Turkish Citizenship by Investment for Families: Spouse, Children and Parents

I plan the whole family from the first conversation, and Turkey is a good example of why. One investment can cover a couple and their minor children, but it stops there, and the edges of that rule are where families get surprised. Here is who is in, who is out and what to prepare for each person.

Who the law includes

Article 12(1)(b) of the Turkish Citizenship Law covers the investor together with:

• their foreign spouse;
• their own minor or dependent foreign children;
• their spouse’s minor or dependent foreign children.

BRIDGES confirms that the spouse and children under 18 receive passports at the same time as the main applicant and that no additional investment is required for them.

The spouse

The marriage has to be officially registered. Article 20 of the Citizenship Law makes a point worth knowing: a decision granting citizenship to one person does not by itself change the spouse’s citizenship. Under the investor route the spouse is named in Article 12 and is included in the application in their own right, with their own documents.

What to prepare: the marriage certificate, the spouse’s passport and birth certificate, and translations. If either of you was married before, add the divorce certificate or the former spouse’s death certificate.

Children under 18

Biological and adopted children

BRIDGES includes biological and adopted children of the applicant and of the spouse on the same terms. It describes a family with adopted children who joined the file exactly like the biological ones.

Children from a previous marriage

Here Article 20(2) of the Citizenship Law is precise. Children in the custody of the parent who acquires citizenship become Turkish citizens if the other parent consents. If consent is not given, the matter is decided according to a court decision in the country of the parent’s habitual residence. If both parents acquire citizenship together, their children acquire it too.

In practice this means getting the other parent’s consent in the right form before filing, not after. Without it, the child’s part of the file stalls.

Adult children

The law speaks of minor or dependent children. In BRIDGES practice, only children under 18 join the investor’s application; an adult child files separately and makes their own investment. For real estate that means another $400,000 in a separate property. If you have an adult child who depends on you, ask for an assessment of that specific situation before you plan around it.

Article 20(3) adds a rule for children who were not processed with their parents: once they reach adulthood, they can apply for citizenship under Article 11, which is the ordinary procedure with conditions such as five years of uninterrupted residence and sufficient Turkish.

Parents

Parents cannot be added to your application. Each parent would need a separate application with a qualifying investment of their own. For residence, BRIDGES notes that parents do not receive a residence permit on the strength of your property; they are arranged on other grounds.

Children born later

A child born to a Turkish mother or father within marriage is a Turkish citizen by descent under Article 7 of the Citizenship Law, wherever the birth takes place. So once you hold citizenship, a newborn does not need a separate investment route.

Residence permits for the family during the process

The investor residence permit is a required step before the citizenship application, and BRIDGES obtains it for the applicant and for every family member. BRIDGES notes that where custody is shared, the other parent’s consent is also needed for a child’s residence permit, so the consent question comes up twice.

Sons and military service

Male Turkish citizens are liable for military service. BRIDGES notes that those who acquire citizenship as adults and live outside the country can use deferral and paid exemption, and it raises the position of minor sons separately at the consultation. I would put this on the table before signing anything.

Documents for each family member

• Spouse: passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate.
• Each child: passport, birth certificate, and the other parent’s consent where needed.
• For everyone: translations and apostilles, and an extract or similar document proving family ties, as the regulation requires.

The full list is in my documents checklist. BRIDGES explains the family rules and costs on its page about Türkiye citizenship by investment. Last checked 18 October 2026.