What actually qualifies
Property in Türkiye — residential, commercial or land — appraised at $400,000 or more by a licensed valuer. The appraised value is what decides it, not the figure on the contract. If the valuation comes in below the threshold, the application is refused.
The title deed must be in the applicant's name alone; shared ownership is not accepted. You may reach the threshold with more than one property, provided they sit under a single sales contract. A three-year non-sale annotation is then recorded on the deed.
What it costs beyond the price
The purchase price is not the whole number. The table below is what a purchase typically carries on top of it. Every rate in it is indicative — the title deed fee and the VAT position are set by legislation that changes, so confirm both before you transfer anything.
Foreign buyers can qualify for a VAT exemption on a first sale where the money arrives from abroad in foreign currency and the property is held for a year, but the conditions are specific and they are checked. We price every file with the exemption excluded, so the number we give you is the one that holds if it does not apply.
| Item | Typical amount | Note |
|---|
| Title deed fee | ≈ 4% of the appraised value | In practice paid by the buyer. Confirm the current rate. |
| Valuation report | Set by the appraiser | Must come from a licensed valuer; your own figure is not accepted. |
| Sworn translation, notary, apostille | Varies with the file | Scales with how many people are on the application. |
| Legal and advisory fees | Varies by firm | Ours are quoted in writing before anything is signed. |
| Application and residence permit fees | Per the official schedule | Paid to the state, not to us. |
Indicative. Confirm current rates before you transfer.
How the file moves
A valuation report first, then the title transfer at the Land Registry with the incoming foreign currency documented, then a certificate of conformity confirming the investment, then a short-term residence permit, and finally the citizenship application itself.
Every stage produces a document the next stage will not proceed without. That is why files stall — not because anyone objected, but because one certificate was requested three weeks late.
How long it really takes
Three to six months is the range we work to, measured from the title transfer. A complete file with clean source-of-funds documentation lands near the bottom of it. An incomplete one does not land at all until it is completed.
The slowest part is almost never the ministries. It is assembling apostilled birth and marriage certificates from a country you no longer live in, and a bank record that satisfies a financial-crimes review. We start that on day one, in parallel with the property search, rather than after the title deed.
Who is included
The applicant, their spouse, and their children under 18 at the date of application. All of them acquire citizenship together. Children who turn 18 during the process are the single most common family-side problem, so ages are checked against the calendar before the file is opened.
Adult children, parents and siblings are not covered, and each would need their own qualifying investment. If there are male children in the family, take specific advice on military service before the application is filed.
The three-year hold
The title deed carries an annotation preventing a sale for three years. Selling inside that window puts the citizenship at risk, and it is not a formality that gets waived. After three years the annotation lifts, the property can be sold, and the citizenship is unaffected.
That makes the property a three-year decision, not a paperwork one. It is why we do not shortlist on price alone: a home bought purely to clear $400,000, in a district with no resale market, is a problem you meet again in year three.
Why applications get refused
Refusals cluster around a short list of causes, and every one of them is visible before you commit. We check all five against a property before it reaches a shortlist.
Oversight has tightened. Valuations are cross-checked against the deed price and the property tax value, source-of-funds review is stricter than it was, and a property that changed hands cheaply shortly before your purchase will attract questions.
- A valuation that comes in below $400,000
- A mortgage, or a live legal dispute on the property
- A shared title deed — it must be in the applicant's name alone
- Reaching the threshold through separate sales contracts
- Foreign currency that cannot be documented as arriving from abroad
Thresholds, fees and required documents are set by legislation and they change. This page describes the programme as published by the Turkish authorities and is not legal advice — confirm anything you intend to rely on with the relevant authority, or with us, before you commit funds. Figures current as of 2026-07-27.
