Türkiye Long-Term Residence Permit Program
Migration Program Details & Application
Program Overview
Project Description
Türkiye offers two main routes:
• Citizenship Pathway (Mainstream): Purchase real estate worth over $400,000 and hold it for 3 years to obtain Turkish citizenship (i.e., a passport). Spouses and children under 18 can accompany you. Note: This is citizenship, not permanent residency in the usual sense. This path does not require residency to apply, the passport can be renamed, visa-free access to 120+ countries is available, and you can apply for a US E2 visa. The property can be sold after 3 years without affecting your citizenship. The processing time is approximately 6-10 months.
• Residency Path (Towards Permanent Residency): Purchasing property of any value allows you to apply for a short-term residence permit (a minimum threshold will be set from 2023, see below for details), granting a 1-2 year "Short-Term Residence Permit." This permit allows you to live, work, and do business in Turkey. It is renewable. After legally residing continuously in Turkey for 8 years, you can apply for a "Long-Term Residence Permit," which is essentially "permanent residency." Continuous residence is required, and each absence from Turkey generally cannot exceed 6 months.
Key difference: The citizenship path grants a passport (a one-time investment of US$400,000), while the residency path first grants a short-term residency card and then requires 8 years of residence to obtain permanent residency.
Basic requirements for property purchase (applicable to both paths): You need to apply for a Turkish tax number, which allows you to purchase residential/commercial real estate/land, provided the total price meets the requirements. It is recommended to hire a lawyer to check whether the title has any defects such as mortgages.
---
Türkiye offers two main routes:
• Citizenship Pathway (Mainstream): Purchase real estate worth over $400,000 and hold it for 3 years to obtain Turkish citizenship (i.e., a passport). Spouses and children under 18 can accompany you. Note: This is citizenship, not permanent residency in the usual sense. This path does not require residency to apply, the passport can be renamed, visa-free access to 120+ countries is available, and you can apply for a US E2 visa. The property can be sold after 3 years without affecting your citizenship. The processing time is approximately 6-10 months.
• Residency Path (Towards Permanent Residency): Purchasing property of any value allows you to apply for a short-term residence permit (a minimum threshold will be set from 2023, see below for details), granting a 1-2 year "Short-Term Residence Permit." This permit allows you to live, work, and do business in Turkey. It is renewable. After legally residing continuously in Turkey for 8 years, you can apply for a "Long-Term Residence Permit," which is essentially "permanent residency." Continuous residence is required, and each absence from Turkey generally cannot exceed 6 months.
Key difference: The citizenship path grants a passport (a one-time investment of US$400,000), while the residency path first grants a short-term residency card and then requires 8 years of residence to obtain permanent residency.
Basic requirements for property purchase (applicable to both paths): You need to apply for a Turkish tax number, which allows you to purchase residential/commercial real estate/land, provided the total price meets the requirements. It is recommended to hire a lawyer to check whether the title has any defects such as mortgages.
---
Eligibility & Requirements
Scoring Instructions
Türkiye's real estate investment immigration program does not use a points-based system; the assessment is primarily based on the amount of money required.
• Citizenship pathway: Investment amount ≥ US$400,000, holding period ≥ 3 years, age ≥ 18, no criminal record, purchase of health insurance.
• Residency Pathway (Short-Term Residence Permit): There is no hard monetary threshold, but the 2023 implementation rules will uniformly set the minimum property value at US$200,000 nationwide.
• Long-term residence (permanent residence): Having legally resided in Türkiye continuously for 8 years, with stable funds, and complying with laws and regulations.
---
Türkiye's real estate investment immigration program does not use a points-based system; the assessment is primarily based on the amount of money required.
• Citizenship pathway: Investment amount ≥ US$400,000, holding period ≥ 3 years, age ≥ 18, no criminal record, purchase of health insurance.
• Residency Pathway (Short-Term Residence Permit): There is no hard monetary threshold, but the 2023 implementation rules will uniformly set the minimum property value at US$200,000 nationwide.
• Long-term residence (permanent residence): Having legally resided in Türkiye continuously for 8 years, with stable funds, and complying with laws and regulations.
---
Application Process & Advice
suggestion
Citizenship or residency?: The residency route is more expensive (requires 8 years of residence), and permanent residency does not lead to a Turkish passport. If the goal is long-term residence, the residency route is still feasible; if you seek greater flexibility (E2/visa-free travel), the citizenship route is recommended.
• Ensure sufficient funds are available: Taxes and fees during the holding period: Transfer tax is approximately 4% (half for the buyer and half for the seller, but in practice the buyer often bears the full amount), value-added tax is 1%-18%, annual property tax is approximately 0.6%, and capital gains tax on sale within 5 years is 15%-40%.
• Location selection based on rental income and appreciation potential: Istanbul: average price 1256/㎡, core area 1800-4000/㎡; Antalya: average price approximately 1000/㎡, rental yield 413-613T; Yalova and other areas: budget apartments approximately 65,000-120,000/㎡.
• In this era of stringent scrutiny, compliance is paramount: the new regulations require an assessment report issued by an independent evaluation committee appointed by the government, which is verified in conjunction with the contract amount and other relevant documents to prevent inflated pricing; each property can only be used for one citizenship application; complete proof of the source of funds must be provided, and funds must be transferred through the Turkish banking system.
• Be aware of the risk of policy changes: The citizenship threshold of $400,000 has remained stable since 2022; recently, some local media have suggested raising the threshold to $650,000 and extending the holding period to 10 years. It is recommended to expedite the process and lock in the existing policy.
---
Application process
• ① Apply for a tax number and verify property rights: Go to the Turkish tax office to apply for a tax number (1-2 working days); hire a lawyer to obtain the Tapu property certificate from the land registry and verify the mortgage/seizure status, etc.
② Sign the purchase agreement: Sign the "Real Estate Purchase and Sale Certificate" in front of a notary public. The source of funds must pass the anti-money laundering review. It is recommended to use the notary public to escrow the deposit and transfer it through a Turkish bank.
③ Complete the property transfer: The land registry office completes the transfer and registers ownership; if the citizenship route is taken, Tapu will indicate "prohibition of sale for 3 years".
• ④ Apply for a residence permit (both paths must be completed): After obtaining a Tapu, submit an electronic residence permit application to the Turkish Immigration Service website, provide fingerprints, and submit documents such as your passport and criminal record check.
• ⑤ Awaiting approval results: The citizenship route takes approximately 6-10 months to process, and the whole family will obtain citizenship upon approval; the residency route will grant a 1-2 year residency permit.
• ⑥ Renewal and conversion to permanent residency (residence pathway): Applicants renew their short-term residence permits annually; after legally residing in Turkey continuously for 8 years, they submit an application for long-term permanent residency.
---
In summary, Turkey's residency through real estate investment comes in two paths: "investment citizenship (US$400,000 for a passport in 3 years)" and "residency through real estate investment (no mandatory minimum investment → permanent residency in 8 years)". The citizenship path offers better value for money, has zero residency requirements, and allows for "zero-cost immigration" (recovering principal and retaining residency after selling the property in 3 years). However, it faces increasing pressure from rising entry barriers, so it is recommended to act as early as possible.
Citizenship or residency?: The residency route is more expensive (requires 8 years of residence), and permanent residency does not lead to a Turkish passport. If the goal is long-term residence, the residency route is still feasible; if you seek greater flexibility (E2/visa-free travel), the citizenship route is recommended.
• Ensure sufficient funds are available: Taxes and fees during the holding period: Transfer tax is approximately 4% (half for the buyer and half for the seller, but in practice the buyer often bears the full amount), value-added tax is 1%-18%, annual property tax is approximately 0.6%, and capital gains tax on sale within 5 years is 15%-40%.
• Location selection based on rental income and appreciation potential: Istanbul: average price 1256/㎡, core area 1800-4000/㎡; Antalya: average price approximately 1000/㎡, rental yield 413-613T; Yalova and other areas: budget apartments approximately 65,000-120,000/㎡.
• In this era of stringent scrutiny, compliance is paramount: the new regulations require an assessment report issued by an independent evaluation committee appointed by the government, which is verified in conjunction with the contract amount and other relevant documents to prevent inflated pricing; each property can only be used for one citizenship application; complete proof of the source of funds must be provided, and funds must be transferred through the Turkish banking system.
• Be aware of the risk of policy changes: The citizenship threshold of $400,000 has remained stable since 2022; recently, some local media have suggested raising the threshold to $650,000 and extending the holding period to 10 years. It is recommended to expedite the process and lock in the existing policy.
---
Application process
• ① Apply for a tax number and verify property rights: Go to the Turkish tax office to apply for a tax number (1-2 working days); hire a lawyer to obtain the Tapu property certificate from the land registry and verify the mortgage/seizure status, etc.
② Sign the purchase agreement: Sign the "Real Estate Purchase and Sale Certificate" in front of a notary public. The source of funds must pass the anti-money laundering review. It is recommended to use the notary public to escrow the deposit and transfer it through a Turkish bank.
③ Complete the property transfer: The land registry office completes the transfer and registers ownership; if the citizenship route is taken, Tapu will indicate "prohibition of sale for 3 years".
• ④ Apply for a residence permit (both paths must be completed): After obtaining a Tapu, submit an electronic residence permit application to the Turkish Immigration Service website, provide fingerprints, and submit documents such as your passport and criminal record check.
• ⑤ Awaiting approval results: The citizenship route takes approximately 6-10 months to process, and the whole family will obtain citizenship upon approval; the residency route will grant a 1-2 year residency permit.
• ⑥ Renewal and conversion to permanent residency (residence pathway): Applicants renew their short-term residence permits annually; after legally residing in Turkey continuously for 8 years, they submit an application for long-term permanent residency.
---
In summary, Turkey's residency through real estate investment comes in two paths: "investment citizenship (US$400,000 for a passport in 3 years)" and "residency through real estate investment (no mandatory minimum investment → permanent residency in 8 years)". The citizenship path offers better value for money, has zero residency requirements, and allows for "zero-cost immigration" (recovering principal and retaining residency after selling the property in 3 years). However, it faces increasing pressure from rising entry barriers, so it is recommended to act as early as possible.