To be able to obtain Turkish citizenship quickly, without waiting 5 years, and also without living in the country, you must make a purchase of real estate in the amount of at least 250,000 US dollars. If the purchase is made in lira, then it must be equivalent to the above amount at the current dollar rate at the time of purchase. These terms and conditions apply to purchases made after September 2019. The law has no retroactive effect.
The main conditions for the transaction:
- The calculation is made by transfer to the seller's bank account indicating the data of the object of purchase and for which the purchase is made (to obtain citizenship);
- Obtaining the opinion of the cadastral expert on the value of the object;
It should be noted here that the currency of the Republic of Turkey is the Turkish lira, calculations, taxes, official opinions and other payments are indicated in local currency.
- It is advisable (until now the deadline for the delivery of documents after the purchase is not stipulated by the law, however, everything may change) to apply for citizenship within a period of no more than 3 months after the purchase;
- In accordance with the list (we provide clients with this list), provide your personal documents, apostilled in the country of your main citizenship;
Some countries require you to renounce your primary citizenship if you intend to obtain a second citizenship. We also fully advise on these issues.
- The purchased property will be banned from alienation for 3 years. This means that you cannot sell, donate the object of purchase, however, you can own and use it, somehow: live, lease, bequeath.
- The next of kin can obtain citizenship on the basis of a purchase by one family member: spouse (official marriage), minor children.
- The waiting period for a Turkish passport takes from 6 months. Be sure to take into account that if you are informed that citizenship will be issued in 2 months or in a similarly short time, then this is rather an exception than a rule. Your agent, who will be in charge of obtaining your citizenship, is not a government agency and cannot influence the speed of decision making.
Prior to the amendment to the Presidential Decree published in the Official Gazette on December 7, 2018, foreigners could only purchase real estate that had been transferred and completed construction. As amended, foreigners can apply for Turkish citizenship by purchasing in ongoing projects, provided they meet the following conditions:
A minimum of US $ 250,000 (USD) or their equivalent in foreign currency or Turkish Lira (TL) must be paid in advance.
In respect of immovable property, a notarized promise to sell the contract must be signed, and this contract must be entered in the land registry with a note that the title deed cannot be left or transferred to a third party for 3 (three) years.
Upon completion of the construction easement, the contractor shall submit to the relevant municipality an application for a compliance audit of the project. The relevant departments in the municipality inspect the construction and check its compliance with the approved project. As a result of the completion of the inspection, if the construction is completed according to the design, the municipality issues a “Building Permit” or “Settlement” with its well-known name.
When buying real estate in a construction site to obtain citizenship, it has its own risks. Therefore, be sure to heed our advice on choosing a developer. Upon receipt of the title deeds with the construction easement, the construction may be completed by the contractor in violation of the project approved by the relevant municipality. In such a case, a building that was built in violation of the approved design may be demolished by the municipality or the governor by the decision of the municipal or provincial administrative council, or it may induce other rights holders to decide to demolish the building. home for various reasons.
What budget to include in the costs of all procedures:
- The cost of the object. It is extremely rare that the market value corresponds to 1: 1 to the cadastral value of the object. Therefore, in order to raise $ 250,000, as a rule, you will have to pay higher amounts.
- When making a purchase, there is an obligation to pay 4% transaction tax and state duty. Let's say you buy a villa worth $ 300,000 and its cadastral price is $ 250,000, this purchase is suitable for you to apply for citizenship. Today, the amount in lira equivalent of dollars is 2,086,000 lira. 4% of this amount will be 83,440 lira (or more than $ 10,000). Plus the state duty, about 2-3 thousand lire. These figures are given for an example of calculation, the exchange rate fluctuates, and we ask you to take them into account only as an example of calculations.
- Services for registration of citizenship are paid. In some agencies, they amount to more than 5-10 thousand dollars
