• A tax number is the essential ID number for each registration and financial transaction in Turkey. A Tax Identification Number is a ten-digit number assigned to individuals.Foreigners should have a tax number for; opening a bank account, buying a property, subscribing for utility services, issuing insurance, getting health services, doing notarial processes, applying for residence permits, etcTax Registration number can be obtained from interactive tax office’s website or any tax office in TurkeyDocuments Required for Getting Tax Number
  • Passport details
  • Mother and father name

• We open a bank account on behalf of an investor with power of attorney.Documents Required for Opening Bank Account
  • Passport
  • Offical Tax Registration document with Turkish address declaration
  • Depositing 15.000 TL or in equivalance of Usd for 6 months

TURKISH CITIZENSHIP BY REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT

Foreign investors may obtain Turkish citizenship by purchasing real estate in Turkey with a minimum value equivalent to USD 400,000, provided that the property is not sold for at least three years. This condition must be certified by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change.

The purchase price must be transferred through a Turkish bank and a Foreign Currency Purchase Certificate (Döviz Alım Belgesi) must be issued for the transaction. The investment amount is evaluated based on the foreign currency amount stated in the Foreign Currency Purchase Certificate and the real estate valuation report.

Legal Restrictions for Foreign Property Ownership in Turkey

Military Zones

Foreigners are not allowed to acquire property in military forbidden zones in accordance with the Military Forbidden Zones and Security Zones Law No. 2565.

Security and Strategic Areas

Foreign individuals and foreign legal entities cannot acquire property in strategic areas and special security zones designated by the President.

Syrian Citizens

Syrian nationals are not permitted to purchase real estate in Turkey.

Maximum Property Ownership

A foreign real person may acquire up to 30 hectares of real estate in total. This limit may be increased by the President.

District Ownership Limitation

The total area of properties acquired by foreign real persons cannot exceed 10% of the total private property area within a district.

Eligible Real Estate for Turkish Citizenship

Investors may purchase residential or commercial real estate, including:

• Apartments
• Houses
• Villas
• Offices
• Shops

Investors may purchase more than one property in the same or different cities, provided that the total investment value reaches at least USD 400,000.

The purchased property cannot previously have been owned by the investor, their spouse, or children, and cannot be transferred between foreign individuals for the purpose of citizenship investment.

The property must also not be owned by a company in which the investor is a shareholder or manager.

Citizenship through Promise to Sell Agreement

Investors may also apply for Turkish citizenship through a notarized Promise to Sell Agreement.

If at least USD 400,000 or equivalent amount is paid in advance, and the property has a condominium title or construction servitude, investors may apply for citizenship provided that the agreement includes a restriction preventing transfer or cancellation for three years.

Documents Required to Buy Property in Turkey

Foreign investors must prepare the following documents when purchasing property in Turkey:

• Turkish tax number
• Notarized passport translation
• Photograph of the buyer
• Power of attorney (if the process is handled by a lawyer)
• Real estate valuation report issued by a Capital Markets Board licensed valuation company
• Earthquake insurance (DASK)
• Energy performance certificate
• Title deed documentation

Real Estate Purchase Procedure in Turkey

The property purchase process in Turkey generally includes the following steps:

1. The investor selects the property and signs a reservation agreement with the developer or seller.
2. The investor obtains a Turkish tax number.
3. A bank account in Turkey may be opened if required.
4. A real estate valuation report is obtained.
5. The purchase price is transferred through a bank and documented.
6. A Foreign Currency Purchase Certificate (Döviz Alım Belgesi) is issued by the bank.
7. The parties apply for an appointment at the Land Registry Office.
8. The buyer and seller attend the title deed transfer appointment or are represented by a lawyer.
9. The title deed (Tapu) is issued on the same day.

Taxes and Property Obligations

Property owners in Turkey are required to pay annual property tax to the local municipality where the property is located. The amount is determined according to the value and type of the property and is regulated by local municipalities.

VAT Exemption for Foreign Real Estate Buyers

Foreign investors and Turkish citizens residing abroad may benefit from VAT exemption when purchasing real estate in Turkey, provided that certain legal conditions are met.

VAT exemption generally applies when:

• The property is purchased directly from a construction company
• The property is paid in foreign currency
• The property is not sold within one year

If the property is sold within one year, the exempted VAT must be repaid.

Documents Required for VAT Exemption

The following documents may be required to benefit from VAT exemption:

• Residency certificate from the country where the buyer resides
• Official letter confirming the buyer is not resident in Turkey
• Entry and exit records from Turkish authorities
• Confirmation from the Turkish tax office regarding non-resident status

• 1. PUTTING AN ANNOTATION ONTO TITLE DEED
  • At the purchase of the property, the buyer shall give declare that the property will not sold within 3 years and a title deed restriction of not selling the property within 3 years shall be added the restrictions section of the title deed or to annotate a statutory formed preliminary contract to the land registry with a commitment that not to sell or not to cancel this annotation for 3 years.
  • The value of the real estate(s) will be determined through an official assessment by the valuation companies announced by the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BRSA). The value of the property/properties must be at least 250,000 US dollars in the Real Estate Valuation Report. (The date of issue of this Real Estate Valuation Report cannot be later than three months before the date of application for citizenship. This valuation report shall be deemed valid until the transaction is completed.)
  • Orijinal bank reciepts is taken from investor’s bank branch
  • We apply to Title Deed Office with the evaluation report and original bank receipts at the title deed office for putting an annotation on the deed that it will not be sold within 3 years

• 1. Official Valuation Survey must be requested and provided.Bank transfer receipt must be sent.Application must be made to the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization.We apply to Title Deed Office with the evaluation report and original bank receipts for certificate of condormity on behalf of investors.Title deed office will apply to General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadaster of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization for certificate of eligibility.Between 7 to 14 days certificate of eligibility will be send to investor/lawyer’s e-mail

INVESTOR RESIDENCE PERMIT APPLICATION

Under the current regulations of the Turkish Citizenship by Investment Program, both the investor and the spouse must obtain an Investor Residence Permit in Turkey before submitting the citizenship application.

The Investor Residence Permit is an important step in the Turkey Citizenship by Investment process and allows the investor and spouse to legally proceed with the citizenship application in Türkiye.

Children are not required to obtain an Investor Residence Permit during this stage of the citizenship process.

According to the current practice, both the investor and the spouse must be physically present in Turkey during the Investor Residence Permit application process.

Once the Certificate of Conformity and the required documents are collected, our legal team prepares and submits the Investor Residence Permit application in Turkey on behalf of the investor and the spouse.

Documents Required for Investor Residence Permit in Turkey

The following documents are required for the Investor Residence Permit application in Turkey:

1. Notarized and sworn translations of passports
2. Certificate of Conformity
3. Biometric photographs
   Two (2) biometric photos and one digital version (50×60 mm, white background)
4. Valid health insurance
   The insurance policy must cover the residence permit period. Our office arranges the health insurance on behalf of the applicants.
5. Residence permit fee payment receipt
   Payment made through the tax office.
6. Passport visa entry page (if applicable)
7. Criminal record certificate
   An official criminal record certificate issued by the applicant’s country of nationality or country of residence.
8. Birth Certificates
9. Marriage Certificate for Spouse

• Foreign investors may obtain Turkish citizenship by investment provided that the investment is maintained for at least three years. At the end of this period, the investor may withdraw or sell the investment together with any legal returns or profits.

  The spouse of the investor and children under the age of 18 are eligible to apply for Turkish citizenship together with the investor under the same investment. Children over the age of 18 must make a separate investment in order to apply for Turkish citizenship.

  After the citizenship application is submitted, the Turkish citizenship process generally takes approximately 6 to 12 months, depending on the evaluation process of the relevant authorities.

  Turkey allows dual citizenship, therefore investors are not required to renounce their existing citizenship in order to obtain Turkish citizenship.

  The investor does not need to reside in Turkey during the citizenship process. However, the investor and spouse must be physically present in Turkey at the time of the citizenship application.

  Once Turkish citizenship is granted, it is valid for a lifetime, and children born after obtaining citizenship will automatically acquire Turkish citizenship by birth.

  Documents Required for Turkish Citizenship Application

  The following documents are required for the Turkish citizenship by investment application:

  1. Scanned copies of passports of all applicants
  2. Birth record documents
     Applicants must submit one of the following documents showing date of birth, place of birth, and parents’ names:
     A. Family Registration Document
     (The document must include the date of birth, place of birth, and parents’ names of all applicants)
     B. Birth Certificates of all applicants
     (If a family registration document cannot be obtained or does not contain the required information)
  3. Marital status documents
     Marriage Certificate / Single Status Certificate / Divorce Certificate / Death Certificate of spouse (if applicable)
  4. Biometric photographs
     Six (6) photos for each adult applicant and two (2) photos for each child applicant
     (50×60 mm, white background, biometric standard, plus one digital JPEG version)
  5. Investor’s passport visa entry page (if applicable)
  6. Criminal record certificate
     An official criminal record certificate issued by the applicant’s country of nationality or residence.

  Authentication of Foreign Documents

  If the document is issued in a country that is a signatory to the Hague Apostille Convention, it must be apostilled in the issuing country.

  If the document is issued in a non-signatory country, it must be approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the issuing country and then legalized by the Turkish Embassy or Consulate.

  Documents issued by Turkish authorities must be officially signed and sealed.

  What is an Apostille?

  An Apostille is an official authentication issued for documents to be used in countries that are parties to the 1961 Hague Convention, confirming the authenticity of the signature and seal on the document.

An investor can obtain his /her Turkish ID card and passports thorugh the Provincial Directorate of Census and Citizenship of the settlement in Turkey If Applicants has any settlement adress in Turkey or Applicants can also obtain her/his identity card and Turkish passports through the Turkish embassy where they live by registration of fingerprints.

Obtaining Turkish Citizenship by Investments Remotely

Investor doesn’t have to visit Turkey in any step of Turkish citizenship program

Investor can remotely obtain Turkish citizenship by real estate ınvesment

To do this, Investor must give a power of attorney in his/her attorney , which investor can elaborate and validate at the Consulate of Turkey in the country of investor citizenship.

The power of attorney must be drawn up in Turkish language

Investor get an appointment with an authorised translator of Turkish consulate and be present at the appointment day with his/her pictures and passport, draft of the power of attorney that her/his lawyer send to investor.

TO GIVE A POWER OF ATTORNEY IN TURKEY

Investors can give power of attorney through Turkish notary. Investors need to have their pictures, tax number and passport with them .