A legal guide to Turkish citizenship by investment · Updated October 2026
Türkiye allows foreign investors who make one of the investments defined in the regulations to apply for Turkish citizenship through the exceptional route.
For many Iranian investors, buying real estate is the best-known option. Yet not every property worth USD 400,000 is suitable for a citizenship file. The type of property, the title, the value accepted for the file, the payment method and the bank documents all have to be checked before the deal.
If the main purpose of a purchase is Turkish citizenship, the legal review belongs before any payment or signature.
Which investment routes exist?
Article 20 of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law provides for several routes:
- purchase of qualifying real estate worth at least USD 400,000, with an undertaking not to sell for three years annotated on the title;
- fixed capital investment of at least USD 500,000, certified by the Ministry of Industry and Technology;
- a deposit of at least USD 500,000 with banks operating in Türkiye, held for three years;
- government debt instruments of at least USD 500,000, held for three years;
- units of a real estate investment fund or venture capital investment fund of at least USD 500,000, held for three years;
- a contribution of at least USD 500,000 to designated funds in the private pension system, kept for three years;
- or employment for at least 50 people.
For Iranian investors, whether the banking and financial routes are workable in practice depends not only on the citizenship rules but also on customer acceptance and on the compliance and source-of-funds review of the bank or financial institution concerned. The existence of a route in the regulation does not oblige any particular bank or institution to accept every applicant or every transfer.
How does the real estate route work?
The qualifying property or properties must be worth at least USD 400,000, and an undertaking not to sell for three years is annotated in the land registry. The amount is not the only condition: the property must be usable for this route by type and ownership history, the investment value must be confirmed under the official rules, and the payment must be provable with accepted documents.
Does every USD 400,000 property qualify?
No. Since 12 December 2023 the regulation has narrowed the type of property that can be used. The property must have condominium ownership (kat mülkiyeti) or construction servitude (kat irtifakı), or be land registered as arsa with a qualifying building on it.
Bare land or agricultural land does not qualify merely because it is worth more than USD 400,000.
Under the guide issued by the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre (TKGM), acquiring a share in a co-owned property cannot in principle be used for a citizenship application.
Does ownership history matter?
Yes. The official rules exclude property registered to the applicant’s spouse or children or to a company the applicant owns, property bought from a foreign person, and certain property that has previously changed hands between foreigners. A property can serve as the basis for citizenship only once.
The registry history therefore has to be checked before payment.
What is the TTB?
In a citizenship file, the contract price or the price the seller asks is not decisive on its own. The Tutar Tespit Belgesi (TTB) is the certificate that confirms the investment amount accepted for citizenship purposes. It is issued on the basis of a valuation report.
September 2026 change: according to TKGM’s announcement at the end of September 2026 on the amendment of Circular No. 2024/4, the report underlying the TTB may now be prepared by valuation companies licensed by the Capital Markets Board (SPK), and the maximum interval between the TTB and the land registry application has been extended from 6 to 12 months. Beyond that period the report must be renewed. The operational details should be re-checked at the time of the transaction.
Is it enough to write USD 400,000 in the contract?
No. The amount declared in the title deed or promise-to-sell contract and the amount actually paid must each meet the minimum, and the investment amount must be confirmed by the TTB.
Inflating the contract price without real value and real, provable payment is not a lawful solution and can lead to refusal of the file and to legal liability.
How is payment proved?
In citizenship transactions the land registry requires bank evidence of the transfer from buyer to seller. The Döviz Alım Belgesi (DAB), the foreign currency purchase certificate, is also part of the official process.
An investor should not pay a substantial sum by whatever means and ask afterwards whether the documents will work. A payment that did not pass through the banking system and cannot be evidenced by bank receipts and a DAB cannot be used in a citizenship file. The payment route and its documents should be settled with the bank and counsel before any transfer.
Can several properties be combined?
In direct purchases the rules allow the values of several properties to be added together, provided each transaction and its documents meet the conditions. Each property must be checked separately. On the promise-to-sell route, the amount must come from a single contract.
Can a promise-to-sell contract be used instead of an immediate transfer?
In defined circumstances the rules accept a promise-to-sell contract made before a notary. The unit must have condominium ownership or construction servitude and be registered in the promisor’s name, the minimum amount must be paid in advance, and an undertaking not to transfer or remove the contract for three years must be annotated in the registry.
An ordinary private contract with a developer or seller is not the same thing.
Is citizenship automatic after the purchase?
No. A qualifying purchase is a basis for applying. After the Certificate of Conformity (Uygunluk Belgesi), the investor applies for a short-term residence permit under Article 31(1)(j) of Law No. 6458 and the citizenship application is then filed.
The application is examined by the competent authorities, including on national security and public order grounds, and the final decision is taken under the citizenship legislation. “Buying a Turkish passport” is not an accurate legal description, and nobody can guarantee the result.
Can the spouse and children be included?
The rules cover the investor’s foreign spouse and the minor or dependent children of the investor and spouse. An adult child is not automatically included; dependency has to be assessed on the facts.
Must Iranian nationals give up Iranian nationality?
Turkish rules do not require renunciation of a previous nationality for this route. The status of a person’s Iranian nationality and the consequences of holding another nationality are a matter of Iranian law, on which advice should be taken from counsel qualified in Iranian law.
Can the process be handled under a power of attorney?
Parts of the transaction and investment can be carried out under a valid power of attorney, but some official steps of the citizenship file require the applicant personally.
Iran is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention. A power of attorney executed in Iran therefore has to go through the certification and consular legalisation required for use in Türkiye; the alternative is to execute it before a notary in Türkiye or at a Turkish consular mission. The text should be reviewed before signature so that it contains the necessary powers and no unnecessary ones.
What to check before paying
| Title | Registered owner, mortgages, attachments, restrictions and other entries. |
|---|---|
| Eligibility for citizenship | Type of property, transfer history, and whether it has already been used for citizenship. |
| Valuation and TTB | Whether the value accepted for the file matches the intended investment amount. |
| Payment and bank documents | How payment will be made and what evidence is required. |
| Purchase contract | Payment terms, transfer date, seller’s undertakings, delivery, and remedies if the deal fails. |
How Tercan Legal can help
Legal work on a citizenship investment is not limited to preparing the file after the purchase. Before funds move, Tercan Legal reviews the title and legal status of the property, its eligibility for the citizenship route, the valuation and TTB, the payment evidence and the purchase contract, and then handles the legal steps of the transaction and the citizenship file. We act for the buyer only and take no commission from sellers or developers. See our Turkish citizenship by investment page.
Contact Tercan Legal: info@tercanlegal.com · WhatsApp and Telegram: +90 506 689 97 22. We can communicate in Persian. The first 20-minute online introductory meeting is free; document review, written opinions and detailed consultation are provided for a fee.
Scope and compliance note
This article is general information on Turkish law as it stood in October 2026. It is not legal advice, does not create an attorney–client relationship and is no substitute for a review of your own file. It does not cover Iranian law or the sanctions laws of the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom or any other jurisdiction; where those rules may apply, advice should be taken from counsel qualified in that jurisdiction.
Tercan Legal carries out identity and sanctions-list checks before accepting any engagement. We do not act for persons or entities that are subject to an asset-freezing decision in Türkiye or listed under applicable sanctions regimes, except to the extent the law permits, and we do not advise on or take part in arrangements designed to avoid bank controls or sanctions. No outcome before a court, a public authority or a bank can be guaranteed.
