The Ministry of Interior announced the results of investigations into Turkish citizenship-by-investment processes involving transactions found to have used fake and irregular appraisal reports. It stated that the processes were conducted under the 5901 Türk Vatandaşlığı Kanunu, and that applications were finalized following reviews by Emniyet Genel Müdürlüğü and Milli İstihbarat Teşkilatı Başkanlığı.
- The investment eligibility certificates of 1,150 investors were cancelled; the citizenship decisions of 5 thousand 391 people, including their families, were cancelled.
- The citizenship of a total of 743 people, including 263 investors deemed objectionable in terms of public order and national security and their families, was revoked.
- In total, the citizenship decisions of 6 thousand 134 people, including 1,413 investors and their families, were cancelled or revoked.
- Since February 11, 2026, the citizenship of 1,393 people from among 458 investors and their families has been cancelled; the citizenship of 7 people has been revoked.
In the Istanbul investigation of September 21, 2026, 1,070 people who obtained citizenship through collusive sales, as well as 11 people whose processes are ongoing, were identified. The Ministry stated that there had been no personnel-related vulnerability or negligence.
Why it matters
The picture that has emerged shows that irregularities in citizenship-by-investment procedures are not limited to applicants, but have far-reaching consequences that also affect family members. The application of the cancellation of investment eligibility certificates and the revocation of citizenship as separate procedures indicates that the investigations have produced different legal and administrative outcomes. The collusive sales identified in the Istanbul investigation and the cases whose processes are ongoing show that the oversight covers more than transactions that were finalized in the past. While it has been stated that there was no personnel-related vulnerability or negligence, questions remain as to how fraudulent and irregular appraisal reports passed through the inspection process and at which stages similar transactions could be detected.