Citizenship, Immigration & Foreigners Law in Turkiye

Increased global mobility has made acquiring residency, work authorization, and citizenship in a foreign nation a vital step for international families and investors. In Turkiye, the influx of foreign investment and immigration has created a strict, heavily regulated legal environment. Acquiring Turkish citizenship or securing long-term residency does not just mean getting a new passport or ID card: it unlocks access to complete healthcare, local education, state social security, and robust property protections. Because immigration procedures rely on a complex intersection of local statutes, ministry circulars, and international treaties, errors in your application can lead to irreversible entry bans, financial losses, or sudden deportations.

At Kotan & Gökce Law Firm, we provide end-to-end legal representation for international clients seeking to establish their lives, businesses, and assets in Turkiye. We also advise Turkish citizens looking to acquire foreign citizenships, handle dual-citizenship registrations, or transition to Blue Card status.

Our Scope of Services for International Clients:

  • Citizenship by Investment: Managing the complete legal workflow for acquiring Turkish citizenship through real estate purchases, bank deposits, or capital investments.

  • General Citizenship Applications: Guiding clients through citizenship pathways based on marriage, structural lineage (descent), or continuous long-term residency.

  • Residency and Work Permits: Securing, renewing, and appealing complex short-term, long-term, and family residency visas, as well as corporate work authorizations.

  • Litigating Citizenship Denials: Filing administrative appeals and cancellation lawsuits against the Ministry of Interior or Migration Directorate for groundless rejections.

  • Deportation Defense and Entry Bans: Fighting emergency deportation orders and lifting unlawful entry bans or administrative security codes (such as G or V codes).

  • Recognition of Foreign Court Decrees: Executing recognition and enforcement lawsuits (tanıma ve tenfiz) to make foreign divorce, marriage, or child custody rulings legally binding in Turkiye.

  • Global Citizenship & Dual Status: Managing applications for international Golden Visa programs, dual-citizenship registrations, and acquiring Blue Cards (Mavi Kart) to preserve local rights after relinquishing Turkish nationality.

Why Kotan & Gökce?

Complete Cross-Border Structuring:

We bridge the gap between financial investments and immigration laws, ensuring your real estate acquisitions or corporate setups comply perfectly with complex citizenship criteria.

Emergency Injunction Capabilities:

When clients face sudden detention, deportation orders, or arbitrary airport entry denials, we intervene directly with provincial Migration Directorates and Administrative Courts.

Flawless Bureaucratic Navigation:

We eliminate the friction of dealing with local authorities, handling all complex documentation, certified translations, and notary approvals on your behalf.

Critical Immigration Realities in Turkiye

Making minor technical errors during a high-value Citizenship by Investment application.

Investing 400,000 USD or more in Turkish real estate does not guarantee citizenship if the underlying transactions are flawed. If the property valuation report contains discrepancies, or if the bank transfers do not use the precise legal codes required by the Central Bank (Döviz Alım Belgesi), the Ministry will reject the file. Fixing these errors retroactively is notoriously difficult, making proactive legal auditing mandatory before any funds change hands.

 

Failing to meet the strict evidentiary standards for citizenship through marriage or descent.

Applying for citizenship through marriage requires proving a genuine marital union to local investigators, who conduct unannounced home visits and background checks. Similarly, applications based on lineage can hit immediate deadlocks if foreign birth certificates or historical family registries contain spelling mismatches. In these cases, we must launch specific correction lawsuits in the civil courts to bridge the genealogical gap.

 

Receiving an unreasoned administrative rejection or being hit with a hostile security code assignment.

The immigration authority possesses broad discretionary power. They can reject residency or citizenship applications without providing detailed explanations, or quietly assign restrictive security codes (such as V-87 or G-82 codes) to your file. If you receive an unjust rejection, you have a narrow statutory window to file a cancellation lawsuit in the Administrative Court to overturn the decision.

 

Facing an immediate deportation order or administrative detention at a removal center.

If an expat accidentally overstays their visa or faces a compliance dispute regarding their work permit, authorities can issue a swift deportation order. To block an active deportation, a specialized lawsuit must be filed in the Administrative Court within exactly 7 days of notification. Filing this case triggers an automatic, statutory stay of execution, preventing authorities from removing you from the country until a judge reviews the merits.

Navigating immigration bureaucracy in Turkiye requires absolute precision, and mistakes can result in being barred from the country. To secure your legal status, protect your investment, or challenge an administrative immigration decision in Turkiye, contact our immigration law team to arrange a formal consultation.

Your legal partner in Izmir-Turkiye

Please contact us for consultation. You can reach us via WhatsApp, phone or e-mail.

info@kotangokce.com Mon – Fri 09:00-18:00

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