You can acquire Turkish citizenship by establishing a company in Turkey through one of two qualifying routes under the exceptional-acquisition provision of Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901: a fixed capital investment of at least USD 500,000 determined by the Ministry of Industry and Technology, or employment for at least 50 people determined by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (Article 20(2)(a) and (c) of the Implementing Regulation, in the wording of Presidential Decision No. 5072 of 6 January 2022). Both routes require the company to be incorporated under the Turkish Commercial Code No. 6102 and a conformity certificate to be issued before the citizenship file is filed. They are also the only two of the seven qualifying routes that carry no holding period: the fixed capital route under Article 20/2(a) and the fifty-employee route under 20/2(c) are outside the three-year retention that applies to real estate, the bank deposit, government debt instruments, fund units and the private pension, and outside the sale of the foreign currency to the Central Bank that Article 20(10) imposes on those five.
This guide explains how the company route works, which company type to choose, how Free Zone incorporation differs, the documents you need, the timeline, and how this route compares with the other paths to Turkish citizenship. Company formation is one of several qualifying routes covered in our Turkish citizenship by investment practice.
What is Turkish citizenship by establishing a company?
Turkish citizenship by establishing a company is a form of exceptional citizenship acquisition granted under Article 12 of Citizenship Law No. 5901 and its Implementing Regulation, where a foreign national qualifies by founding or investing in a Turkish company that either holds a fixed capital investment determined by the Ministry of Industry and Technology or creates employment for 50 people; the regulation attaches no nationality condition to those 50. It is the same legal mechanism that underlies the wider citizenship-by-investment program, applied to an operating business rather than to real estate or a bank deposit.
The route suits founders and investors who want a genuine commercial presence in Turkey alongside the passport, rather than a passive holding. The decision is exceptional, meaning it is granted by Presidential decision once the responsible authorities confirm the file meets the regulation, rather than as an ordinary naturalization that requires years of residence and a language assessment.
What are the two qualifying routes under the company path?
There are two ways to qualify through a company: a capital route and an employment route. The capital route requires a fixed capital investment of at least USD 500,000, determined by the Ministry of Industry and Technology. The employment route requires employment for at least 50 people, with the determination made by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security on the Social Security Institution’s records. Neither company route carries a holding period.
- Capital route. A fixed capital investment is placed in a Turkish company you found or join as a shareholder. The company must be registered with the Trade Registry, and the investment must be genuine and in place when the determining authority examines it. The regulation attaches no holding period to this route. The Ministry of Industry and Technology verifies the investment and issues the conformity certificate that supports the citizenship file.
- Employment route. The company creates employment for 50 people, registered with the Social Security Institution. The headcount must be genuine, not a paper figure, because the registration records are checked against the file; how it is counted is set by the determining ministry (Article 20(9)), and the regulation fixes no maintenance rule of its own.
On the numbers: USD 500,000 of fixed capital and 50 people, both in the wording Presidential Decision No. 5072 gave Article 20(2) on 6 January 2022. The dollar figure is measured at the Central Bank’s effective selling rate, or its cross rate, on the date the ministry makes its determination (Article 20(6)), so the capital is documented against that date before you transfer funds or build a payroll.
Which company type should you establish, an LTD or a joint stock company?
For most founders we recommend a limited liability company (Limited Sirket, LTD) at the start, because it is simpler to manage, carries lighter bureaucracy, and can be incorporated faster than a joint stock company. A joint stock company (Anonim Sirket, A.S.) becomes the better structure when you plan to bring in multiple investors, issue shares, or later raise capital, and the qualifying investment can be met through either type.
Both forms are governed by the Turkish Commercial Code No. 6102. The Code sets a statutory minimum capital for each type and an upper limit on the number of LTD shareholders. An LTD can be formed with a single shareholder, and its committed capital can be paid over a period after registration rather than blocked in a bank beforehand. A joint stock company requires a portion of its capital to be deposited and blocked with a bank before registration, with the bank letter submitted to the Trade Registry. Because the statutory minimum capital figures are revised periodically, we confirm the current minimums under the Commercial Code at the time of incorporation rather than rely on a fixed number.
Why we advise founding a new company rather than buying a shelf company
We advise establishing a new company rather than purchasing an existing shelf company. A shelf company carries the uncertainty of its past: when you buy it, you also inherit liabilities that were undisclosed or unknown at the time of purchase but surface later. Some shelf companies are sold precisely because of a poor credit history, and the market has seen sellers who do not actually own the company they offer. Because forming a new company in Turkey is now faster and more cost-effective than it once was, the case for buying a shelf company has largely disappeared.
Can the company operate in a Free Zone?
Yes, the company you establish can operate in a Turkish Free Zone, but Free Zone incorporation carries additional requirements. Turkey offers significant advantages in its Free Zones to attract foreign investment and technology, and a company can pursue the citizenship route from inside a Free Zone, provided it first obtains an operating license.
The General Directorate of Free Zones, within the trade administration, evaluates operating-license applications against several criteria. The company’s activity must be production-oriented and largely aimed at export, the investor must carry out genuine production to benefit from the zone, and the activity must not harm human health or the environment, must avoid sensitive products designated by the Directorate, and must not create unfair competition in the domestic market. The company is also expected to provide employment at a certain capacity and to bring new or high technology that supports international trade. We handle the operating-license application and the incorporation together when a Free Zone structure fits your plan.
What documents are required for citizenship by establishing a company?
The citizenship file built on a company investment is documentary, and the core set is consistent across applications. You provide identity and investment-proof documents, and we assemble the supporting registry and accountancy records on your behalf.
- Valid passport, with a notarized Turkish translation.
- Passport-sized biometric photographs.
- A copy of your residence permit, both sides.
- A special-purpose report approved by a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) confirming that the qualifying capital investment has been made at the level required by the regulation.
- Where the investment is made through a legal entity, the Turkish Trade Registry Gazette registration showing the capital amount and the shareholding structure of the entity that made the fixed capital investment.
- The Investment Information Form, recording the invested company, the subject of the investment transferred to the company’s equity, and the investor’s share in the capital.
For the employment route, the Social Security Institution registration records for the qualifying employees support the file in place of, or alongside, the capital-investment proof.
How long does the company route to Turkish citizenship take?
Once the company is incorporated, the qualifying investment is in place, and the conformity certificate is issued, the citizenship file itself typically moves through evaluation in roughly three to six months. The full timeline depends on how quickly the company is formed and the qualifying threshold is documented, which is the part you control with the right counsel from day one.
In sequence, the process runs: incorporate the company under the Commercial Code and make the qualifying investment or build the qualifying payroll, obtain the determination from the Ministry of Industry and Technology for the capital route or from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security for the employment route, submit the citizenship application to the Directorate General of Civil Registration and Citizenship Affairs, complete background checks and evaluation, and receive the grant by Presidential decision under Article 12 of Law No. 5901.
How does the company route compare with the other citizenship-by-investment paths?
The company route is one of several qualifying paths to Turkish citizenship. The right choice depends on whether you want an operating business, a passive asset, or the simplest documentary file. The table below sets out the practical trade-offs.
| Qualifying route | What it requires | Best for | Holding period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company, capital | USD 500,000 of fixed capital in a Turkish company, determined by the Ministry of Industry and Technology | Founders and investors who want a real business presence | None |
| Company, employment | Employment for 50 people, determined by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security | Operating businesses with genuine payroll | None |
| Real estate | Property purchase at the regulated value, with a deed annotation | Investors who prefer a tangible asset | Three years, annotated on the title deed |
| Bank deposit or government bonds | Deposit or instrument held at the regulated level | The simplest, most passive file | Three years |
The amounts for every route are set by the Implementing Regulation and change over time, so we confirm the current figure for the path you choose. If you are weighing a property purchase instead, our real estate and property acquisition team handles the deed and valuation side, and our broader foreign direct investment practice structures the entry where the goal is the business itself.
What are the main risks, and when should legal review start?
The principal risk on the company route is documentary: an investment that is real but not evidenced in the precise form the Ministry and the citizenship authorities require, or a payroll that does not match the Social Security registration on review. A second risk is meeting an outdated threshold because the regulation changed between your research and your filing. Both are managed by confirming the current figures and building the conformity evidence before capital moves, not after.
Legal review should start before you incorporate or transfer funds, because the company structure, the capital path, and the documentation all need to line up with the regulation in force on the day you file. Our corporate and commercial law and company formation teams build the structure, and our immigration and residence team manages the residence permit and the citizenship application in one file.
Frequently asked questions
Can my family obtain Turkish citizenship through the same investment?
Yes. Under the Implementing Regulation of Citizenship Law No. 5901, your spouse and your children who are under 18 or dependent are included in the same application and acquire citizenship on the same decision as the principal applicant, without a separate investment.
Do I have to live in Turkey or pass a language test for this route?
No. Exceptional acquisition under Article 12 of Law No. 5901 does not require a residence period in Turkey or a language assessment, which is the central difference from ordinary naturalization. You do, however, obtain a residence permit as part of the file.
Can I invest in an existing company instead of founding a new one?
Yes. You can become a shareholder in an existing company that meets the conditions, and the value of the shares you acquire counts toward the qualifying threshold. Where you add to an earlier investment, the increase is assessed as of the date of the additional investment, weighted by your shareholding percentage. We still generally advise a new company over a shelf company for the liability reasons above.
How long must the investment stay in place?
Neither company route carries a holding period. Fixed capital under Article 20/2(a) and the fifty-employee route under 20/2(c) are the only two of the seven qualifying routes that sit outside the three-year retention rule, so there is no lock-in period to serve. What the file must show is that the qualifying capital or payroll is genuine and in place when the determining authority examines it.
What exactly does the Ministry of Industry and Technology verify?
The Ministry confirms that the fixed capital investment has genuinely been made in the Turkish company at the required level and issues the conformity certificate that the citizenship file is built on. For the employment route, the qualifying headcount is evidenced through Social Security Institution registration.
Put the company route to us before the capital moves
If you are planning to acquire Turkish citizenship by establishing a company, we structure the company, document the qualifying investment against the current regulation, and run the citizenship file from incorporation through the grant. Tell us whether you plan the capital route or the employment route, the sum, the sector and where the shareholders live, on WhatsApp at +90 530 127 59 35 or at info@serkalaw.com; the incorporation work itself is on our establishing companies page. If the capital is going into a bank rather than a business, compare it against the 500,000 USD bank deposit route first, because the company routes sit outside the currency sale chain and the deposit route does not.
This article provides general information on Turkish law and is not legal advice. Investment thresholds, employee counts, and minimum capital figures are stated here as they stand on the date of this page. No attorney-client relationship is formed without a signed engagement.