The citizenship-by-investment route: the 400,000-dollar threshold and the steps

2026-10-08 · Author: Grand Emlak

Citizenship by investment interests many foreigners looking for a home in Antalya; this article relies only on legislation and official guidance.

Legal basis and the 400,000-dollar threshold

Under Article 20(2)(b) of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law, a foreigner who, as determined by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, has bought property worth at least 400,000 US dollars or the equivalent that has condominium ownership or a construction easement, or is land with a building, with a three-year no-sale annotation in the land registry, may acquire citizenship by Presidential decision. The clause also covers a notarised promise-to-sell contract with at least 400,000 dollars paid in advance and an annotated three-year no-transfer undertaking. Source: Legislation Information System – Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law, accessed 08.10.2026

The threshold and property type changed twice: Presidential Decision No. 5554, published in the Official Gazette of 13 May 2022, replaced "250,000" with "400,000"; Decision No. 7938, in the Official Gazette of 12 December 2023, narrowed the wording to property with condominium ownership or construction easement or land with a building. Vacant land and fields are therefore no longer covered. Source: Legislation Information System – Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law, Official Gazette, 13.05.2022, Official Gazette, 12.12.2023, accessed 08.10.2026

Other investment routes

• Fixed capital investment of at least 500,000 dollars (Ministry of Industry and Technology).
• Deposit of at least 500,000 dollars held three years (BDDK).
• Government debt instruments of at least 500,000 dollars held three years (Ministry of Treasury and Finance).
• Real estate or venture capital fund units of at least 500,000 dollars held three years (SPK).
• Private pension contributions of at least 500,000 dollars kept three years (SEDDK).
• Employment for at least 50 people (Ministry of Labour and Social Security).

Under the Regulation, monetary values are assessed at the Central Bank's effective selling rate and/or cross rate on the date of determination; switching between investment types to complete the three years is possible, and the checking procedure is set by the determining institution. A listing price does not replace this determination. Source: Legislation Information System – Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law, accessed 08.10.2026

Foreign currency, the bank and the exchange document

Paragraph 10 of Article 20 provides that the foreign currency amounts for the property, deposit, government debt, fund and private pension routes are sold before the transaction to a bank operating in Türkiye and by that bank to the Central Bank. The announcement of the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre also states that a foreign exchange purchase document is mandatory for purchases by foreign natural persons and that, for acquisitions aimed at citizenship, the bank receipt of the transfer from buyer to seller is required as well. Source: Legislation Information System – Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law, General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre (TKGM), accessed 08.10.2026

Certificate of conformity, residence permit and application file

Under the procedures of the General Directorate of Civil Registration and Citizenship (NVİ), the investor applies to the determining institution for the certificate of conformity in person or through a representative with a special power of attorney; if positive, the certificate goes to the applicant, NVİ and the migration authority. The investor then applies to the provincial migration directorate for a residence permit under Article 31(1)(j) of Law No. 6458 and afterwards to the provincial civil registry for citizenship; joint offices in Ankara and Istanbul take both applications together. Source: General Directorate of Civil Registration and Citizenship (NVİ) – Procedures and Principles, accessed 08.10.2026

Article 31 of Law No. 6458 allows a short-term residence permit for foreigners who do not work in Türkiye but invest in the determined scope and amount, with their foreign spouse and minor or dependent children; permits under clause (j) may be issued for up to five years at a time, as the Ministry of Labour and Social Security also confirms. Source: Legislation Information System – Law No. 6458, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, accessed 08.10.2026

For the citizenship file, the NVİ list includes the VAT-4 form, two 50x60 mm biometric photographs, a passport, a marital status certificate and marriage certificate if married, a birth certificate or registry extract, and the fee receipt. Postal applications are not accepted; foreign documents need a notarised Turkish translation; the application date is the registration date of the petition. Source: General Directorate of Civil Registration and Citizenship (NVİ) – VAT-4 application note, accessed 08.10.2026

Keeping the condition for three years

Under Article 8 of the NVİ procedures, the foreigner must continue to meet the conditions of the Regulation for the prescribed period; if the conditions are lost, the citizenship decision is cancelled under Article 31 of the Law, and an application is refused where the archive check on national security or public order is negative. Source: General Directorate of Civil Registration and Citizenship (NVİ) – Procedures and Principles, accessed 08.10.2026

Citizenship is acquired by Presidential decision; no purchase by itself guarantees it. Valuation and conformity details follow the determining institution's procedures and the legislation may change; confirmation by a lawyer or authorised adviser before any transaction is essential. Source: Legislation Information System – Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law, accessed 08.10.2026

Grand Emlak offers a citizenship calculator, a citizenship and residence permit guide and threshold-matching villas in Belek.