A second enforcement wave hits Türkiye's citizenship programme
Türkiye has opened a second front in its campaign against abuse of its citizenship-by-investment (CBI) programme. On 21 September 2026, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced that authorities had identified 1,070 foreign nationals, a figure that includes family members, who allegedly obtained Turkish citizenship through fictitious real estate purchases. Administrative proceedings to revoke their citizenship are now under way.
The announcement follows an Istanbul-based operation that led to 72 detentions and placed 30 companies under court-appointed trustees. Coming only weeks after a first wave in August, it confirms that Ankara is reviewing the programme systematically rather than reacting to a single case.
What investigators found
The latest probe focused on property sales by three developers: Gül İnşaat, Beyaz İnşaat, and LİV İnşaat. Investigators reviewed the transactions of 734 foreign nationals and classified 274 transactions as collusive, where sale prices or appraisals were allegedly set up to make below-threshold purchases look as if they met the investment requirement. Eleven applicants were still in the pipeline when the raid took place.
Authorities put the value of the fraudulent transactions at roughly TL 3.5 billion (about US$72 million). A total of 88 suspects face prosecution, and precautionary measures now cover 2,011 properties, one hotel, 86 vehicles, two yachts, and 42 bank accounts.
What officials have said
Announcing the operation, Minister Gürlek said authorities had "launched administrative procedures to revoke the citizenship of those found to have obtained it unlawfully." The wording matters. Revocation is being handled as an administrative process alongside the criminal cases, so individual citizens may lose their status even where they are not themselves prosecuted.
Source: Türkiye Today — Türkiye detects 1,070 more foreigners obtaining citizenship fraudulently
How the August operation set the template
The first wave, in August 2026, targeted developer Babacan İnşaat and centred on artificially inflated property appraisals. It led to 687 citizenship revocations and identified roughly TL 2.5 billion (about US$52.6 million) in investment that should have entered the Turkish economy but did not.
The scale of the wider review is significant. As of August 2026, 6,134 citizenships had already been cancelled or withdrawn across the programme. Prosecutor-led investigations cover 1,757 people, and a separate group of 263 principal applicants has been flagged on national security or public order grounds, unrelated to the fraud cases.
Industry view: a clean-up, not a shutdown
Practitioners describe the crackdown as a correction rather than a threat to the programme. Güvenç Ketenci, managing partner at Ketenci & Ketenci, noted that organised fraud tends to involve "the same developers, intermediaries, valuation practices or transaction mechanisms used repeatedly," which helps explain why investigators are working developer by developer. He called the enforcement "good news for the program rather than a threat to it," and added a warning for existing passport holders: "compliance does not necessarily end when citizenship is granted."
Aran Hawker, co-founder of CIP Turkey, pointed out that Türkiye gives investors flagged on security grounds "the opportunity to exit their investment and not lose their money." His firm is preparing independent due diligence reports to supplement government vetting.
The safeguards now built into the programme
Türkiye's CBI programme launched in 2017 with a US$1 million real estate threshold. This was cut to US$250,000 in September 2018 and raised to US$400,000 in June 2022. Alternative routes include a US$500,000 bank deposit, fixed-capital investment, or fund subscriptions, each subject to a three-year holding period.
The appraisal loophole behind both enforcement waves has largely been closed. Since March 2024, a state-owned valuation company has handled citizenship appraisals. Since December 2024, property investment value documents have been generated directly by the land registry system, and paper valuations are no longer accepted. The current prosecutions therefore relate mainly to transactions made under the older, more easily manipulated process.
Why this matters for HNWI
For high-net-worth families, the lesson is that a second citizenship is only as secure as the transaction behind it. Families who acquired Turkish citizenship through real estate, particularly before the 2024 valuation reforms, should check that their purchase price, appraisal, and payment trail would stand up to scrutiny today. A spouse's or child's status can also be at risk if it depends on a principal applicant's investment that is later challenged.
For new applicants, the crackdown arguably strengthens the programme by removing below-threshold deals and the intermediaries who arranged them. Independent verification of the developer, the valuation, and the flow of funds now matters as much as the headline price. Because these decisions increasingly sit within wider private-client structuring, where citizenship strategy meets banking, asset protection, and documentation readiness, firms such as Stellar Pass may become relevant as part of a broader advisory framework.
What comes next
Further waves look likely. With prosecutor-led investigations covering more than 1,700 people and enforcement moving from one developer group to the next, other projects sold to citizenship applicants before 2024 may come under review. Investors with exposure to the programme should keep their transaction records complete and watch official announcements closely.
FAQ
Why is Türkiye revoking 1,070 more citizenships?
Authorities say the 1,070 individuals, including family members, obtained citizenship through fictitious or collusive real estate sales that did not genuinely meet the investment threshold. The cases centre on properties sold by Gül İnşaat, Beyaz İnşaat, and LİV İnşaat, and administrative revocation proceedings have begun.
How many Turkish CBI citizenships have been cancelled in total?
As of August 2026, 6,134 citizenships had been cancelled or withdrawn across the programme. This was before the 1,070 cases announced in September. Separately, prosecutor-led investigations cover 1,757 people, and 263 principal applicants have been flagged on security or public order grounds.
What is the current minimum investment for Turkish citizenship?
The real estate route requires at least US$400,000, a level in place since June 2022. Alternatives include a US$500,000 bank deposit, fixed-capital investment, or fund subscriptions, each with a three-year holding period.
Could legitimate investors be affected by the crackdown?
The enforcement targets transactions found to be fictitious or collusive. However, families whose citizenship rests on property bought through the developers under investigation, or valued under the pre-2024 appraisal system, should review their documentation. Since March 2024, appraisals have been handled by a state-owned valuation company, and since December 2024 value documents are issued directly by the land registry system.
Further reading: Investment Migration Insider — Turkey to revoke 1,070 more citizenships in second CBI sham-sale operation