Investor Residence Permit

WHAT IS A RESIDENCE PERMIT?

Residence permits can generally be considered under two main groups: short-term residence permits and long-term residence permits. A short-term residence permit is granted to foreigners whose purpose of stay in Turkey is temporary, based on specific grounds; as a rule, it is issued for up to two years each time, although longer periods may be provided under certain special subparagraphs. A long-term residence permit is granted indefinitely to foreigners who have lived in Turkey legally and continuously for a long period and who meet the statutory conditions. According to the Directorate of Migration Management, foreigners who will stay in Turkey longer than the period allowed by a visa or visa exemption, or longer than ninety days, must obtain a residence permit suitable for their situation.

The main types of short-term residence permit are as follows:

• Those who will come for scientific research
• Those who own an immovable property in Turkey worth more than 200,000 USD
• Investor residence permit holders who make an investment in the amount used for citizenship
• Those who will establish commercial connections or start a business
• Those who will attend an in-service training program
• Those who will come for education or similar purposes under agreements to which the Republic of Turkey is a party or under student exchange programs
• Those who will stay for tourism purposes
• Those who will receive medical treatment, provided that they do not carry a disease considered a public health threat
• Those who must remain in Turkey upon the request or decision of judicial or administrative authorities
• Those who transfer from a family residence permit to a short-term residence permit
• Those who will attend Turkish language courses
• Those who will attend education, research, internship, or courses in Turkey through public institutions
• Those who have completed higher education in Turkey and apply within six months from the date of graduation
• Those who do not work in Turkey but will make an investment within the scope and amount determined by the President, and their family members
• Citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Investor Residence Permit (Law No. 6458 Art. 31/1-j)

The investor residence permit regulated under Article 31, paragraph 1, subparagraph (j) of Law No. 6458 is a type of short-term residence permit. Foreigners who do not work in Turkey but will make an investment within the scope and amount determined by the President, together with their foreign spouse and the minor or dependent foreign children of themselves and their spouse, have the right to apply for this residence permit.

The point that must be distinguished here is this: the real estate residence permit regulated under subparagraph (b) of the same article is different from this residence type. The subparagraph (j) investor residence permit discussed under this title is a residence permit available to persons with qualified investor status and to their accompanying spouse and children. This residence permit type, which covers all family members, is considered one of the safest and most advantageous residence permit types. As of 2026, the investment value is 400,000 USD, unlike the subparagraph (b) real estate residence permit. In addition, persons holding this residence permit also have the right to apply for Turkish citizenship in their capacity as investors.

Who Can Apply?

Together with foreigners who make an investment within the scope and amount determined by the President, the following persons also have the right to apply for an investor residence permit (the investment amount is assessed under two separate thresholds: at least 400,000 USD or at least 500,000 USD):

• Foreign spouse,
• The applicant’s minor child,
• The spouse’s minor child,
• A child over the age of eighteen who is disabled or dependent.

However, mother, father, siblings, and independent adult children do not have the right to apply for a residence permit together with the investor under this scope.

Required Document List

• Application form
• Passport copy
• Biometric photograph
• Receipts for residence permit fee and card fee
• Single-entry visa fee receipt, if required
• Health insurance
• Certificate of conformity
• Criminal record certificate
• If the investor’s family members also apply, a document showing family ties such as a marriage certificate or family registration record showing the children

Important Points

• All documents brought from abroad must be apostilled and translated into Turkish with notarization.
• The criminal record certificate plays a very important role in this type of residence permit; an offense appearing on the criminal record may prevent the residence permit from being obtained.
• The validity period of a criminal record document is generally six months. This period begins from the date the document is issued, not from the date of apostille approval. However, some country authorities may write a validity period on the criminal record documents they issue. If the obtained criminal record document states that it is valid for a period shorter than six months, the validity period for that document is the period stated on the document.
• In particular, the subparagraph (j) residence permit is subject to strict formal requirements because it is a strong short-term residence permit. In applications made by persons with more than one nationality using passports of different nationalities, additional documents such as a name equivalency document may be requested.
• The certificate of conformity is a constitutive document both for the subparagraph (j) residence permit application and for the subsequent citizenship application. This document involves procedural differences depending on the type of investment.
• All these matters must be examined by a careful and professional team, and the application process should then be initiated. Otherwise, you are very likely to face the risk that your residence permit application may be rejected.

Citizenship Perspective

The short-term residence permit regulated under Article 31/1-j of Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection is a special residence permit type granted to foreigners who do not work in Turkey but make an investment within the scope and amount determined by the President, and to their spouse and dependent children. This permit type has particular importance especially in the process of Turkish citizenship by investment.

First of all, it should be stated that a residence permit obtained under subparagraph (j) does not by itself provide Turkish citizenship. In other words, holding this residence permit does not mean that citizenship has been acquired automatically. However, this permit creates an extremely important legal basis for filing an exceptional citizenship application through investment. In practice, the subparagraph (j) residence permit establishes the foreign investor’s legal residence status in Turkey and constitutes one of the fundamental stages of the citizenship application process.

In applications for Turkish citizenship by investment, the process generally proceeds as follows: first, the foreign investor must fulfill the investment conditions prescribed by the legislation. After the relevant public authority issues the certificate of conformity confirming that the investment is appropriate, a short-term residence permit application under subparagraph 31/1-j is filed on behalf of the investor. After this stage, the application for Turkish citizenship through the exceptional route is submitted. Therefore, the subparagraph (j) residence permit is not citizenship itself, but a special-status residence type that makes it possible to move to the citizenship process.

In this respect, the subparagraph (j) residence permit differs from other permit types such as touristic residence or a short-term residence permit based solely on real estate acquisition. This is because this permit type is directly related to investor status and is often considered a preparatory stage of the citizenship application. In addition, the legislator has allowed this permit under the subparagraph to be issued for up to five years, unlike other short-term residence permits. This also shows that the legal assurance provided to the investor by the subparagraph (j) residence permit is stronger.

Another important feature of the subparagraph (j) residence permit in terms of citizenship is that it can cover not only the main investor but also certain family members. Under the law, the investor’s foreign spouse and the minor or dependent foreign children of the investor and the spouse may also obtain a residence permit within this scope. For this reason, in citizenship-by-investment applications, the process is often planned not only for the investor but also within the framework of family unity.

As a result, the subparagraph (j) residence permit is not a document that grants citizenship, but a special legal status that forms the residence basis of the Turkish citizenship by investment application. While this permit ensures the investor’s legal residence in Turkey, it also prepares the legal infrastructure required for filing an exceptional citizenship application. However, obtaining this residence permit alone is not sufficient to acquire citizenship; the investment conditions must be fulfilled completely, the certificate of conformity must be obtained, and the citizenship application must be evaluated positively by the competent authorities.