Turkey Citizenship by Investment for Indian Nationals: The 2026 Guide

Turkey’s citizenship by investment rules do not exclude Indian nationals, so an Indian can in principle qualify, for example through a USD 400,000 property purchase held for three years. But under s.9(1) of India’s Citizenship Act 1955, an Indian who acquires Turkish citizenship stops being an Indian citizen on that date. This guide covers both sides.

This guide is general information about Turkey’s citizenship by investment rules and the Indian rules that interact with them. It is not legal, tax or immigration advice. It gives no Indian tax, foreign exchange or citizenship advice. Rules are stated as verified against official sources in September 2026 and can change. Turkish citizenship is granted at the President’s discretion and is never guaranteed. Take advice from qualified Indian and Turkish counsel before committing any funds.

On this page

• Can Indian nationals get Turkish citizenship by investment?
• What happens to your Indian citizenship
• What Indian investors need to invest
• Moving the money: LRS, the emigration line and TCS
• Worked example: an Indian family of four
• Family, military service and the 3-year hold
• Does Turkish citizenship help Indians get a US E-2 visa?
• Turkey vs other programmes popular with Indian investors
• Frequently asked questions

Can Indian nationals get Turkish citizenship by investment?

Yes, in principle. Turkey’s investment citizenship rules (Law 5901, art. 12 and Citizenship Regulation art. 20) set no nationality list of their own, so they do not exclude Indian nationals. Property purchases depend on a country list Turkey does not publish, so confirm India’s position with a Turkish land registry office. The decisive point is Indian law: acquiring Turkish citizenship ends Indian citizenship automatically.

What happens to your Indian citizenship

India does not allow dual citizenship; as India’s missions put it, the Citizenship Act 1955 does not provide for it. Section 9(1) of the Citizenship Act 1955 provides that an Indian citizen who, by naturalisation, registration or otherwise, voluntarily acquires the citizenship of another country ceases to be a citizen of India upon that acquisition.

So the day you acquire Turkish citizenship, you are no longer Indian. India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), through its missions, spells out two consequences:

• Nothing to renounce. Citizenship has already ended under s.9, so you are not eligible to renounce it.
• The Indian passport must go. Holding or travelling on an Indian passport after acquiring foreign citizenship is an offence under the Passports Act 1967, and surrender is advised.

Turkey allows dual citizenship, but that does not help: the Indian rule operates on its own.

What OCI is, and what it is not. Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) is often sold online as dual citizenship. It is not. The MEA describes it as registration of a foreign national under ss.7A to 7D of the Citizenship Act, with no right to vote, no seat in a legislature, no constitutional posts and no agricultural land or plantation property. It is not available if the applicant, or a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent, is or was a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh. Whether and how OCI would apply to you afterwards is a question for Indian counsel before you invest, not after.

Children. How India treats minors who acquire Turkish citizenship through a parent’s application is a separate question. Take Indian legal advice on how this applies to your children.

What Indian investors need to invest

The seven routes at a glance

Turkey’s Citizenship Regulation, art. 20(2), sets seven routes: USD 400,000 in qualifying real estate with a three-year no-sale annotation; USD 500,000 held for three years as a bank deposit, government debt, real estate or venture capital fund units, or a private pension; USD 500,000 in fixed capital; or 50 jobs. The property route is the best known. For the full table, see our guide to Turkey citizenship by investment.

The USD 400,000 property rules that matter for Indian families

From the Regulation and TKGM, Turkey’s land registry authority:

• Own name only. Purchases in a spouse’s or child’s name, or through a company you own or manage, do not count. A share purchase does not qualify.
• The three-value test. The deed price, the TKGM valuation (Tutar Tespit Belgesi, or TTB) and the payments made must each reach USD 400,000. A TTB below the threshold means rejection.
• Qualifying property. Since 12 December 2023, only condominium or construction-servitude units, or land with a building holding an occupancy permit.
• Seller rules. No purchases from foreigners, earlier investor citizens, your first-degree relatives who are Turkish citizens, or related companies.
• Lira conversion. The foreign currency is sold to a bank in Turkey and on to the Central Bank of Turkey before the purchase, a foreign exchange purchase certificate (DAB) goes to the land registry, and the deed is drawn in lira.

Costs in rupees

Converted at USD 1 = INR 95.96, derived from the European Central Bank euro reference rates of 24 September 2026 (EUR 1 = USD 1.1367 and INR 109.0775, ecb.europa.eu). Turkey measures the investment in US dollars at the Central Bank of Turkey effective selling rate on the determination date, so INR figures are illustrative. Turkish government fees, title deed charges and the valuation fee come on top.

Moving the money: LRS, the emigration line and TCS

These are the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) rules as written. They apply to residents of India.

USD 250,000 per person per financial year

Under the RBI Master Direction on the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS), a resident individual may remit up to USD 250,000 per financial year (April to March), current and capital account combined, a limit unchanged since 26 May 2015. Buying property abroad is a permitted capital account use under the Overseas Investment framework of 2022. A PAN is mandatory, the bank account should have been held for a year before capital account remittances (for a new customer, the bank must carry out due diligence), and banks may not extend credit for LRS capital remittances.

For the deposit, bond, fund, pension and fixed capital routes, check with your authorised dealer bank first.

Why the LRS cannot be exceeded for an immigration investment

Paragraph 7(d) of the Master Direction covers emigration. Foreign exchange beyond USD 250,000 may be allowed only for incidental expenses in the country of immigration, and “not for earning points or credits to become eligible for immigration by way of overseas investments in government bonds; land; commercial enterprise; etc.”

Family pooling works only for co-owners, and Turkey counts only property in the applicant’s own name

Under paragraph 4, family members may consolidate LRS remittances, but not for capital account transactions where the other members are not co-owners or co-holders. Under Turkish rules, only property in the applicant’s own name counts toward USD 400,000, and a share purchase does not qualify.

Plan the funding with Indian counsel before signing anything in Turkey.

TCS at 20% above INR 10 lakh

For LRS remittances other than for education or medical treatment, Tax Collected at Source (TCS) is nil up to INR 10 lakh in a financial year and 20% on the amount above. From 1 April 2026 the provision sits in s.394(1), Table Sl. No. 7, of the Income-tax Act 2025, replacing s.206C(1G) of the 1961 Act. The Finance Act 2026 cut the education and medical rate to 2% but left the 20% rate unchanged.

Worked example: an Indian family of four

Applicant, spouse and two children under 18, real estate route. This shows what the rules require. It is not a funding plan.

1. Turkey requires a qualifying property of at least USD 400,000 (INR 3,83,84,000 at the rate above) in the applicant’s own name, with deed price, TTB value and payments each at or above USD 400,000. One investment covers the spouse and both children; art. 20(2) sets no extra amount per dependant.
2. India allows each resident individual up to USD 250,000 per financial year under the LRS, and no more for an immigration investment (para 7(d)). The USD 400,000 minimum is above one person’s annual ceiling.
3. Pooling. Family members can combine LRS amounts only as co-owners (para 4), while Turkey does not count property bought in a spouse’s name or a share purchase. These two rules pull in different directions, and the family needs Indian counsel before any commitment.
4. TCS illustration (one person, one remittance, no other LRS remittances that financial year): on a USD 250,000 remittance, TCS = 20% x (INR 2,39,90,000 minus INR 10,00,000) = INR 45,98,000. It is collected at source by the bank; how it is credited against your tax is a question for your Indian tax adviser.
5. Citizenship outcome. The applicant and spouse cease to be Indian citizens when they acquire Turkish citizenship (s.9(1)). For the children, take Indian legal advice.
6. Military service. A son aged 22 or over in the naturalisation year is deemed to have served; a younger son joins the regular cohort, with a two-year deferral available on request.

Family, military service and the 3-year hold

Law 5901, art. 12(1)(b) covers the investor’s foreign spouse and their own and their spouse’s minor (under 18) or dependent foreign children. “Dependent” is undefined in statute, so adult children are assessed case by case. The spouse must be in the file.

Military service follows Law 7179, art. 43, as set out in the example above. That is the text; confirm with Turkish counsel how it applies to sons naturalised as minors.

The property carries a three-year no-sale annotation, removable on request afterwards. Turkey publishes no official processing time.

Does Turkish citizenship help Indians get a US E-2 visa?

Not on its own. Turkey has had an E-2 treaty investor agreement with the United States since 18 May 1990. But a 2022 change to US law (INA 101(a)(15)(E), as amended by Pub. L. 117-263, s.5902(b)) requires anyone who acquired their nationality through a financial investment to have been domiciled in the treaty country for a continuous period of at least three years at any point before applying, unless they previously held E status. Turkish CBI has no residence requirement, so an Indian investor who never lived in Turkey does not qualify for E-2 on the Turkish passport until those three years are met. Consult US immigration counsel.

Turkey vs other programmes popular with Indian investors

The real question is whether you want a second citizenship or a second home base.

Turkey gives citizenship, and for an Indian that means giving up Indian citizenship. European residence programmes work differently: a residence permit is not citizenship, so holding one does not trigger s.9(1). An Indian family can hold residence in Malta or Hungary and keep their Indian passports. See our guides to the Malta golden visa for Indian nationals and the Hungary golden visa for Indian nationals. Naturalising in an EU country later would raise the same s.9(1) question; see our guide to Hungary dual citizenship.

Our guide to visa investments sets out the difference. Choosing residence after reading this is a sound decision.

Frequently asked questions

Can I keep my Indian passport if I get Turkish citizenship?
No. Under s.9(1) of the Citizenship Act 1955, Indian citizenship ends on acquisition. Using the Indian passport afterwards is an offence under the Passports Act 1967.

Is OCI the same as dual citizenship?
No. The MEA describes OCI as registration of a foreign national, without voting rights or agricultural land ownership. It is not available if you, or a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent, is or was a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh.

How much does Turkish citizenship by investment cost in rupees?
USD 400,000 for property, about INR 3.84 crore at USD 1 = INR 95.96 (ECB reference rates, 24 September 2026). The other financial routes are USD 500,000, about INR 4.80 crore. Fees come on top.

Can I send USD 400,000 from India under the LRS?
The LRS allows USD 250,000 per resident individual per financial year, and para 7(d) says foreign exchange beyond that is “not for earning points or credits to become eligible for immigration by way of overseas investments”. Take Indian counsel.

How much TCS applies?
For investment purposes, 20% on LRS remittances above INR 10 lakh in a financial year, under s.394(1) of the Income-tax Act 2025.

Does my family get Turkish citizenship too?
Your spouse and minor or dependent children are covered by one investment. Each person’s Indian citizenship position needs its own advice.

Can I use a Turkish passport to get a US E-2 visa?
Only after three continuous years of domicile in Turkey, for anyone who gained Turkish nationality through investment. Consult US immigration counsel.

The bottom line

Turkey’s citizenship by investment rules do not exclude Indian nationals, but it is a trade: the day you acquire Turkish citizenship, you cease to be an Indian citizen. Add the USD 250,000 LRS ceiling, the para 7(d) emigration line, the co-owner pooling rule, Turkey’s own-name rule and 20% TCS above INR 10 lakh, and this is a decision for Indian counsel first and a property search second. If the trade fits your family, our guide to Turkey citizenship by investment covers the Turkish rules in full. If it does not, a European residence route keeps your Indian passport. Advisory fees are quoted per engagement.