Buyers often hear the scheme called a golden visa in Turkey or an investment visa in Turkey. Neither name is official, and neither is strictly a visa: the route leads to a passport, not to a temporary entry document. Turkey CBI, short for citizenship by investment in Turkey, is the term used in legal practice.

Citizenship by real estate investment in Turkey comes without language tests, interviews or a residency requirement. You can get citizenship in Turkey and carry on living wherever you are now. Travel to the country is needed once, to give biometrics. Dual citizenship in Turkey is recognised, so there is no need to give up your current passport. Read more about residence permits and long-term status in the immigration to Turkey section.

A spouse and children under 18 join the investor on a single application, and children born after approval become citizens automatically. Many investors and expats put off moving to Turkey for years and arrange the paperwork early, as a fallback for the family and a working travel document.

Benefits of Turkish citizenship

What the investor and their family get along with the passport:

• Visa-free travel to over +110 countries
• Citizenship for the entire family
• Dual citizenship
• Opportunity for education abroad
• Possibility of moving to Turkey
• Open opportunities for business
• Expanded options for obtaining a US visa
• Quality healthcare services
• Potential for stable income
• High quality of life
• No residency requirement
• No language exam required

Conditions for obtaining citizenship in Turkey

Any foreign national over 18 can apply for citizenship in Turkey under the programme, including citizens of Russia and Belarus. The citizenship requirements in Turkey attach to the deal rather than to the applicant:

• 400,000 or more, confirmed by a licensed valuation report
• several properties are allowed, but they go in as one package
• the seller is a local citizen or company, and the property has not been used in an earlier application
• payment by bank transfer only, with currency sold through the Central Bank and a DAB certificate issued
• a three-year ban on resale is recorded in the title deed

Flats, houses, commercial units and land plots in Turkey all qualify. Completed housing is registered through the tapu straight away, while off-plan projects in Turkey go through a notarised sales promise agreement that states the full amount in one document. Secondary properties in Turkey also work, provided the seller is a local owner.

Documents for obtaining Turkish citizenship

The file is collected for every person named in the application:

• passports
• birth and marriage certificates with apostille and sworn translation
• criminal record certificate issued within the past 6 months
• 4 biometric photographs
• title deed or notarised contract for an off-plan unit
• valuation report, DAB certificate and bank payment slips
• Turkish tax number and health insurance for the residence permit
• power of attorney if a lawyer handles the process

Start legalising foreign documents early: it saves two to three weeks at filing.

Process of obtaining citizenship by real estate investment in Turkey

Preliminary check (1 month)

A lawyer reviews the case before any money moves: nationality, family composition, source of funds, criminal record. This is also when the property itself is checked against the register, because a unit that has already served another application will not qualify.

Document preparation (1 month)

The investor obtains a Turkish tax number, opens a local bank account and legalises family documents through apostille and sworn translation. A notarised power of attorney is signed at this point if a lawyer is running the file.

Real estate purchase (several days)

Funds reach the seller by bank transfer. The currency is converted through the Central Bank, the bank issues a DAB certificate, and ownership is registered with a note barring resale for three years. A state valuation report and a certificate of conformity complete the set.

Application for residence permit (1 day)

The investor applies for the short-term permit reserved for programme participants. Since January 2024 both spouses file and both give fingerprints, so plan the trip for this stage. See residence permit in Turkey when buying real estate for the wider picture.

Receiving the residence permit (1–3 months)

The residence card arrives by post. From that moment the investor holds legal resident status, although living in the country is still optional.

Applying for citizenship (1 day)

The file goes to the civil registry directorate. Adults give biometrics, children under 18 are exempt, and the whole family is processed as one submission.

Due diligence check (a few weeks)

The migration service, the police and the national intelligence service review the applicant, and two separate requests go to Interpol. They look at criminal history, sanctions lists and the origin of the money. A clean banking trail with supporting statements settles most questions, and these checks take up much of the overall timeline.

Receiving the passport (6–8 months)

Approval comes by presidential decision. The new citizen is issued a kimlik, the plastic ID card carrying an 11-digit personal number, which works as the internal identity document for banking, property and state services. The Turkish passport itself is valid for up to 10 years.

Visa-free countries for Turkish citizens

A Turkish passport opens more than 110 destinations without a visa arranged in advance, 113 by the July 2026 international passport ranking. Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia admit holders visa-free. Closer to home the list covers Georgia, Serbia, Albania and Qatar. In Latin America, Brazil, Argentina and Chile each grant 90 days. South Korea admits travellers for 90 days under the K-ETA authorisation. Schengen still requires a visa, though since July 2025 applicants with a clean visa history receive long multi-entry ones.

Investor expenses in Turkey – starting from $ 400,000

The property is the main line item. The smallest package in the Yekta Homes catalogue is $ 408,000: one or several apartments from the developer whose combined value clears the state threshold. The selection covers studios, apartments, duplexes, penthouses and villas in new complexes in Alanya. The payment structure is the developer’s own: documents go in once 50% of the price is paid, and the remaining half is spread over an interest-free instalment plan of up to 12 months.

The cost of citizenship in Turkey also depends on tax. A non-resident who pays in foreign currency and buys as the first owner is exempt from VAT, on condition that the property is not sold for three years. That period matches the programme requirement anyway.

Budget for the extras in advance: together they add roughly 5% to 7% on top of the price. Yekta Homes introduces the buyer to a partner lawyer, after which the client works with the lawyer directly and pays the legal fees and duties separately. Browse completed projects in Turkey for ready units, or look at apartments in Turkey and apartments in Turkey from investors for rental stock.