Turkey citizenship by property: the currency is sold to a Turkish bank before the deed

The property counts only if the foreign currency paying for it is first sold to a bank in Turkey, and an appraisal report backs the price, before the land registry signs. The deed then carries a note barring sale for three years, and only then does the citizenship application follow.

A buyer who pays the seller abroad, or in lira bought elsewhere, can own the right home and be refused. Since January 2022 the lira equivalent no longer counts: the money must arrive as foreign currency and be sold to a bank operating in Turkey, which sells it on to the central bank and issues the certificate the land registry checks.

The order the land registry follows

1. You agree a purchase at no less than the figure above.
2. An appraisal report is issued through the land registry's online system.
3. You apply to the land registry office with the currency purchase certificate.
4. The office checks the certificate, the contract, the receipt, the appraisal and the declared values, then sends its fees by text message.
5. Once they are paid, you sign, and a note that the property will not be sold for three years goes on the register.
6. A certificate of conformity goes to the population and migration authorities.

A property can also qualify through a notarised pre-sale contract, with at least the figure above paid in advance and a three-year promise not to transfer noted on the land register. Since December 2023, farmland and unbuilt plots do not qualify.

Where the route ends

The route ends in Turkish nationality, granted by decision of the President. Another way in, fund units, needs one and a quarter times the figure above, held for three years.

Deed charges, and the agent's and lawyer's fees

To the Turkish state: the title deed fee and the revolving fund fee, notified before signing, and whatever the later citizenship application costs.

To the firms: the agent's commission, the lawyer's fee and translation costs, each apart from the price.

Ask the agent or lawyer:

1. Through which bank will the currency be sold, and will the certificate show your name and this property?
2. Has the appraisal been ordered, and does it reach the figure above?
3. Is the price in the contract the price that will be declared to the land registry?
4. Is the property registered as farmland or an unbuilt plot?
5. If citizenship is refused, or the rules change after you buy, what happens to the agent's commission, and can you sell before the three years end?

An agent's offer, a developer's pre-sale contract or a lawyer's fee quote can go through the box above: answer yes at its top, and it is read line by line against the published rules and the prices firms on file publish for this route. No document? Answer no and enter the price you expect to pay. The check compares a document or a figure with the published rules, and does not look at your application or advise on it; for advice on your own case, speak to a qualified immigration lawyer.

General information, not legal advice.