Introduced nearly a decade ago, Turkish citizenship by investment has evolved into a more established programme with significant changes from its original format. Most notably, the programme includes a route to the new 20-year Foreign Income Tax Exemption that extends the value of Turkish investment beyond a hard asset and passport.
Since the Turkish CBI’s inception in 2018, this programme has seen 51,762 investors drawn to Turkey and an additional 122,805 family members receive Turkish citizenship as a result of the investment. The interest in Turkey from abroad has garnered over 16 billion USD invested in Turkey. These numbers demonstrate that the programme has developed into an established and reliable system that continues to bring in new applicants.
Changes in Turkish Citizenship by Investment a Decade Later
Most elements of the programme remain the same and the processes involved are more refined with experience earned since its inception. Investors can still expect a strong hard asset, the potential to earn rental income during the mandatory 3-year holding period and profit from the investment disposal. The programme also still offers citizenship that extends to the spouse and dependent children.
The main changes include the increased qualifying threshold amount and a route to the new 20-year foreign income tax exemption. The qualifying threshold amount was increased from $250,000 USD to $400,000 USD. The 20-year foreign income tax exemption applies to new residents as of 2026, including those from the CBI route.
Why Buy Property in Turkey?
As mentioned earlier, there are still strong benefits to investing in Turkey. Buying property in Turkey offers convenience and ease not offered by many other countries. Especially in major cities like Istanbul, properties can offer strong rental incomes and even have strong potential to appreciate during the holding period required for citizenship.
Turkish property investment is also a strong option for families. Turkish citizenship extends to dependent children where the citizenship is earned without the need for a future naturalisation process. Turkey also permits dual citizenship, which helps to bolster primary citizenship with access to 110 visa-free and visa-on-arrival countries.
It should be noted that investors should be aware that there are some properties with inflated pricing to meet citizenship requirements. The values of these properties do not match actual value for the area and could be reflected in both potential rental income and capital appreciation.
Identifying a Good Investment Property
Investors looking at potential properties should make sure to look over key details:
- Is it aligned with Turkish Citizenship application rules
- Check that it is fair market value – to avoid inflated pricing
- Verify rental demand domestically to understand the liquidity value.
- Ensuring the location has strong infrastructure – some new builds are nice, but are not near day-to-day amenities.
CBI’s New Addition: 20-Year Foreign Income Tax Exemption
Aside from the qualifying threshold increase to $400,000, the biggest addition to the CBI in early 2026, is the 20-year foreign income tax exemption. This tax exemption is for new residents as of 2026, including those with residency via the CBI programme. The programme allows residents to protect their foreign-earned wealth by forgoing the double taxation of worldwide-tax countries.
This exemption is drawing many more longer-term residents to Turkey. Turkish citizenship has extended beyond the initial draws to include long-term gains.
Exempted incomes covered by this tax exemption include:
- Dividends from eligible foreign companies outside Turkey
- Overseas rental income
- Foreign investment portfolios
- Eligible foreign capital gains and investment disposals
Though this CBI provides a route to the tax exemption, it is not a guarantee that the investor is qualified for this exemption.
Meeting Turkish Citizenship Qualifications
Most countries require a period of long-term stay to qualify. However Turkey offers an alternative to the 183-day residency. Investors who have a genuine domicile in Turkey. Those looking to make their property in Turkey a permanent home can end up forgoing the residency period. However, this depends on case-by-case and should be consulted by a professional.
Genuine domicile is generally established when investors set up banking and other administrative works within Turkey alongside owning property. Maintaining and ensuring consistent alignment with Turkish rules also helps with meeting qualifications.
Turkish Citizenship by Investment in 2027
Most of the initial citizenship by investment programme remains the same with the near decade of experience fine-tuning the processes. Aside from the $150,000 USD increase in the threshold qualification, the introduction of the 20-year foreign tax income exemption in 2026, is the largest change to the programme.
Where over 51,000 investors had come to Turkey for the citizenship, family home or additional rental income benefits of the CBI programme, more are expected to join with long-term intentions. The foreign wealth tax protection that is now being offered gives investors a tax base that keeps the taxation to a minimum on various foreign investments should they qualify.
Investing in Turkey’s property market in 2027 has matured from the experimental stages of its inception. For those considering investing, the benefits have strengthened despite the threshold increase and the value is continuously being proven with over 175,000 people with Turkish citizenship. For more information and specifics about your situation, connect with our team today to see how citizenship by investment in Turkey benefits you and your family.
Frequently Asked Questions on Turkish CBI in 2027
- What is the qualification threshold amount for citizenship by investment?
The threshold has increased from $250,000 USD to $400,000 USD as of June, 2022. - What are the changes to the CBI programme?
The threshold for the investment has increased and there was the introduction of the route to the new 20-year foreign income tax exemption.
3. Does CBI immediately qualify an investor for the 20-year foreign income tax exemption?
No, investors must meet all the requirements of the separate foreign income tax exemption programme to qualify. One of the requirements is either residency or citizenship by investment.
4. What are the benefits of the CBI programme?
- Meets one of the requirements needed for the foreign income tax exemption programme
- Extends citizenship to spouse and dependent children
- Children of investors don’t need to go through a naturalization process in the future
- Access to strong domestic real estate market
5. How many people have gotten citizenship through this programme?
This programme has seen 174,567 people receive Turkish citizenship.
At Turkish Riviera Homes, we specialize in guiding international investors through every step of Turkey’s $400,000 Citizenship by Investment program, from identifying qualifying properties with genuinely strong rental performance to managing the legal and TAPU documentation process from start to finish. Please connect our team at www.turkishrivierahomes.com.
