At a Glance
Twenty years, zero tax on foreign income
On 4 June 2026, Türkiye published Law No. 7582 in the Official Gazette. It grants a 20-year exemption from Turkish income tax on foreign-source income and capital gains to individuals who become Turkish tax residents from 1 January 2026 onward. Paired with citizenship by investment, the same US$400,000 property purchase now buys a passport and a two-decade fiscal position.
What the exemption covers
- Dividends and distributions from companies outside Türkiye
- Salaries and professional income earned abroad
- Rental income from property outside Türkiye
- Capital gains on assets held outside Türkiye
Turkish-source income is taxed as normal. The exemption is written into the Income Tax Law as repeated Article 20/D and comes with three conditions worth reading before you plan around it.
Citizenship alone triggers nothing. Turkish tax residency follows from a legal domicile in Türkiye or from spending more than six months in the country in a calendar year. Passport in a drawer, no exemption.
The relief is for newcomers: no domicile and no Turkish tax liability in the three calendar years before the year you become resident. Investors who have never lived in Türkiye qualify on this test by default.
The clock is for people who become resident on or after 1 January 2026. Long-standing residents are outside it, and so is anyone who was resident in 2025.
The law is in force, but the implementing communiqué that spells out how new citizens document their first year of residency and elect into the regime is still being issued. We work through this with our tax counsel in Istanbul and will update this page as guidance lands. The same law opened an Asset Peace window for regularising offshore assets, with declarations accepted until 31 July 2027.
How Türkiye compares
| Jurisdiction | Regime | Term | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Türkiye | Foreign-income exemption, Law No. 7582 | 20 years | None |
| Italy | Flat tax for new residents | 15 years | €300,000 |
| Greece | Non-dom flat tax | 15 years | €100,000 |
Türkiye's term runs a third longer than the Italy Golden Visa flat tax or Greece's non-dom regime, with nothing to pay each year to keep it. What Italy and the Greece Golden Visa offer instead is an EU residence permit; Türkiye offers a passport.
Turkey Citizenship by Investment: the Investment Options
Türkiye has granted citizenship against a qualifying investment since January 2017. The real estate threshold rose from US$250,000 to US$400,000 in June 2022 and has not moved since. Every route carries a three-year holding period, none requires a donation, and the investment is yours to sell once the three years are up. Among the citizenship by investment programmes we work with, it is the only one where the qualifying asset is a home you can use.
| Route | Minimum | Verified by |
|---|---|---|
| Real estate, residential or commercial | US$400,000 | Land Registry (Tapu), with a licensed valuation report |
| Bank deposit in a Turkish bank | US$500,000 | Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency |
| Government bonds | US$500,000 | Ministry of Treasury and Finance |
| Real estate or venture capital fund shares | US$500,000 | Capital Markets Board |
| Fixed capital investment in a Turkish business | US$500,000 | Ministry of Industry and Technology |
| Job creation | 50 Turkish employees | Ministry of Labour and Social Security |
Real estate is the route almost every client takes, and for a reason beyond the lower entry point: it is the only option that puts a usable asset in your hands on day one, and Istanbul and the coast have a deep resale market at the three-year mark.
What makes a property qualify
- Value: US$400,000 or more, established by a valuation report from an appraiser licensed by the Capital Markets Board, not by the sale price alone. One property or several, added together.
- Payment: transferred through a Turkish bank. Since January 2022 the foreign currency is sold to the Central Bank and the buyer receives a foreign-exchange purchase certificate; the lira value on that day is what counts.
- Annotation: the title deed is annotated with a commitment not to sell for three years. The annotation blocks a transfer during that time and is lifted when the three years have run; without it, the application is not accepted.
- Arm's length: the property cannot have been owned by you, your spouse or your children, and cannot be bought from a company in which you hold shares.
Off-plan is possible where the developer can issue a notarised promise-of-sale agreement for the full amount, but title-ready stock removes a variable from the file, and it is what we steer clients towards first.
Why Investors Choose Turkish Citizenship
Your spouse, children under 18 and dependent disabled adult children are naturalised in the same application, with no additional investment.
Türkiye permits dual nationality. You keep the passport you have.
No obligation to live in Türkiye before or after approval. One trip, for biometrics.
The qualifying investment is sold after the hold and the citizenship stays. Most programmes keep you locked in for five or more.
Istanbul is a two-to-four-hour flight from most of Europe, the Gulf and the Caucasus, with a G20 economy behind it.
For families willing to spend time in the country, the 20-year exemption turns the passport into a residence plan, not just an insurance policy.
Turkish Citizenship and the US E-2 Visa
Türkiye has held an E-2 treaty with the United States since 1990. A Turkish citizen who makes a substantial investment in a US business, whether a new company, an acquisition or a franchise, can apply for the E-2 investor visa and live and work in the United States running it. There is no statutory minimum investment; the test is that the capital is at risk and the business is real. US consulates issue E-2 visas to Turkish nationals for up to five years at a time, renewable indefinitely while the business operates. Spouses receive work authorisation and children under 21 can study.
Since 23 December 2022, US law requires an applicant who acquired treaty-country nationality through a financial investment to have been domiciled in that country for a continuous three years before applying for the E-2. A Turkish passport obtained by investment opens the E-2 door, but only after three years living in Türkiye. Clients whose priority is the United States should plan for that, or look at the EB-5 route directly.
The E-2 does not lead to a green card. For permanent US residency the vehicle is the EB-5 investor programme, which we can set alongside a Turkish application when the objectives call for both. Our E-2 treaty countries guide covers the visa in detail.
Turkey Citizenship by Investment Requirements
- Main applicant aged 18 or over, of any nationality with the exception of a small list of countries whose citizens cannot acquire Turkish real estate
- A qualifying investment held for at least three years
- A clean criminal record and no threat to public order or national security
- Proof that the funds were transferred from abroad through the Turkish banking system
- A valid passport, birth and marriage certificates, all apostilled and translated
- Health insurance for the short-term residence permit stage
There is no language test, no interview and no requirement to demonstrate ties to Türkiye. Due diligence is carried out by the Turkish authorities on the whole family before approval.
How to Get Turkish Citizenship by Investment: the Process
Nine steps, three to six months, one trip to Türkiye.
- Initial consultation. We assess your objectives, including whether the tax exemption or the E-2 matters to you, and shortlist the route.
- Client onboarding. A background check, a letter of engagement and the opening of your file.
- Tax ID and bank account. Our lawyers obtain your Turkish tax number and open the local account the funds will pass through, under power of attorney if you prefer not to travel yet.
- Investment. The funds are transferred, the purchase is completed at the Land Registry and the Certificate of Conformity is issued by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change.
- Documentation. We assemble, certify and translate the full application file for the family.
- Short-term residence permit. Filed online with the investment certificate; typically approved within 14–21 days. It is a formality on the way to citizenship, not a residence obligation.
- Citizenship application. Submitted to the Provincial Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs in Istanbul or Ankara through the dedicated investor desk.
- Approval and biometrics. Applications are decided by Presidential decision. Once approved, the family travels to Türkiye once to give biometrics.
- Passports issued. Turkish ID cards and ten-year passports follow roughly a week after biometrics.
Turkey Citizenship by Investment Cost
| Item | Typical amount |
|---|---|
| Qualifying real estate | US$400,000 minimum, recoverable at resale |
| Title deed transfer fee | 4% of the declared value, in practice often split with the seller |
| Valuation report, notary and translations | US$1,500–3,000 |
| Residence permit and citizenship filing fees | Under US$500 per applicant |
| Legal and advisory fees | Quoted per family, on the route and the number of applicants |
Non-resident buyers paying in foreign currency can be exempt from VAT on a first purchase of new-build property, provided it is held for at least a year. Whether a given unit qualifies is checked before you commit, not after.
Want a costed plan for your family on the real estate route?
Talk to the Türkiye deskTurkey Citizenship by Investment: Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 20-year tax holiday apply automatically with citizenship?
No. Citizenship and tax residency are separate. The exemption applies once you become a Turkish tax resident, by taking a domicile in Türkiye or by spending more than six months there in a calendar year, and only if you were not domiciled or taxable in Türkiye in the three preceding calendar years. A passport on its own changes nothing about your tax position.
How much do I need to invest?
US$400,000 in real estate, the route most clients take. The alternatives, a bank deposit, government bonds, fund shares or a fixed capital investment, start at US$500,000, or you can create 50 jobs for Turkish nationals.
Can I include my family?
Yes. Your spouse, children under 18 and dependent disabled adult children are included in the same application at no additional investment.
Is there a residency requirement?
No. There is no obligation to live in Türkiye before or after citizenship is granted. One visit is needed to give biometrics.
Can I sell my investment?
Yes, after the three-year holding period, without affecting your citizenship. The title deed carries an annotation to that effect, which is lifted once the three years have run.
How long does Turkish citizenship by investment take?
Three to six months from the investment to passports in hand. The short-term residence permit takes two to three weeks; the citizenship decision itself is where the range lies.
Can I get a US visa with a Turkish passport?
Turkish citizens are eligible for the US E-2 investor visa, issued for up to five years at a time. Because of a 2022 change in US law, a citizen who obtained Turkish nationality by investment must first have lived in Türkiye for three continuous years before applying.
How many countries can I visit visa-free?
A Turkish passport grants visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to more than 110 countries and territories, including Japan, Singapore and South Korea. The Schengen Area and the United Kingdom still require a visa.
Does Türkiye allow dual citizenship?
Yes. You are not asked to renounce your existing nationality. Check that your home country allows it too.
Last reviewed 15 September 2026. Programme terms are set by the relevant government and can change; confirm any figure before acting on it.
