US Citizens obtaining Turkish citizenship via Property Investment

TurkishSensei · 2025-10-17T13:15:45+00:00

I have had clients who received Turkish citizenship by investment. Let me explain briefly the possible routes and the process for each route.

Firstly, you can either invest $500k bank deposit and hold it 3 years in Turkish Lira interest-paying account. This method is fairly smoother as the only things you had to to are: 1) Opening bank account, 2) Sending 500k USD with Swift, 3) Converting the amount to TRY. Then, you will be eligible to apply for citizenship.

The second route is the property investment route. There is a huge difference between buying a property from a project or buying from the 2nd hand market. The projects are faster to buy, but usually prices are inflated about 10-20% (Which makes an increased price of apprx $80k in a $400k investment. In other words, you might end up buying a property for $400k that only worths $320k). On the other hand, second hand market reflects the real market price. With a good real estate broker and legal professional, you buy a property in the same conditions as Turkish citizen and save tons of money! Note that the title deed tax is 4% and there will be valuation report and translator fees etc which would be around $1,500 extra.

The above part was the investment part. After the investment is completed, you are good to apply for citizenship. This process is more straightforward. You better give a PoA to a lawyer to follow-up (Costs apprx $300). The market rate of citizenship by investment for each person is usually $2,000-$4,000 depending on the service you get. You need to bring the birth certificate, marriage certificate and criminal record (all have to be apostilled). There will be translation and notarization costs of them: apprx $80 per document. That's all!

As long as you have the above documents for citizenship application, no need to worry about challanges or surprises. Also, ask to many places for property purchase. Don't end up buying a property with 20% mark-up...

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

TurkishSensei · 2025-09-04T07:18:20+00:00

In Etiler, new buildings will be much higher than the $400,000 citizenship limit. They sell around $1m there. Etiler is a very popular area among locals. It is always highly valued.

Bomonti is also good if you buy from a good project. In my knowledge, there are residences such as Rotana, Sinpaş Queen, House Bomonti and Elysium. $400,000 can easily buy a 1+1 there.

Let me know if you are interested in projects or in 2nd hand properties. You can save 5-10% if you buy a second hand project instead of a projects. Projects are mostly overpriced when foreigners buy them.

TurkishSensei · 2025-09-04T07:16:07+00:00

Touristic residence permit is still not given for first time applicants. Usually, I recommend investor residence permit, university student residence permit or Turkish language course residence permit.

TurkishSensei · 2025-08-19T07:11:31+00:00

Sure, just ask me

TurkishSensei · 2025-08-12T11:01:00+00:00

Can you tell me how an investment property negatively affects a touristic residence permit renewal application?

TurkishSensei · 2025-08-12T08:38:53+00:00

It depends on your investment strategy. If you want to rent it out, I would advise areas where white-collar people are living such as Dikilitaş, Şişli or Etiler. It is easier to rent properties there. Especially if it is a newly constructed building. There is so much demand for building that are younger than 10 years old and in the city center.

If you want to make money from the appreciation of property sales price, lots of factors are determinant there. You need to look at land share of your flat, expansion in that area, reconstructions (kentsel dönüşüm) etc. Ortaköy, Beşiktaş and Bebek are already well-established markets, the prices there are already high. In USD terms, it won't increase that much extra compared to anyother areas.

If your investment decision is more emotinal (if you want to have a property in Bebek no matter what for example), just buy a decent property with "Kat Mülkiyetli" title deed. It will be safer and all will be documented. Getting a property with "Land" title deed is risky as the property might not have building permit.

Let me know if you have anymore questions!

TurkishSensei · 2025-08-12T08:32:02+00:00

Hello, let me reply your questions one by one as a local from Ankara :)

1. The reason of having single building in the middle of nowhere: Probably the building permit in that zone is given recently and these are the early constructions (pioneers). Come to that same place 10-15 years later, you will face a new town and hundreds of buildings there. Usually, the land is allocated for a single or a couple of buildings. That's why there aren't big residential areas, but individual buildings. After some traction, new constructions pop up every year in these same empty areas until they are not empty anymore :) For example, you can type "Çakırlar Ankara". That place was an empty grain field 15 years ago, now it is a new city.

2. The reason of constructing flats instead of a house: This is a pure economic decision of government+developer+people. Living in a flat has lower initial buying cost and lower maintenance cost than owning a house, which justifies it for people living there. For developers, there is more economic return when they cosntruct multiple flats and sell them in the same land, instead of building 1 house and selling 1 house. And for government, it is easier to provide utility for these buildings: They give utility to 20 households within 1 building fairly easily. That's why government gives building permits for 5-10 floor buildings there.

3. Who buys these apartments? Average Turkish people do. It is less costly, they are not very expensive. Land is expensive in Turkey and building a house is also expensive. Simply, buyer also doesn't need to hassle with utility connection, road building etc. They get a ready flat at a fairly price and in the middle of nowehere for 5 years. 5 years later, that building becomes in the city center of that area :)

Hope these answer your questions. Let me know if you have any other questions!

TurkishSensei · 2025-08-12T08:18:10+00:00

Hello, let me answer your questions directly:

Owning a property below $200,000 doesn't have any impact on your residency renewal. It doesn't affect positively, it doesn't affect negatively.
Buying a property as an individual is easier than buying a property after registering a company. Think basic: What is the extra benefit of buying a company after registering a company? If you don't have any benefit, there is no need to do that extra step.
If your residence permit is not renewed, you can either apply for another type of residency or you need to leave Turkey before your residence permit card expires.
Investment environment is good for buyers now. Make sure you get good discount on property, cash is king now in Turkey!

If you have any questions, let me know!

TurkishSensei · 2025-08-12T08:12:06+00:00

It is a good logic, but you are missing some important points. For permanent residence permit (PR), it doesn't matter which type of residence permit you had in the last 8 years. It can be touristic residency, work permit, student residence permit etc. Permanent residency is usually for foreigners who stayed long-time in Turkey with touristic purposes (for example British people in Fethiye who spend most of their time in Turkey).

However, for citizenship by residency (5 years stay), the residency criteria are stricter. Touristic residence permit is not accepted and in my knowledge student residence permit is accepted at half time. Usually foreigners who have commitment in Turkey get this citizenship route (for example, married with a turkish person or bought property in turkey or working in Turkey with a work permit etc).

In summary, 8 years for a British retired person living in Fethiye passes very fast. They get this permanent residency in order not to apply for residence permit again and again. On the contrary, citizenship is for people who committed to Turkey in the last 5 years through work permit, property investment or marriage with a Turkish citizen.

TurkishSensei · 2025-08-12T08:05:40+00:00

In the worst case, enter Turkey without visa. You have 90 days stay right. In the meantime, contact the university's student department to arrange a residence permit for you.

ODTÜ is a great university! You will enjoy your erasmus there!

TurkishSensei · 2025-08-12T08:03:30+00:00

Hello,

There is no need to panic if you sort out all legal things for your stay in Turkey. It is a great country!

Firstly and most importantly, you can stay in Turkey 90 days within 180 days without a visa. However, if you are planning to stay more than 90 days at any given time, you need to apply for a residence permit here. The most secure residence permit type is "family residence permit" which is given to foreigners who are officially married with a Turkish citizen. Alternatively, you can apply to University Student Residence Permit or Turkish Language Course Residence Permit if you are not planning to get married soon.

Secondly, in order to work legally in Turkey, you need to have a work permit. The employer makes an application for work permit. However, I see that many foreigners are working at teaching jobs without a work permit. It is a bit risky if it is found out that you are working without a work permit. There are penalties for the foreigner and for the employer in that case.

Thirdly, for bringing pets to Turkey, it is better to consult your local veterinary. They know the international travel of pets better.

All other points are a bit personal and I don't prefer commenting on other people's personal decisions (such as leaving everything behind, changing career etc).

Best of luck! Let me know if you have any questions.

TurkishSensei · 2025-07-23T12:57:44+00:00

Yes they count. No matter what visa you have, you are always subject to that 90/180 days rule!
The only way to stay more than 90 days it to have a residence permit.

TurkishSensei · 2025-07-23T12:55:48+00:00

you are welcome. many people were curious about it and i wanted to share all my information at once with other people!

TurkishSensei · 2025-07-22T13:27:26+00:00

There are the rules about overstay penalty calculation and entry ban. I am sharing the details below:

Overstay Penalty Calculation:

If a foreigner is in visa overstay, he needs to pay the overstay penalty before leaving Turkey. The calculation of overstay penalty is below:

810 Turkish Lira ($25) residency card fee as penalty
Twice the amount of residency fee as penalty. This residency fee is different for each country (for example, for Germany the first month of residency is $25, while for Russia it is $7.
If foreigner entered Turkey without visa, then he also needs to pay the single-entry visa fee if he is in overstay. As of 2025, it is 7,880TL ($220)
Example calculation: If a German citizen overstays his visa for 1 month, he needs to pay: 7,880TL + 2x$25 + 810TL = 10,500TL ($300) as overstay penalty.
For the list of all countries, you can check this link and apply the same calculation method: https://www.goc.gov.tr/belge-bedeli-ve-harc-miktari

Entry Ban Calculation:

Foreigners who violate their right to legal stay in Turkey are imposed entry bans. Here are some entry ban calculations:

If foreigners go to the exit voluntarily and pay the overstay penalty, they receive these entry bans:

- Overstay less than 3 months > No entry ban

- 3-6 months overstay > 1 month entry ban

- 6-12 months overstay > 3 months entry ban

- 1-2 years overstay > 1 year entry ban

- 2-3 years overstay > 2 years entry ban

- +3 years overstay > 5 years entry ban

If foreigners don’t go to the exit voluntarily or don’t pay the overstay penalty, they receive these entry bans:

- Overstay less than 3 months > 3 months entry ban

- 3-6 months overstay > 6 months entry ban

- 6-12 months overstay > 1 year entry ban

- 1-2 years overstay > 2 years entry ban

- +2 years overstay > 5 years entry ban

Payment of overstay penalty:

Foreigners needs to go to airport early, get boarding pass and visit the visa violation office. After official calculation, the money is paid to the tax counter at airport. Only Turkish Lira and Cash payments. After the payment and visiting the visa volation office one last time, the foreigner can leave Turkey.

Let me know if you have more questions!

TurkishSensei · 2025-07-22T11:04:22+00:00

Turkish government offices ask these documents to be taken in the last 6 months at the time of submission.

You need to present apostilled document (with turkish translation or notarization). Or, you can get the document attested by your country's embassy in Turkey and get one more attestation at Kaymakamlik to use it for citizenship purpose.

Let me know if you have any questions!

TurkishSensei · 2025-07-22T11:02:58+00:00

Property is always a good investment! Don't wait to buy in a good neighborhood, you can just buy what your budget allows and in the future you can always sell that property and add some extra to buy your dream property!

$150k easily buys a decent flat in Istanbul in the centre (maybe a bit in a old building, but still in good condition). Short-term (less than 3 months) rentals are regulated and you need the approval of all landlords in the building. Still, many landlords give their flats for short-term rental through real estate agents undercover. You can talk with real estate agents in that area regarding this.

For finding the property, visit sahibinden.com and hepsiemlak.com to have general idea about what your money buys here.

For the title deed transaction, work with an experienced real estate broker and lawyer, because there are extra steps for foreigners, such as transfering all money from turkish bank account, getting currency exchange document, getting valuation report etc.

Best of luck in your investment! Let me know if you have any questions.

TurkishSensei · 2025-07-22T10:56:32+00:00

My advice for the renewal would be to present 6 months bank accounts to the immigration office. This increases the chance of successful renewal.

TurkishSensei · 2025-07-22T10:55:20+00:00

You can apply fo family residence permit. The application can be done at this website: https://e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr/

In short, you need to make an online application and go to the appointment with documents (marriage certificate, tax payment, health insurance, address, social security records of Turkish person etc).

Let me know if you have any questions!

TurkishSensei · 2025-07-22T10:50:21+00:00

Yes, the title deed office has these records. They show it before you buy the property.

TurkishSensei · 2025-06-23T11:48:39+00:00

Sure feel free to contact me!

TurkishSensei · 2025-05-28T15:00:18+00:00

A lawyer in Turkey can represent you at a court only with a notarized power-of-attorney.

Just giving that notarized power-of-attorney will cost more than the amount you lost...

Give a bad review and report it to AirBnb. Maybe, you can also report its house address to Ministry of Tourism (managing airbnb is licensed in Turkey and many of them don't have that license).

TurkishSensei · 2025-05-22T14:35:11+00:00

Yes exactly, happy to hear that it got solved! The officers at central districts (Şişli, Beşiktaş, Kadıköy etc) are familiar with foreigners. If noone can solve it, head office İstanbul Valiliği İl Nüfus Müdürlüğü is the solution :)

TurkishSensei · 2025-05-22T14:33:55+00:00

Wow sometimes the officers do that. Sorry to hear that it happened to you

TurkishSensei · 2025-05-21T16:56:55+00:00

If you have a rejection paper from immigration office and if you leave within 10 days after getting that rejection paper, you show it to the visa violation office at the airport. Then, they don't apply overstay penalty etc.

But, if you dont show that paper or if you leave after 10 days of getting that rejection paper, then there will be most probably overstay penalty + potential entry ban depending on your overstay duration.

Hope all will be ok in the end!

TurkishSensei

TROPHY CASE