I. What is Turkish Citizenship?
Citizenship is the legal and political bond established between a state and a natural person. States regulate the conditions for the acquisition and loss of citizenship by law. Citizenship according to the Turkish Citizenship Law; “Turkish citizen: refers to the person who is bound to the State of the Republic of Turkey by citizenship bond.”
II. How to Get Turkish Citizenship?
Turkish citizenship can be acquired originally or later. In this articles, we will explain to you how to get Turksh Citizenship.
1. Original Acquisition of Turkish Citizenship
The original acquisition of Turkish citizenship is Turkish citizenship by birth. In the original acquisition of Turkish citizensip, “lineage” and “place of birth” were taken as basis.
Article 66 of the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey includes the provision; “The child of a Turkish mother and a Turkish father is a Turkish“. In the Tukish Citizenship Law, regarding the acquisition of citizenship on the basis of “lineage ties”; “The child born in or out of Turkey from a Turkish citizen mother and father in the union of marriage is a Turkish citizen“. According to the law and the Constitution, a child born to a Turkish mother or father is also born as a Turkish citizen.
Regarding the “place of birth” principle in Article 8 of the Turkish Citzenship Law; “A child born in Turkey who cannot acquire citizenship of any country by birth due to foreign parents is a Turkish citizen from birth”. Just being born in Turkey is not enough for a child to acquire Turksh citizenship. Children born in Turkey but who have not acquired the citizenship of other countries are considered only Turkish citizens.
2. Subsequent Acquisition of Turkish Citizenship
The subsequent acquisition of Turkish citizenship can only be possible with the decision of the competent authorities. In Article 14 of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkis Citizenship Law, the ways in which citizenship was acquired by the decision of the competent authority is expressed as; “general acquisition of Turkish citizenshp, exceptional acquisition of Turkish citizenshi, re-acquisition of Turkish citizenshp, acquisition of Turkis citizenship through marriage“. Turkis citizenship application is made to the governorship of the place of residence in the country and to foreign representations abroad. If you want to acquire turkish cizenship, you should consult a turksh citizenship lawyer. Turkish Citizenship Law Firm can can enlighten you about the options.
3. Acquisition of Citizenship by General Way
In order to acquire citizenship in the General Way, the foreigner must meet all the conditions in the Turkish Citizenship Law. In Article 6 of the Turkish Citizenship Law, these conditions are; “Foreigners who meet the following conditions can be granted Turkish citizenship by the decision of the Council of Ministers.
- Must be of legal age in accordance with their own national law, and if they are stateless, they must be of legal age.
- Must have resided in Turkey for 5 years backwards from the date of application.
- He must have confirmed by his behavior that he has decided to settle in Turkey.
- Must have good morals.
- Must not have a disease that poses a danger to general health.
- Must be able to speak Turkish enough.
- He must have an income or a profession to provide for himself and the people he is responsible for in Turkey.” Persons who meet these conditions can acquire Turkish citizenship in the general way by applying to the administration for Turkis citizenship.
- Acquisition of Citizenship by Exceptional Way
The usual way is to acquire Turkish citizenship in the general way. Acquisition of exceptional citizenship is an exception to general acquisition.
In Article 12 of the Turkish Citizenshp Law, the acquisition of citizenship in an exceptional way; “The following foreigners can acquire Turkish citizenship by the decision of the President, provided that they do not have a situation that would constitute an obstacle in terms of national security and public order.”
- Persons who bring industrial facilities to Turkey or who have or are thought to be doing extraordinary services in scientific, technological, economic, social, sports, cultural and artistic fields and for whom a justified offer has been made by the relevant ministries.
- Foreigners who have a residence permit in accordance with subparagraph (j) of the first paragraph of Article 31 of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection dated 4/4/2013 and numbered 6458, and foreigners holding Turquoise Card and their foreign spouses, minor or dependent foreign children of themselves and their spouses.
- Persons deemed necessary to be naturalized.
- Persons considered as immigrants.
The requests of those who are in a state to pose an obstacle in terms of national security and public order are rejected by the Ministry.” Only in the cases specified in this article, foreigners can acquire citizenship in an exceptional way.
4. Turkish Citizenship By Marriage
In the 16th article of the Turkish Citizenship Law; “Marriage with a Turkish citizen does not directly grant Turkish citizenship. However, foreigners who have been married to a Turkish citizen for at least three years and whose marriage continues can apply to acquire Turkish citizenshp.”
In order to acquire turkish citizenshp by marriage;
- The marriage must have been going on for at least 3 years.
- It is necessary to live with the spouse in the family unity.
- It is necessary not to engage in an activity that is incompatible with the union of marriage.
- There should not be a situation that would constitute an obstacle in terms of national security and public order.
For the person who applies for turkish citizenship by marriage, firstly, an investigation is made by the administration as to whether there is a situation that will constitute an obstacle in terms of national security and public order. Then the spouses are interviewed. The file is sent to the Ministry of Interior for examination and decision. The Ministry also conducts research on the subject and concludes the citizenship application of the foreigner with a positive or negative result.
5. Turkish Citizenship By Investment
The first group among the persons to be naturalized in an exceptional way in subparagraph b of the first paragraph of Article 12 of the Turkih Citizenship Law is those who do not have a job in Turkey but have invested in an amount determined by the President of the Republic, and their non-Turkish spouses, their and their spouse’s underage children. Foreigners can have Turkish citizenshp by property inverstment or turkish citizenship by investment.
- Persons determined by the Ministry of Industry and Technology to have made a fixed capital investment of at least 500,000 USD or equivalent foreign currency can acquire Turkish Citizenship if they apply through capital investment.
- A foreigner who buys a property worth at least 400,000 USD or equivalent in foreign currency, provided that it is not sold for three years, can also acquire Turkish citizeship if he or she applies.
- It is one of the methods of obtaining Turkish Citizenship in an exceptional way, in case of making a promise contract for the sale of immovable for a building with a condominium of at least 400 thousand dollars or a construction servitude.
- Persons determined by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security to employ at least 50 people,
- Persons who deposit 500 thousand USD or its equivalent in foreign currency or TL in Turkish banks, provided that they do not withdraw it for at least 3 years,
- Persons who purchase government debt instruments for at least 500 thousand USD or more, provided that they are kept for at least 3 years
- Persons who purchase “real estate investment fund participation shares” or “venture capital investment fund participation shares” of at least 500 thousand USD or equivalent in foreign currency or TL and undertake to keep them for at least 3 years,
- Persons who invest at least 500 thousand USD or equivalent in foreign currency in the private pension system, on the condition that they keep their contribution in the funds determined by the Insurance and Private Pension Regulation and Supervision Agency and remain in the system for at least three years, can also acquire Turkish Citizensip in an exceptional way.
III. How to Apply for Turkish Citizenship?
Applications for the acquisition of Turkish citizenshp are made in person to the provincial population and citizenship directorate of the governor’s office where the place of residence is located, and to foreign representations abroad. An application can also be made with a special power of attorney. BAL Law Firm lawyers can apply for you with a power of attorney.
Before the citizenship application, 115 Turkish Liras must be deposited in the finance cashier. After this fee is paid, a receipt is received and an application can be made. The receipt is submitted to the administration when the application is made. An appointment is made with the administration and a citizenship application is made by submitting documents. Different documents must be submitted to the administration for each citizenship application.
What Documents are Required When Applying for Turkish Citizenshp?
The documents you need to submit to the administration in the application for acquisition citizenship by exceptional way and Turkish citizenshp by buying property and Turkish Citizenshp by investment are;
- Application Form,
- 2 50×60 mm biometric photographs,
- Passport or similar document showing which state the person is a citizen of,
- Marital status certificate
- A document showing the identity of the person, such as a birth certificate or a birth certificate, and if married, a copy of the birth certificate proving the family ties of the spouse and children
- If the person’s date of birth does not have a month and day, a document obtained from the competent authorities of his country to complete the date of birth
- Receipt showing that the service fee has been paid to the Finance cashier.
The above documents are also required for the acquisition of citizenship in the general way. In addition, the following documents are also required;
- Health report, the procedures and principles of which are determined by the Ministry of Health, stating that the person does not have a disease that may pose a danger to general health.
- A work permit, tax plate, undertaking or similar document proving his income or profession, indicating that he and his dependents make a living in Turkey.
- A document showing the dates of entry and exit to the dormitory to be obtained from the provincial police directorate, stating that he has been residing in Turkey for five years without interruption, backwards from the date of application.
- A residence permit for a period of time sufficient to finalize the citizenship procedures from the date of application.
- If there is a finalized court decision about any crime, a certified copy of it.
In the acquisition of Turkish citizenshp by marriage, the following documents are also required;
- Notarized Turkish translation of the duly approved document showing all identity information as a basis for registration,
- If the place of residence is located in Turkey, the most recent residence permit,
- If there is a finalized court decision about any crime, a certified copy
BAL Law Firm provides legal services in collecting and submitting the documents required for your citizenship. If you give a power of attorney to our lawyers as a special authority, they will apply for citizenship on your behalf.
IV. Turkish Citizenship Law Firm
BAL Law Firm advises and assists you in acquiring Turkish citizensip. We provide law advisory for Turkish Citizenship. We help you with your Turkish citizenshp application. Also we inform you about Turkish Citizenshp benefits.
Do I need a Law Firm to Apply for the Turkish Citizenship Program?
You can apply for the Turkish citizensip program in person. However, if the required documents are not submitted correctly, the process may be prolonged or the loss of rights may result. For example, many foreign spouses and children could not become Turkish citizens due to erroneous applications to the Turkish citizenshp program. For this reason, we recommend that you seek help from the Turkish Citizenship Law Firm in order to apply for Turkish Citizenship.
BAL Law Firm is a Turkish Law Firm that provides legal services to foreign and domestic clients, companies and organizations. Our lawyers provide legal support in all geographical regions of Turkey, especially in Istanbul.
Send Mail : info@ballawyer.com
Call Us : +90 212 909 86 34
