Acquisition of Turkish Citizenship by Exception
Article 12 of the Citizenship Law No. 5901 contains provisions regarding the exceptional acquisition of Turkish citizenship. The article stipulates that a foreigner may become a Turkish citizen upon the recommendation of the Ministry of Interior and the decision of the Council of Ministers, provided that there is no obstacle to national security and public order.
Who is Eligible?
Those who have worked in scientific, technological, cultural, artistic, economic, or social fields in Turkey, or those who give the impression that they will resign from such positions, or those who have brought industrial facilities and whose rights have been reasonably proposed by the relevant ministries;
Persons whose naturalization is deemed necessary for the benefit of our country or for any other reason;
Immigrants according to the Settlement Law.
Procedures for Acquiring Turkish Citizenship on an Exceptional Basis
The file of a person wishing to acquire Turkish citizenship on an exceptional basis is prepared after written instructions are received from the Ministry regarding the foreigner’s application. The following documents must be included in the file:
A petition stating that Turkish citizenship is being applied for on an exceptional basis;
A notarized Turkish translation of the identity document of the country of which the person is a national (passport or similar document);
A notarized Turkish translation of the birth certificate;
A notarized Turkish translation of a duly certified document showing the person’s marital status;
If married, marriage certificate; if divorced, divorce certificate;
if widowed, spouse’s death certificate.
Notarized Turkish translation of the official population registry extract or equivalent approved document indicating spouses and children;
Population registry extract of the applicant’s first- and second-degree relatives (to be obtained by the application authority);
Receipt for the service fee paid to the Treasury.
The procedure for exceptional citizenship applications is as follows.
For foreigners who wish to obtain Turkish citizenship through exceptional means, the Ministry of Interior sends written instructions to the application authority;
The application authority collects the necessary documents and creates the citizenship file;
A written request is submitted to the Security Directorate to conduct a Security Investigation to determine whether the applicant poses a threat to public safety and public order;
If these procedures yield positive results, the application is reviewed by the authorities and forwarded to the Council of Ministers for a decision;
With a positive decision from the Council of Ministers, the person acquires Turkish citizenship.
If married, marriage certificate; if divorced, divorce certificate;
if widowed, spouse’s death certificate.
Notarized Turkish translation of the official population registry extract or equivalent approved document indicating spouses and children;
Population registry extract of the applicant’s first- and second-degree relatives (to be obtained by the application authority);
Receipt for the service fee paid to the Treasury.
The procedure for exceptional citizenship applications is as follows.
For foreigners who wish to obtain Turkish citizenship through exceptional means, the Ministry of Interior sends written instructions to the application authority;
The application authority collects the necessary documents and creates the citizenship file;
A written request is submitted to the Security Directorate to conduct a Security Investigation to determine whether the applicant poses a threat to public safety and public order;
If these procedures yield positive results, the application is reviewed by the authorities and forwarded to the Council of Ministers for a decision;
With a positive decision from the Council of Ministers, the person acquires Turkish citizenship.