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Turkish Citizenship Act
Grand National Assembly of Turkey
An act relating to Turkish citizenship
Enacted by	Government of Turkey
Status: Current legislation

Turkish nationality law is based primarily on the principle of jus sanguinis. Children who are born to a Turkish mother or a Turkish father (in or out of marriage) are Turkish citizens from birth.
The intention to renounce Turkish citizenship (or acquire citizenship from another state) is submitted in Turkey by a petition to the highest administrative official in the concerned person's place of residence, and when overseas to the Turkish consulate. Documents processed by these authorities are forwarded to the Ministry of Interior for appropriate action.^[1]

Definition of citizenship

Cover of biometric Turkish passport

Citizenship is defined in Article 66 of the Turkish constitution:

• Everyone bound to the Turkish state through the bond of citizenship is a Turk.


• The child of a Turkish father or a Turkish mother is a Turk.


• Citizenship can be acquired under the conditions stipulated by law, and shall be forfeited only in cases determined by law.


• No Turk shall be deprived of citizenship, unless he/she commits an act incompatible with loyalty to the motherland.


• Recourse to the courts in appeal against the decisions and proceedings related to the deprivation of citizenship, shall not be denied.

—  1982 constitution., Article 66 (as amended on October 17, 2001)

Adoption

A child adopted by a Turkish citizen automatically becomes a Turkish citizen if under 18 years old on the date the application for adoption was made. In some cases (although it is not required), those who have foreign names and are applying for Turkish citizenship change their name to a Turkish (but not necessarily a Muslim) name. Examples of people who have done this include football players Colin Kazim-Richards and Mehmet Aurélio.^[2]

Loss of citizenship

Naturalization and loss of Turkish citizenship is controlled by the Vital Statistics Office (Turkish: Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü), a department of the Ministry of the Interior.

The Blue Card as a form of "Citizenship light"

Former Turkish citizens who were forced to give up their Turkish citizenship (for example, because they have naturalized in a country that usually does not permit dual citizenship, such as Germany or Austria) can apply for the Blue Card (Mavi Kart), which gives them some citizens' rights back, e.g. the right to live and work in Turkey, the right to possess land or the right to inherit. Excluded from this "Citizenship light" is the right to vote.

Naturalization

A foreign national may apply for nationalization if the following conditions are met:

• 
  Legal majority as defined by the laws of the applicant's country of origin or those of Turkey in the case of stateless persons,


• Residence in Turkey for an uninterrupted period of five years prior to the application,


• Intention to settle in Turkey and demonstration thereof,


• No risk to public health,


• Good moral character,


• Adequate command of the Turkish language,


• Sufficient income for his or her own livelihood and that of any dependants in Turkey,


• No threat to national security or public order.

Meeting these conditions does not give a foreign national an absolute right to Turkish citizenship.

A foreign national who has been married to a Turkish citizen for three years and is still married to that partner may apply for naturalization under a different set of conditions:

• Residence with the Turkish spouse (exceptions granted if the Turkish spouse dies after application is lodged),


• Absence of acts jeopardising the marriage,


• No threat to national security or public order.

Following a successful application, the naturalised spouse may retain their Turkish citizenship if the marriage should subsequently be dissolved, so long as both partners had entered into the marriage in good faith.^[3]

Citizenship by Investment

Since 12 January 2017, Law No 5901 disposes that foreign citizens investing in Turkey will be granted the right to apply for Turkish citizenship.^[4]

A foreign national who make one of the following investments or fulfils one of the condition may apply for Turkish citizenship:

• Investment in real estate worth at least 1'000'000 USD, without selling it for a period of at least 3 years,^[5]


• Investment in a Turkish Company worth at least 2'000'000 USD,


• A deposit of 3'000'000 USD in a Turkish Bank not to be withdrawn for at least 3 years,


• Investment in Government Bonds worth at least 3'000'000 USD not to be sold for at least 3 years,


• Employment of at least 100 Turkish workers in a company owned by the applicant.^[6]

The investment made and claimed by the foreign national will be monitored and confirmed by the relevant Government authority. Once the investment is confirmed by the relevant governmental authority, the foreign national will be granted Turkish citizenship.^[7]

Dual citizenship

Dual citizenship is possible in Turkish law.

The laws of Turkey provide for acquisition of Turkish citizenship based on one's descent—by birth to a Turkish citizen parent (or parents) in Turkey and also by birth abroad to a Turkish citizen parent (or parents)—regardless of the other nationalities a person might acquire at birth. Children born in Turkey to foreign citizens do not have a claim to Turkish citizenship, unless one of the parents is also a Turkish citizen or the child would otherwise be stateless.^[3] The automatic acquisition (or retention) of a foreign nationality does not affect Turkish citizenship. Turkish laws have no provisions requiring citizens who are born with dual nationality to choose one nationality over the other when they become adults.

While recognizing the existence of dual nationality and permitting Turkish citizens to have other nationalities, the Turkish government requires that those who apply for another nationality inform the relevant Turkish authority (the nearest Turkish embassy or consulate abroad) and provide the original naturalisation certificate, Turkish birth certificate, document attesting to completion of military service (for males), marriage certificate (if applicable) and four photographs. Dual nationals are not required to use a Turkish passport to enter and leave Turkey; it is permitted to travel with a valid foreign passport (or national ID card for some nationals) and the Turkish National ID card.

Since not all countries allow dual citizenship, Turks must sometimes give up their Turkish citizenship in order to naturalise as citizens of another country.

Visa requirements for Turkish citizens

Countries and territories with visa-free or visa-on-arrival entries for holders of Turkish passports

  Republic of Turkey

  Visa free

  Visa issued upon arrival

  Electronic authorization or eVisa

  Visa available both on arrival or online

  Visa required

Holders of an ordinary Turkish passport may travel without a visa, or with a visa received upon arrival, to 105 countries, as of 1 January 2017 according to the Visa Restrictions Index.

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Turkey also provides a special sort of "passport for foreigners" to citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), to enable them to travel freely, as this country is generally not recognized and the TRNC passports are not accepted as valid travel documents in some countries.

Citizens of TRNC are also entitled to become citizens of Turkey if they wish and apply to do so. They are exempt from the above criterea. The only criterea is that they are born Turkish Cypriots, i.e. of a Turkish Cypriot mother or father.

See also

• Turkish Identification Number


• Turkish passport

References

External links

• 
  Official website (in Turkish)
  

Further reading

• 
  Sozuer, Adem; Yasar, H. Nuri; Tarhanli, Turgut; Narli, Nilufer (April 2005). "Türkiye'nin ulusal kimlik meselesi". Hukuki Perspektif Dergisi (in Turkish). 3: 137–166.
  


• 
  Çağaptay, Soner (2005-12-15). Islam, Secularism and Nationalism in Modern Turkey: Who Is A Turk?. Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern History. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-38458-2.