What Does Law No. 5901 on Turkish Citizenship Establish?

Law No. 5901 on Turkish Citizenship (Türk Vatandaşlığı Kanunu) determines who is a citizen of Turkey, how citizenship is acquired after birth, in which cases it is lost and how it is cancelled. Below, the law is explained in plain language, with quotations from the articles in Turkish and a translation. The size of the investment for citizenship through property is not stated in the law itself, and we show where to look for it.

The material is for information. The conditions for citizenship are changed by secondary acts, so check the official portals before any decision.

Where the law is published

The law was adopted on 29 May 2009 and published in the Official Gazette on 12 June 2009 under No. 27256. Current text: mevzuat.gov.tr, Law No. 5901. The Gazette issue: resmigazete.gov.tr. Citizenship matters are handled by the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs, and information on the investment route is published on the Your Key Türkiye portal.

Structure of the law

• General provisions (Articles 1–4): purpose, scope, definitions, who runs citizenship services.
• Acquisition of citizenship (Articles 5–22): by birth and after birth.
• Loss of citizenship (Articles 23–35): renunciation, deprivation, cancellation of a decision.
• Procedures and miscellaneous provisions (Articles 36–49): proof of citizenship, appeal, repeal of the former law.

How citizenship is acquired

Article 5 separates two routes: by birth and after birth. By birth, citizenship arises by descent from a citizen parent or, in some cases, by place of birth (Articles 6–8). After birth, citizenship is acquired by a decision of the competent authority, through adoption or by the right of choice (Article 9). Article 10 adds a reservation: meeting the conditions does not give a person an absolute right to citizenship.

“aranan şartları taşımak vatandaşlığın kazanılmasında kişiye mutlak bir hak sağlamaz” (Article 10). Meeting the established conditions does not give a person an absolute right to obtain citizenship.

The general procedure: five years of residence (Article 11)

This is the ordinary route without investment. The applicant must be an adult with legal capacity, must have lived in Turkey without interruption for five years before applying, must show by their conduct that they have decided to settle in the country, must have no illness dangerous to public health, must be of good moral character, must speak Turkish sufficiently, must have an income or a profession for themselves and their dependants, and must not pose a threat to national security and public order.

“Başvuru tarihinden geriye doğru Türkiye’de kesintisiz beş yıl ikamet etmek” (Article 11, point b). One must have lived in Turkey without interruption for five years, counting back from the date of the application.

Article 15 clarifies that residence means lawful stay in accordance with Turkish laws, and that periods abroad are counted towards the term if they do not exceed twelve months in total.

Exceptional cases (Article 12)

Article 12 allows the President to grant citizenship without the general procedure, provided there is no threat to national security. Four groups are listed here: those who built industrial enterprises in Turkey or rendered outstanding services in science, the economy, sport, culture and other fields on the proposal of ministries; foreigners who received a residence permit as investors under Article 31 of Law No. 6458 (point “j”), as well as holders of the “Turquoise Card” and their families; persons whom it was found necessary to admit to citizenship; and those admitted as resettled persons.

“6458 sayılı … Kanununun 31 inci maddesinin birinci fıkrasının (j) bendi uyarınca ikamet izni alanlar ile Turkuaz Kart sahibi yabancılar” (Article 12, point b). Foreigners who received a residence permit under point “j” of Article 31 of Law No. 6458, and holders of the “Turquoise Card”.

The amount of the investment and its form are not stated in the law itself. The text of point “j” of Article 31 of Law No. 6458 says that the scope and size of the investment are determined by the President. So check the current threshold in the Presidential decision and in the regulations published on the official portals, and do not rely on figures from advertising texts.

Citizenship through marriage (Article 16)

Marriage to a Turkish citizen does not automatically give citizenship. An application can be filed after three years of marriage if the marriage continues. The spouses must live together as a family, there must be no activity incompatible with the marriage, and no threat to security and order. If the citizen spouse dies after the application is filed, the requirement of living together does not apply. A person who obtained citizenship through marriage keeps it if the marriage is declared invalid and they acted in good faith.

“Bir Türk vatandaşı ile en az üç yıldan beri evli olan ve evliliği devam eden yabancılar Türk vatandaşlığını kazanmak üzere başvuruda bulunabilir” (Article 16). Foreigners who have been married to a Turkish citizen for at least three years and whose marriage continues may apply for Turkish citizenship.

Loss and cancellation of citizenship

Article 29 allows deprivation of citizenship by a decision of the President, for example for working for a state at war with Turkey without the President’s permission, or for voluntary military service in another country without permission. Article 31 provides for cancellation of a decision granting citizenship if the person gave false information or concealed important circumstances. Article 32 clarifies that the cancellation takes effect from the date of the decision and extends to the spouse and children who obtained citizenship together with the person. This is an important risk for investors: unreliable documents and understated information can cost the whole family its citizenship.

Dual citizenship

Among the conditions of the general procedure in Article 11 there is no requirement to give up the previous citizenship. How another country treats dual citizenship is decided by its own laws, so this should be checked with the consulate of the state whose citizenship you hold.

How to use the law in practice

First determine the route: five years of residence, marriage or investment. Then read the relevant article and the secondary acts and make sure your documents are kept in order: the authenticity of certificates and the accuracy of information decide the result. If you are considering buying housing, start with the step-by-step guide to buying and look at the property catalogue. Which other laws regulate a foreigner’s status is explained in the overview “Which main laws regulate the stay of foreigners”, and the conditions of the residence permit in the article on Law No. 6458.

What to check before filing an application

Before submitting documents, check five things. First: which route suits you, the general one under Article 11, through marriage under Article 16 or the exceptional one under Article 12. Second: whether your residence counts as lawful under Article 15, that is, whether it was on a residence permit. Third: whether all documents are authentic, because Article 31 allows a decision to be cancelled for false information. Fourth: whether there are circumstances touching national security and public order. Fifth: what the current secondary acts and portals require, including the size and form of the investment.

How the law has changed

The most noticeable changes were made by Law No. 7039 of 19 October 2017: a provision on the basic principles and procedure was added to Article 10, a separate second paragraph was removed from Article 11, a provision on rejecting applications of persons who pose a threat was added to Article 12, and in Article 15 the permissible period abroad was increased from six to twelve months. Article 12, point “b”, was introduced by Law No. 6735 of 28 July 2016. This shows that the investment route appeared in the law in 2016, while the details were placed outside it.

The questions most often asked

Does buying a flat give the right to citizenship at once?

The purchase alone does not. Article 12 names the investor’s residence permit under point “j” of Article 31 of Law No. 6458, and the conditions are determined by the President. Article 10 reminds us that meeting the conditions does not guarantee a decision in the applicant’s favour.

Is it necessary to know Turkish?

For the general procedure under Article 11 one must speak Turkish sufficiently. For marriage under Article 16 the text of the article contains no such condition, and for the investment route it is determined by secondary acts.

Conclusion

Law No. 5901 establishes the routes to citizenship: the general one (five years of residence under Article 11), the exceptional one (Article 12, including for investors), through marriage (three years under Article 16) and adoption. The size of the investment and many details are determined by secondary acts, so check them on the date you file documents. Read the other questions of this section on the page “Laws of Turkey”.

The material does not replace advice from a lawyer. The information was checked against the text of Law No. 5901 as of 21 October 2026.

Photo: Nedim Ardoğa (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons; photos of the coast are used with the site owner’s consent.