Turkey confirms cumulative citizenship revocations reach 6,134 individuals over real-estate fraud

On 4 August 2026, the Turkish Ministry of the Interior (T.C. İçişleri Bakanlığı) announced the cancellation or withdrawal of Turkish citizenship for 6,134 individuals, including 1,413 principal investors, who had acquired citizenship through the CBI programme's real-estate route. The action was taken under Articles 31 and 40 of the Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901 and relates to fraudulent property valuation reports issued during the 2018–2022 window, when the real-estate minimum was USD 250,000 and valuations were performed by private SPK-licensed appraisers. Turkey has since restructured its valuation architecture: since March 2024, citizenship-purpose valuations are performed exclusively by GEDAŞ (a state-owned entity under TOKİ), and since December 2024 the amount determination certificate (TTB) is transmitted directly through internal government systems without passing through the applicant's hands — closing the specific methodology that enabled the historical fraud. Current applicants under the post-2024 valuation regime are not implicated in this enforcement action.

Article 31 (iptal) of Law No. 5901 allows cancellation of citizenship obtained through false declarations or concealment of material facts; Article 40 (geri alma) allows withdrawal where the legal conditions for naturalisation were not met. The total is larger than the principal-investor count because Article 32 of the same law extends a cancelled main applicant's outcome to any spouse or child who obtained citizenship through that application. Individuals whose citizenship is cancelled revert to foreigner status under Article 33 and have one year to liquidate any Turkish assets before the Treasury does so on their behalf.

This announcement builds on an earlier phase of the same fraud pattern. In October 2025, the Turkish National Police and Interior Ministry identified an organised network operating across 19 provinces that arranged sham property sales in which sellers inflated valuations or returned cash to buyers at title deed offices, making a purchase appear to meet the investment threshold without the funds actually changing hands. That investigation named 451 investors and led to the seizure of 1,240 apartment units, 65 land plots, 47 vehicles, and several corporate entities. The August 2026 figure is the cumulative total of this enforcement history, not a separate or unrelated action.

Turkey has since closed the specific valuation methodology behind this fraud. Since March 2024, citizenship-purpose property valuations are performed exclusively by GEDAŞ, a state-owned entity under TOKİ, replacing the private SPK-licensed appraisers used during the 2018–2022 window. Since December 2024, the resulting valuation certificate is transmitted directly through internal government systems rather than passing through the applicant. The Turkish citizenship by investment programme continues to operate under this revised architecture, and investors who acquired citizenship after the reforms are not implicated in this enforcement action.

Many countries offer citizenship or residency by investment programs that grant passports and residence permits through real estate or financial contributions. While legitimate, these programs can attract fraud. To reduce risks, investors must follow several recommendations:

• Work with reliable licensed agents . Verify that agents, lawyers, and developers are authorised and reputable.

• Avoid “cash-back” or “buy-back” offers. Such deals breach program rules and can lead to citizenship revocation.

• Check all documents. Confirm that property valuations, title deeds, and payments are issued through official channels.

• Keep full records. Maintain proof of transfers and contracts to demonstrate compliance.

Careful verification at every stage helps protect investors from financial loss and legal consequences.