On December 12, 2023, with decision number 7938 published in the Official Gazette, an amendment to the regulation regarding the acquisition of Turkish citizenship was announced with the signature of the President.
The authority to acquire Turkish citizenship through official decision has been divided into four articles, outlined in the "REGULATION ON THE APPLICATION OF THE TURKISH CITIZENSHIP LAW." These are:
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General acquisition of Turkish citizenship.
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Exceptional acquisition of Turkish citizenship.
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Regaining Turkish citizenship.
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Acquisition of Turkish citizenship through marriage.
The published amendment falls under the category of exceptional acquisition of Turkish citizenship. Any foreigner meeting the specified conditions can acquire Turkish citizenship through a decision by the President. One of the conditions affected by the amendment is Subsection (b) of Article 20 of the Regulation, which reads:
"At least 400,000 American Dollars or the equivalent foreign currency amount, immovable property with condominium or construction on the land designated as real estate in the land registry, provided that it is not sold for three years, or a commitment is noted in the notary contract stating that the immovable property with condominium or construction on the land designated as real estate in the land registry, where at least 400,000 American Dollars or the equivalent foreign currency amount has been paid in advance, will not be transferred and abandoned for a period of three years, determined by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change..."
Prior to the amendment, the phrase "immovable property with the equivalent foreign currency amount" was used, and now it has been restricted by adding the term "qualified real estate," referring to lands with condominium or construction rights.
We hope that this change, addressing the ongoing debate in our country about whether Turkish citizenship can be obtained with 400,000 dollars, will somewhat alleviate concerns. We will collectively observe how this will unfold for foreigners in the coming times.