1. Legal Framework: How Turkish Citizenship Is Regulated
Turkish citizenship is not a purely political term; it is a legal status that defines the relationship between an individual and the Republic of Türkiye. The basic rules about who is considered a Turkish citizen, how citizenship is acquired, and under what conditions it can be lost are set out in the Turkish Citizenship Law and its implementing regulation.
In practice, all acquisition routes can be grouped into two large categories:
- Citizenship acquired from birth
- Citizenship acquired after birth by a legal act or decision
Within these two categories, the law recognizes several specific ways of acquiring citizenship. The most important ones in daily practice are:
- By birth (primarily through descent from a Turkish parent)
- Through general naturalization (after a lawful period of residence)
- Through marriage to a Turkish citizen
- Through adoption
- Through exceptional decisions of the President (which also cover many investor cases)
- By re-acquisition for those who previously lost Turkish citizenship
This article focuses on the practical and legal details of each of these routes and explains what foreign nationals, their families and advisers should know before starting a citizenship process.
2. Citizenship by Birth: The Role of Blood and Place of Birth
2.1 Citizenship by Descent (Jus Sanguinis)
Turkish nationality law is based primarily on the principle of blood (jus sanguinis). This means that the main factor is being the child of a Turkish citizen, not the country where the child is born.
In simple terms:
- If at least one parent is a Turkish citizen at the time of birth, the child generally acquires Turkish citizenship from birth.
- It does not matter whether the child is born in Türkiye or abroad; the decisive element is the legal bond of parentage with the Turkish mother or father.
From a practical point of view, what matters most is proof of that parent–child relationship. This is usually documented by:
- Birth certificates,
- Population registry records, or
- Court decisions establishing paternity or maternity, especially in cases where the child is born out of wedlock.
Where the parents are married to each other, the situation is more straightforward; the child is automatically registered as the child of the Turkish parent. When the child is born outside marriage, additional steps such as recognition of paternity or a court judgment may be necessary, particularly if the Turkish parent is the father.
2.2 Limited Use of Place of Birth (Jus Soli) to Avoid Statelessness
Türkiye is not a full “place of birth” country. Being born in Türkiye does not automatically make a child a Turkish citizen. However, the law contains protective provisions to reduce the risk of statelessness.
A child born in Türkiye may acquire Turkish citizenship based on place of birth when:
- The parents are stateless, or
- The child cannot acquire any nationality from them under their national law, or
- The parents are unknown and the child is found in Türkiye (foundlings).
This is not a generous jus soli policy but rather a safety mechanism designed to make sure that children are not left without any citizenship.
3. Acquisition of Citizenship After Birth: General Picture
Anyone who is not a Turkish citizen at birth can still become one later, through one of the legal mechanisms provided by the Citizenship Law. These mechanisms generally require a decision by the competent authority—often the President of the Republic—based on certain conditions and a formal application.
The most frequently used ways of acquiring citizenship after birth are:
- General naturalization (long-term residents)
- Citizenship through marriage
- Citizenship by adoption
- Exceptional citizenship (including many investor and highly qualified foreigner cases)
- Re-acquisition of citizenship
Each of these routes has its own logic, policy purpose and procedural steps, which are discussed below.
4. General Naturalization: Citizenship for Long-Term Residents
4.1 Who Can Apply under the General Regime?
General naturalization is the “classic” way for a foreigner who has built a life in Türkiye to become a citizen. It is aimed at people who have lived in the country for a significant period and are ready to tie their legal status permanently to the Turkish state.
Although the exact conditions are defined in the law, they can be summarised as follows:
- The applicant must be of full age and have legal capacity under both their own national law and Turkish law.
- There must be a period of continuous lawful residence in Türkiye immediately before the application. The law requires a number of years of residence, which must be documented through residence permits and official records.
- The applicant should show a genuine intention to settle in Türkiye. Owning property, having a long-term job, running a business, or having a spouse or children in Türkiye are typical indicators.
- The person must have good morals and a lifestyle compatible with public order.
- A sufficient command of the Turkish language is required, enabling the person to participate in social life.
- The applicant must have a regular income or a profession that allows them to support themselves and their dependants.
- Finally, there must be no threat to national security or public order.
Meeting these conditions allows a foreigner to be considered for citizenship, but it does not create an automatic right. The decision is discretionary: authorities evaluate each file and may approve or reject it.
4.2 How Are Applications Assessed in Practice?
When assessing a file under the general regime, Turkish authorities typically examine:
- Whether the residence in Türkiye was legal and uninterrupted,
- The degree of integration into Turkish society (language, family and social connections, employment history),
- The applicant’s criminal record and security background, both in Türkiye and in their country of origin,
- The consistency and reliability of documentation (birth certificates, passports, marital status records, etc.).
If the evaluation is positive, the application is forwarded through the Ministry of Interior to the President for a final decision. If it is negative, the application may be rejected, with or without the possibility of re-applying after certain conditions are improved.
5. Citizenship through Marriage to a Turkish Citizen
5.1 Marriage Does Not Automatically Grant Citizenship
A very common misunderstanding among foreigners is the assumption that marrying a Turkish citizen automatically makes them Turkish. This is not the case. Marriage only creates a possibility to apply for citizenship; the foreign spouse must still meet certain conditions.
To apply for citizenship through marriage:
- The applicant must have been married to a Turkish citizen for a certain minimum period (commonly three years) at the time of application.
- The marital union must genuinely continue; the couple should normally live together and share family life.
- The foreign spouse must not engage in behaviour that would harm the marital union, such as sham marriages or marriages entered only for immigration benefits.
- The applicant must not pose a threat to national security or public order.
If these conditions are satisfied and the marriage is found to be genuine, the foreign spouse can acquire citizenship by decision of the competent authority.
5.2 Control against Sham Marriages
Because marriage-based citizenship is an attractive route, the law includes safeguards against abuse. Authorities may:
- Conduct interviews with both spouses,
- Request additional documentation proving the authenticity of the marriage (photos, joint accounts, rental contracts, children’s birth certificates),
- Visit the marital home in some cases.
If the marriage is found to be sham—concluded purely for citizenship—applications can be rejected and there may be legal consequences. Even if citizenship has already been granted, it can later be cancelled if it is proven that it was obtained by fraud or concealment.
6. Citizenship by Adoption
Adoption is another specific route to Turkish citizenship. Here the law focuses on the best interest of the child.
A foreign child:
- Who is under 18, and
- Is legally adopted by a Turkish citizen,
may acquire Turkish citizenship, provided the child does not present a threat to national security or public order.
The adoption must be valid according to the relevant legal systems and must be officially recognized in Türkiye. Unlike general naturalization, there is no requirement of a long residence period, because the goal is to ensure that the child can fully participate in family life with the adoptive Turkish parent.
7. Exceptional Acquisition of Turkish Citizenship
7.1 Rationale Behind Exceptional Citizenship
The Turkish Citizenship Law also allows the President to grant citizenship on an exceptional basis to individuals who are considered to be of special interest to the country. This route is designed as a flexible tool for cases where strict application of the general rules would be too limiting.
Examples include:
- Foreigners who have made or are expected to make significant contributions to Türkiye in areas such as science, technology, economy, social and cultural life, sports or arts,
- Persons whose naturalization is viewed as necessary due to national security considerations or the public interest,
- Certain categories of investors and job-creating entrepreneurs,
- Some holders of long-term residence statuses specifically designed for highly qualified foreigners.
In these cases, the law allows citizenship to be granted even if some of the general conditions (such as the length of residence) are not fully met. However, the person must still pass security and public order checks.
7.2 Investors and Highly Qualified Foreigners
In practice, one of the most visible groups within exceptional citizenship is foreign investors. Turkish law and secondary legislation introduce several economic criteria for investors, such as:
- Purchasing real estate above a certain minimum value and committing not to sell it for a certain period,
- Making a fixed capital investment,
- Keeping a significant bank deposit in Türkiye for a minimum time,
- Investing in public borrowing instruments, or
- Creating employment for a legally defined number of people.
The details and minimum thresholds of these investor options are set by secondary legislation and may be adjusted over time. Therefore, individuals considering this route should always obtain updated legal and financial advice before making any binding investment decision.
Holders of specific “qualified foreigner” statuses, similar to a long-term or special residence permit, may also be proposed for exceptional citizenship when their skills, expertise or activities are considered beneficial to Türkiye.
8. Re-Acquisition of Turkish Citizenship
Not all citizenship files start from zero. Some applicants are former Turkish citizens who had to renounce or lost their citizenship under previous laws. The current legal framework provides mechanisms for them to re-acquire Turkish citizenship under certain conditions.
Typical situations include:
- Individuals who gave up Turkish citizenship with permission to obtain another nationality, but now wish to return,
- Persons whose citizenship was removed in the past in line with older legislation but who are now allowed to apply for re-acquisition.
Depending on the specific legal basis:
- Some former citizens may re-acquire citizenship without having to reside in Türkiye for a long period,
- Others may be required to live in Türkiye for a certain time before they can apply.
For many people in this group, re-acquisition is not just a legal step; it also has emotional and practical dimensions, such as reconnecting with property rights, pension entitlements or family members.
9. Dual and Multiple Citizenship: How Turkish Law Approaches It
Turkish nationality law accepts the reality of dual and multiple citizenship. Acquiring Turkish citizenship does not automatically cause the loss of the person’s previous nationality under Turkish law. Whether the other state allows dual citizenship is a separate question and depends entirely on that state’s legislation.
Key points include:
- A person may hold Turkish citizenship and one or more foreign citizenships at the same time, as long as the other countries permit it.
- Turkish citizens who acquire another nationality are expected to inform Turkish authorities (for example, consulates abroad or local population directorates) so that the change can be reflected in the records.
- Former Turkish citizens who re-acquire citizenship may preserve some rights tied to their foreign status, depending on their legal situation and applicable bilateral or domestic rules.
For applicants and their lawyers, it is crucial to analyze not only Turkish law but also the law of the other country to understand the full legal consequences of acquiring or re-acquiring Turkish citizenship.
10. Rights and Obligations after Acquiring Turkish Citizenship
Regardless of how citizenship is acquired—by birth, marriage, residence, exceptional decision or investment—once a person is a Turkish citizen, they are treated as such in all areas of public law. There is no formal distinction between “citizen by birth” and “naturalized citizen” in terms of core rights and obligations.
10.1 Main Rights
Turkish citizens enjoy, among others:
- The right to live and work in Türkiye without residence or work permit requirements,
- Access to public healthcare and social security under the general rules,
- The right to vote and to stand for certain public offices, in line with electoral and constitutional rules,
- The right to enter and leave Türkiye using a Turkish passport,
- Consular protection by Turkish missions abroad.
10.2 Main Obligations
With rights come obligations as well, such as:
- Respect for the Constitution and laws,
- Tax liabilities according to Turkish tax legislation,
- Possible military service obligations for male citizens, subject to exemptions or payment in lieu systems,
- Duties related to population registration, address reporting and notification of changes in civil status.
A person who uses the citizenship system only as a formal label but completely ignores these duties may expose themselves to administrative and sometimes criminal sanctions.
11. Practical and Strategic Considerations for Applicants
11.1 Choosing the Most Suitable Route
For a foreign national, the first strategic question is which route to citizenship fits best:
- If at least one parent is Turkish, it is usually more efficient to explore citizenship by descent and registration, rather than investing money or waiting for many years.
- Long-term residents with stable jobs, family ties and good command of Turkish might be better positioned under the general naturalization regime.
- Foreign spouses of Turkish citizens should carefully prepare documents and evidence for marriage-based applications, focusing on the authenticity and continuity of family life.
- Investors and entrepreneurs should study the exceptional and investor-related provisions, making sure that their investment decisions match the current legal thresholds and technical criteria.
11.2 Avoiding Common Mistakes
Some recurring pitfalls seen in practice include:
- Starting an application before completing the necessary residence period or without correcting gaps in residence,
- Submitting inconsistent or incomplete documents (different spellings of names, unregistered divorces, missing apostilles),
- Relying on unofficial information about investment thresholds or types of eligible assets,
- Underestimating the importance of the security and public order assessment,
- Assuming that marriage or investment gives an automatic right to citizenship, when in fact there is always an element of administrative discretion.
11.3 Importance of Professional Guidance
Because citizenship touches on many other branches of law—immigration, family law, tax law, property law, even criminal law—a poorly structured strategy can create significant future problems. For example:
- A foreigner who acquires property for investment purposes without checking zoning or title issues may later face legal disputes.
- A person who changes their name or civil status abroad without updating Turkish records may meet obstacles during the citizenship process.
- An investor who sells or modifies their qualifying assets too early might see the entire citizenship process jeopardized.
For these reasons, it is generally advisable to obtain comprehensive legal advice before launching a citizenship application, especially in complex family or investment scenarios.
12. Conclusion
The Turkish Citizenship Law offers multiple legal avenues for foreigners and former citizens who wish to establish or re-establish a lasting link with Türkiye. From children of Turkish parents and long-term residents to spouses, adoptees, investors and highly qualified professionals, the law provides tailored mechanisms for different personal and economic situations.
However, each route has its own:
- Eligibility conditions,
- Procedural requirements, and
- Potential risks.
Understanding these elements from the outset and aligning them with the applicant’s long-term goals—whether family-oriented, career-oriented or investment-driven—is essential for a successful and sustainable outcome.
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