Is it possible to include parents in Turkish citizenship by investment in 2026

Briefly: Are parents included in the application for Turkish citizenship?

If you apply for Turkish citizenship by investment, one investment application automatically includes a limited circle of relatives: the investor himself, his spouse and minor children under 18 years of age. The parents of the main applicant are not included in this list - neither the mother, nor the father, nor the parents of the spouse. The same applies to adult children and siblings: they do not receive a passport upon your investment.

This is a direct consequence of the way the Turkish program is structured. The law considers the investor as the head of a nuclear family and extends simplified naturalization to this unit - the partner and small children. Parents are legally considered a separate household, even if they are actually your dependent and live with you. Therefore, the phrases of some agents in the spirit of “we will register the whole family in one package” in relation to Turkey must be read carefully: “family” here almost always means a spouse plus children, and not three generations at once.

The good news is that the absence of parents in the main application is not a death sentence. Türkiye provides several legal routes through which an elderly mother and father will still be able to live in the country, obtain a residence permit, and, over time, a passport. The only difference is that it will be a separate process, separate documents and, as a rule, separate costs. Below we analyze each path in detail and . We analyzed the basic conditions of the program itself in detail in guide to Turkish citizenship by investment.

Who does one investment really cover?

To understand the logic with parents, it is important to clearly record who is included in the investment application without additional investments. According to the 2026 rules, these are:

• Main applicant - the one in whose name the qualifying investment is registered (real estate, deposit, fund shares, etc.).
• Legal spouse - the marriage must be officially registered and confirmed by documents. Civil partners and cohabitants are not eligible.
• Children under 18 years old - relatives and adopted children, unmarried. Age is considered at the time of submission.

All these people receive Turkish citizenship using the same accelerated procedure and within the same time frame as the investor, without a separate investment for each. This is why Turkey is popular among young families with children - one investment of $400,000 in real estate (with mandatory retention of the asset for three years) or $500,000 in a deposit, government bonds or fund shares covers several people at once.

But then the nuances begin. Adult children over 18 are no longer automatically included in the package - they need either their own investment or a division of shares in a common asset; We discussed this scenario in detail in the material about inclusion of adult children in Turkish citizenship. Parents are another step outside the nuclear family, and for them the rule is stricter: there is simply no direct mechanism to “attach a parent to an application” in Turkish law. We have compiled a complete map of who is included in the family application and under what conditions in the guide to family citizenship of Turkey.

Why can't parents be added to the application directly?

The reason is not bureaucratic harmfulness, but the design of the program itself. Turkish naturalization by investment is an exception to the general procedure for obtaining citizenship, and any exception is interpreted narrowly. The legislator deliberately limited the circle of beneficiaries to the spouse and minor children, so that one investment would not turn into passports for a dozen relatives. In programs where parents are included (for example, in the Caribbean), this is explicitly stated in the regulations and is often accompanied by separate fees for each. In Turkish rules there is no such option at all.

There is a second layer of logic - the concept of dependency. Even where Türkiye allows reunification with parents (through a residence permit, discussed below), you need to prove that the parent is really on your support and is not able to provide for himself. This works for aged or disabled parents, but does not give them citizenship - only the right to reside.

Practical conclusion: if the goal is a Turkish passport for mom and dad, you need to plan it as a separate project with its own budget and deadlines, and not as a free add-on to your application. Any consultant who promises otherwise about Turkey is either confusing it with another country or being misleading. a assessment at the start saves both money and nerves - that’s why we always discuss this point with clients before starting work.

What ways are there really for parents?

The absence of parents in the main application is compensated by several legal routes. Everyone solves their own problem - from a simple right to live in Turkey to a full-fledged passport. Here are the working options for 2026:

The main thing to understand is that the parent's investment as an individual applicant is the only way to give him a passport quickly, in the same 3-8 months as you. All other paths lead to a residence permit, and citizenship along them is already a long distance of five years of residence. Therefore, the choice depends on what is more important: that your parents have a Turkish passport, or that they live peacefully next to you on a legal basis. Below we will analyze each option separately.

Way one: separate investment for the parent

The most direct way to give a parent a Turkish passport is to register them as a separate main applicant with their own qualifying investment. In fact, this is a second full-fledged application under the CBI program, where the investor is no longer you, but your mother or father. The thresholds are the same: from $400,000 in real estate with a three-year hold, or $500,000 in a deposit, government bonds or shares of an investment fund.

This path has obvious advantages. Firstly, speed - the parent receives citizenship in the same time frame as any investor, without a five-year wait. Secondly, if the parent has his own spouse (your other parent), he will be included in the application as a family member - that is, one investment can cover both parents at once if they are married. This is often overlooked: instead of making two separate investments, it is enough to hold the investment for one parent and the other as a spouse.

There is also a limitation - money. This is a full-fledged second investment, and the family budget doubles. But the asset remains the property of the parent: the property can be rented out and sold after three years. For families who, in any case, were considering purchasing a second property in Turkey, this scenario often turns out to be optimal - both the capital works and the parents have a passport. It is better to calculate the structure of a specific transaction (who to register for, how to divide the shares between spouses-parents) in advance: a mistake in registering the shares can cost a refusal.

Path two: Residence permit for family reunification

If the goal is not a passport, but an opportunity for elderly parents to legally live in Turkey next to you, the main tool is a family residence permit. When you become a Turkish citizen or legal resident, you can sponsor close relatives, including parents. The permit is issued for a period of up to three years with the right of extension.

The key condition here is dependency. The Turkish Migration Service accepts parents for reunification only if it is proven that they are really in your support and cannot provide for themselves. This is especially true for older parents or parents with disabilities. The sponsor must confirm:

• stable and sufficient income to support invited family members;
• availability of suitable housing in Turkey;
• valid health insurance for parents;
• as a rule, a certain period of one’s own legal residence in the country.

The migration service revises specific income thresholds annually and links them to the minimum wage, so exact figures for 2026 must be clarified in e-İkamet at the time of submission. It is important to understand the boundaries of this path: a family residence permit gives the right to live in Turkey, use medicine and be quietly around you, but in itself it is not equal to citizenship. Parents will be able to obtain a passport via this route only later, through naturalization.

Path three: Parent’s residence permit for their own real estate

Another option that suits financially independent parents is to issue them a short-term residence permit for real estate (İkamet) in their own name. Since 2026, the threshold for the cost of an object for this type of residence permit is from $200,000 according to official estimates - it has been raised from the previous $75,000. The parent buys real estate, registers ownership (TAPU) and on this basis receives a residence permit, usually for 1-2 years with the possibility of extension.

This route has important restrictions that you need to know in advance:

• in “closed” areas where the share of foreign owners exceeds 25 percent, residence permits for real estate are not issued - such zones must be checked before purchase;
• commercial real estate is not suitable for this type of residence permit; the property must be residential;
• Valid health insurance required;
• The purchase of real estate in Turkey in itself no longer automatically leads to citizenship - these are separate legal paths.

This option is good because the parent retains complete independence: he has his own property, his own residence permit, his own life. The disadvantage is the same as that of a family residence permit: it is the right of residence, not citizenship. We discussed the mechanics of this resolution in detail separately; if the parents are wealthy enough to buy an apartment, then a residence permit for real estate is often simpler than reunification, because it does not require proof of dependency. External guideline on the requirements for a residence permit - the official portal of the migration service en.goc.gov.tr.

Path four: citizenship for parents through naturalization

Any of the residence permit routes can eventually lead parents to a Turkish passport - but not through the investment procedure, but through the general naturalization procedure. The standard rule is that a foreigner who has resided legally and continuously in Turkey for five years is entitled to apply for citizenship in the normal manner. This means that if parents have received a residence permit (by reunification or on their real estate) and actually live in the country, then after five years they have an independent basis to apply for a passport.

This path has its own specifics. Unlike investment naturalization, the general procedure imposes additional requirements: continuity of residence (long trips can reset the period), absence of a threat to public order, basic knowledge of the Turkish language and the ability to support oneself. For elderly parents, the language barrier and the requirement for integration sometimes become a real obstacle, so you should not count on this route as a guaranteed one - it works, but it requires effort and time.

The practical meaning is this: naturalization is a “long tail” for parents who, first of all, want to live close to their children, and a passport is considered as a pleasant outcome in a few years. If parents need Turkish citizenship quickly and for sure, we return to the first path - a separate investment. This is the only way to bypass the five year wait and language requirements. For families who plan to move in stages, we usually combine routes: for example, a residence permit for parents immediately, and an investment in their name later, when the budget allows.

Comparison: where parents are included and where they are not

To make an informed decision, it is useful to compare Turkey with programs that were originally designed for the extended family. Here Türkiye is really losing - and it is more important to admit this than to keep it silent.

Caribbean programs are structured fundamentally differently: many of them directly allow dependent parents to be included in one application, while some - for example, Antigua and Barbuda - extend this to both grandparents and brothers and sisters. The Maltese merit route also allows dependent parents and older generations as members of the applicant's family.

Does this mean that Türkiye is worse? No - it has other strengths: a low entry threshold by citizenship standards, liquid real estate, no residence and language requirements for the main applicant, and most importantly, access to an American E-2 investor visa, which Caribbean passports do not have. If the key priority is the extended family in one application, it makes sense to compare Turkey with alternatives directly - for example, in analyzes Grenada vs TurkeyandVanuatu vs Turkey. For those choosing between the Middle East and Turkey, a comparison is useful UAE vs Turkey.

What can really be done for elderly parents: an action plan

Let's put everything together into a practical algorithm. The choice of route for parents depends on two questions: whether they need a passport and how financially independent they are.

• I need a passport quickly, my budget allows. Make a separate investment in the name of the parent. If the parents are married, one investment of $400,000 will cover both - the second parent will enter as a spouse.
• Parents are financially independent, passport is not urgent. Their own real estate starting from $200,000 gives them a residence permit and independence, and after 5 years of residence - the right to naturalization.
• Your parents are your dependent, you need to live nearby. Family residence permit for reunification - you prove dependency, income and housing. Passport - later, through naturalization.
• Do you want it step by step? First, a residence permit for parents immediately after your citizenship, an investment in their name - when the budget allows.

It’s worth keeping in mind the expense side as well. From May 1, 2026, Türkiye increased the fees for issuing a residence permit almost nine times: approximately $631 for a permit for 1 year and $1,857 for 3 years. Considering the investment thresholds, these are small amounts, but they are useful to include in the parents’ overall moving budget. You should always check the exact current rates before submitting.

An error in choosing a route or registering shares in a joint investment between parents and spouses can result in refusal and loss of time. Therefore, it is better to calculate the structure before the first payment. If you are planning to move not only yourself, but also the older generation to Turkey, discuss your situation with BRIDGES GLOBAL experts - we will put together a route to suit your family and budget, without promising the impossible.

Expert review and common mistakes

In our time working with Turkish applications, we see the same misconceptions, which are costly for families. Let's fix them straight so that you don't step on this rake.

• “Parents will get in for free.” No. In Turkey, one investment covers only a spouse and children under 18. Any promise otherwise in Turkey is a reason to be wary.
• “I’ll buy real estate and the whole family will receive a passport.” Buying real estate no longer automatically leads to citizenship, and a residence permit is not a passport.
• “Residence permit for parents = citizenship.” A residence permit gives the right to live in the country. Citizenship according to it is only after 5 years of naturalization, with language and continuous residence.
• Ignoring “closed” areas. In zones with a share of foreigners above 25 percent, residence permits for real estate are not issued - you need to check before purchasing.

The correct strategy is to first determine the purpose (passport or residence), then choose the route, and only then make payments. Official guidelines should be checked on the website of the General Directorate for Citizenship and Population Affairs nvi.gov.tr and the migration service. Before any transaction, it makes sense to check the structure of the application with a specialized specialist - this removes the risk of refusal due to a formal error.