Citizenship by investment through a $400K qualifying property purchase, held for a minimum three-year period before resale. The underlying real estate is a recoverable asset rather than a non-refundable donation, the timeline runs three to six months, and the passport opens roughly 110 destinations across Asia and Latin America.
Turkey's Citizenship by Investment program (operational under Decree 106 of 2018, restructured in subsequent years) grants Turkish citizenship in exchange for a $400K qualifying property purchase, held for a minimum three-year period before resale. After due diligence and government approval, you swear an oath of allegiance (administered remotely through a Turkish consulate or during a single brief visit to Turkey for biometric capture), receive a Turkish passport, and hold citizenship for life. The whole engagement typically runs three to six months. Turkey is one of the few CBI programs whose primary route is a real estate investment rather than a non-refundable donation, which makes the capital structurally recoverable after the qualifying hold.
Turkey is structurally distinctive in the CBI market: the $400K minimum buys an asset that retains underlying value, can generate rental yield during the qualifying three-year hold, and remains saleable after the hold. For families who prefer recoverable capital to outright donation, this is the cleanest economics on the CBI map. Turkish Airlines flies to more countries than any other carrier, which makes Istanbul one of the world's most strategically connected hubs. The trade-offs: Turkish lira and macro volatility introduce currency risk into the resale economics, and the Turkish passport is materially weaker on Europe-direction mobility than Caribbean-CBI or European passports.
The outcomes the Citizenship by Investment actually delivers, beyond the headline numbers. The six that matter most to our clients.
The $400K buys real estate, not a donation. The asset retains underlying value, can generate rental yield during the qualifying three-year hold, and is saleable after the hold without affecting citizenship status. Past clients have generally recovered 70-110% of original USD outlay over the three-year hold depending on entry timing and asset selection.
Engagement to oath typically runs three to six months for clean files. The Turkish CBI program is mature, well-staffed, and has processed tens of thousands of files since the 2018 restructure. Process predictability is materially better than newer-entrant CBI programs.
No minimum visit before applying, no minimum stay after applying, no requirement to live in Turkey to maintain citizenship. The oath can typically be administered remotely; some engagements require one brief visit for biometric capture. Citizenship is held for life regardless of where you live.
The Turkish passport grants visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to roughly 110 destinations, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and most of Latin America. Materially weaker on Europe-direction mobility (Schengen and UK require a visa) than Caribbean-CBI passports, but stronger on Asia and Latin America than most.
Spouse, dependent children under 18, and disabled adult children regardless of age qualify under a single application. Family pricing is included in the principal $400K investment rather than added on a per-dependent basis, which makes Turkey one of the most family-efficient CBI programs on cost.
Istanbul Airport is one of the world's busiest, with Turkish Airlines flying to more countries than any other carrier. Direct service to most major US cities, every European capital, and across Asia and the Middle East. The connectivity advantage is among the program's structural assets.
4 routes into the same residency. Each fits a different financial picture.
$400,000
Purchase of qualifying Turkish real estate with a verified market value of at least $400K, held for a minimum three-year period before resale. Property must be purchased from a Turkish-licensed developer or seller and registered with the Turkish Land Registry at the qualifying valuation. The underlying asset retains value, can generate rental yield during the hold, and is saleable after the three-year mark without affecting citizenship.
$500,000
Deposit of at least $500K in a Turkish bank account, held for three years before withdrawal. Lower friction than property purchase (no developer selection, no property-management considerations), at a higher upfront capital threshold. The deposit earns standard Turkish bank interest in lira, introducing currency exposure during the hold.
$500,000
Purchase of at least $500K in Turkish government bonds, held for three years before redemption. Operationally similar to the bank-deposit route with comparable currency dynamics; the bond yield is typically more attractive than the deposit rate but introduces equivalent lira exposure.
$500,000
Investment of at least $500K in a qualifying Turkish business, with capital injection registered through the Turkish Ministry of Industry and Technology and held for three years. The most operationally intensive route; appropriate for clients with an active business interest in Turkey rather than pure CBI.
Choosing the right route is half the work. We model the comparison against your portfolio in the Consult.
Reach out and tell us about your situation. From there, you'll either book a 60-minute Freedom Consult (if you're weighing options across countries) or get started on this route directly (if you already know it's the right fit).
We coordinate the document pack (passports, birth and marriage certificates, FBI background check, source-of-funds documentation, biometrics) and work with vetted Turkish real estate counsel to identify properties with qualifying valuations and resaleable market characteristics. Typically 4 to 6 weeks.
Property is purchased through our partner counsel and registered with the Turkish Land Registry. An independent state-licensed valuation confirms the $400K threshold. Title is encumbered with a three-year resale restriction noted on the deed.
Our Istanbul partner counsel files the citizenship application with the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs. Filing triggers the government-engaged due-diligence and security review.
Government due diligence covers criminal record, prior visa refusals, source of funds, and political-exposure status. Typically 6 to 12 weeks. We pre-screen the same criteria at engagement so there are no surprises.
Swear the oath of allegiance, typically administered remotely through a Turkish consulate. Some engagements require one brief visit to Turkey for biometric capture. No required ongoing residency in Turkey after the oath.
Turkish citizenship is granted, followed by passport issuance. Passports are valid for ten years and renewable indefinitely. After three years from property purchase, the underlying real estate can be sold without affecting citizenship status.
Application
Due diligence
Approval & oath
Citizenship
Months 0-2
Months 1-5
Months 3-6
Immediate upon approval
How this program stacks against the closest credible options for the same visitor. We don’t earn more if you choose one over another.
| Dimension | Turkey CBI | St Kitts & Nevis CBILearn more | Egypt CBILearn more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum financial bar | $400K property | $250K donation | $250K donation |
| Recoverable capital | Yes (after 3-yr hold) | No (donation) | No (donation) |
| Processing | 3-6 months | 4-6 months | 6-9 months |
| Presence required | 1 brief visit possible | None | None |
| Visa-free destinations | ~110 | ~150 | ~50 |
| Family inclusion | Spouse, children under 18 | Spouse, children, parents, siblings | Spouse, children, parents |
| Currency exposure | Yes (TRY-denominated) | No (USD-priced) | No (USD-priced) |
Turkey is the strongest CBI for clients who want their capital recoverable rather than donated. St Kitts has materially stronger visa-free mobility (Schengen and UK on the Caribbean side) and forty years of institutional history. Egypt is the lowest-cost CBI but with a substantially weaker passport. We don't earn more if you pick one over another.
Want a four-page Turkey PDF covering everything on this page plus the comparison framework we use internally?
Three reasons families pick Freedom Files over the do-it-yourself path or a single-jurisdiction agent.
We work with Turkish counsel who handle property selection for resaleable assets, not just any-property-clears-the-valuation deals. The recovery economics at year three depend entirely on entry property selection; the wrong asset costs 30%+ of the principal at exit.
About a third of Turkey inquiries end with our recommendation against engagement. We tell you when Caribbean CBIs fit better (stronger passport mobility, no currency exposure), when Egypt is the better budget play, or when a property-style program in Greece or Portugal makes more sense.
Every engagement runs with US-licensed counsel from the first call. The IRS-side implications of acquiring a second citizenship and holding Turkish property are planned before the application is filed.
Underlying market value is recoverable through resale after the qualifying three-year hold. The actual recovery depends on Turkish real estate market conditions, lira-USD exchange rates at sale, and the specific property's appreciation trajectory. Past clients have generally recovered between 70% and 110% of original USD outlay over the three-year hold, depending on entry timing and asset selection. We model the conservative case during the consult; we do not promise appreciation.
The Turkish passport currently grants visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to roughly 110 destinations, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and most of Latin America. Schengen and UK access requires a visa for Turkish nationals. The passport is materially weaker on Europe-direction mobility than European or Caribbean-CBI passports, but stronger on Asia and Latin America than most. For families building a Plan-B with Asia or Latin America exposure, the mobility profile aligns well; for European-direction mobility, Caribbean CBIs are stronger.
The oath can typically be administered remotely through a Turkish consulate. Some engagements require one brief visit to Turkey for biometric capture or property-purchase logistics; the visit can be compressed to a single week. After the citizenship is granted, no further presence is required to maintain it.
Spouse and dependent children under 18 are included under the principal $400K investment with no per-dependent fee, plus disabled adult children regardless of age. Adult children over 18, dependent parents, and other relatives are not eligible under the standard CBI framework. This makes Turkey one of the most cost-efficient CBI programs for nuclear families with younger children.
No. Turkey has permitted dual citizenship since 2009, and the United States permits dual citizenship as a matter of practice. You hold both passports indefinitely.
Acquiring Turkish citizenship does not change your US tax residency or worldwide-income filing obligation. Turkey itself taxes residents on worldwide income, but acquiring citizenship without establishing Turkish tax residency keeps you outside the Turkish tax net. Holding Turkish property may trigger Turkish rental-income and property-tax obligations; we coordinate with Turkish and US-licensed counsel on the structure.
Turkey has had volatile macroeconomic conditions and an active political environment over the past decade, with lira depreciation and high inflation as recurring features. The CBI program itself has remained operational and policy-stable across multiple political cycles since the 2018 restructure. We monitor the program closely and brief active clients on any material movement. The recoverable-asset structure of the property route partially insulates against macro volatility relative to non-refundable donation programs.
Two paths in. If the Citizenship by Investment is clearly the right program for your family and you’re ready to engage, contact our team directly. If you’re weighing this against other programs and want an honest read on the right move, the Freedom Consult is the sixty-minute conversation that ends the loop.
We take a small number of new families each quarter.
Most people spend 100+ hours researching residency and citizenship options before they realize they were looking at the wrong programs. We compress that into 10 questions, 90 seconds, and a single report.
