After 6,000 Cancellations: What to Check Before Buying Property for Turkish Citizenship

In August 2026, Türkiye cancelled the citizenship of more than 6,000 people who had obtained it through investment. According to press reports, most cases involved inflated property valuations, fictitious sales or falsified payment documents. Many of these families believed they had done everything right.

I manage real estate funds in Istanbul, and I speak with investors from the Gulf and Asia every week. The question has changed. People used to ask, "Does this property qualify?" Now they ask, "Will this transaction still stand in ten years?"

That is the right question. Here is how I would answer it.

1. The valuation must reflect the market, not the threshold

For the property route, the property must be worth at least USD 400,000 according to a licensed valuation. The problem in the recent cases was not the rule; it was valuations written to reach the number. If an apartment would sell for USD 200,000 on the open market, a report that says USD 400,000 is a risk you carry for years.

Ask for recent sales of similar units in the same building or street. If the gap is large, walk away.

2. Every payment must be traceable

The money must go from your own bank account to the seller's account through the Turkish banking system, and the foreign currency conversion must be documented. Cash, partial payments through third parties or "side agreements" are exactly what investigators look for.

3. Know who the seller is

From abroad, it is hard to verify an individual seller or a small developer. Who owned the property before? Is the title clean? Is the price inflated to pay hidden commissions?

This is where an institutional seller makes a difference. Real estate investment funds in Türkiye are supervised by the Capital Markets Board (CMB/SPK). Their properties are valued by CMB-licensed appraisal firms as part of regular reporting, their accounts are audited, and their assets are held by a custodian that takes part in the sale and the title transfer. When you buy from a fund, the valuation, the payment and the transfer are all on the record.

4. Prefer completed property with a clean title

If citizenship is your main goal, a completed home with a clean title deed is easier to verify than an off-plan unit. You can see it, value it and register the 3-year no-sale commitment on the title straight away.

5. Use your own lawyer

Your lawyer should work for you, not for the seller or the agent. A good lawyer will check the title, the valuation and the payment trail before you sign.

A note on the alternative

Some investors prefer not to own a property at all. They invest USD 500,000 in units of a CMB-supervised real estate fund, hold them for three years, and apply for citizenship with a certificate issued by the Capital Markets Board. The fund buys and manages the property; the investor holds units in their own custody account.

Both routes lead to the same passport. What matters is that the transaction behind it is clean.

At FT Portföy, the real estate funds we manage own completed residences and commercial units, and selected properties are available to citizenship investors. See how buying from a regulated fund works.

This article is general information, not legal or investment advice. Eligibility for citizenship is decided by the Turkish authorities.