Turkish Citizenship by Real Estate Investment: Property Requirements and Acquisition Conditions

Acquiring Turkish citizenship through real estate is one of the exceptional routes open to foreigners under Article 12(1)(b) of the Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901 and Article 20 of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law. In practice, the decisive documents are Circular No. 2024/4 of the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre (TKGM) and its accompanying Implementation Guide (09.12.2024). The Circular has been amended in line with the Ministerial Approvals dated 18.09.2026 and 28.09.2026. This article summarizes the characteristics a property must have for citizenship purposes and the main acquisition conditions.

In applications based on real estate, the determination of the General Directorate is decisive, and a "Real Estate Investment Determination Certificate" (TYTB) is issued on that basis. Whether citizenship is actually granted depends on the assessment and decision of the competent authority, based on that certificate.

Under the Guide, a property purchased for citizenship purposes on or after 12.12.2023 must have one of the following characteristics:

• Independent unit with condominium ownership (kat mülkiyeti): A property registered in the land registry as an independent unit under Condominium Law No. 634 (residence, business premises, office).
• Independent unit with condominium easement (kat irtifakı): One of the characteristics listed in Article 20(2)(b) of the Regulation. For applications based on promise-of-sale agreements, only properties with condominium ownership or condominium easement qualify.
• Land-title property (arsa vasıflı): The property must be registered with land status, and a permanent structure that complies with legislation and holds an occupancy permit must be confirmed on it.

Properties outside the scope:

• Properties without buildings that are subject to the two-year project development obligation under Article 35(4) of Land Registry Law No. 2644, as well as agricultural land, cannot be acquired for citizenship purposes.
• Timeshare rights (devre mülk) cannot be used for citizenship.
• Applications based on notarized promise-of-sale agreements are valid only for properties with condominium ownership or condominium easement.

The Regulation covers the personal property acquisitions of foreign individuals.

• Personal acquisition: Acquisitions made in the name of a spouse, child or other persons are not counted toward the required value. Acquisitions made in the name of a company of which the applicant is a manager or partner are likewise not taken into account.
• Shared (fractional) ownership: According to the Guide, an application for citizenship cannot be made on the basis of a share in a property. For example, a property acquired by several foreigners so that co-ownership arises cannot be used for citizenship. The frequently asked questions on TKGM's official web pages state that properties acquired as shares after 01.02.2023 cannot be used for citizenship, and that for acquisitions before that date an application is possible if the value of the share meets the amount required at the date of acquisition. The practice for this transitional situation should be confirmed separately in each individual case.
• Acquisition of the whole of a co-owned property: If a foreigner acquires the entirety of a property registered in the names of several persons, the property can be used for citizenship.

Under Article 20(2)(b) of the Regulation, the required amount is at least USD 400,000 or its equivalent in foreign currency. This amount was raised from USD 250,000 to USD 400,000 by Presidential Decision No. 5554, published in Official Gazette No. 31834 dated 13.05.2022. The Guide gives 13.06.2022 as the date on which this amendment entered into force. TKGM's Circular and Guide require the following amounts, depending on the date of acquisition:

• Property purchased between 12.01.2017 and 18.09.2018: USD 1,000,000
• Property purchased / to be purchased after 19.09.2018: USD 400,000
• Promise-of-sale agreement made / to be made after 07.12.2018: USD 400,000

Properties purchased before 12.01.2017, and properties that were the subject of a promise-of-sale agreement before 07.12.2018, are not taken into account for citizenship.

Practical points to keep in mind:

• Foreign currency requirement: With the amendment of 06.01.2022, the words "or its equivalent in Turkish Lira" were removed from the Regulation, and the foreign currency amount of the property price must now be sold to a bank for sale to the Central Bank. The Foreign Currency Purchase Certificate (DAB) issued by the bank is sent to the relevant Land Registry Office via KEP (registered electronic mail). The sale amount on the DAB must not include VAT, commission, expenses, taxes, fees or similar items.
• Each value must satisfy the requirement separately: The sale price declared in the official deed (or the price set in the promise-of-sale agreement) and the total of the payments/transfers must each satisfy the required amount, and these values must be confirmed by the Amount Determination Certificate (TTB). A certified bank receipt showing that the price was paid to the seller or the relevant person must also be submitted to the Land Registry Office.
• Acquisition through a promise-of-sale agreement: Where the sale is promised in a notarized agreement, at least USD 400,000 or its equivalent must be paid in advance, that amount must have been paid no later than the date of the agreement, and an undertaking that the agreement will not be assigned or deleted for three years must be annotated in the land registry. The required amount must be met by a single agreement; several properties may be covered by one agreement, but applications based on more than one promise-of-sale agreement are not taken into account. The unit subject to the promise must be registered in the name of the promisor at the time the undertaking is requested; no undertaking is given for more than one promise-of-sale agreement on the same unit.
• Multiple properties: There is no limit on the number of properties acquired by purchase; what matters is that the amount stated in the Regulation is met. If the minimum is met with several properties, the amounts shown in the TTBs are added together and confirmed.
• Sale and promise of sale cannot be combined: If properties acquired in line with the Guide do not reach the required amount, the shortfall cannot be completed through a promise-of-sale agreement.

To prevent sham transactions, the Guide requires the following:

1. The property must not be registered in the land registry in the name of foreign persons and/or first-degree relatives of the foreign buyer who are Turkish citizens (by blood or by marriage).
2. A second-hand property must not have been transferred to a Turkish citizen or company by the foreign buyer personally or by his or her first-degree relatives.
3. A second-hand property must not have been transferred to a Turkish citizen or company within the last three years by any foreign individual or by a person who acquired citizenship under Article 12(1)(b) of Law No. 5901. Acquisitions arising from construction (work) contracts are outside this condition.
4. The property must not be registered in the land registry in the name of persons who obtained Turkish citizenship by the exceptional route (Article 12(1)(b)).
5. The property must not be registered in the name of a company of which the buyer or the buyer's first-degree relatives are partners or managers.
6. Purchases from a company's portfolio: For purchases from companies with foreign or international capital within the scope of Article 36 of the Land Registry Law, the condominium easement/ownership must have been established in the name of the owner company, the unit must not have been the subject of a previous transfer, and it must be documented, by the construction permit or a service agreement, that the owner company made the entire construction investment. Separate provisions of the Guide apply to units registered in the name of a contractor under a work contract.
7. Single use: A property can be used for citizenship only once. Where a TYTB has been issued for a property, that property cannot be used for a TYTB for another foreigner.
8. If the property is made the subject of a promise of sale during the undertaking period, or is transferred after the period to the previous owner or the previous owner's first-degree relatives, the TYTB is cancelled.

Persons who left Turkish citizenship with permission (blue card holders), citizens of the TRNC, and Turkish citizens with multiple citizenship (except those who acquired citizenship under Article 12(1)(b)) are not treated as foreigners under this scope.

• Encumbrances that may lead to a change of ownership: If there is an encumbrance on the property that may cause a change of ownership (promise of sale, 150-c, "subject to a lawsuit", annotation, etc.), the property cannot be used for citizenship. In case of doubt, the matter is referred to TKGM's Foreign Affairs Department (Yabancı İşler Dairesi Başkanlığı).
• Statutory mortgage: Foreign individuals cannot secure their payment obligations (other than debts imposed by public bodies) through a statutory mortgage, so properties with a statutory mortgage cannot be used for citizenship. Statutory mortgages arising from an earlier acquisition are treated the same way.
• Bank loans: If the property is bought with a foreign currency loan, the amount remaining after the loan is deducted from the sale price must itself meet the amount required by the Regulation. If the mortgage debt is paid and the mortgage deleted, the amount shown in the DAB must meet the required amount.
• Mortgaged or attached properties: Such properties can be sold or made the subject of a promise of sale, but these amounts are not counted in the TYTB calculations. If the property is lost through forced sale, the TYTB is reported to the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs for cancellation.

In transactions involving the acquisition of citizenship, the investment amount is confirmed by the Amount Determination Certificate for Citizenship by Real Estate Acquisition (TTB). In other transactions involving foreigners that do not involve citizenship, no valuation report is required.

• How to apply: The valuation report on which the TTB is based is requested through the WebTapu/TADEBİS system, under the menu for valuation reports for citizenship purposes. The TTB must be sent through the designated system; a physically submitted TTB is not processed.
• Valuation company: Under the current wording of the Circular, the TTB is derived from a property valuation report prepared by any valuation company authorized by the Capital Markets Board. Before the TTB system, these reports were prepared by GEDAŞ under a protocol.
• Validity period: The difference between the TTB and the date of the application for the transaction involving citizenship must not exceed twelve months; for a TTB older than twelve months, the underlying valuation report is renewed.
• Result of the TTB: The "Evaluation of the Amount for Citizenship" section of the TTB states whether the property meets the minimum investment amount required under the Regulation and gives the investment amount (USD). If the minimum is met by several properties, the amounts in the TTBs are added. If the USD value in the TTB is higher than the DAB amount submitted for that property, only the portion up to the DAB amount is taken into account. The certificate also contains details of the valuation company, the expert who prepared the report, the auditor and the responsible valuation expert, and the last validity date of the report. In case of doubt about the evaluation, the opinion of TKGM's Foreign Affairs Department is binding.
• Content of the TTB: Land registry offices do not evaluate the content of the TTB. The amount stated in the TTB is not binding for land registry fee purposes.
• Conversion of a promise of sale into a sale: When, after the promise of sale has been annotated, the promisee registers the property in his or her name by purchase, no new TTB is required.
• Real estate investment trusts (GYO): Transactions of public bodies, state economic enterprises and their affiliates, and transactions of real estate investment trusts are not confirmed by a TTB. However, for sales or promise-of-sale transactions made by trusts to foreigners for citizenship purposes, a valuation report issued before the land registry transaction in line with the applicable legislation, published on the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP) and covering the value of the unit must be submitted, or a new valuation report for the TTB must be requested through WebTapu/TADEBİS.

An annotation is entered in the land register that the property acquired for citizenship purposes will not be sold for three years. In promise-of-sale agreements, an undertaking annotation is entered that the agreement will not be assigned or deleted for three years (Regulation Art. 20(2)(b)). The undertaking entered in the declarations section is deleted at the owner's request once the three years have expired. For persons who obtained citizenship through a promise-of-sale annotation, the declaration is not deleted until a sale has been carried out in their name.

Under Article 31 of Law No. 5901, if the decision to grant Turkish citizenship was made as a result of the person's false statement or concealment of important matters on which the acquisition of citizenship was based, it is cancelled by the authority that issued the decision. The cancellation takes effect from the date of the decision and, depending on the person concerned, also applies to the spouse and children who acquired citizenship (Art. 32). Under the Guide, if a violation of the relevant legislation is found before or after the acquisition of the property, the undertaking is deleted ex officio and the TYTB is cancelled.

Choosing a suitable property for citizenship is not just a matter of the price being USD 400,000 or more. The title characteristics of the property, its ownership structure and history, the payment and foreign currency documents and the valuation process must be assessed together and in line with current legislation. For this reason, it is advisable to have the conditions checked separately before signing a purchase or promise-of-sale agreement.

Sources: Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901 (Arts. 12, 31, 32); Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law (Art. 20); TKGM Circular No. 2024/4 (as amended by the Ministerial Approvals of 18.09.2026 and 28.09.2026) and its accompanying Implementation Guide (09.12.2024); sample Amount Determination Certificate for Citizenship by Real Estate Acquisition (Circular Annex 2).

This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Legislation and practice change frequently, so the current rules and the specific facts of your case should be reviewed before any transaction.