Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901 sets out every route to Turkish citizenship: by birth, by decision of the competent authority after residence or marriage, by adoption, or by the exceptional route, which includes investment. On this page we summarise each route and its conditions from the text of the law itself, with a link to the source next to each piece of information.
Last review of the law: October 2026.
1- Routes to Turkish citizenship
| Route | In brief | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| By birth | Acquired automatically by descent or place of birth | Articles 6–8 |
| By residence (general route) | After 5 years of continuous residence, with other conditions | Article 11 |
| By marriage to a Turkish citizen | After at least 3 years of continuing marriage | Article 16 |
| By adoption | For a minor adopted by a Turkish citizen | Article 17 |
| Exceptional route | By decision of the President, including investors | Article 12 |
| Reacquisition | For former Turkish citizens who lost citizenship | Articles 13 and 14 |
The law is explicit that meeting the conditions does not give an absolute right to citizenship; the decision rests with the competent authority (Reference: Article 10).
⚠️ The conditions in this section are taken from the official text and may change at any time. Please confirm them with the official authority or contact us before taking any step.
2- Citizenship by 5 years of residence
The application is made to the governorship of the province where the foreigner lives (Reference: Citizenship Law Regulation, Article 16), and requires (Reference: Citizenship Law, Article 11):
| Condition | Explanation from the regulation |
|---|---|
| Being an adult of sound mind (able to understand their actions) | Adulthood is determined by the law of the applicant’s country of nationality; for stateless persons, by the Turkish Civil Code |
| 5 years of continuous residence before the application date | With a legal residence permit that counts for citizenship (see below) |
| Showing through their actions that they have decided to settle in Turkey | For example: owning property, setting up a business, investing, moving their commercial base to Turkey, working with a work permit, marrying a Turkish citizen, applying with family, having a parent, sibling or child who acquired Turkish citizenship, or completing their education in Turkey |
| Not having a disease that poses a danger to public health | — |
| Being of good morals | Acting responsibly in society, inspiring trust in their surroundings and having no bad habits rejected by society |
| Speaking Turkish | At a level sufficient to live and deal with society |
| Having an income or profession | Sufficient for their own living and that of their dependants in Turkey |
| Not being a threat to national security and public order | — |
Explanations from Citizenship Law Regulation, Article 15/1. The applicant may also be asked to renounce their current citizenship (Article 15/2).
How is the residence period counted? The authority counts your residence in Turkey from two things: the residence permits you have held, and an official record of your entry and exit dates (Reference: Citizenship Law Regulation, Article 71).
Not every permit counts towards the 5 years. These do not count (Reference: Citizenship Law Regulation, Article 71):
- Being in Turkey without a legal residence permit.
- Legal stays that do not show an intention to settle in Turkey, such as: asylum-seeker or protection status, refugee status, a student permit, a tourist permit, a permit to accompany a child studying in Turkey, and a medical treatment permit.
- The stay of staff of foreign embassies and consulates holding a diplomatic or consular immunity card.
Note: the official text lists these permits as examples, so other permits may not count either.
If the permit changes to an accepted ground: a person who was in Turkey on a permit not accepted for citizenship and then moves to a permit on an accepted ground has the earlier period counted too — except tourist permit holders, whose earlier period does not count (Reference: Regulation, Article 71, item d).
Absence from Turkey during the residence period: you may be outside Turkey during the required period for a total of no more than 12 months, and this absence is counted within the residence period (Reference: Citizenship Law, Article 15, as amended by Law 7039 published in the Official Gazette on 03/11/2017).
⚠️ The conditions in this section are taken from the official text and may change at any time. Please confirm them with the official authority or contact us before taking any step.
3- Citizenship by marriage to a Turkish citizen
Marrying a Turkish citizen does not grant citizenship directly. A foreigner married to a Turkish citizen for at least 3 years, with the marriage continuing, may apply, provided (Reference: Article 16):
- They live together as a family.
- They do not act in a way incompatible with the marital union.
- There is no obstacle in terms of national security and public order.
If the Turkish spouse dies after the application is made, the condition of living together no longer applies.
⚠️ The conditions in this section are taken from the official text and may change at any time. Please confirm them with the official authority or contact us before taking any step.
4- Exceptional citizenship and investment
By decision of the President, citizenship may be granted to the following, provided there is no obstacle in terms of national security and public order (Reference: Article 12):
- Those who bring industrial facilities to Turkey, or who have made or are expected to make an outstanding contribution in science, technology, the economy, society, sport, culture or the arts, on the recommendation of the competent ministry.
- Holders of the investor residence permit (Law 6458, Article 31, paragraph 1, item j) or the Turquoise Card, together with their foreign spouse and their and their spouse’s minor or dependent children.
- Those whose naturalisation the state considers necessary.
- Those accepted by Turkey as “immigrants” (göçmen).
The accepted investment routes and their minimums (property of USD 400,000, or a deposit, bonds or funds of USD 500,000…), with steps and documents, are explained in detail in the Turkish citizenship by investment guide 2026, and the types of residence permit in the Residence in Turkey guide 2026.
⚠️ The conditions in this section are taken from the official text and may change at any time. Please confirm them with the official authority or contact us before taking any step.
5- Spouse and children
Spouse: if one spouse acquires Turkish citizenship, the other spouse does not acquire it automatically (Reference: Citizenship Law, Article 20/2 and Regulation, Article 37/1). The other spouse applies under the route that applies to them, such as marriage to a Turkish citizen (section 3). On the investment route, the law expressly includes the foreign spouse among those who may be granted citizenship with the investor (Article 12, paragraph 1, item b, section 4).
Minor children: as a rule, children are included in the father’s or mother’s own application (Reference: Regulation, Article 37/8). The position differs as follows (Citizenship Law, Article 20/2 and Regulation, Article 37):
| Situation | Does the child acquire citizenship? |
|---|---|
| Both parents acquire citizenship together | Yes, the children acquire it with them |
| Only one spouse acquires it and the marriage continues | Yes, with the consent of the other, non-Turkish spouse |
| The child is in the custody of the parent who acquired citizenship (e.g. after divorce) | Yes, with the consent of the other spouse |
| The other spouse refuses consent | The matter is decided by a court in the country where the father or mother habitually lives |
| One parent has died | Yes, the child acquires it with the parent who acquired citizenship |
| The child was born outside marriage and the mother acquired citizenship | Yes, with the mother |
The child’s documents in the application (Reference: Regulation, Article 38): the birth certificate and the birth record drawn up in Turkey on that basis, plus, depending on the case:
- If the parents are still married: the other parent’s consent and the parents’ marriage certificate.
- If the parents’ marriage ended in divorce: the custody decision and the other spouse’s consent.
- If one parent has died: the parents’ marriage certificate and the death certificate of the father or mother.
Children not included in their parents’ application: if they were not included when the father or mother acquired citizenship, they may apply after reaching adulthood under the general route (5 years of residence, section 2) (Reference: Citizenship Law, Article 20/3 and Regulation, Article 37/8).
⚠️ The conditions in this section are taken from the official text and may change at any time. Please confirm them with the official authority or contact us before taking any step.
6- Citizenship by birth
- A child born to a Turkish father or mother within marriage, in or outside Turkey, is a Turkish citizen (Reference: Article 7).
- A child born in Turkey who cannot acquire the citizenship of any country from their foreign parents is a Turkish citizen from birth (Reference: Article 8).
⚠️ The conditions in this section are taken from the official text and may change at any time. Please confirm them with the official authority or contact us before taking any step.
7- Related pages
Source: Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901 (Official Gazette 12/06/2009, as amended). This page is general information, not legal advice.
