Foreign citizens can apply for a Turkish passport under the naturalisation programme after 5 years of residence in the state, having a residence permit. The purpose of the residence permit is irrelevant, it is issued for education, family reunification, when buying a flat, villa or for other reasons.
When applying through naturalisation, it is forbidden to leave the country for longer than six months (within a year). The authorities may refuse to issue a passport because the applicant has not been in the country for 1 year (cumulatively) for the last 5 years. It is allowed to leave Turkey only for medical treatment, study in another state.
- The applicant is required to provide documents:
- on passing the Turkish language proficiency exam;
- absence of a criminal record;
- on the state of health;
income (it is important to have it, the minimum amount is not stipulated by law).