Buying a property and obtaining citizenship while you are outside Turkey

After the last amendment issued by the Turkish government in 2018 to the naturalization decision, it became easier to obtain Turkish citizenship in several ways, including real estate ownership, as the Turkish government reduced the minimum investment required by purchasing a property with the aim of obtaining Turkish citizenship to $250,000 per year. At least in exchange for one million dollars, provided that it is not sold or transferred for a period of three years. It also included real estate under construction (incomplete) so that it would be possible to submit an application for naturalization based on its purchase.

But there are some people who cannot travel to Turkey, either for personal reasons or for other reasons. Can a person buy a property and apply for citizenship while outside Turkey? And how is that going?

Turkish law does not require a person wishing to buy a property and apply for Turkish citizenship to be in Turkey, as a person can buy any property while abroad, but first he must choose the right property and a real estate agent with a degree of confidence and competence, so the agent displays photos, videos and schemes of projects And the apartments he has, then the buyer chooses one of them, and the agent goes to the project and opens a video call with the buyer to photograph the house from its door, windows, view, and details of the apartment’s division.

After being approved by the buyer, the agent goes to the project to try to fight over the price and reduce it, and after the price is agreed upon, the buyer goes to the Turkish embassy or consulate located in his country in order to organize the required agency, whether for citizenship or for purchase only, in order to clear a transaction Purchasing and extracting the Tabu, and in order for the lawyer to process the citizenship, After that, the process of transferring funds to the account of the company or another person’s account begins in order for him to carry out the process of exchanging the amount into Turkish lira with the Central Bank and obtaining a document for the exchange of the amount. Duly, then the lawyer submits all the papers to the Naturalization Department and after the naturalization decision is issued, the person can receive his Turkish card and passport from the Turkish consulate in his country.

The conditions for obtaining Turkish citizenship through real estate investment must be recalled:

1-Real estate title deed: A copy of the promise to sell contract can be submitted, certified by the notary public in Turkey - Noter.

2-Certificate of conformity of the property to the requirements of citizenship

3-Payment Receipts: From the buyer's bank account, stamped with a live seal from the sending bank, and the total value of the receipts must be greater than $250,000.

4-Receipts: From the seller's bank account, stamped with a live seal from the receiving bank.

5-Currency exchange document from the intermediary bank that exchanged the money into the Turkish lira

6-Agency from the buyer to a certified lawyer: to initiate the procedures for the Turkish citizenship file; this agency is organized with the notary public in Turkey - Notre, or at one of the Turkish consulates abroad.

If it is desired to include the wife/husband in the buyer’s citizenship file, one joint agency can be organized by the spouses to the lawyer, and an independent agency can be submitted to each of them.

7-A copy of the passport: translated by a certified translator, with notarization attestation, for each family member; Husband, wife and children under the age of 18.

8-ssuance of investor residence

9-Pay the Turkish citizenship application tax (the form).

10- Exceptional Turkish citizenship application form "real estate”.

11-Civil status proof document: translated into Turkish and certified by a Turkish consulate abroad, such as a marriage contract or any other document proving the civil status of the applicant; Married or single.

12-Birth certificate: translated into Turkish and certified by the Turkish Consulate. Any document proving birth information may also be produced; Such as civil registration records, or persons registration, or civil status document. It is also required that the name of the father and the name of the mother be clearly recorded on each document. This is for each family member.

13-Family record: or family book (family card), translated into Turkish and certified by the Turkish Consulate.

14-Recent personal photos: for each family member.