among the most different types of methods by which one could qualify, factually, a capital investment worth a minimum of $500,000 or equivalent in foreign currency or Turkish lira is required on the condition that the respective investment couldn’t be withdrawn within three years of purchase.
These capital investments must also be proven to be true by the respective Turkish authorities who are delegated to handle the administration of the respective assets and capital body. Some capital investments in Turkey such as; real estate require a lower minimum limit of purchase which amounts to a minimum of $250,000 or equivalent in foreign currency or Turkish lira for the investor to be able to apply for Turkish citizenship.
Based on these investments, the applicant’s spouse and children can apply for citizenship provided that they qualify according to the legal norms stated by Turkish law.
Turkish Citizenship By Residency
A person of a foreign nationality who has been residing in Turkey could also obtain Turkish citizenship after completing at least five years of residence. He or she must also be an owner of a house in Turkey, without which his application for Turkish citizenship will be simply denied. The respective owner could apply for the citizenship of their kids and spouse too at the same time when they apply for their own.
Mandatory Conditions for Turkish Citizenship
The following are some basic but important conditions that need to be met whether a child or a spouse or the investor himself or herself is applying for a Turkish passport:
- The applicant must have no pending criminal inquiry, as well as have no criminal record. The presence of either will prohibit a person from obtaining citizenship, no matter whether they’re a minor or an adult,
- A person must be healthy and should possess and present valid proof of their sound health that is approved by the embassy during the submission of their application. Throughout the process, the person should also avoid contracting any infectious diseases,
- The person who is applying for citizenship is, if a foreigner, he or she must be under the maximum age or their age should meet the respective criteria of age when applying for a Turkish passport.
- All the applicants regardless of their current nationalities should learn and be able to speak or understand Turkish, because, during the citizenship interview, the language used by the interviewer will inevitably be Turkish.
Conditions Prohibiting Turkish Citizenship For Investors and Their Spouse & Children
Children who are under the age of 18 years, as well as the spouse of the investor, are allowed to submit the citizenship application at the same time when the investor applies for their citizenship in Turkey if all the legalities are properly addressed.
Certain conditions and reasons or restrictions may make it difficult for your application for citizenship to get approved and a few of those are mentioned as follows:
- If the applicant’s son or daughter is below the age of 18, their children may easily be eligible for citizenship. But, since age is also taken into consideration while starting the application, if the children were to exceed the age of 18 years during the process, they may not get citizenship.
- A child of foreign origins, who is financially dependent on their parents despite crossing the age of 18 years is still not eligible for obtaining citizenship in Turkey on basis of their parent’s citizenship application.
- If the title deed of the property purchased in Turkey has two names or is shared between two entities, then neither entity could apply for Turkish citizenship, as their applications will be simply declined.
- The investor of foreign origin could not apply for their parent’s citizenship in Turkey despite purchasing property or making capital investments in Turkey. Only the spouse and the kids may be eligible to apply.
- It is not required to renounce your current citizenship with any of the respective countries while you apply for Turkish citizenship as double citizenship is allowed in Turkey.
- You cannot be viewed as an eligible applicant if your property purchase transaction is paid in installments, even though it exceeds the sum of $250,000 or equivalent in Turkish lira, or other currencies.
Obtaining citizenship in Turkey is easy if you are eligible and meet all the requirements apart from also following the correct legal procedure that adheres to Turkish laws. Obtaining Turkish citizenship may further involve more conditions that prohibit a person from owning a Turkish passport, and you may read all about it on the website of the Turkish embassy.
During this entire process, make sure to seek legal aid from a law firm in Turkey.
