Turkish Citizenship by Investment Cost: Every Fee Explained (2026)

The Turkish citizenship by investment cost runs well past the USD 400,000 headline figure. As of this writing (July 2026), the real budget has three parts: the compliant investment principal (set by Turkish regulations at USD 400,000 for property or USD 500,000 for a deposit or fund), government charges and taxes, and professional service fees such as valuation, translation, and notarisation. Everything on top of the principal usually adds a meaningful sum above the threshold. Below we itemise each line so you can see the full picture before you sign.

Key Takeaways

• As of writing, the investment threshold set by Turkish regulations is USD 400,000 for a property purchase or USD 500,000 for a deposit or fund, held for three years; confirm the exact standard with an advisor before you apply.
• On the property route, beyond the principal you also prepare government charges and taxes, of which the title deed transfer fee (Tapu fee) is charged on the official declared value and collected by the Land Registry and Cadastre (Tapu ve Kadastro Genel Müdürlüğü), at the rate published for that year.
• The property valuation report must come from an appraiser authorised by the Capital Markets Board (SPK); as of writing it typically costs a few hundred US dollars, and the qualifying investment is measured on the higher of the valuation or the sale price.
• When the whole family applies, a spouse and children under 18 can be included with the main applicant, and passport, ID card, and residence card fees stack up per person.
• Funds must be transferred into Turkey through a Turkish bank under the mechanism set by the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (TCMB), so currency movements can affect your total cost measured in US dollars.

What the Turkish citizenship by investment cost actually includes

The Turkish citizenship by investment cost breaks into three blocks: the investment principal, government charges and taxes, and professional or miscellaneous fees. Many adverts quote only the USD 400,000 threshold (set by Turkish regulations as of writing) and gloss over the other two, so clients discover the gap between the quote and the real outlay only after signing.

On the cases our Istanbul team has handled, the first consultation lays all three blocks out as an itemised list in Chinese, showing the amount range, who collects it, and whether it is recoverable. When you assess a proposal, insist on the full list, not a single figure with "from" in front of it.

As of writing, the citizenship route has two main paths (the property purchase and the deposit or fund), and their thresholds, add-on fees, and capital flexibility differ, as the sections below explain.

Why the investment threshold is the largest part of the Turkish citizenship by investment cost

The investment principal is by far the largest single line in the Turkish citizenship by investment cost. As of writing, Turkish regulations set the property route at a minimum of USD 400,000 and the deposit or fund route at USD 500,000, with the asset held for three years after citizenship is granted.

Whether a property qualifies is decided not by what you paid, but by whether the higher of the SPK-authorised valuation and the sale price reaches the threshold. We advise leaving a buffer between price and valuation, so a valuation slightly below the threshold does not sink the application.

This principal is not a sunk cost. Once the three-year holding period ends, the property can be sold or the deposit withdrawn, so in principle there is room to recover it. What the property sells for depends on the market, the location, and the exchange rate, and no one can predict whether the principal returns in full. If you want a home you can both live in and resell later, our Turkish citizenship by investment and real estate in Turkey teams weigh both "qualifies" and "sells well" when helping you choose.

How government charges and the title transfer fee affect your Turkish citizenship by investment cost

The second block is government charges, and the central one is the title deed transfer fee (Tapu fee). As of writing, the Tapu fee is charged on the property's official declared value and collected by the Land Registry and Cadastre (Tapu ve Kadastro Genel Müdürlüğü). By law the buyer and seller each carry a share, but practice often reallocates this by contract, so the exact rate and split follow that year's published rules and your agreement.

Besides the Tapu fee, there are smaller charges such as the revolving fund fee (döner sermaye) and notary and document fees. The citizenship stage has its own charges too: filing the application, the residence permit, and issuing the passport and ID card (kimlik). Individually these are modest, but they stack up with each family member. All government charges follow the standards Turkey publishes for that year, so confirm the amounts with an advisor first.

Taxes: VAT, stamp duty, and annual holding costs in the Turkish citizenship by investment cost

Taxes are the block many buyers underestimate, including both one-off and annual charges. The most important one-off item is property VAT (KDV). As of writing, foreign buyers who meet specific conditions may qualify for a VAT exemption when they buy a developer's first-sale new property with foreign currency, though the exemption has strict conditions judged case by case by the Revenue Administration (Gelir İdaresi Başkanlığı).

The transaction stage may also involve stamp duty and the compulsory earthquake insurance (DASK). During the holding stage there is annual property tax (emlak vergisi), levied by the local municipality according to the property's assessed value and type, at a rate that varies by district.

These rates and exemption conditions are set by Turkey's tax and municipal authorities and can change. When you estimate the total Turkish citizenship by investment cost, include the annual taxes across the holding period, not just the outlay on signing day.

Valuation, translation, notarisation, and other professional fees

Professional and miscellaneous fees form the third block, each line smaller than the principal but numerous and easy to overlook. As of writing, this block usually covers the SPK-authorised valuation report (generally a few hundred US dollars), sworn translation of passports and documents, notary (noter) fees, obtaining a tax number and a Turkish bank account, and utility transfers plus account deposits.

If you cannot stay in Turkey for long, you may also need a power of attorney (vekaletname) so an agent can sign on your behalf, adding a further notarial cost.

The advisory service fee is a separate line that should be written into the contract. Pricing varies widely: some firms charge a fixed amount, others a percentage of the investment. At Turchina Group our position is independence and transparency. We take no developer commissions, and we set out the scope, milestones, and fees in a Chinese-language contract, so there is no "sign cheap, add later."

How the Turkish citizenship by investment cost stacks up when the whole family applies

The main applicant can include a spouse and children under 18 in one application, and the investment threshold does not rise with family size, though the per-person fees stack up. As of writing, the USD 400,000 or USD 500,000 threshold (set by Turkish regulations) is shared across the family, while passport, ID card, and residence card fees, plus each person's translation and notarisation, are counted individually.

The eligibility conditions for accompanying members, such as a child's age or student status, follow that year's Turkish rules. If your plan involves a child later sitting the Joint Entrance Examination for Overseas Chinese Students (华侨生联考) through a foreign status, this is a path to arrange years ahead on its real conditions. The child needs the qualifying foreign nationality or status, the parents must meet residency-duration requirements, and China does not recognise dual nationality, which has real consequences for household registration, social insurance, and schooling. The earlier you arrange status, the more options you keep, but no path is a sure-thing shortcut.

Turkish citizenship by investment cost at a glance

The table below groups the main fee items on the property route so you can build a total-budget framework. All amounts and rates are a snapshot as of writing, and the exact figures should be confirmed with an advisor.

Cost category	Typical items	Charged / set by	Recoverable
Investment principal	USD 400,000 property or USD 500,000 deposit/fund (as of writing)	Threshold set by Turkish regulations	Room to recover after three years; amount not assured
Government charges	Tapu transfer fee, revolving fund fee, citizenship and document charges	Land Registry and Cadastre (Tapu), Ministry of Interior, others	Generally not recoverable
Taxes	VAT (or exemption), stamp duty, annual property tax, DASK	Revenue Administration, municipal authorities	Generally not recoverable
Professional services	SPK valuation, translation, notary, advisory fee, account opening	Appraiser, notary, advisor, bank	Generally not recoverable

Adding these four categories together gives the real total Turkish citizenship by investment cost, not just the first row's threshold.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum Turkish citizenship by investment cost?

As of writing, the investment threshold is USD 400,000 for a property purchase or USD 500,000 for a deposit or investment fund, set by the relevant Turkish regulations. That is only the principal, and the real budget must add government charges, taxes, and professional fees, so confirm the exact amounts with an advisor.

Beyond the USD 400,000 threshold, what extra fees are there?

The main extras beyond the investment principal are the title deed transfer fee (Tapu fee), VAT (which may be exempt when you qualify), stamp duty, annual property tax, the SPK valuation fee, translation and notary fees, and account opening and advisory fees. These are not "hidden," just often left out of adverts, and a transparent advisor itemises every one before you sign.

Can the USD 400,000 investment principal be recovered later?

Yes, there is room to recover the investment principal once the three-year holding period is met: the property route lets you sell, and the deposit route lets you withdraw the funds. What the property actually sells for depends on the market, the location, and the exchange rate, so no one can predict whether the principal returns in full.

Does applying as a whole family double the Turkish citizenship by investment cost?

No, applying as a family does not double the cost. As of writing, the USD 400,000 or USD 500,000 threshold (set by Turkish regulations) is shared across the family and does not rise with the number of people. What stacks up with headcount are the per-person items such as passports, ID cards, residence cards, and each person's translation and notarisation.

Do you pay VAT when buying property for Turkish citizenship?

Foreign buyers who meet specific conditions may qualify for a VAT (KDV) exemption. As of writing, the exemption applies when you buy a developer's first-sale new property with foreign currency, but it carries strict eligibility and holding conditions and does not apply to every transaction, so it must be judged case by case. We suggest confirming with an advisor first.

Does the exchange rate affect my Turkish citizenship by investment cost?

Yes, the exchange rate can affect your total cost. As of writing, the funds must be transferred into Turkey and documented through a Turkish bank under the mechanism set by the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (TCMB), so the conversion step and currency movements can affect your total outlay in US dollars or renminbi. Keep a buffer in your budget for exchange rate swings.

How is the advisory service fee usually charged?

Advisory service fees vary from firm to firm: some charge a fixed amount, others a percentage of the investment. Turchina Group takes no developer commissions and sets out the scope, milestones, and fees in a Chinese-language contract. When you compare quotes, confirm whether the figure is all-inclusive and which government charges you would pay separately.

When are the fees paid, from signing to receiving the passport?

Payments are spread across the whole process, not paid all at once. The investment principal is paid at the purchase or deposit stage, the Tapu fee and taxes at transfer, the valuation, translation, and notary fees while preparing documents, and the citizenship charges in the later application stage. The exact timeline follows your case and that year's process.

For a full list tailored to your situation, with every line of your Turkish citizenship by investment cost worked out, you are welcome to contact us to book a free consultation in Mandarin or English. Our Mandarin-speaking Istanbul team will weigh your family structure and budget, and itemise the investment principal, government charges, taxes, and professional fees so you see the full account before you sign.

Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, immigration, or investment advice. Policies and figures change; please confirm the current details and your personal eligibility with a qualified advisor before acting.