You’ve lived in Turkey for at least five years without interruption and are now thinking of obtaining Turkish citizenship – what do you need to do? Is it easy, hard or damn near impossible? And should you take that leap? We look at the requirements for becoming a bone fide Turkish citizen...
Turkey operates on the principle of blood ties. If you have a Turkish mother or father, for instance, you are classed as Turkish, no matter where in the world you were born. The good news is that Turkey accepts the notion of dual citizenship – that you can be a citizen of more than one county at the same time. Turkey allows foreigners to become citizens in certain situations – namely, marriage, residence, birth and the intention to settle in Turkey permanently.
Typically, to apply for Turkish citizenship as a foreigner, you need to:
If you marry a Turk, you will be granted Turkish citizenship after three years without having to prove any of the above if you so wish. This assumes you are living with them during this time.
Note: A child born in Turkey does NOT have a right to Turkish citizenship unless one of their parents is Turkish.
Adult children whose parent/s have lost Turkish nationality (by emigrating, for instance) can apply for Turkish citizenship when reaching the age of consent. They still need to prove the points above with the exception of living in Turkey for the last five years and having the will to settle here. The same applies for people of Turkish origin (Turkish minorities in the Turkic states, for example) their spouses and any adult children, as well as anyone the Turkish government feels brings economic, scientific, technological or artistic development to Turkey.
If you fulfil all the requirements, you can apply through the Turkish Consulate in your own country. If you are already in Turkey, you need to go through the Birth Registration and Citizenship Office. Your case will be reviewed by the Turkish Interior Ministry who will interview you.
That can only ever really be a question for you. However, you should know that while Turkey allows dual citizenship, not all other countries do. So, if your country of origin doesn’t accept the principle, you will lose your first citizenship. It’s certainly something to think long and hard about. Make sure you do your homework first.
Turkish Dictionary |
---|
Turkish Chat |
---|
New in Forums |
---|
Akşam yemeği versus akşam yemekleri
denizli: I get it now - dinner - akşam yemeği. Sorry. I thought yemek was din... |
Ağriyor versus Aciyor
HaydiDeer: Thank you very much for the ... |
Objects in Turkish
EmreY: You could just as easily say: "her yıl telefon ... The difference... |
Turkish Elections
denizli: Is there any chance for a new Government this election? ... going to b... |
Here again
denizli: Yes, this is a classic site. I learned a lot here! |
Intensive language class in turkey
Mattes: Hi there, I would like to get your opinion. Some years back I did so... |
TLC servers hacked, all user emails & pass...
natiypuspi: Here again! What a nice new! Happy New Year! PS: I want to tell my hea... |
-midir nedir
admin: The closest ... I can think of is "or ... O ... midir nedir -&g... |
Turkish Learning Books
qdemir: are you a new learner or do you want to take your Turkish to the next ... |
Travelling to Turkey - personal experience...
Glovol: Turkey is a great country. |
T-E
Sagredo: Rose Garden Make an effort to get into the rose garden. Because those... |
Random Pictures of Turkey |
---|
Most commented | |
---|---|
![]() |
Dost
() Poem by Cahit Külebi |
![]() |
Major Vowel Harmony
Turkish lesson by admin Level: beginner |