Erdal Nuhbasa – Law and Consulting Firm – Legal Services
Erdal Nuhbasa – Law and Consulting Firm – Legal Services
The cancellation of a Turkish citizenship decision is a serious legal process that often happens for national security or administrative reasons. Under the Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901, the government may cancel citizenship if they decide that the legal requirements were not met when it was first granted. This situation affects many foreign citizens and their families.
Recently, there has been a significant wave of revocations of Turkish citizenship obtained through investment. Following an operation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on allegations of irregular citizenship sales, the Ministry of the Interior has revoked or rescinded the citizenship decisions of a total of 6,134 individuals—including 1,413 investors and their family members—pursuant to Articles 31 and 40 of Law No. 5901.
A separate investigation announced on the 21 September 2026 examined real estate transactions connected to Gül İnşaat AŞ, Beyaz İnşaat and LİV İnşaat. According to the authorities, 734 sales were examined, 274 were identified as allegedly collusive, and the citizenship files of 1,070 people were brought under review. These developments do not mean that every person who obtained Turkish citizenship through investment is affected. Each citizenship file must be examined individually, including the property purchase, payment records, valuation report, eligibility certificate and the documents submitted during the citizenship process.
If you have received a citizenship cancellation/withdrawal decision, or if your Turkish citizenship was obtained through a property transaction that is now being questioned, the legal basis and procedure of the decision should be reviewed without delay.
According to the relevant provisions of Law No. 5901, the loss, cancellation or withdrawal of Turkish citizenship can occur on different legal grounds. In investment-related citizenship cases, it is particularly important to determine which legal provision the administration relies upon.
Under Article 31 of Law No. 5901, a citizenship acquisition decision may be cancelled if it was obtained as a result of the applicant’s false statement or concealment of an important fact that was relevant to acquiring citizenship.
This provision may become relevant where the administration alleges that false or misleading information or documents were used during the citizenship application process.
Article 40 is different from Article 31. It provides that a decision concerning the acquisition or loss of Turkish citizenship may be withdrawn if it is subsequently discovered that the legal conditions were not satisfied when the decision was issued, or that the same decision was issued more than once.
This distinction can be particularly important in investment citizenship cases where the administration later alleges that the required investment conditions were not actually satisfied.
3. Loss of Citizenship for Certain Acts – Article 29
Article 29 concerns a different situation: the loss of Turkish citizenship following certain acts, such as voluntarily serving in a foreign state’s military without permission or continuing certain foreign-state services despite an official request to leave.
It also provides a mechanism for certain persons facing proceedings for specified serious crimes who are abroad and cannot be reached, where they fail to return to Turkey following the required official notice. Article 29 is therefore not the usual legal basis for investment-related citizenship cases.
In investment-related cases, allegations concerning false or irregular appraisal reports, inflated property values and sham (muvazaalı) transactions may be relevant when assessing whether the legal requirements for citizenship were actually satisfied or whether false information was provided.
However, being involved in a transaction with a developer, appraisal company or intermediary that is later investigated does not automatically mean that an individual’s Turkish citizenship was unlawfully obtained.
Each case should be assessed separately by reviewing the property transaction, payment records, appraisal report, eligibility documents and citizenship file.
Although the cancellation (revocation) of Turkish citizenship is an administrative decision, it has serious consequences that deeply affect a person’s life, legal status, and family. The consequences depend on whether the decision is legally treated as a cancellation under Article 31 or a withdrawal under Article 40.
Under Article 32, a cancellation decision takes effect from the date of the cancellation decision and may also apply to a spouse and children who acquired citizenship through the main applicant.
Under Article 40 and Article 66 of the implementing Regulation, a withdrawn decision is treated as ineffective from the date of the original citizenship decision.These effects are especially significant for those who gained citizenship through special routes (exceptional citizenship).
After you are officially notified of the decision to cancel your citizenship, you have 60 days to file an annulment lawsuit. The court will examine the reasons for cancellation, the administration’s discretion, and the specific facts of your case to decide if the decision is lawful.
The authorized court for challenging a citizenship cancellation is the Ankara Administrative Court. It is very important to file the case in the correct court. Filing in the wrong court may result in your case being sent elsewhere, which causes unnecessary delays and extra costs.
The duration depends on the complexity of your case, the administration’s response time, and the court’s workload. Generally, these cases take between 4 and 18 months to conclude.
Note: You may also request a “stay of execution” (yürütmeyi durdurma) during the process. If the court accepts this, the cancellation decision is temporarily suspended, which is critical for your right to stay, reside, and work in Turkey.
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