Turkish Citizenship by Investment: Documents Checklist for 2026

Turkish citizenship by investment is three procedures in a row: the investment, the residence permit and the citizenship file. Each has its own set of papers, and many of them repeat. I prefer to collect everything once, in the right form, rather than chase single documents later. Below is the checklist I use, built on the regulation and on Invest in Türkiye.

1. Documents for the citizenship file

Article 20(3) of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law lists what goes into the exceptional citizenship file. The application authorities prepare it on the written instruction of the Ministry:

• a form stating your request;
• your passport or a similar document showing which state you come from (for a stateless person, the corresponding document if it can be obtained);
• civil status documents: marriage certificate if married, divorce certificate if divorced, the spouse’s death certificate if widowed;
• a document proving your identity, such as a birth certificate or an extract from the civil register, and, if you are married, an extract or similar document proving the family ties with your spouse and children;
• civil register extracts of any first or second degree relatives who are Turkish citizens (the authorities take these from the system);
• if your day and month of birth are missing, a document from your country that completes the date, or a signed declaration under Article 39 of Population Services Law No. 5490;
• the receipt for the service fee.

Add the certificate of eligibility for your investment and the investor residence permit, because the file rests on them.

2. Documents for the property purchase

Invest in Türkiye lists what the land registry asks for in a purchase by a foreigner:

• the title deed, or the village or quarter, map section, plot and unit of the property;
• a photo ID or passport, with a notarised and certified translation if it is not in the Latin alphabet;
• a document of representation if someone acts for you (power of attorney, guardianship order and so on);
• a document on the current market value issued by the municipality;
• compulsory earthquake insurance for the building;
• one photo of the seller and two of the buyer, 6x4 cm, taken within the last six months;
• a certified interpreter if a party does not speak Turkish.

For the citizenship route you also state in the application that you are buying for this purpose and declare that you will not sell the property for three years.

Papers you need before completion

The payment has to go through a bank in Türkiye with a currency sale certificate. BRIDGES notes that a bank usually asks a non-resident for a passport and a Turkish tax number, and some branches also want proof of address and a local SIM card. Get the tax number early.

3. Documents for the investor residence permit

Invest in Türkiye gives this list for an initial short-term residence permit, applied for through the e-residence system and then submitted to the provincial directorate of migration management:

• residence permit application form;
• copy of your passport or travel document;
• four biometric photographs;
• proof of sufficient and regular means of subsistence for the stay;
• receipts for the residence permit fee and the card fee;
• the title deed, if your permit is based on property;
• valid health insurance.

Each family member applies for a permit, so plan this list for every person.

4. A power of attorney signed abroad

If a representative will sign at the land registry for you, Invest in Türkiye sets these conditions for a power of attorney issued abroad. It must:

• include the authority for the specific transaction;
• be issued by a Turkish consulate or by an authority entitled to issue powers of attorney in that country;
• be in the language of the country where it is issued;
• carry your photo with a clear seal and signature over it;
• carry an apostille if the country is a party to the Hague Convention, or otherwise a certification of the official’s signature confirmed by the Turkish consulate.

A notarised, certified Turkish translation goes with it. BRIDGES works this way so that clients do not need to travel, with the power of attorney signed before a notary in the presence of a sworn translator.

5. Source of funds

The regulation does not list source of funds documents, but in practice this is where files are tested. BRIDGES says what is examined is your background, sanctions status and a documented lawful source of the invested money. Think about the whole path of the money: how it was earned, which account it sits in now and which bank will send it to Türkiye.

Practical tips

• Check that names are spelled the same way in every document. Transliteration from Cyrillic or Arabic script is a common source of questions.
• Order fresh civil status documents for every family member at the same time, so apostilles and translations are done in one round.
• Keep certified copies. The same certificates are needed for the purchase, the residence permits and the citizenship file.

For who in the family needs which document, see my guide on spouses and children. For the order of steps, see the application process. BRIDGES also offers a document list on its Türkiye citizenship page. Last checked 18 October 2026.