Turkish nationality law is based primarily on the principle of jus sanguinis. Children who are born to a Turkish mother or a Turkish father (in or out of marriage) are Turkish citizens from birth. The intention to renounce Turkish citizenship (or acquire citizenship from another state) is submitted in Turkey by a petition to the highest administrative official in the concerned person's place of residence, and when overseas to the Turkish consulate. Documents processed by these authorities are forwarded to the Ministry of Interior (Turkey) for appropriate action.
Definition of citizenship
Citizenship is defined in Article 66 of the Turkish constitution:
Adoption
A child adopted by a Turkish citizen automatically becomes a Turkish citizen if under 18 years old on the date the application for adoption was made. In some cases (although it is not required), those who have foreign names and are applying for Turkish citizenship change their name to a Turkish name. Examples of people who have done this include football players Colin Kazim-Richards and Mehmet Aurélio.
Loss of citizenship
There are three different states of loss of citizenship in Turkey. They are either: cancellation, revocation, or renunciation. Loss of citizenship in Turkey may occur under Article 31 (Cancellation) where the national in question has misrepresented or concealed essential information in regards to his acquisition of Turkish nationality, Turkish nationality also may be revoked (Article 29) or renounced (Article 25), under the Turkish Citizenship Law (No: 12/6/2009 27256).
The Blue Card as a form of "Citizenship lite" Former Turkish citizens who were forced to give up their Turkish citizenship (for example, because they have naturalized in a country that usually does not permit dual citizenship, such as Germany or Austria) can apply for the Blue Card (Mavi Kart), which gives them some citizens' rights back, e.g. the right to live and work in Turkey, the right to possess land or the right to inherit. Excluded from this "Citizenship lite" is the right to vote.
Naturalization
A foreign national may apply for naturalization if the following conditions are met: Legal majority as defined by the laws of the applicant's country of origin or those of Turkey in the case of stateless persons, Residence in Turkey for an uninterrupted period of six years prior to the application, Intention to settle in Turkey and demonstration thereof, No risk to public health, Good moral character, Adequate command of the Turkish language, Sufficient income for his or her own livelihood and that of any dependants in Turkey, No threat to national security or public order. Meeting these conditions does not give a foreign national an absolute right to Turkish citizenship.
A foreign national who has been married to a Turkish citizen for three years and is still married to that partner may apply for naturalization under a different set of conditions: Residence with the Turkish spouse (exceptions granted if the Turkish spouse dies after application is lodged), Absence of acts jeopardising the marriage, No threat to national security or public order. Following a successful application, the naturalised spouse may retain their Turkish citizenship if the marriage should subsequently be dissolved, so long as both partners had entered into the marriage in good faith.
Citizenship by Investment
Since 18 September 2018, Law No 5901 disposes that foreign citizens investing in Turkey will be granted the right to apply for Turkish citizenship.