Exceptional Turkish Citizenship

Procedures and Principles Regarding the Exceptional Acquisition of Turkish Citizenship under Article 12 of the Law No. 5901 by Foreigners Who Create Employment of At Least 50 People in the Workplaces They Own or Partner in Türkiye

Article 12 of the Law No. 5901 on Turkish Citizenship titled "Exceptions for the acquisition of Turkish citizenship" stipulates that foreigners who obtain a residence permit pursuant to subparagraph (j) of the first paragraph of Article 31 of the Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection, foreigners who hold Turquoise Cards and their foreign spouses, and their foreign spouses' minor or dependent foreign children may acquire Turkish citizenship by a Presidential decree, provided that there is no obstacle in terms of national security and public order.

Article 20 of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law, which was prepared based on Article 46 of the Law No. 5901 on Turkish Citizenship, titled "Exceptional acquisition of Turkish citizenship, documents required for application and procedures to be carried out" stipulates that foreigners who are determined by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to create employment for at least 50 people can acquire Turkish citizenship by Presidential decree within the scope of subparagraph (b) of the first paragraph of Article 12 of the Law No. 5901.

On the other hand, in subparagraph (j) of the first paragraph of Article 31 of the Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection, it is stipulated that those who do not work in Türkiye but who will invest in the investment scope and amounts determined by Article 20 of the "Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law" titled "Exceptional acquisition of Turkish citizenship, documents required for application and procedures to be carried out" and their foreign spouse, themselves and their spouse's minor or dependent foreign child may be granted a residence permit for a maximum period of five years.

In accordance with the provisions of the aforementioned legislation, the requests of foreign real persons to the Ministry of Interior within the scope of Article 31/j of the Law No. 6458 for a residence permit or a certificate of conformity for employment of at least 50 persons required for exceptional citizenship applications within the scope of subparagraph (b) of the first paragraph of Article 12 of the Law No. 5901 will be evaluated within the framework of the procedures and principles below.

In the certificate of conformity requests, it is required to employ at least 50 Turkish citizens continuously for a period of at least 6 months, retrospective to the date of application, and the said employment must be maintained for at least 2 years after the application date.

Application and Evaluation Process

Foreign real persons who request a certificate of conformity on the grounds that they have created employment for at least 50 persons shall make a written application to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (Directorate General for International Labour Force) with the documents listed below.

As a result of the evaluation, the results of the applications of foreigners who are found to meet the necessary conditions are notified to the Ministry of Interior and the applicant.

Documents required for application

• Application petition signed with wet signature by the applicant foreign real person,
• Notarized signature declaration of the applicant,
• Completed Employment Information Form, click here to download the Employment Information Form. Click to download the Employment Information Form.
• Photocopy of the pages of the passport containing identity information,
• Trade Registry Gazette records showing the shareholding and capital shares of the company or companies where at least 50 Turkish citizens are employed in total, and a current Trade Registry Certificate,
• Current dated Workplace Employee List from the Social Security Institution system showing the list of insured persons working in the workplace(s) owned or partnered by the foreign real person.
• Letter from the Revenue Administration system showing the tax debt status of the workplace(s) owned or partnered by the foreign real person.
• A letter from the Social Security Institution system showing the social security premium debt status of the workplace(s) owned or partnered by the foreign real person.
• In administrative audits conducted by public institutions, a written statement indicating whether the company has been fined within the last six months, and if so, attaching the relevant documents.

Explanations