I would like to apply for the residency-by-investment program of Turkey. After getting a resident permit, do I need to stay in Turkey for a certain period of time every year to keep my status? If my goal is to become a Turkish citizen, do I need to fulfill any requirements on physical presence during permanent residency?
Turkey does not have a residency program for investors, but as a close example, foreigners who acquire real estate may apply and renew their residence permits every year. To become a citizen, you first should fulfill the 5-year term of residency. Within these 5 years, you may not leave Turkey for a total of one year.
You do not need to provide physical presence after getting a permanent residence permit. The physical presence is important for the acquisition of Turkish citizenship in principle. As a general rule, the acquisition of Turkish citizenship through naturalization occurs with the decision of the competent authority considering the conditions regulated by Article 11 of the Turkish Citizenship Code. One of the conditions is having been resident in Turkey without interruption for five years preceding the date of his/her application. On the other hand, in certain exceptional circumstances, Turkish citizenship can be acquired without the conditions mentioned above. The most popular exceptional way is the acquisition of Turkish citizenship by investment. If you apply the acquisition by investment, you do not need to stay a certain period of time. Instead, there are some conditions regarding the investment. For example, an alien may be granted Turkish citizenship by money deposits to banks operating in Turkey valued at least $500,000 or the equivalent in another currency provided that they keep the investment for three years and it is confirmed by Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency of Turkey.
Short-term residence permits get cancelled if the person spends more than 120 days abroad within one year, unless they can show a valid reason for their absence like mandatory public service, duty, education or health. As for the citizenship application, this would not really matter as the citizenship process will immediately follow the residence permit process. The citizenship process is expected to last less than four months, therefore the physical presence of the investor would not be required for that duration.
If you purchase any real estate in Turkey (the value doesn't matter), you can apply for a short-term residency. You can spend a maximum of 120 days abroad in one year to keep your status. The short-term residency permit can be easily renewed, and after eight years of residency in Turkey, you can obtain a long-term residency permit that does not need to be subsequently renewed. When you fulfill a 5-year residency in Turkey with a residency permit, you can apply for citizenship. Plus, there are easier ways to apply for citizenship with the CBI program without residing in Turkey. For instance, you can purchase a real estate with a value of $250,000.
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