News, 21 September 2026
Turkey has identified 1,070 more foreigners who obtained citizenship through fraudulent property deals, in a second operation against its citizenship-by-investment (CBI) scheme. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced it on 21 September, per Hürriyet Daily News: investigators examined the property transactions of 734 foreign nationals and found 274 of the transactions fictitious, worth more than 3.5 billion lira (US$71.7 million).
The mechanism was valuation fraud. Per Hürriyet, homes worth less than the threshold were sold on inflated appraisals by construction and real estate companies so the buyers could qualify. Prosecutors targeted 88 suspects and detained 72; 30 companies were placed under trustees, and measures were taken against 2,011 properties, a hotel, 86 vehicles, two yachts and 42 bank accounts. The developers named are Gül İnşaat, Beyaz İnşaat and LİV İnşaat. Per IMI Daily, all 1,070 are targeted for revocation.
The first operation, in August, led to proceedings to revoke the citizenship of 687 foreign nationals, per Hürriyet; IMI Daily puts the missing investment at about 2.5 billion lira and says its 72 detentions spanned 16 provinces. Across the whole programme, the Interior Ministry says it has cancelled or withdrawn 6,134 citizenships: 5,391 people (1,150 investors plus family) over sham or irregular transactions and 743 (263 investors plus family) on national security grounds, per APA.
The terms haven’t changed. Turkey still grants citizenship for property worth at least US$400,000 with a three-year no-sale annotation on the title, a threshold in force since 13 June 2022, per a Turkish government development agency. Deposit, bond, fund and fixed-capital routes start at US$500,000. One process change: per Turkish daily Gazete, the Ministry of Trade’s secure payment system, which holds the price in a blocked account until title transfers, was due to become mandatory for all property sales from 1 October 2026 (verify it went live).
What it means for you: a revoked citizenship takes your family’s passports with it, and the property you overpaid for stays overpriced. Before buying, get your own independent, licensed valuation, not the developer’s; make sure the contract price, the appraisal and the registered title value all reach US$400,000 (as guide site Migronis sets out the rule); pay through a Turkish bank, never in cash; and check the developer isn’t under investigation. A price well above comparable resale listings is the warning sign these operations were built on.
Full guide: Citizenship by investment (2026): Caribbean programmes compared · Second passport (2026): how to get one by descent, residency or investment
Sources
- Hürriyet Daily News: Türkiye identifies 1,000 more foreigners in citizenship fraud probe
- APA: Türkiye says citizenship of 6,134 people canceled or withdrawn
- IMI Daily: Turkey to revoke 1,070 more citizenships in second CBI sham-sale operation
- Invest in Konya: Acquisition of exceptional Turkish citizenship for foreign investors
- Migronis: Türkiye citizenship by investment in 2026
- Gazete: Tapuda güvenli ödeme sistemi zorunlu mu
This is general information from the Nomad Forums team, not immigration, tax or legal advice. Rules change; check the official source or a qualified adviser before applying.
Over to you: If you got Turkish citizenship through property, have you been contacted about a review of your purchase or valuation? And for recent buyers, how did you check the appraisal was genuine before you paid?