Applying For Turkish Nationality

[Av.Duygu Tekay]

 Applying  For Turkish Nationality

According to Turkish Nationality Act (numbered 403), a foreigner should meet the following requirements in order to apply for Turkish nationality.

    *

      S/he should be at the age of consent according to his/her national law (if s/he is not a citizen of any country, Turkish law is taken into consideration which requires 18 years old as the age of consent).
    *

      S/he should reside in Turkey for the last five years and should have the intention of settling in Turkey (This condition may not be applicable to those who are married to a Turkish national or those with Turkish origin).
    *

      S/he should be in good health.
    *

      S/he should shave an adequate command of  Turkish.
    *

      S/he should have enough financial resources to support himself/herself and his/her family in Turkey.
    *

       Application can be made through our Consular Section or the local Governor's office in Turkey with the following documents.   




   



    *

      A document revealing the present nationality of the applicant, i.e. passport or birth certificate.
    *

      If married to a Turkish national, the official documents confirming the identities and family ties of the spouse and the under aged children.
    *

      Certification of applicant's ability to speak Turkish (a certificate will be issued by our Consular Section   upon a successful interview of the applicant).
    *

      A medical certificate confirming the applicant's good health and being free from any infectious diseases that may endanger the public health (this certificate can be obtained from the local GP or family doctor).
    *

      4 photographs
    *

      Completed application forms which can be obtained from our Consular Section
    *

      Certification and translation fees.
    *

      Completed dossiers are transferred to the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Turkey, which in turn will consider and process the applications on their merits. The applicants will be informed of the outcome by this Consulate in due course.

[admin]

The procedure for gaining Turkish citizenship is given below.
The applicant should be of full age according to his own national legal system.
The applicant must have resided in Turkey for 5 years, without any interruptions.
The applicant must have the intention of settling in Turkey. The foreigner should confirm his intention of settling in Turkey with behaviors such as acquiring immovable property, marrying and so on.
The applicant must have been married to a Turkish citizen for at least three years and should have been actually living together.
The applicant must have good moral standing, and having no relation to theft, smuggling, swindling etc...
The applicant should have no sickness or disease that threats the poublic.
The applicant must have the means to provide financially for himself/herself and his/her dependents.
There is an exceptional way of obtaining Turkish Citizenship in which all conditions of acceptance to citizenship are essential except the 5-years-residence period and the confirmation of will by behavior. In this kind of acceptance, the conditions of residence in Turkey for five years and the intention of settlement in Turkey shall not be necessary. This right has been given to:

The children of full age of those who have lost Turkish Citizenship.
Those who have married Turkish citizens and have children who have reached two years of age.
Those that are of Turkish origin and their wives/husbands and children of full age.
Those who have settled in Turkey with the intention of living in Turkey.
Those that are thought to import into Turkey new developments in social, economics, science, technology and art matters.
Those whose acceptances are deemed essential by "The Cabinet".

Eligibility for citizenship is conditional upon the validity of the marriage. If one of the couple is already married at the time of the new marriage contract or is not mentally healthy or capable of understanding, the marriage is deemed null and void. Null and void marriages can be cancelled by a court decree. At the end of such a case, the wife may either lose or keep her citizenship, depending on her "good will" which means whether or not she was aware of the "cause" that would prevent the validity of the marriage with the husband.

The Fictitious Marriage
There is no provision in Turkish Laws that enables fictitious marriages to be readily cancelled. So, marriages built upon the aim of gaining Turkish citizenship are no subject to cancellation. If the marriage occurs before Turkish Authorities (which are consulates in foreign countries or the Turkish Marrying officers in Turkey), the notification should be done to the authorities married before.

If the marriage occurs before foreign authorities, which have the authority for marrying, the notice should be done to the Turkish registration authorities and The Ministry of Interior Affairs shall also be informed.The wife should make the citizenship claim, herself. The authority, which has received the claim that is made in accordance with the procedure, shall forward this claim to the security authorities and Census Directorate (Nüfus Müdürlüğü).

[sapp_ron]

According to the Turkish Nationality Act, to apply for Turkish citizenship, you should be at the age of consent according to your own national legal system. There are some exceptional ways of obtaining Turkish citizenship in which all conditions of acceptance to citizenship are essential except the five-year residence period and an indication of the will to remain in Turkey.