Turkish citizenship by real estate investment

Turkey grants citizenship to foreigners who buy property above a set value and keep it for at least three years. The rules are precise, and small details decide whether a file moves smoothly: how the money was paid, what the valuation says and what is registered on the title deed. This guide covers the conditions, the order of the steps and the documents, as of October 2026. The rules have changed several times since the programme began, so check the current position before you buy.

The main conditions

• Minimum value: USD 400,000, in one property or several. This threshold has applied since June 2022. It was USD 250,000 from 2018, and USD 1 million when the programme launched in 2017.
• Licensed valuation: a valuation report from a government-licensed (SPK) appraisal company must support the value.
• Bank payment: the price must be paid through the Turkish banking system, with the foreign-exchange conversion documented by a foreign-exchange receipt (döviz alım belgesi). Cash purchases are not accepted for citizenship.
• 3-year commitment: a commitment not to sell the property for three years is annotated on the title deed.
• Clean title: the property must be free of mortgages and liens.
• First use only: a property that has already been used for a citizenship application cannot be used again.

Your spouse and children under 18 are included in the same application.

Buying a qualifying property does not by itself guarantee citizenship. The file is assessed by the Turkish authorities, and the final decision rests with them.

How the USD 400,000 can be made up

You can reach the threshold with a single property or with several. Properties bought with a title deed can be combined, for example two apartments in the same complex or homes in different cities. If you combine properties, check each title deed on its own: every property must be free of mortgages and liens, and none may have been used for an earlier citizenship application.

Off-plan purchases follow a stricter rule. When you buy before completion through a notarised pre-sale contract, the whole USD 400,000 must be in a single contract. This rule has applied since 2023, so several smaller pre-sale contracts do not add up to a qualifying investment.

Many properties in Istanbul reach the threshold on their own; see our Istanbul area guide. In cities with lower prices, such as Trabzon, reaching the threshold may mean combining more than one property.

Payment rules: bank transfer and the foreign-exchange receipt

The payment trail matters as much as the property. Send the money through the banking system, convert the foreign currency at a Turkish bank and keep the foreign-exchange receipt it issues. Do not pay any part of the price in cash, and do not let the payment records show a different amount from the contract. If you pay in instalments, keep the bank record of each payment so that every transfer can be matched to the contract. Payments routed through other people's accounts make the trail harder to follow.

Check that the price in the contract, the amount paid through the bank and the valuation report are consistent. Inconsistencies between them can lead to questions and delays during the application.

The application, step by step

1. Choose the property and check eligibility. Confirm on the title deed that there is no mortgage or lien and that the property has not been used for a citizenship application before.
2. Order the valuation report from an SPK-licensed appraisal company and confirm that it supports the value.
3. Pay through a Turkish bank and obtain the foreign-exchange receipt.
4. Transfer the title deed at the land registry, where the 3-year no-sale commitment is annotated. Off-plan buyers sign a single notarised pre-sale contract instead.
5. Get the conformity certificate (uygunluk belgesi) from the land registry. It confirms that the investment meets the citizenship conditions.
6. Apply for a residence permit on the basis of the investment.
7. Submit the citizenship file, which includes the documents for your spouse and children under 18.
8. Receive the decision and the passport. From application to passport usually takes about 3–6 months, depending on how complete your documents are and on the authorities' workload.

Documents to prepare

• Valid passports for the applicant, spouse and children.
• Birth and marriage certificates, translated and apostilled or certified by the consulate as needed.
• Recent biometric photographs.
• The title deed with the 3-year annotation, or the notarised pre-sale contract.
• The SPK-licensed valuation report.
• Bank transfer records and the foreign-exchange receipt.
• The conformity certificate from the land registry.
• Turkish tax number.

Prepare the family documents early. Apostilles and translations from your home country can take longer than the steps in Turkey. Check that names are spelled the same way on every document: a different transliteration between the passport, the title deed and a translation can hold up the file.

Common reasons for delays

• Payment that cannot be traced: cash, or transfers that do not match the contract.
• A valuation that does not support the value, which leaves the investment short of the threshold.
• Several pre-sale contracts used for an off-plan purchase instead of one.
• A mortgage or lien still registered on the title deed at the time of transfer.
• A property already used for an earlier citizenship application.
• Incomplete family documents, especially missing translations or apostilles.

Our costs and taxes guide explains the fees you will pay on top of the purchase price.

How Buruj helps

Since 2009, Buruj Real Estate has handled more than 4,500 property purchases and sales from its offices in Trabzon and Istanbul. For citizenship buyers, we arrange viewings in person or by video call, check the title deed for liens and earlier citizenship use, book the sworn translator and the land registry appointment, and help you get a tax number and open the bank account that documents your payment. After the transfer, we connect the utilities and stay available. Contact us to discuss your plan.