The increase in the threshold for buying an apartment to obtain citizenship through investment (under an accelerated procedure), for obvious reasons, did not please everyone who planned to purchase housing in the Republic of Turkey.
The minimum transaction amount for the purchase of residential real estate in Turkey has risen from $250,000 to $400,000. This rule comes into force on June 13, 2022.
Content:
- Tourist residence permit
- Residence permit for buying a property – no longer "by TAPU"
- Russians will feel almost no inconvenience
Nevertheless, this does not mean that it is impossible to obtain citizenship by TAPU (by the right to purchase residential real estate) for a smaller amount. It is possible, by buying real estate and living in Turkey with a residence permit obtained by TAPU if your trips abroad are no more than a certain number of days over several years.
People don’t need to spend holidays in Turkey in their apartments, simply to obtain a residence permit. Foreign citizens have the right to stay in Turkey for 180 days every year, which is 90 days every six months, but no more than 60 consecutive days in a half-year. (Otherwise, the duration of their stay can be split into a few periods, such as 60+30 days, 45+45 days, several times for 10-15 days, etc.).
Usually, those who plan to live in Turkey permanently are interested in a residence permit and citizenship, to enable them to send children to kindergarten, allowing them to be taught at school, or a university, or to look for work on the local market (although a work visa is required for the latter: non-Turkish citizens do not have the right to work only on a residence permit, as this is illegal and subject to fines). But any type of residence permit is sufficient to send a child to kindergarten and school, to be served in medical clinics on medical insurance, and to receive medicines prescribed by a doctor on the same insurance with a significant discount.
But something has changed in obtaining a residence permit in recent months. Let us review this in detail.
The three most well-known residence permits for foreign nationals (although there are more of them) are marriage, purchase of real estate (by TAPU), and the tourist type. The tourist type is the most common as it is the option that makes it possible to come to Turkey, rent an apartment, and get a tourist residence permit for six months, a year, or two years (at the discretion of the regulatory authorities) with the possibility to extend it. A few years ago, the requirements for mandatory presence in the country for a certain number of days for holders of tourist residence permits were canceled (previously it was impossible to leave Turkey for more than 120 days a year without the tourist residence permit being canceled).
However, the changing rules for obtaining a residence permit affected both the TAPU residence permit and the tourist residence permit.
Tourist residence permit
It has become more difficult to obtain a residence permit. Before, if the tourist had no previous violations (visa, police records, etc.) and had a full package of documents, there were no problems with obtaining a primary residence permit and its prolongation. He arrived, rented an apartment, submitted all the papers, and received the document. This was enough to rent a home.
However, this year, due to the political climate, the situation has changed somewhat. Some districts, cities, and even provinces have begun to refuse tourists a residence permit. (Which has nothing to do with a worsening attitude towards Russians). Hundreds and thousands of people from Russia and Ukraine poured into Turkey “to wait out”, making the situation difficult. There is a rule that no more than a certain number of non-residents (non-Turkish citizens) must permanently reside in each province, but in some places, this number was exceeded. Therefore, people who did not make it into the "right percentage" began to be refused.
According to the Turk.Estate data (unofficial, but confirmed by personal experience of obtaining a residence permit by Russians who shared personal information in Turkish social media groups), the percentage of refusals to apply for a primary residence permit is very high in some districts of Istanbul, as well as in Izmir and some cities considered "non–tourist". Since the main purpose of a tourist residence permit is still "to allow the traveler to engage in tourism", all the formalities are met.
UPDATE FOR June 08, 2022:
At the time of the release of the article, the official resource goc.gov.tr published an accurate list of districts or more "narrow" territorial associations, which are quarters where foreign nationals are officially denied a primary tourist residence permit.
The scope of the article does not allow for a complete list of districts, but they are available on the website www.goc.gov.tr, where the most important ones, in key cities, are listed.
Istanbul
Several neighborhoods in the districts of Avcılar, Beylikdüzü, Başakşehir, Beşiktaş, Beyoğlu, Esenyurt, Fatih, Küçükçekmece, Sarıyer, Şile, Şişli, Tuzla, Ümraniye, and Zeytinburnu.
Antalya
Several blocks in the districts of Muratpaşa and Döşemealtı (in Antalya, in the resort towns, there are the least "refusal" blocks).
Bursa
Some blocks in Osmangazi.
Trabzon
Pazarkapi quarter in the Ortahisar district.
Mersin
Neighborhoods in the districts of Gülnar, Tarsus, Akdeniz, Silifke, Mezitli, Yenişehir, and Toroslar.
For those who want to live in Turkey permanently (although the situation may improve later), the main option is to purchase residential real estate at any price, including installments or mortgages, and obtain a residence permit by submitting purchase documents.
But there have also been changes in this regard. Before, when buying a home, a residence permit was almost always issued by TAPU (if the owner of an apartment or house, for personal reasons, did not choose another type of residence permit, be it marriage or other options). During the economic and political situation, some homeowners began to receive a "tourist" residence permit, although they had purchased a property.
The important thing is that if you are buying a house in Turkey (not renting), you will not be denied a residence permit, neither in the primary form or its extension (except for some extraordinary cases). Even though some of these buyers may be "transferred" from a "TAPU residence permit" to a "tourist residence permit".
Tenants often complain about refusals to issue a primary or secondary residence permit in 2022.
Residence permit for buying a property – no longer "by TAPU"
To recap…
Before, when buying a home, the owner was issued a residence permit by TAPU., with the cost of real estate being the determining factor. A rule was introduced recently to make it more difficult to obtain a short-term residence permit, and few people have heard of it.
People who have purchased housing in Turkey recently, before April 26, 2022, and are applying for a short-term residence permit under TAPU for the first time (based on a housing purchase transaction), must add to the standard package of documents an act on the evaluation of this property. A cadastral report is highly desirable, as the difference between cadastral and market value can be large. You can consult with a realtor or developer about this matter when buying an apartment or a house.
To obtain a residence permit by TAPU, a tourist must use this housing (live in it permanently or temporarily, but not rent it out), that is, he must "use it as the main place of residence".
As for relatives, family members of a foreigner can also apply for a residence permit if the apartment or house is in common \ joint ownership. The "family" category includes a spouse, children under the age of 18, or dependent adult children.
But in this case, a residence permit by TAPU can be obtained only if the cost of housing is above $50,000, or above $75,000 in certain cities. The key change is that housing prices used to be insignificant, but now this rule has changed (hopefully temporarily).
So, if housing is more expensive than $50,000 (or more expensive than $75,000 in cities \ on the territory of municipalities included in the list), the owner and, if available, the co-owners, receive a residence permit by TAPU (but only if they jointly own property). The rest of the family members – the next of kin – are entitled to a tourist residence permit.
The list of cities in which the new rules came into force on May 5, 2022 (these cities are considered large, which is the reason for the increased “financial qualification”). There are 30 municipalities on the territory in which the above-mentioned rule applies:
- Adana
- Ankara
- Antalya
- Aydın
- Balıkesir
- Bursa
- Denizli
- Diyarbakır
- Erzurum
- Eskişehir
- Gaziantep
- Hatay
- Istanbul
- Izmir
- Kahramanmaraş
- Kayseri
- Kocaeli
- Konya
- Malatya
- Manisa
- Mardin
- Mersin
- Mugla
- Horde
- Sakarya
- Samsun
- Şanlıurfa
- Tekirdağ
- Trabzon
- Van
There are 81 provinces and 973 districts in Turkey. People who have bought or are planning to buy housing for less than $75,000 in the territory under the jurisdiction of municipalities from the list above (30) or below $50,000 (in the remaining 51 municipalities) will apply for a tourist residence permit. As owners of residential real estate in Turkey, they should not be afraid of being refused, as there are no precedents.
Russians will feel almost no inconvenience
The good news is that these inconveniences associated with the change in the procedure for obtaining a residence permit, most likely, will not affect the majority of buyers of Turkish housing. Since many Russian investors have reoriented to the elite housing segment, where the cost of residences is higher than the announced "threshold".
In addition, it has become easier for Russians to buy housing, as the authorities are gradually removing restrictions caused by the spring political and economic force majeure:
- At first, the minimum amount allowed in the spring (due to an emergency) of $5,000 doubled, becoming $10,000 within a month.
- Then, on April 18, 2022, Russians were again allowed to withdraw currency – and not only in dollars but also in euros – from their accounts if they were opened before March 9 of this year. With a limit of up to $10,000, though.
- In May, Russians were allowed to buy cash currency in banks (if there are no dollars and euros on sale, Turkey accepts/ changes other types of currencies).
- Finally, on June 8, 2022, there was good news again. You can now send abroad (transfer from your accounts) up to $150,000 per month.