Turkish Courts’ milestone decision on minors’ Turkish citizenship applications by investment
Ankara Regional Administrative Court issued a milestone decision stating that minors applying for Turkish citizenship due to their parents’ investments in Turkey qualify for citizenship even if they become adult before the citizenship is granted.
Authors: Att. Haşmet Ozan Güner, Att. Hatice Arabacı, Att. Şükran Demirtaş, Boğaçhan Çırak
Date: 09.12.2024
Turkish Ministry of Internal Affairs ("the Ministry") was rejecting minors’ applications for Turkish citizenship through investment, if they become adult before the grant of citizenship.
Ankara Regional Administrative Court, however, recently overruled the Ministry’s rejection in a case and ruled that the requirement of being a minor should be assessed at the time of application. It further noted that since the Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901 does not require this condition to be met at the date of grant of citizenship, the Ministry's action was deemed unlawful, and the decision was annulled.
CONCLUSION: In applications for the acquisition of Turkish citizenship through investment, it is sufficient for children applying together with their parents to be minor at the time of application; it is not required for them to remain minors on the date of grant of citizenship.
The text above is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
