Turkey has cancelled or withdrawn the citizenship of 6,134 people who obtained nationality through the country’s citizenship by investment program.

According to a statement from Turkey’s Interior Ministry, the total includes 1,413 principal investors, with spouses and children accounting for the remaining cases.

The cases fall into two separate groups and were handled on different legal grounds.

The larger group involved 1,150 principal investors whose qualifying investments were found to involve collusive or otherwise irregular transactions following reviews by the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre, the Tax Inspection Board and the General Directorate of Security.

Their investment eligibility certificates were cancelled, which in turn affected the citizenship status of their accompanying family members. In total, 5,391 people were affected in this category.

A separate group involved 263 principal investors who were identified after naturalization by Turkish police and the National Intelligence Organization on public-order or national-security grounds.

Including family members, 743 people were affected in this second category.

The government did not allege investment fraud against this group. Their citizenship status was withdrawn because of subsequent vetting findings rather than irregularities in the underlying investment.

Authorities have also taken further action during 2026. Since February 11, eligibility certificates involving 443 investors have been cancelled, affecting 1,358 people including family members. A further seven people were affected on security grounds during the same period. 

A Separate Criminal Investigation Is Also Underway

The Interior Ministry’s broader review was announced alongside a separate criminal investigation into alleged abuse of the real estate route.

Turkish authorities issued detention warrants for 90 suspects, with 72 people detained across 16 provinces as part of an investigation led by prosecutors in Istanbul.

The investigation centers on allegations that property values and financial transactions were manipulated to make investments appear to satisfy the requirements for citizenship.

Authorities seized more than 1,000 properties as well as other assets and placed several companies under court-appointed administration.

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said approximately TRY 2.5 billion that should have entered Turkey through qualifying investments had not actually been received.

He also confirmed that proceedings had been initiated concerning the citizenship status of 687 people connected to the criminal investigation.

That figure should not be added to the Interior Ministry’s 6,134 total. The 687 relates specifically to the criminal case, while the 6,134 figure reflects the broader review of citizenship by investment cases across the program.

Authorities have not publicly provided a complete breakdown showing how much the two groups overlap.

Why Family Members Are Included in the Total

The difference between the 1,413 principal investors and the 6,134 people affected overall is largely explained by the way citizenship is extended to qualifying family members.

Under Turkish citizenship law, where the citizenship decision of a principal applicant is cancelled, the decision may also extend to a spouse and children who obtained citizenship through that same application.

This means the government’s headline figure does not represent 6,134 separate investors.

Instead, it reflects 1,413 investment cases involving principal applicants, together with citizenship granted to accompanying family members.

What Happens After Citizenship Is Cancelled?

The Interior Ministry relied on provisions of Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901 to distinguish between cases involving irregularities and those involving security-related concerns.

Where citizenship was obtained on the basis of false information, concealed facts or an invalid underlying investment, the citizenship decision can be cancelled.

Where the necessary legal conditions are later found not to have been satisfied, citizenship can also be withdrawn.

For affected individuals, the consequences can extend beyond the loss of citizenship.

Once citizenship is cancelled, the individual generally returns to foreigner status under Turkish law. In some circumstances, the authorities may also require the person to dispose of assets in Turkey within a specified period.

Turkey’s Citizenship by Investment Program Remains Open

The enforcement action does not represent a suspension of Turkey’s citizenship by investment program.

The program continues to operate under its existing framework, including the real estate route requiring a minimum qualifying property investment of US$400,000, subject to a three-year holding period.

The recent cases instead relate to the government’s review of whether past applications complied with the legal and investment requirements in force at the time.

For current applicants, the developments reinforce the importance of compliant property valuations, properly documented financial transfers and accurate application records.

Turkey continues to accept qualifying citizenship by investment applications while applying greater scrutiny to both historical and current transactions.