What Are The General Conditions of Acquiring Turkish Citizenship? Who Is Given This Right? 18 November 2019

Due to the new regulations and the conveniences introduced for the exceptional acquisition of Turkish citizenship, the matter of the conditions under which Turkish citizenship can be acquired have been occupying the agenda recently. In this context, the general conditions of acquiring Turkish citizenship and who can benefit from this right are discussed in this study.

ACQUIRING TURKISH CITIZENSHIP BY BIRTH

1.Descent:

The first of the ways to gain Turkish citizenship is to acquiring by means of a bloodline as a result of the notification to be made. According to this:

A child born to a married Turkish father or mother, whether in Turkey or abroad,
A child born to a Turkish mother and a foreign father out of wedlock, whether in Turkey or abroad,

acquires Turkish citizenship from birth.

For the child born of a Turkish father and a foreign mother out of wedlock, primarily it is necessary to determine the lineage according to the provisions of international private law. If the child is descendant of the Turkish citizen father, he will acquire Turkish citizenship from birth. According to this, applications of the people who live abroad and who notify their birth after completing the age of 18 shall be reviewed and resolved by the Ministry of Interior (“Ministry “).

2.Place of Birth:

A child born in Turkey, but acquiring no citizenship from his/her foreign mother or foreign father acquires Turkish citizenship by birth. Accordingly, the child born in Turkey and cannot acquire the citizenship of any country for reasons such the mother and the father is not certain or stateless shall acquire Turkish citizenship from birth, if it is determined that the conditions are met in the result of the examination conducted by the Ministry.

CITIZENSHIP ACQUIRED AFTER BIRTH

The acquisition of Turkish citizenship is divided into three headings: the decision of the competent authority, adoption and exercise of the right to vote:

Decision of Competent Authority

Acquisition of Turkish Citizenship in General

Foreigners who reside in Turkey in accordance with the duly retrieved residence permit for five years without interruption, have the intention of settling in Turkey and prove this intention with such actions, acquiring immovable property in Turkey, starting a business, marrying a Turkish citizen and have an income or profession to provide for his own livelihood and those of his dependents in Turkey can be accepted to Turkish citizenship by the decision of the Ministry in case the other conditions in the legislation are met. However, fulfilling the conditions required, do not grant an absolute right to the person to acquire Turkish citizenship, the positive result of the application in question depends on the examination and evaluation of the Ministry.

Exceptions in acquiring Turkish citizenships

Exceptions in acquiring Turkish citizenships are limited in the legislation. Hereunder the following conditions;

Realize a fixed capital investment of at least 500,000 US Dollars or equivalent foreign currency or equivalent Turkish Lira
Purchase immovable or signing preliminary contract for sale at least 250.000 US Dollars or equivalent foreign currency or Turkish Lira equivalent,
Create employment for at least 50 people,
Open a deposit account of at least 500,000 US Dollars or equivalent foreign currency or equivalent Turkish Lira or receiving a public debt instrument,
Purchase a real estate investment trust participation share or venture capital mutual fund participation share of at least 500,000 US Dollars or equivalent foreign currency or equivalent Turkish Lira

a foreigner shall acquire Turkish citizenship as a result of the application. However, being in the scope of one of the exceptions mentioned above is not sufficient for the acquisition of Turkish citizenship. In order to benefit from the exceptions by making one of the foreseen investments, each application must be evaluated separately whether the other conditions in the legislation are met or not.

Re-acquisition of Turkish Citizenship

Persons who meet one of the conditions indicated below can re-acquire Turkish citizenship, upon Ministry decision, regardless of their residence period in Turkey provided that there is no obstacle with regard to national security and public order.

Those who had lost Turkish citizenship by obtaining renunciation permission,
Of the persons who had lost their citizenship because of their parents, those who did not enjoy the right of choice (right to apply)

Moreover, people who had lost Turkish citizenship in the following figures, provided that he has been residing in Turkey for three years and there is no obstacle regarding national security, can be re-naturalized upon the decision of the Ministry:

Those who render any kind of service voluntarily for a State in war with Turkey without the permission of the Council of Ministers or those who render military service voluntarily for another State without obtaining permission.
Those who lose Turkish citizenship by using their right to choice

In the case of the re-acquirision of Turkish citizenship, the application to be made as a result of providing the necessary documents and information in full form shall be evaluated by the Ministry and the citizenship shall be acquired only by this way.

Acquisition of Turkish Citizenship by Marriage

The last case of Turkish citizenship is acquired by the decision of the competent authority is by marriage. Accordingly foreigners;

Who have been married to a Turkish citizen at least for three years,
Whose marriage did not end due to divorce or death before the date of application,
Those who have no ongoing trial for any offense or who is not convicted or imprisoned

provided that the information and documents stipulated in the legislation are provided in full, the applicant may acquire Turkish citizenship. However, fulfilling the conditions above, is not sufficient to acquire Turkish citizenship through marriage. As a result of the application, the issues such as whether the foreigner who has requested citizenship live in a family union and whether the marriage union is based on real grounds shall be evaluated within the scope of the investigation to be conducted by the provincial police directorate and also within the framework of the interview. The acquisition of Turkish citizenship through marriage is possible only with the positive results of the mentioned evaluations.

Acquisition of Turkish citizenship by Adoption

A foreigner who is under the age of maturity as of the date of application adopted by a Turkish citizen shall acquire Turkish citizenship from the day he is adopted, if he does not pose threat on national security and public order. The acquisition of Turkish citizenship through adoption of an adult who is mature as of the date of application is only possible if it falls within the scope of one of the other conditions mentioned in the legislation.

In case of the Turkish citizenship is acquired through adoption, the application to be made provided that the necessary documents and information is provided shall be evaluated and decided by the Ministry.

Acquisition of Turkish citizenship by Right of Choice

It is also possible for a foreigner who has lost their Turkish citizenship out of will, depending on their parents shall acquire Turkish citizenship by using their right of choice. For this purpose, the foreigner must submit a written application to acquire Turkish citizenship within three years from the day they reach the age of maturity.

Türkçe Versiyonu İçin: http://www.kasaroglu.av.tr/tr/40256/Turk-Vatandasligini-Kazanmanin-Genel-Kosullari-Nelerdir-Kimlere-Bu-Hak-Taninir

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