Turkish Nationality
We thank Poroy & ÖzülküLaw firm for kindly providing information for this section.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 good moral standing, and having no relation to theft, smuggling, swindling etc...
The applicant should have no sickness or disease that threats the public.
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).
Please note that in June 2003, the Law on Turkish Nationality was amended to prevent marriages of convenience and introduces a waiting period of three years for foreigners to claim Turkish nationality after having married a Turkish national. It would be wise to consult a lawyer or authorized officials before taking any further action.