A bank deposit is one of the investment routes to Turkish citizenship. This 2025 guide explains the legal threshold, currency conversion, three-year holding period and application sequence. The details of an individual transaction should be confirmed with the participating bank before funds are transferred.
1. Legal basis and minimum deposit
Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901, Article 12, and Article 20(2)(ç) of its implementing regulation provide the framework. The Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK) must confirm that an investor deposited at least USD 500,000 or its equivalent in a bank operating in Türkiye and undertook to keep the deposit for at least three years. Meeting the investment condition does not itself guarantee citizenship.
2. The process at a glance
- Prepare identity documents, a suitable power of attorney if represented, and evidence of the source of funds.
- Choose a participating bank and complete its account-opening and compliance checks.
- Where foreign currency is used, the bank carries out the required sale to the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (TCMB) and documents the conversion.
- Place the resulting Turkish lira amount in a qualifying deposit at the same bank with the required three-year restriction.
- The bank and BDDK process the investment-condition confirmation; then the relevant residence and citizenship applications can proceed.
- After the holding period, release of the restriction is handled under the bank documents and applicable rules.
3. Opening the bank account
IGA Law Firm can coordinate with banks such as QNB, VakıfBank or Ziraat Bankası and help prepare the power of attorney and compliance documents. Account opening, acceptance of scanned documents and mobile banking access depend on each bank’s identity checks and policies. Same-day completion cannot be promised.
4. Foreign-currency sale and transaction documents
For a foreign-currency-funded citizenship investment, the TCMB implementation instruction requires the currency to be sold through a bank to the central bank before the qualifying transaction. The bank provides the transaction and foreign-exchange purchase records required for the file. The Turkish lira deposit must be held at the same bank through which the currency was sold.
- Confirm the amount and currency with the bank before transfer.
- Review the conversion rate, bank records and Turkish lira amount before the sale; a completed central-bank currency sale cannot simply be reversed.
- Keep the bank receipts and deposit restriction documents for the BDDK and citizenship files.
5. Three-year deposit restriction, interest and risk
The qualifying principal must remain under the required restriction for at least three years. The exact start and release dates should be confirmed in the bank’s written undertaking and BDDK records; they should not be assumed to run from the date an application is sent to BDDK.
Deposit term, interest rate, taxation and the ability to transfer interest abroad depend on the bank agreement and applicable banking and foreign-exchange rules. Rates can change, and a Turkish lira deposit carries currency and bank risk. This route is not a government guarantee of the investment or its return.
6. BDDK confirmation
The bank prepares and submits the materials for BDDK to determine whether the deposit meets the citizenship investment condition. Processing times vary with the bank, documentation and authority workload. A two-to-three-week decision cannot be guaranteed.
7. Residence permit and citizenship applications
Once the investment condition is confirmed, the residence-permit step required for the investment route and the citizenship application are prepared with the appropriate authorities. A spouse and eligible minor or dependent children may apply under the relevant rules. Identity, civil-status and public-order checks remain part of the process.
8. Points to weigh against property investment
- A deposit avoids property selection, title-deed transfer and tenant management.
- Bank statements and conversion records create a clear documentary trail.
- Interest may be available under the chosen deposit product, but returns and transfers are not guaranteed.
9. How IGA Law Firm assists
Our team can review the power of attorney, coordinate account opening and the TCMB conversion with the bank, check the restriction documents, follow the BDDK confirmation and prepare the residence and citizenship filings. We explain the investment and currency risks before the client commits to a bank product. See how our team coordinates the file through legal assistance for Turkish citizenship by investment.
Discuss your bank-deposit citizenship application
Contact our Istanbul office for a review of your documents, planned transfer and family application. We will explain the next steps and the information the chosen bank requires.
2025 guide. Legal information last reviewed: 14 October 2026. Bank procedures and official rules may change; obtain current written terms before transferring funds.
Official sources
Invest in Türkiye: investment citizenship conditions
