Turkish citizenship by investment in 2026: what has changed in thresholds and rules

Threshold history: from $1 million to $250k and back to $400k

To understand the logic behind the 2026 changes, it's helpful to look at how the program has evolved. Turkish citizenship by investment was launched in 2017, and the initial threshold for real estate was impressive - $1,000,000. At this price, the program remained niche and almost did not work: demand was minimal, and the authorities quickly realized that the bar cut off the bulk of investors.

In September 2018, there was a reversal that made Turkey a massive destination: the threshold for real estate was immediately reduced four times - to $250 000. This coincided with the weakening of the Turkish lira, and for buyers from the CIS, Middle East and Asia, Turkish property became both a passport ticket and a currency haven. The flow of applications has increased significantly; entire residential complexes have sprung up in Istanbul and Antalya, aimed specifically at investors seeking citizenship.

Next turn - June 14, 2022: the minimum threshold for real estate was raised from $250,000 to $400 000. There were several reasons: overheating of the market in large cities, rising prices for local residents and the desire of the state to improve the quality of investors. Since then, the basic figure has not changed, but, as we will show later, in fact, the requirements for the applicant from 2022 to 2026 have become noticeably stricter and without a formal increase in the threshold.

Current thresholds and options in 2026

For 2026, the basic figure remains the same - a passport can be obtained through several alternative options, and real estate is still the most popular. We have collected a detailed analysis of expenses in the material about full cost of Turkish citizenship, and here we fix the thresholds themselves:

It is important to understand: the main change by 2026 is not in these numbers, but in how the state checks whether you really invested the declared amount. Previously, it was possible to “hold out” the paper value of an object up to the threshold; today this is practically closed. Türkiye remains outside the EU and Schengen, so the passport does not provide visa-free entry into Europe, but does provide access to an E-2 investor visa to the United States. We keep a complete picture of the program in hub for Turkish citizenship by investment.

Is further increase in the threshold being discussed?

The question that worries everyone now choosing a direction is whether the threshold will be raised again, as happened in 2018 and 2022. The answer for 2026 is this: There is no official decision on promotion. The base threshold for real estate remains $400,000, and at the time of writing, no signed ordinances regarding the new threshold have been published.

At the same time, the trend of recent years is unambiguous. Each revision has only gone up (after a one-time decline in 2018), the state has been consistently improving the quality of entry, and the overheating of the market in Istanbul remains a politically sensitive topic. At the level of the expert community, there is periodic talk about a possible rise to $500,000-600,000, but these are just forecasts and discussions, and not the current norm. We deliberately do not present them as fact.

What does this mean for the applicant? If you have already decided on Turkey, it is wiser not to delay: historically, the window with a lower threshold has always closed, and closed without a long transition period. In 2022, the increase took effect virtually on the day of publication. This does not mean that you need to act in a panic, but delaying the selection of an object for years with such a trend is risky. If you are comparing directions, check out our analysis UAE vs Turkey - you can see how the logic of the two popular programs differs.

Tightening SPK assessment: major change

If there is one major change by 2026, it will be the control of real estate valuations. Previously, the scheme was vulnerable: the seller and buyer could agree on an inflated paper value of the object in order to bring it to the citizenship threshold, although the real market price was lower. It was this hole that the state methodically closed from 2022 to 2026.

Today the price is confirmed only an assessment report from a company with an SPK license - Turkish Capital Markets Council (Sermaye Piyasası Kurulu). This is not a realtor or a private appraiser: only an accredited company from the official register. The report must be recent (usually no older than three months at the time of the transaction), and it is the amount recorded in it, and not the figure from the contract, that is checked against the $400,000 threshold.

• What happened before: the valuation existed, but control over the discrepancy between the contract price, the valuation and the actual transaction was weak.
• What happened in 2026: Through the real estate assessment center system, the state verifies the assessed value with the officially determined one (rayiç bedel) and does not miss inflated reports.
• Consequence for the applicant: the object must be selected so that the real market price exceeds the threshold, and does not reach it on paper.

Official valuation requirements are published by the capital markets regulator - SPK. We write more about choosing an object for a passport in the guide to Turkish citizenship through real estate.

Reconciliation of three values: how the cheating was closed

The most technologically advanced change in 2026 is end-to-end reconciliation of several cost values. If previously one correct number in one document was enough, now the system checks the consistency of three sources at once, and each of them must reach the threshold:

• The actual price paid. The money passes through Turkish banks, and the fact of payment is confirmed by a certificate of purchase of currency - Döviz Alım Belgesi (DAB). This documents exactly how much you transferred.
• Estimated value. Confirmed by a report from an SPK-licensed company and verified through a real estate valuation center with the officially determined price of the area.
• Cost in TAPU. The amount recorded on the title deed (TAPU) when registered with the cadastral office.

The logic is simple: if all three values ​​converge and each is not less than $400,000, the application passes. If it is clear that the contract specifies one amount, the bank shows another, and the appraiser shows a third, the file is rejected or an additional payment is required until actual compliance is achieved. This combination actually killed the “draw the cost on paper” scheme and made the program more, but also stricter in the preparation of documents. Cadastre and registration TAPU conducts Turkey General Directorate of Cadastre (TKGM).

Retention Rule and Early Sale Prohibition

In parallel with the assessment control, the retention rule has also become stricter. The facility through which you obtain your passport cannot be sold within three years. This is not just a promise in a statement: the certificate of ownership (TAPU) is marked with an official mark prohibiting the sale - the so-called kısıtlama şerhi, an annotation of restriction. It is impossible to remove it ahead of schedule without losing the basis for citizenship.

What is allowed and what is not:

• You can rent it out. The ban applies specifically to alienation (sale, gift), and you have the right to receive rental income during these three years. For many investors, this makes the holding not “frozen money” but a performing asset.
• Selling before is not possible. An attempt at alienation before the expiration of the term jeopardizes citizenship itself, if it is issued for this object.
• After three years - freedom. Upon expiration of the period, the annotation is removed, and you dispose of the property as an ordinary owner.

This is an important change from the early years of the program, when controls on actual retention were looser. Now the rule is built directly into the registry, and it is impossible to bypass it without consequences. For those who are considering not a passport, but a residence permit, the logic is different - there is a separate cost bar and its own restrictions on “closed areas”.

Prohibition of resale between investors using a passport

A separate and often overlooked change is the prohibition on reusing the same object for citizenship. Previously, there was a “recycling” scheme: a developer or investor bought an object, received a passport for it, and after a few years resold the same apartment to another foreigner, who again claimed it for citizenship. The same asset could serve several passports in a row.

The Turkish authorities have closed this loophole. According to current clarifications the same object (or share in it) cannot be re-used by different foreigners to obtain citizenship - neither through a direct transfer of TAPU nor through a preliminary purchase and sale agreement. If the apartment has already “used up” the passport once, it is not suitable as a basis for a new applicant.

What does this mean in practice:

• When purchasing an object on the secondary market, be sure to check its history to see if it was previously used under someone else’s citizenship.
• It is safer to take a property with a clean history; more often it is a new building from a developer or a property that definitely did not go through the program.
• This check is part of the normal due diligence for a transaction, and cannot be skipped: otherwise, you can buy an object that is formally suitable for the price, which will not be accepted as a basis.

The measure is logical: the state wants each passport to stand for a real new influx of capital into the economy, and not for a paper transfer of the same asset.

Trends in due diligence and verification of the source of funds

In addition to cost control, since 2024 and especially by 2026, verification of the applicant himself and the origin of the money has noticeably increased. This is a general global trend for all investment programs, and Türkiye is no exception. Without a formal change in the threshold, the requirements for a clean file have increased.

What exactly has become stricter:

• Source of funds. It is necessary to show where the money comes from: sale of a business, dividends, savings, inheritance - with supporting documents. Simply “being in the account” is no longer enough.
• Banking channels. Payment must be made through Turkish banks with DAB registration; cash and gray schemes do not work.
• Verification of the applicant. Screening for sanctions and criminal databases has been strengthened, requirements for documents and translations have become more formal.
• Document flow. More notarizations, apostilles, accurate translations; Mistakes in paperwork are increasingly leading to delays.

For a conscientious investor, this is rather a plus: a pure program is less exposed to the risk of sudden freezing, as has happened with some Caribbean and European schemes. But this means that you need to prepare more carefully and collect evidence on money in advance. Our analysis helps compare the logic of Turkey with Caribbean passports Grenada vs Turkey.

What does all this mean for the applicant now?

Let's summarize the changes into a practical conclusion. The Turkish citizenship program by 2026 has become more expensive to enter than it was in 2018-2022, and noticeably stricter in terms of checks - but precisely because of this, it is more stable and predictable. For anyone willing to play by the rules, this is good news.

Practical recommendations if you are considering a Turkish passport now:

• Mortgage real $400,000+, not “paper” ones. The object must be worth the threshold according to the SPK assessment, otherwise the file will not pass the reconciliation of the three values.
• Check the history of the object. Make sure that the property has not previously been used under someone else's citizenship.
• Prepare your source of funds in advance. Collect documents on the origin of the money before the transaction begins, this will speed up the entire process.
• Don't delay your choice for years. The trend of the threshold is only upward, and the transition periods are short.
• Consider the full cost. In addition to the threshold, there are purchase taxes, appraisals, lawyers, and state fees.

If you want to understand whether your situation falls under the current rules of 2026 and which object is safe to take under your passport, it makes sense to discuss the specifics with an expert. Sign up for a BRIDGES GLOBAL consultation - we will go through your budget, source of funds and select an object with a clean history to meet current requirements.

Pre-deal check: what to look for in 2026

This section is for those who are already close to a deal. By 2026, most failures and delays in the program are not “not enough money,” but errors in preparation that are easily preventable. Here's a checklist of what the expert checks before signing a contract.

• SPK assessment. Is there a recent report from the company from the official register, and is the estimated value up to $400,000 without exaggeration?
• Reconciliation of costs. Do the contract price, the transfer amount (DAB) and the value in TAPU match - discrepancies are a red flag.
• History of the object. Has it previously been used under the citizenship of another foreigner?
• Salesman. The transaction must be with a Turkish citizen or a Turkish company.
• Location. There are no restrictions on “closed areas” for a passport, but there are for a residence permit - do not confuse the two ways.
• Money. Transparent source of funds and payment only through Turkish banks.
• Hold. Willingness to hold the object for 3 years with a mark prohibiting sale in TAPU.

Turkish citizenship is not the purchase of an apartment, but a legal procedure in which real estate is only one of the elements. The cost of a mistake is not only wasted time, but also the risk of refusal after payment. Therefore, it is better to trust the verification to those who have seen dozens of such transactions and know where exactly the applicants stumble in 2026.