Pursuant to the Regulation on the Implementation of Turkish Citizenship Law ("Regulation") published in the Official Gazette dated 6 April 2010 and numbered 27544, in the event of exceptional circumstances, foreigners who fulfill certain criteria will be able to obtain Turkish citizenship in accordance with Article 12 of Law on Turkish Citizenship No 5901 ("Law").
Accordingly, one of the below-mentioned conditions shall be initially met in order to obtain Turkish citizenship as per the Regulation.
- Fixed capital Investment in the amount of at least USD 500.000 or foreign currency equivalent or the exchange rate for Turkish Lira, which shall be confirmed by The Ministry of Industry and Technology;
- Purchasing an immovable property in the amount of at least USD 250.000 or foreign currency equivalent or the exchange rate for Turkish Lira by annotating sales ban for three years to the relevant land registry, which shall be confirmed by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization;
- Providing employment for at least 50 people, which shall be confirmed by the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Security;
- Investment of at least USD 500.000 or foreign currency equivalent or the exchange rate for Turkish Lira in a bank operating in Turkey with on condition that the investment will not be withdrawn for three years, which shall be confirmed by the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency or;
- Purchasing public debt instrument for at least USD 500.000 or foreign currency equivalent or the exchange rate for Turkish Lira provided that such instrument will be hold for three years, which shall be confirmed by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance.
It should be specified that the monetary values shall be determined by considering effective exchange rate and/or cross exchange rate of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey.
Foreigners who are willing to obtain Turkish citizenship shall also met one of the following criteria stipulated under the Law together with the above-mentioned criteria. Within this scope, the below mentioned foreigners shall be obtain Turkish citizenship as per Article 12 of the Law.
- Foreigners who have brought industrial facilities into Turkey or provided or are believed to provide services in the fields of science, technology, economics, sport, culture or arts, and regarding whom a reasoned offer has been made by the relevant ministries;
- Foreigners receiving a residence permit as per Article 31 of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection or having Turquoise Card pursuant to Article 11 of the Law on International Labor Force together with their foreign spouses and children;
- Foreigners whose citizenship are considered necessary;
- Foreigners who are deemed as migrants.
Upon issuance of a certificate of conformity by one the aforementioned ministries in accordance with the Regulation, foreigners shall be required to receive a residence permit or Turquoise Card. It should be indicated that either residence permit or Turquoise Card can be received by proxy.
Within this scope, foreigners who have met one of the criteria stipulated under the Regulation and also received a residence permit or Turquoise Card, are able to obtain Turkish citizenship by providing the following documentation to the relevant provincial directorate of population and citizenship affairs ("Directorate"). Foreigners shall submit an application form, passport copy, marital status certificate, certificate of identity registration and receipt for service fee, accordingly. Then, the Directorate shall send such documentation to the Ministry of Internal Affairs ("Ministry").
It would be beneficial to indicate that the applications with respect to obtaining Turkish citizenship shall be made to the relevant provincial directorate of population and citizenship affairs in Turkey or foreign representative offices abroad shall be made by foreigners or their representatives by proxy. Additionally, there is no time limit for the Ministry to render a decision on obtaining Turkish citizenship specified under the relevant legislation. Such decisions shall be served to the foreigner and the Directorate.
For further information please contact info@aktay.av.tr.
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