Turkish citizenship by investment: the 2026 rules and the E-2 question

The seven routes

Note 1

Rules that catch people out

• Currency is converted through a Turkish bank. For the real estate, deposit, bond, fund and pension routes, the foreign currency is sold to a bank operating in Turkey before the transaction, and the bank sells it to the Central Bank (Article 20(10)).
• The exchange rate. Values are measured at the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey's effective selling rate and/or cross rate on the date of the determination (Article 20(6)).
• Property type. Since the 12 December 2023 amendment, the real estate route covers condominium or construction-servitude property, or land with a building; empty land does not qualify.
• Three years means three years. The conditions must be kept for the whole period. If they are lost, the citizenship decision is cancelled under Article 31 of the Citizenship Law (procedures of the General Directorate, Article 8). The regulation allows moving between investment types to complete the period (Article 20(8)).
• Security review. The Ministry of Interior rejects applicants who pose an obstacle on national security or public order grounds (Law No. 5901, Article 12(2)).

Steps

For a property purchase, Invest in Türkiye lists the land registry papers: the title or plot details; a passport, with a notarized translation if not in the Latin alphabet; any power of attorney; a document on the current market value of the property from the municipality; compulsory earthquake insurance; photographs; and a sworn interpreter if a party does not speak Turkish.

A power of attorney signed in the U.S. needs an apostille, a photo of the person with a seal and signature over it, and a notarized Turkish translation, according to Invest in Türkiye.

1. Make the investment and apply to the certifying institution for a certificate of eligibility (uygunluk belgesi), in person or through a representative with a special power of attorney (procedures of the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs, Article 3(1)).
2. With the certificate, apply to the provincial migration office for a residence permit under Article 31(1)(j) of Law No. 6458.
3. With the residence permit, apply for citizenship to the provincial directorate of population and citizenship; Turkish missions abroad also prepare citizenship files (Articles 3(3) and 7 of the procedures).
4. The General Directorate runs its checks, including the security archive review. Citizenship is granted by Presidential decision (Law No. 5901, Article 12(1)(b)).

How long it takes

None of the official sources checked for this guide publishes a processing time. Each certifying institution and the security review set their own pace, so treat any fixed timeline with caution and keep the three-year clock in mind from the day of the investment.

What Turkish citizenship does, and does not do, for an E-2 visa

Turkey is an E-2 treaty country. The State Department's Foreign Affairs Manual lists Turkey for E-2 from 18 May 1990 and for E-1 from 15 February 1933 (9 FAM 402.9-10).

The Manual says the investor must possess the nationality of the treaty country (9 FAM 402.9-4(B)). A dual national must choose one nationality for E purposes, and an investor who holds a U.S. green card cannot use E status to bring in employees.

Since 23 December 2022, the statute adds a condition. Under INA 101(a)(15)(E), as amended by Public Law 117-263, a person who acquired the relevant nationality through a financial investment, and who has never been granted E status, must have been domiciled in that country for a continuous period of at least three years at any point before applying for the visa.

So Turkish citizenship by investment, on its own, does not get you an E-2 visa. You would also need three years of continuous domicile in Turkey, and you must meet the E-2 rules themselves: a substantial investment in a real U.S. enterprise that you develop and direct. See E-2 for Turkish investors.

Who handles what: the Turkish citizenship file is Turkish law, handled with the firm's lawyers licensed in Turkey (Istanbul Bar). The E-2 visa is U.S. law, handled by the firm's U.S.-licensed attorneys.