Investors ask this question late, usually after the citizenship has been granted, and it is really two questions wearing one coat. Can I sell the property once the three years are up? And if I do, does my citizenship survive? The answers are yes and yes — but the reasoning matters, because there is one narrow situation in which citizenship can be annulled, and investors deserve to know exactly where that line sits.
What you actually undertook
When you bought the property, an annotation was entered on the title deed recording your undertaking not to sell it for three years. That annotation is the legal substance of the commitment. It is not a contract with the state, not a condition attached to your citizenship, and not a probationary period.
It is a restriction on disposal, entered on the register, with a defined duration.
Everything else follows from that characterisation. The undertaking runs with the property, and it expires by its own terms.
What happens at the end of three years
The restriction ends. The property can then be sold, gifted, mortgaged or transferred like any other property, and no permission from any authority is needed.
The annotation's removal from the register is an administrative step. It expires automatically as a matter of law, but the register entry may need to be formally cancelled before a buyer's lawyer is satisfied — a straightforward application at the land registry. Plan for it a few weeks before a sale rather than on the day.
Your citizenship is unaffected. It was granted by presidential decision on the basis that the conditions were met at the time; those conditions were met, and the grant is complete.
Why citizenship is not conditional
Turkish citizenship acquired under Article 12 of Law No. 5901 is citizenship in the ordinary sense. There is no category of "investor citizenship" with lesser rights or a conditional term. You hold the same status as a person born a Turkish citizen: the same passport, the same rights, the same ability to transmit citizenship to children by descent.
This is worth stating because it differs from several other investment migration programmes, some of which require the investment to be maintained indefinitely or subject residents to renewal. Türkiye does not.
The one real exception
Article 31 of Law No. 5901 allows the annulment of citizenship acquired through false declaration or by concealing a material fact. This is the provision that occasionally surfaces in nervous conversations, and its scope should be understood precisely.
It targets deception at the point of acquisition. Examples of what it addresses: a valuation report that was falsified; a payment that did not actually happen; an identity that was misrepresented; a marriage certificate that was fabricated; a fact about the applicant's background that was deliberately concealed.
What it does not address: selling a genuinely purchased property after the three-year restriction has expired. That is the exercise of an ownership right, not a false declaration. Nothing about a lawful sale suggests that the original acquisition was untrue.
The practical takeaway is that investors who bought a real property at a real price with a genuine valuation and traceable funds have nothing in this provision to worry about — and investors who did not have a problem that predates any question of resale.
Selling during the three years
This is the harder case, and it needs to be separated into two situations.
Before citizenship is granted. The undertaking supports the certificate of conformity. Disposing of the property while the file is pending removes the basis of the application, and the file fails.
After citizenship is granted but within the period. The annotation remains on the register and the land registry will not process a transfer that conflicts with it. Beyond the practical impossibility, an attempt to circumvent the restriction — a sale disguised as something else, for instance — would raise exactly the kind of question Article 31 exists to address.
The straightforward advice is that the three years should be treated as a genuine commitment, because that is what they are.
What you can do during the period
The restriction is on disposal, not on use. During the three years you may:
- Live in the property.
- Rent it out — rental income is taxable in Türkiye and must be declared.
- Renovate it.
- Leave it empty.
- Pass it by inheritance; death is not a disposal by the owner.
Mortgaging is more delicate. Whether a lender will accept security over a property carrying the annotation, and whether the registry will accept the charge, depends on the circumstances. Take advice before relying on it.
The tax position on sale
This is where the real planning question sits, and it is a tax question rather than a citizenship one.
Under Turkish income tax rules, gains on the disposal of immovable property held by an individual are generally taxable where the property is sold within five years of acquisition, and outside the scope of income tax where it is held for longer. The three-year annotation period therefore ends two years before the five-year mark.
An investor who sells at three years and one day may face a taxable gain; one who waits until five years have passed may not. That is not legal advice on any particular case — the calculation depends on acquisition cost, indexation and the circumstances of the sale — but it is the reason a competent adviser will ask about the date of acquisition before the date of the annotation.
There is also a market consideration. A property bought at a citizenship premium may not resell at the price paid. Investors who treated the purchase as a fee rather than an investment are usually unsurprised; those who expected capital growth sometimes are.
Selling to another citizenship applicant
A frequent plan: sell at year three to the next investor who needs a qualifying property. It can work, but with a caution.
Where a property has previously been used for a citizenship application, its availability for a further application may be restricted for a period. A buyer who is purchasing specifically to apply must verify the position before committing, and a seller who assumes the property carries a ready-made market may be disappointed.
This should be checked at the point of sale, not assumed on either side.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to notify anyone before selling after three years? No permission is required. The annotation's cancellation may need to be dealt with administratively.
Can my citizenship be revoked if I leave Türkiye permanently? No. There is no residence obligation attached to this route.
What if I sell and reinvest elsewhere? Your citizenship is unaffected. The obligation ended with the period.
Does the same apply to the deposit route? Yes. After three years the funds can be withdrawn, and the citizenship is unaffected.
Can I transfer the property to my spouse during the period? A transfer is a disposal and conflicts with the annotation. After the period, ordinary rules apply.
What happens if I die during the three years? The property passes to your heirs by inheritance. Inheritance is not a disposal by the owner, though the heirs' position should be reviewed.
Do my children keep their citizenship if I sell? Yes. Citizenship granted to family members is not conditional on the investment continuing.
Planning the exit at the start
The best moment to think about the sale is before the purchase. The property that is easiest to sell at year three is the one that was bought at a defensible price, in a location with genuine domestic demand, with a clean title — which is exactly the property that a proper valuation and title review identifies at the outset.
Dural Hukuk advises on the annotation and its cancellation, on the tax position of a disposal, and on structuring the original purchase with the exit in mind. Call +90 535 260 74 54 or use the contact form on this site.
This article is general information on Turkish law as at August 2026 and is not legal or tax advice. Disposals turn on their facts; obtain advice on your own circumstances before selling.