Turkey Might Renounce Passports Obtained by Investment

Brittany Collins

In recent developments, Turkey’s opposition İYİ (Good) Party has proposed the revocation of citizenship granted to foreigners under the country’s citizenship by investment program. According to opposition claims, over 238,000 foreigners obtained citizenship unlawfully.

The proposal to annul investment citizenships, filed as a lawsuit with Turkey’s Council of State, is part of a broader critique from the İYİ Party, which argues that the policy compromises national integrity and opens pathways for criminal elements to exploit Turkish nationality.

The İYİ Party estimates that more than 500,000 people have gained Turkish citizenship through the Turkey citizenship by investment program over the past 7 years. Many of these acquisitions were linked to property purchases.

Granting citizenship to foreign investors compromises Turkey’s national security and sovereignty, as it potentially enables international criminals to use Turkey as a safe haven, the opposition leader Müsavat Dervişoğlu claims. He further contends that this program violates Turkish law and has been introduced in contradiction to the Turkish Constitution.

Criticism has also come from the public, with some citing concerns over high property prices, which they believe are driven in part by increased demand from foreign investors seeking citizenship.

Under Turkey’s CBI program, known as the Turkey Golden Visa, introduced in 2018, foreign nationals can gain citizenship by investing in real estate or other approved assets. The investment threshold starts at $400,000, depending on the option. Applicants are required to maintain the investment for at least three years, during which they are subject to security checks.