🇹🇷 Turkey · Citizenship
Naturalization rules: required residence years, language and civics requirements, and each country's dual-citizenship policy.
Quick answer
Turkey grants citizenship by naturalization after 5 years of continuous residence, with basic Turkish, good moral character, lawful means and no threat to health or security. A faster, separate route is Turkish citizenship by investment (for example a qualifying property purchase). Turkey permits dual nationality. The decision is by presidential decree via the Ministry of the Interior.
Turkish citizenship can be acquired through ordinary naturalisation, exceptional routes and investment-linked routes; dual citizenship is generally allowed, but applicants should verify their other nationality’s rules.
- NVI lists ordinary naturalisation conditions including five years of uninterrupted residence before application.
- NVI’s citizenship FAQ lists investment routes including at least USD 400,000 in real estate held with a three-year no-sale annotation; TKGM guidance still references the USD 400,000 property threshold.
- Exceptional citizenship is discretionary and should not be treated as an automatic right even when listed conditions are met.
Step-by-step
- 1
Confirm your route and residence
Choose your route: naturalization after 5 years’ continuous residence, or the faster citizenship-by-investment route.
- 2
Meet language and knowledge requirements
Show basic Turkish sufficient to communicate.
- 3
Meet good-character and other conditions
Be of good moral character, have lawful means of living, and pose no threat to public health or security.
- 4
Apply to the nationality authority
Apply to the provincial civil-registry / immigration office (Nüfus) with residence, language and record documents.
- 5
Complete review, oath and formalities
The file is reviewed by a commission; citizenship is granted by presidential decree.
- 6
Receive citizenship and a passport
You become a Turkish citizen; Turkey permits dual nationality. Apply for a Turkish ID and passport.
Checklist
- Eligible route + qualifying residence period
- Continuous / legal residence conditions met
- Language + knowledge requirement met
- Good character / clean record
- Application + documents + fee
- Review / oath / formalities completed
- Dual-nationality / renunciation rule handled
- Citizenship confirmed; passport applied
Official authorities
- NVI — Turkish citizenship acquisition
Official citizenship routes and ordinary naturalisation conditions.
- NVI — Citizenship FAQ
Official investment-route FAQ.
- TKGM — Citizenship by real-estate guidance
Land-registry guidance on property-value confirmation.
Frequently asked questions
How long until Turkish citizenship by naturalization?
Five years of continuous residence for ordinary naturalization; citizenship by investment is a much faster, separate route.
Does Turkey allow dual nationality?
Yes — Turkey permits dual nationality, so you generally keep your original citizenship.
Is citizenship by investment available?
Yes — Turkey offers citizenship by investment (e.g. a qualifying property purchase), which is faster than ordinary naturalization.
Official-information aggregation, not legal advice. Always verify on the authority's own site.