BlogTurkish Citizenship by Real Estate Investment: Property, Valuation and Payment Rules (2026)

For foreign investors, entrepreneurs and their families · Updated October 2026

Turkish law allows foreign investors who meet the prescribed conditions to apply for citizenship through the exceptional route. Turkish citizenship by investment is most often associated with buying real estate worth at least USD 400,000.

The short formula “Turkish citizenship by real estate investment, USD 400,000” leaves a lot out. Buying property for that amount does not, by itself, lead to citizenship automatically. What matters is the type of property, its history, the valuation, the way the price is paid, the registration at the land registry (tapu) and the review of the application by the competent authorities.

For that reason, the legal review is best done before a deposit is paid and before the main amount is transferred.

1. Which investments qualify for Turkish citizenship?

Under the current rules, several types of investment are available:

Each route is confirmed by its own authority and has its own requirements. The rest of this guide deals with the real estate route.

Citizenship is granted by decision of the President after security and public-order checks; meeting the investment condition does not create an entitlement.

2. Which property qualifies?

Since 12 December 2023, as a rule only the following are counted for citizenship purposes:

• independent units with condominium ownership (kat mülkiyeti);
• units with a construction servitude (kat irtifakı);
• land with a building on it.

Fields and unbuilt plots no longer qualify.

An investor may buy several properties if together they reach the threshold and each of them meets the requirements. All of them must be registered in the applicant’s own name.

The purchase of a share in a property is, as a rule, not accepted; cases where the investor acquires the whole property from several co-owners are assessed separately.

Property registered in the name of the applicant’s spouse or children does not count towards the applicant’s threshold.

Under the current rules, property acquired before 12 January 2017 is not counted for citizenship through real estate investment.

3. Why do the property’s history and the seller’s identity matter?

Not every property on the market is suitable for a citizenship application. The current rules of the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre (TKGM) contain restrictions linked to the identity of the seller, previous owners, related companies and any earlier use of the property in the programme.

In particular (the list is not exhaustive and must be checked for each transaction):

• property that was registered to the applicant, the applicant’s spouse or children, or to companies in which they are shareholders or managers, is not counted;
• property already used for citizenship by another investor cannot be used again for that purpose;
• second-hand property that was transferred within the last three years by a foreigner, or by a person who obtained citizenship by investment, to a Turkish citizen or company is not accepted; there are exceptions, for example for construction contracts.

The seller’s name on the current title deed is not enough. Before paying a deposit, the chain of ownership should be checked, together with whether any special restriction applies to the transaction.

4. Valuation and the TTB document

The amount of the investment is confirmed for citizenship purposes by a document called Tutar Tespit Belgesi (TTB). It is issued on the basis of an official valuation report submitted through the WebTapu/TADEBİS system.

Changes of 28 September 2026. For TTB valuation in 2026, according to the amended TKGM circular:

• the valuation report for citizenship purposes may be prepared by a valuation company authorised by the Capital Markets Board (SPK) through the WebTapu/TADEBİS system; previously only one designated company prepared these reports;
• the period between the date of the TTB and the application to the land registry is 12 months; previously it was six months;
• a new report may be needed earlier if a change affecting the value appears in the registry.

Three figures must each meet the threshold: the value confirmed by the valuation, the amount stated in the official transfer document and the payments actually made.

Hypothetical example (for illustration only): if the contract price is USD 420,000 but the valuation comes out at USD 380,000, the property will, as a rule, not qualify for citizenship. It is therefore sensible to obtain a preliminary valuation before paying a deposit, rather than rely on the seller’s asking price.

5. How should the payment be made?

When a foreign natural person buys real estate, the foreign currency is, as a rule, sold to a bank operating in Türkiye and a foreign exchange purchase certificate, Döviz Alım Belgesi (DAB), is issued. For a purchase made for citizenship purposes, bank receipts showing the transfer from the buyer to the seller are required as well.

Cash payments, payments made by third parties, and payments made without a DAB or before the currency has been sold to the bank may make the transaction unsuitable for citizenship purposes.

The payment route and the source-of-funds documents should be agreed with the bank in advance, before the main amount is transferred. Tercan Legal does not advise on routes designed to avoid banking or sanctions controls.

6. Can you buy a property under construction?

Yes, if the prescribed conditions are met. In that case a notarised promise-to-sell contract is used; it is entered in the land registry together with an undertaking not to transfer or cancel the right for three years. The full amount must be paid in the prescribed manner.

A promise-to-sell contract for real estate is invalid unless it is made in official form before a notary. An ordinary private contract with a developer does not replace this procedure.

7. What does the three-year period mean?

An annotation is entered in the land registry stating that the property will not be sold for three years. This is a legal condition of the programme, not a recommendation.

An early sale of the property or removal of the annotation is reported to the authorities handling the citizenship file and may affect the investor’s status.

Once the three years have passed, the owner may apply to have the annotation removed and may consider selling. Some later transactions, including a transfer of the property back to the previous owner or to persons related to that owner, may lead to an additional review of how the citizenship was obtained.

8. How does the procedure work?

1. Legal review before the deposit: the property, the seller, the title history, encumbrances and suitability for citizenship purposes.
2. Valuation and TTB through an authorised valuation company and the WebTapu/TADEBİS system.
3. Payment: sale of the currency to the bank, the DAB and bank receipts for the transfer to the seller.
4. Transfer at the land registry, or a notarised promise-to-sell contract, with registration of the three-year annotation.
5. Certificate of conformity of the investment from the competent authority.
6. Residence permit on the basis of the investment (Law No. 6458, Art. 31) and filing of the citizenship application.
7. Review and decision: citizenship is granted by decision of the President after checks, including security and public-order checks.

There is no officially guaranteed time frame; it depends on the completeness of the file and the authorities’ checks.

9. Who can be included in the application?

As a rule, the investor’s spouse may be considered together with the investor, as well as the minor or dependent foreign children of the applicant or of the spouse.

Whether a dependent child meets the requirements is assessed case by case. Financially supporting an adult child does not, by itself, mean that the child will be included.

A family member who is not included in the application does not acquire citizenship automatically. If a child is close to the age of majority, the timing of the application may matter and is worth discussing in advance.

10. Is dual citizenship allowed?

Turkish law permits multiple citizenship and, as a rule, does not require applicants to give up their existing citizenship.

The consequences in the country of first citizenship need to be checked separately. Under Russian rules, for example, a notification to the authorities may be required. Tercan Legal advises on Turkish law only; this point should be checked with a qualified Russian adviser.

11. What costs arise on top of the investment?

• Title deed fee (tapu harcı). At the rates in force in 2026, the fee in a standard sale is 4% in total of the declared value, which cannot be below the property-tax value. By law, 2% falls on the buyer and 2% on the seller; in practice the parties sometimes agree a different split.
• VAT (KDV). The first sale of a property to a foreign buyer may be exempt from VAT if the statutory conditions are met; whether the exemption applies should be verified at the date of the transaction. If the property is disposed of within three years, the unpaid tax is collected with interest.
• DASK (compulsory earthquake insurance). Since 5 September 2026, on a sale of a property subject to this insurance the buyer needs a new policy in the buyer’s own name before or at registration; the seller’s policy ends with the transfer.
• Other items. The valuation report, translation and legal services.

12. What are the most common mistakes?

Conclusion: what to do before paying a deposit

Turkish citizenship by investment is not only a question of the amount. It is a chain of documents, each of which is checked by the authorities. Most problems are easier to prevent before payment than to resolve afterwards.

• Check the type of property, the chain of ownership and the seller’s identity.
• Obtain a preliminary valuation and clarify what the TTB is likely to show.
• Agree the payment route and the source-of-funds documents with the bank.
• Make sure the contract and the registration are made in the required form.
• Decide in advance which family members are to be included in the application.

Tercan Legal

Tercan Legal can review the property and the seller before you pay a deposit, the valuation report and the TTB, the payment documents and the DAB, the contract, the land-registry registration and the certificate of conformity, and can prepare the documents for the residence permit and the citizenship application for the investor and the family.

To arrange a call, write to us at info@tercanlegal.com or on WhatsApp: +90 506 689 97 22.

Before accepting any matter we carry out identity and sanctions checks. We do not assist with avoiding banking, anti-money-laundering or sanctions rules.

This article provides general information as of October 2026 and is not legal advice. Rules and administrative practice change; the requirements should be checked on the date of the transaction. Reading this article does not create an attorney-client relationship.