Turkish Citizenship by Real Estate Investment

Who can apply and which properties qualify

The real estate route, under Article 12/1-b of Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901, is open to foreign investors who meet the investment conditions and pass the security review that ends every citizenship file. Not every property can be used. A property bought for citizenship must meet all of these conditions:

• It is an independent unit (bağımsız bölüm) registered under Condominium Law No. 634. This applies to purchases from 12 December 2023. Vacant land does not qualify.
• It is not a share (hisseli) of a property acquired on or after 1 February 2023.
• It was not bought with a statutory mortgage (kanuni ipotek).
• It does not come from a foreigner, from a person who became a Turkish citizen through the investment route, or from a Turkish citizen or company to whom such a person, or your own first-degree relatives, transferred it in the last three years.

A property already used for a citizenship application cannot be used again by a new buyer. Several properties bought by sale can be combined to reach USD 400,000; for an off-plan purchase on a promise-of-sale contract (satış vaadi), the full amount must be in one contract.

The valuation and the USD 400,000 test

Three amounts must each be at least USD 400,000: the sale price written in the title deed, the payments to the seller proven by bank records, and the market value in the valuation report. They do not have to be equal, but if any one is below USD 400,000, the land registry (TKGM) does not issue the Amount Determination Certificate (Tutar Tespit Belgesi, TTB), and the property cannot be used.

The valuation report is valid for 6 months. Until 27 September 2026, only GEDAŞ, a valuation company affiliated with TOKİ, could prepare citizenship valuation reports. Several law firms and news sources reported in October 2026 that, from 28 September 2026, any valuation company licensed by the Capital Markets Board (SPK), active in the Turkish Valuation Experts Association (TDUB) and connected to TADEBİS may prepare them. TKGM still checks the value and issues the TTB. We check the value of a property before you sign anything.

Paying for the property

The purchase is paid through banks, never in cash. Before the title deed transfer, your USD, EUR or GBP is sold to a bank in Turkey and on to the Central Bank (TCMB). The bank issues a Foreign Exchange Purchase Certificate (Döviz Alım Belgesi, DAB) showing the USD equivalent and the citizenship purpose, which is presented to the land registry, with a certified receipt of the payment to the seller's account.

A secure payment system for title deed sales (Güvenli Ödeme Sistemi) applies to all buyers, not only foreigners. On 28 September 2026 its mandatory start was postponed to 1 December 2026; we confirm how it applies on the day of your transfer.

Timeline

No official processing time is published, and no timeframe can be guaranteed. For a complete and clean file, the stages usually look like this:

• Property search, checks, valuation and TTB: a few weeks once you have chosen the property.
• Certificate of conformity and residence permit: a few weeks.
• Citizenship application to decision: advisers commonly report about 3 to 6 months. The security review and the Presidential decision are usually the longest stage.

From property search to passport, the whole process often takes 6 to 12 months. The stricter checks of 2026 and the change of valuation providers may affect timing. See the process, documents and timeline for every stage in detail.

Holding period and exit

The title deed carries an annotation (şerh) that the property will not be sold or transferred for 3 years. If you sell within that period, the investment determination certificate is cancelled. The same happens if, after the 3 years, you transfer the property back to the previous owner or to that owner's first-degree relatives.

Plan the exit before you buy: a later buyer cannot use the same property for citizenship. If you bought a new property with the VAT exemption for non-residents and you dispose of it within 3 years, the unpaid VAT plus interest becomes due.

Family members

The investor's spouse and children can apply on the same investment; we confirm which children can be included for your case. See family members, including the military service rule.

Costs

These are the state's taxes and fees as of October 2026, not our fees.

• Title deed fee (tapu harcı): 2% from the buyer and 2% from the seller, 4% in total. Since Law No. 7566 (Official Gazette, 19 December 2025), the base is the declared transfer price, which may not be lower than the property tax value, and the penalty for under-declaration is 100% of the tax.
• Revolving fund fee (döner sermaye ücreti): a fixed amount per transaction.
• VAT on a new property: the general rate is 20%. For housing with a building permit dated on or after 1 April 2022, the part of the net area up to 150 m² is taxed at 10% and the part above at 20%; 1% applies mainly to urban transformation projects. The rate depends on the permit date, the size and the project, so check it with a tax adviser.
• VAT exemption: the first delivery of a newly built residence or workplace to a foreigner not resident in Turkey can be exempt from VAT, if the price is brought into Turkey in foreign currency (at least half before the sale, the rest within one year).
• Valuation report: charged by the valuation firm.

Our own fees are not published. Contact us for fees, questions and service scope.

Risks and common mistakes

• Buying a property that was bought from a foreigner, or already used for citizenship, and learning after the purchase that it cannot be used.
• Paying before the valuation is known. If the valuation is below USD 400,000, the TTB is refused.
• Sending money without the currency sale and the DAB, paying part of the price in cash, or splitting an off-plan purchase over several contracts.
• Declaring a price that does not match the real transaction. In 2026 the Interior Ministry announced that citizenship decisions for 6,134 people had been cancelled or withdrawn, mainly over irregular transactions such as inflated appraisals. A file must be accurate in every figure.

Why a licensed real estate brokerage

Gordion Partners is a licensed real estate brokerage in Turkey: our founder Burak Ünal holds real estate trading licence no. 3408704 (TTBS, Ministry of Trade). We search and check the property, coordinate the valuation, the currency sale and the title deed, and prepare the citizenship file. We are advisors, not a law firm; for a legal opinion on a contract, consult an independent lawyer.

Properties and buying guides

• Our property projects in Turkey
• How to buy a property in Turkey as a foreigner, step by step
• The valuation report for citizenship
• The currency exchange document (DAB)
• The costs of buying property in Turkey
• Buying property in Istanbul

Book a consultation or message us on WhatsApp: tell us your budget and your family, and we will tell you whether the real estate route fits and which properties to look at.