Turkish Citizenship
Written by: Editorial team
Summary
- Foreign nationals mainly acquire Turkish citizenship by the general route (residence in Türkiye), by marriage to a Turkish citizen, or by investment (the exceptional route).
- The general route requires 5 years of uninterrupted legal residence before applying; the Law allows up to 12 months abroad in total during that period, but the Regulation still states a shorter limit, so confirm your day count before applying.
- Marriage alone does not confer citizenship; a foreign national married to a Turkish citizen for at least 3 years, with the marriage ongoing, becomes eligible to apply.
- The investment route requires real estate worth at least USD 400,000; capital, bank deposits, government bonds, fund units or private pension contributions of at least USD 500,000; or jobs for at least 50 people.
- Meeting the requirements is not an absolute right; the decision rests with the Ministry of Interior on the general and marriage routes and with the President on the investment route.
On the routes covered on this page, Turkish citizenship is acquired after birth by a decision of the competent authority (Citizenship Law, art. 5, 9). Meeting the conditions in the Law gives no absolute right to citizenship (art. 10/1). The Ministry of Interior decides applications by the general route and by marriage; on the exceptional route, which includes investment, the President decides (art. 12/1, 19/1).
Routes to citizenship
Time abroad on the general route
Under the Law (art. 15/1) you may spend up to 12 monthsSource: Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901 (Türk Vatandaşlığı Kanunu), art. 15/1, as amended by Law No. 7039 in total outside Türkiye during the required residence period, and that time counts as residence. The Regulation (art. 71/1-b) and NVİ's VAT-3 guide still give 6 months. Confirm your day count with the provincial civil registration and citizenship directorate (il nüfus ve vatandaşlık müdürlüğü) before you apply.
As a rule, time spent on student, tourist or medical treatment residence permits does not count as residence for citizenship (Regulation art. 71/1-ç). However, if a person in Türkiye on such a ground later moves to a valid residence ground, the earlier periods are counted too; time on a tourist residence permit is excluded from this rule (Regulation art. 71/1-d). Confirm your day count with the provincial civil registration and citizenship directorate (il nüfus ve vatandaşlık müdürlüğü) before you apply. A valid work permit counts as a residence permit (Law No. 6735, art. 12/1). The residence permit types are covered on our Residence Permits page.
How the investment route works
The investment route has three steps: you make the investment and obtain a certificate of conformity (uygunluk belgesi) from the relevant authority; you then obtain the residence permit issued to investors (Law No. 6458, art. 31/1-j); finally, you apply for citizenship (NVİ, FAQ). Applications with no obstacle found in the security investigation are submitted for the President's approval, and the President makes the final decision (Citizenship Law, art. 12, 19/2).
Citizenship obtained through false statements or by concealing material facts is revoked, and the revocation also applies to the spouse and children who became citizens through the applicant (Citizenship Law, art. 31, 32).
Official fees are listed on the Official Government Fees page.
Frequently asked questions
Does marrying a Turkish citizen make me a citizen automatically?
No. A foreign national who has been married to a Turkish citizen for at least 3 years, with the marriage ongoing, only becomes eligible to apply. The applicant must live together as a family, must not engage in activities incompatible with the marriage, and must pose no national security or public order concern.
Is there a set processing time for a citizenship application?
No. Neither the Law nor the Regulation sets a decision period for applications by the general route or by marriage, and no total processing time is set for the investment route either. You can track an application on NVİ's "Vatandaşlık Başvurum Ne Aşamada?" (application status) page or through the citizenship application query service on e-Devlet.
Who can be included in a citizenship-by-investment application?
Only the investor's foreign spouse and the minor or dependent foreign children of the investor and the spouse. Parents, siblings and adult children who are not dependent are not covered by this route.
Sources
- Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901 (Turkish) — TVK art. 5, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 31
- Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law (Turkish) — Regulation art. 20, 71
- Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection (Turkish) — YUKK art. 31/1-j
- International Labour Force Law No. 6735 (Turkish) — art. 12
- General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs (NVİ) — Acquiring Turkish citizenship (Turkish)
- General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs (NVİ) — Citizenship services FAQ (Turkish)
General information only; this is not legal advice. Decisions on your application rest solely with the competent authority; confirm current requirements with the relevant authority before applying.
Meeting the requirements does not guarantee a citizenship decision.
We have no official affiliation with the Presidency of Migration Management, the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs (NVİ) or the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (ÇSGB).
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