Residence Permit And Citizenship Procedures

Obtaining a residence permit and citizenship in Turkey when purchasing real estate

^ Foreigners from Ukraine and the CIS can stay in Turkey for up to 90 days for six months without applying for a visa. The conditions for Russians are similar, but you can stay in the country continuously for 60 days. Next, you will need to issue a residence permit or become a citizen.

 
Types of residence permit in Turkey:
 
Temporary residence permit – up to two years, with the possibility to extend;
Long-term (permanent) residence permit.
You can get a permanent residence permit after living in Turkey for 8 years. During the 5 years preceding the application, a foreigner must not leave the country for more than a year. You cannot be absent for more than 180 days in the last year. The advantages of a long-term residence permit are practically the same rights and obligations as a Turkish citizen. The exceptions are: service in the army, participation in elections, work in state structures.

Two options for obtaining a residence permit for real estate

*rent an apartment under a notary agreement;

*buy an object (at any cost) and register ownership (TAPU).

After the transaction, the foreigner receives a temporary, so-called tourist residence permit. The request can be submitted for the duration of the lease agreement or for 2 years in the case of purchase. The solution is issued to everyone for a different period (the scheme is not transparent). For August 2022, they are issued for Ukrainians for 1-2 years, for Kazakhstanis, for Belarusians – for six months. When renting housing and buying it, it is worth paying attention to the area to be open for the legalization of foreigners.

The new rules of migration legislation (entered into force from October 2023) suggest that in order to further obtain citizenship through naturalization, the purchased object must cost at least $ 200,000. This cost is cadastral, it is indicated in the TAPU and is determined by a certified appraiser. In Istanbul, the cadastral and market values coincide, in Alanya and Antalya they may differ by 30-70%.
 
^Conditions for families;

Obtaining a residence permit in Turkey through the purchase of real estate is possible for the buyer’s husband/wife and their minor children. Adult children must be included in the TAPU as co-owners of the property.

What does a residence permit give?
Ikamet owners can use most of the social services available to citizens: education for children in public schools and colleges, free services in public and cheaper in private clinics, attendance at government sections and courses. Obtaining a residence permit does not provide a work permit; you must obtain a separate work visa.
 

Oturma iznine ilişkin belgeler ve kayıt süreci
  1. Health insurance (sigorta) is required. The cost depends on age and service coverage and ranges from 800-4500 lira (TL).
  2. Take a 3×4 photo (for Ikamet) in printed and digital format. It costs 50-75 liras.
  3. A copy of the international passport (main page, a page with the entry stamp).
  4. A copy of the TAPU (title deed) for the purchased or rented apartment. In some cases, a notarized rental agreement is required.
  5. Get a “numarataj” certificate. It is issued at the City Hall for 150 liras. It contains details of your place of residence.
  6. Obtain a Turkish tax number (either by visiting the tax office or electronically). The service is free of charge. Parents’ names in Latin script will be required, as in international passports.
  7. Fill in and print out the Ikamet application form (it is submitted electronically via the Migration Service website).
  8. For minor children, a translation of the birth certificate and the consent of one of the spouses will be required. The translation is performed by a sworn translator, then the documents must be notarized and apostilled. The cost of this procedure will be 500-1000 TL.
  9. Provide a receipt for payment of taxes and fees. The cost will be 700-3500 TL depending on the applicant’s country of origin.
  10. Purchase a Turkish mobile number. In Turkcell it will cost 350 TL, in Turk Telekom 300 TL. Once you get Ikamet, you can switch to cheaper mobile tariffs for locals.
  11. After submitting the application and collecting all the necessary documents, a rendezvous date will be scheduled at the Migration Service. There you should bring all documents in a special pink “Dosya” folder (sold at any copy center). Apparently it’s some kind of local tradition.
  12. After passing the rendezvous, the application goes out for review.

The terms of obtaining a residence permit and “plastic” (Kimlik) are 1-3 months. Once the application is submitted, the foreigner can live in Turkey until the application is reviewed. The status of the application can be checked on the website of the Migration Service.

Obtaining Turkish citizenship through naturalization

*Buy an apartment or house (cadastral value from 200,000 USD);

*live in the country for 5 years, do not leave Turkey for more than 360 days in total during this period;

*pass exams in Turkish and history
The main difference between a “tourist” and a “non-tourist” (obtained by purchasing from 200,000 USD) residence permit in Turkey: the period of stay under a “tourist” residence permit does not count towards the 5 years required to obtain citizenship.

How to obtain citizenship by real estate investment

A foreigner can obtain a Turkish passport by investing 400,000 USD in real estate (cadastral value). It can be one object or several, but they must be purchased at the same time (within one month). You can buy apartments, houses (villas), commercial real estate or part of the hotel.

When applying for citizenship in Turkey when buying real estate, we recommend using the services of a lawyer. You can write out a power of attorney for a lawyer and the whole process will take place remotely. However, it is necessary to obtain a passport in person. The services of a lawyer will cost about 5000 USD. The same amount usually includes VAT refund (KDV) (from 1 to 8% of the cadastral value of the property).

Together with the investor, his spouse and minor children can obtain citizenship.

When buying real estate for citizenship, a note about the prohibition of the sale of such real estate for 3 years is entered in the TAPU (document of ownership). However, you have the right to rent it out and receive income.

The object for citizenship must be purchased from a citizen (resident) of Turkey or from a Turkish developer. If the object has already been used to obtain citizenship, then the second time it is not suitable for this procedure.
 

Neighborhoods of Turkey closed to residence permits

The municipal government may close some neighborhoods for issuing residence permits. The norm for the number of foreigners living in one area is 20%. Districts are closed and then opened. This is a constant process.. Now in Alanya the areas of Avsallar, Kargicak, Mahmutlar, Kestel are closed. Other areas remain open. In Antalya, most of Konyaalti district is closed. In Istanbul, 36 neighborhoods are closed, and in total there are more than 950 of them in the city. When choosing an object, you should pay attention to whether the location of a particular building is open.

If the goal is not to further obtain citizenship through naturalization, you can purchase real estate in any area and obtain a residence permit by renting an apartment in another.
 

Ways to obtain citizenship not related to real estate

1. Open a deposit in Turkey in the amount of the equivalent of 500,000 USD. in Turkish lira. The deposit must be open for at least 3 years.

2. Buy Turkish government bonds for at least 500,000 USD

3. Invest 500,000 USD in the private sector of the Turkish economy.

4. Establish a business in Turkey and employ 50+ Turkish citizens

As we can see, accelerated acquisition of citizenship through the purchase of real estate is the cheapest and easiest way possible. If you have any questions, leave a request and we will advise you in more detail, and also select objects with the maximum cadastral value, which will allow you to obtain a residence permit and Turkish citizenship without overpayments.


The licensed agency Dgs İnvest will help you buy property in Turkey for living, investment and rental.

 

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