The much-debated Article 20 of the Turkish Citizenship Law titled ‘Exceptional acquisition of Turkish citizenship’ was amended. A presidential decree published on December 12 replaced ‘real estate’ with ‘building/flat ownership’. This excludes empty plots and fields from foreigners’ acquisitions to obtain Turkish citizenship.
Previously, the purchase of all immovable properties worth 400 thousand dollars was sufficient for Turkish citizenship. With the amendment, the immovable property to be purchased was clarified. Within the scope of the Regulation, Turkish citizenship can now be acquired through the purchase of immovable properties with the characteristics of land on which a condominium or condominium easement has been established or on which there is a building.
According to the amendment to the Regulation, the scope of the immovable property in the amount of 400 thousand dollars or its equivalent in foreign currency, which must be purchased in order to obtain exceptional citizenship, has been redefined.
In the old version of the Regulation, it was envisaged that Turkish citizenship would be granted exceptionally if the immovable property worth USD 400 thousand or its equivalent in foreign currency was purchased with the annotation of not being sold for three years in the title deed records. In other words, the purchase of all immovable properties worth USD 400 thousand or more was sufficient for citizenship. With the amendment, the definition of immovable property was redefined as “immovable property in the amount of USD 400 thousand or its equivalent in foreign currency with the characteristics of land on which a condominium or condominium easement has been established or on which there is a building”.
Sector sources told EKONOMİ daily that the scope of the previous version of the regulation was very broad, and that the amendment abolished the granting of citizenship through the sale of fields and land.
Hakan Akcam, President of the Ankara Chamber of All Real Estate Agents Profession Tradesmen, made a written statement regarding the regulation, stating that in order to gain the right to citizenship, a building obligation on the land has been introduced and thans to this amendment Turkish citizenship cannot be abused through land sales anymore.
Akcam also reminded that they expect the right to acquire citizenship to be increased to USD 600 thousand in the Regulation.
Ulvi Ozcan, President of the Istanbul Real Estate Brokers Club Business Cooperative, supported the regulation through a statement to EKONOMİ daily. “This is what should have happened. It is not right to allow the sale of all types of real estate, it should not be”. Ozcan makes a warning as well: However, there is only one issue that can be abused here; in addition to the condominium and condominium easement, the buildings built on the land are also included in the scope; in this case, it is understood that illegal structures will also be within this scope.”