Residence and Turkish Citizenship

Turkish Citizenship and Residence

All you need to know about the TURKISH RESIDENCE PERMIT

Since February 1, 2012, the total permitted period for a foreigner to be in Turkey as a tourist should not exceed 90 days.

So if you intend to stay in Turkey for more than 90 days, or if you plan to live in Turkey legally, you must submit an application in order to obtain a residence permit before the tourist visa expires.

?What are the types of residency in Turkey

There are four main types of residence permits, depending on the purpose of the foreign person's visit to Turkey:

• Long-term residence permit.

• Short-term residence permit.
• Family residence permit.
• Student residence permit.

A short-term residence permit is issued for only 12 months, and it is granted for tourist purposes, or for foreigners who own immovable property in Turkey.

Important note: If you exceed 8 consecutive years within the Turkish residence permit without spending a period longer than 120 days during a period of 12 months outside Turkey, then you have the right to apply for a long-term residence permit.

?How can foreigners apply for residency in Turkey

Since May 18, 2015, all procedures related to applying for a residence permit in Turkey have become easy and complete via the Internet, and directly reach the General Directorate of Immigration Administration in Turkey.

1- You can go to the website of the General Directorate of Immigration Administration https://e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr, and fill out the online application form.

2- Prepare all relevant documents required by the Immigration Office, and ensure that all papers are completed to properly complete the application.

3- For applications submitted for the first time, you should visit the immigration office in person on the date and time of your appointment with the relevant documents.

4- Your application will be evaluated by the General Directorate of Immigration Administration and in the event of any incorrect, incomplete or incomplete documents, you will be given 30 days to submit the documents and complete the application.

5- After the application is accepted, you will be given evidence to document the form, and your residence permit will be issued within 90 days to be sent through the Turkish postal system to your address in Turkey.

6- Residence permits are issued in Turkey for a period ranging between 6 months and 5 years, depending on the type of residence acquired.

?What is the total cost for obtaining residency in Turkey

The application fee is calculated by the system of the General Directorate of Immigration Administration in Turkey, according to the nationality, duration, and type of residence permit.

However, there are some fixed costs that must be paid, such as an administrative fee to obtain your residence card, at a value of 58 TL as of 2016.

In addition to the presence of health insurance, it is considered a mandatory condition for those under the age of 65, and its cost varies according to the age group of the applicant and as an average rate, the cost of the residence permit for one year is about 450-500 $.

?What are the documents required to complete the application

For first-time applicants, it is necessary to ensure that all the following documents are present, in order to obtain a complete form that is acceptable and is being processed by the General Directorate of Immigration Administration in Turkey:

1- Residence permit application form.

2- Original and copy of the passport or travel document (the validity period of the passport must be no less than 60 days after the date of expiry of the permit you requested).

3- Four photographs of passport size, taken during the past (6) months.

4- Announcing adequate and sustainable financial resources throughout the stay.

5- A tax number issued by the tax administration.

6- An official document proving the applicant's ownership of immovable property.

7- Obtaining valid medical insurance in Turkey, knowing that ages over 65 and under 18 are exempt from insurance.

All You Need to Know about Turkish Citizenship

?How and when to apply to obtain Turkish Citizenship

In order to apply for the nationality of Turkey, the applicant must fulfill the following conditions:

1- The applicant must be of the age of majority in accordance with the national judicial system of your country, usually 18 years.

2 stability in Turkey over the past five years (provided that the interruption period does not exceed 6 months), but in the event that you are a foreigner and have been born on Turkish territory, you must settle in Turkey for a period of three years.

3- You must have an intention to settle in Turkey (owning your property/property can help prove this).

4- Evidence of sufficient financial resources to support yourself in Turkey. For example, if you have a job in Turkey, you will meet this requirement. If this does not happen, evidence of existing funds or pension payments is sufficient.

5- The applicant must prove that his physical and mental health is sound.

6- That there should be no criminal record.

7- The application must be submitted to your nearest Turkish consulate.

Obtaining Turkish citizenship in exchange for purchasing a property "in detail"

The text of the law " Obtaining Turkish citizenship in exchange for buying a property":

The decision issued on 09/19/2018 to grant citizenship in exchange for a property of only $ 250,000 instead of $ 1 million was the major turning point in the history of Turkish real estate legislation.

The decision to amend the executive regulations related to obtaining the nationality of Turkey law was accompanied by great facilities in the procedures that made real estate investment the most attractive way to own a Turkish passport in a direct way and as quickly as possible.

Terms of the Turkish citizenship decision in exchange for buying a property

• It is mandatory to conduct all financial transactions to purchase the property through banks, as all transactions outside the banks are rejected.

• It is forbidden to buy a property from a non-Turkish person, meaning that the property purchased by a foreigner is not accepted.

• Calculating the amount that was actually paid in the event of buying the property in installments and does not look at the debt price that will be subject to the installment.
• That the value of the purchased property be slightly higher than the value of (250) thousand dollars so that no problems occur during the application.
• The purchased property cannot be sold within the three years following the purchase.

Mechanism of applying to obtain Turkish Citizenship by buying property in Turkey

• The value of the purchased property, whatever its type, should be 250 thousand dollars.

• The need to transfer the value of the property through a Turkish bank.

• Obtaining the full title deed of the property or Land Registry after conducting the real estate appraisal process by certified experts.
• Signing the pledge document not to sell the property within the next 3 years.
• Fixing a specific address to the property owner and not necessarily the address in which you own it, if the property was used for rent, for example, or the nature of the property is commercial.

The documents required while applying for Turkish Citizenship

• A copy of the title deed of the purchased property "Tapu"

• Real estate evaluation report, provided that it is issued by expert offices accredited by the Turkish government.

• The original payment of the property amount from the buyer's account to the account of the construction company or "seller" sealed with a live stamp from the bank from which he was sent.
• The original receipt from the construction company account, "Seller", stamped with a live stamp from the receiving bank.
• The passport of the property owner is translated into Turkish and authenticated by a Turkish notary
• A translated passport, authenticated by the Noter for the owner’s wife and children under 18 years of age if they join the Turkish citizenship file.
• Submit two copies of the original agency with the application for Turkish citizenship to the law firm that submits the citizenship file and who becomes responsible for following up the application instead of the investor with the official departments.
• A residence permit granted for citizenship, “that is, a valid real estate residence” valid in Turkey.
• Title confirmation document
• Photographs

The documents required in the event of applying for Turkish Citizenship for the family

• Application form for obtaining extraordinary Turkish citizenship for investors who have purchased a property in Turkey.

• A legal precedent document, that is, there is no prior judgment against both the investor and his wife extracted from Turkey.

• A copy of the marriage contract
• Birth certificates of all family members, i.e. applicants for citizenship
• Family registry
• 2 personal photos for each family member

Documents to obtain conditional real estate residency in the nationality file

• Residence application form filled out.

• Certificate of conformity of real estate with the specifications of granting citizenship, which is extracted from the Land Registry Department

• Original passport and a copy
• 4 recent photographs, biometrics.
• Valid health insurance.

Very important

Those wishing to apply for Turkish nationality must certify all documents issued from outside Turkey by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country from which the document is issued and from the Turkish embassy or consulate in that country. Approved by a Turkish notary after translation.

How to apply for Turkish Citizenship

Apply for Turkish citizenship through the electronic system of the Department of Immigration via the following electronic link http://www.goc.gov.tr

Duration of obtaining Turkish Citizenship

The duration of obtaining Turkish nationality takes between 30 and 60 days, depending on the number of family members of the applicant's family, documents, and how busy it is.

Alhuda Real Estate company, thanks to the professionalism of its staff, managed to complete the transactions for obtaining Turkish nationality for its clients within a maximum of 45 days.

Obtaining the Turkish passport

The investor obtaining Turkish citizenship is automatically followed by obtaining the Turkish passport by following these steps:

• Requesting an appointment from the Ministry of Interior’s registry Management website to choose the nearest city to show the date, date, and time.

• A Turkish ID card that is received after obtaining Turkish nationality, or the provisional certificate which is delivered to the person until the identity card is issued.
• Two pictures with a white background extracted in the last 6 months at a size of "6 * 5".
• A passport payment receipt that can be paid online on the Tax Authority website

The prices of the Turkish passport according to the validity period

Note: Turkish passport is renewable for life.

Advantages of Turkish Passport

• The Turkish passport ranked 38th globally among the most powerful passports in the world according to the "Henley Index"

• A Turkish passport holder can enter 117 countries without a visa or issue an entry visa at the airport upon arrival.
• The Turkish passport provides the option to apply for the visa online through e-Visa to 7 countries.

Turkish Passport Visa Free European Countries

Georgia, Macedonia, Ukraine, Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Serbia

Turkish Passport Visa Free Arab Countries