The Turkish Citizenship Program

Turkey is a beautiful country with a vast heritage and a strategically important geographical location. Located on two continents Asia and Europe, it serves as a connecting path for different civilizations, cultures, and businesses. Turkey is also an important trade route between the West and the East along with being the head of a giant oil pipeline project. The country already holds its weight in international trade. However, it is planned that the country is going to be the center of European business civilizations.

According to Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: “We are [Turkey] one of the few countries that increased their investments at a time when direct investments decreased all over the world. In 2018, when global direct investments declined by 12%, direct investments in our country increased by 17.3% and exceeded $13 billion.”

The geography, culture, and various other benefits have resulted in an uprise in Turkish Citizenship Program applications. This surge has been further exaggerated by the fact that recently, the Turkish government reduced the criteria of Turkish Citizenship Program for investors to make the whole process easy for everyone. We have listed the top five reasons for this surge that is considered the top five benefits of Turkish Citizenship Program.

Visa-free Travelling

Turkey has great international relations, and the Turkish passport is widely accepted. As a Turkish citizen, it is possible that 77 countries can be traveled visa-free. You will not have to apply for a visa beforehand, and you can travel to these countries as you please. These 77 countries include South Africa, Qatar, Argentina, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, and many more. You will also be able to travel to 42 other countries where you will be eligible for visa-on-arrival. Lebanon, Bahrain, and Kuwait are included in these 42 countries.

Apart from these 119 countries, as a Turkish citizen, you can get an e-visa for seven more countries including Australia and Oman and if you would like to visit a country that is not amongst the 126 countries with special requirements mentioned above, you can apply for a visa for those countries. Most Visas are easy to get for Turkish citizens, and almost always your desired destination is guaranteed.

Turkish citizenship allows you to travel to most countries in the world either visa-free or with a visa on arrival and e-visa. Although this in itself is a huge advantage of Turkish citizenship, most people are attracted to Turkey because it is easier to apply for other countries’ visas as Turkish citizens. All of these attractive features of the Turkish passport are one of the main reasons for it ranking in 30 among the passports of the world.

Dual Citizenship Allowed

When applying for Turkish citizenship, you have the right to keep your prior citizenship, the Turkish government allows people to have dual citizenship when they’re applying for the Turkey citizenship program. Your new Turkish passport can be renewed and it is valid for ten years.

Apart from allowing dual citizenship, the country is quite helpful if your birth nationality does not allow dual citizenship. In such a case, you can still have your Turkish Citizenship. Rather, just apply for the Turkish Turkuaz Card Programme that gives you equal citizenship rights except the right to vote.

Relief from Harsh Taxing Policies

Turkey is at the center of many trade routes and business transactions — but does not impose any taxes on your worldwide income and capital. Turkey has certain taxes that you will need to pay while residing in the country. But as a citizen, you will never have to pay any form of tax on your income, inheritance, or capital not generated within Turkey. The profits from your international businesses are completely safe from any tax deductions in Turkey.

Lenient Residency Requirements

When applying for citizenship in most countries, you will need to meet a minimum residency requirement which is often around five years. However, you are eligible for the Turkish citizenship program without having to ever reside in the country. The whole application process takes less than six months and you only need to make investments in the country to be eligible to apply.

After your application for the Turkish Citizenship Programme has been completed and approved, you will receive your Turkish passport approximately in one month. You need to visit Turkey in-person to make the application but there is no need for you to be in the country before or after the application has been made.

Apply for E-2 Investor Visa

As a Turkish citizen, applying for the United States’ E-2 Investor Visa is a quite straightforward process and you can receive the visa with much more ease than if it had been in a different country. This Investor visa opens up many doors for you and creates opportunities to further your trade and businesses. It will also provide better perspectives for your children.

Contact us to learn how the Smart Choice investment algorithm can help you pick the best investment for your second citizenship/residency plans.

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