CITIZENSHIP REQUIREMENT AMENDED FOR FOREIGNERS' REAL ESTATE PURCHASES

The Amendment to the Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law was published in the Official Gazette. Amendments were made to the practice for foreigners to gain citizenship by purchasing real estate in Turkey in the amount of 400 thousand dollars.

In the regulation made in 2022, which determined the granting of citizenship to foreigners in their initiatives such as establishing a workplace in Turkey, it was stated that the purchase of real estate in the amount of at least 250 thousand US Dollars and equivalent foreign currency would be sufficient for citizenship. With the regulation published on May 12, 2022, the amount of 250 thousand US Dollars was increased to 400 thousand US Dollars. According to the latest amendment to the regulation, the scope of the immovable property in the amount of 400 thousand 400 thousand US Dollars or equivalent foreign currency, which must be purchased for the acquisition of exceptional citizenship, has been redefined.

The application article of the said regulation for foreigners to acquire citizenship through the acquisition of immovable property in Turkey in the amount of 400 thousand US Dollars was changed as “immovable property in the amount of 400 thousand US Dollars with the qualification of land on which a condominium or condominium easement has been established or on which there is a building”.

In the old version of the regulation, it was envisaged that Turkish citizenship would be granted exceptionally in the case of the purchase of real estate worth 400 thousand US Dollars or its equivalent in foreign currency with the annotation of not selling it for three years in the title deed records. In other words, the purchase of all immovable properties worth 400 thousand USD or more was sufficient for citizenship. With the amendment, the definition of immovable property was redefined as “immovable property with the characteristics of land on which a condominium or condominium easement has been established or on which there is a building” amounting to 400 thousand US Dollars or its equivalent in foreign currency. The condition that land plots must have a building on them was introduced for purchases made for citizenship acquisition.

The “condominium easement” mentioned in the latest amendment is defined in the legislation as “the property right for the construction to be started on the land”. With the amendment, the scope of the term “immovable”, which used to include empty land and fields, has been narrowed.  According to the aforementioned condition, for the granting of citizenship, the sale of land on which there is a condominium or a building or on which title deed ownership is allocated to start construction will be essential.