The conditions for application to Turkish citizenship by way of real estate ownership were recently softened by a number of amendments to the Regulation on the Implementation of Law of Turkish Citizenship, which were published on 19 September 2018. These amendments lowered the threshold purchase price for eligibility to USD 250.000. With a new amendment to the same regulation, which was published on 7 December 2018, it will now be possible to apply for Turkish citizenship before title has been obtained.

Per the new amendment, Turkish citizenship applications will be permitted on the basis of a promise to sell agreement, so long as the agreement has been signed before a notary public; a condominium regime has been established for the property being purchased; at least USD 250,000 or its equivalent in a different currency has been paid in advance; and the agreement has been recorded at the land registry with the undertaking not to assign or de-register the agreement for a period of three years.

Originally published December 11, 2018

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