Turkish citizenship for Pakistani citizens: Immigration to Turkey from Pakistan

Turkey and Pakistan have a close relationship. Pakistanis and Turks enjoy the gracious attitude of each other and are often termed “brothers”. Pakistan citizens are among the TOP 15 nationalities who choose to obtain Turkish citizenship, and they have various reasons for that.

Have a safe haven in Turkey. Turkish citizens can enter Turkey at any time under any circumstances. With a Turkish passport, you can always leave for Turkey and spend as much time as you need or settle there if the situation in Pakistan makes you worry.

Travel visa-free. A Turkish passport is much stronger than a Pakistani one in terms of travelling. Turkish citizens can enter 78 more countries without visas than Pakistani citizens, making it 113 visa-free countries in total. The list includes states like Singapore, and South Korea. Pakistan passport holders can only enter 32 countries without a visa.

Get a US visa for a period twice as long. Both Turkey and Pakistan citizens can obtain a long-term B‑1/B‑2 visa to the USA. However, with a Turkish passport, you can receive a 10-year visa instead of a 5-year one for Pakistani passport holders.

Obtain a long-term Schengen visa. Turkey maintains close relationships with the Schengen countries. It allows Turkish citizens to obtain a C tourist visa to Schengen for five years at once.

Hazeem,

IT specialist

I like travelling to Europe, and I go there pretty often. But getting a Schengen visa for a long time has always been a problem. Some countries issued visas for the duration of the trip only, others — for a year or half a year. So I had to go through the visa application process several times a year.

After obtaining Turkish citizenship everything has become easier. I no longer need to file a visa application every now and then. I received a 5-year visa, and now I can go to Europe anytime I want.

Pass citizenship to the next generations. Children of people who hold Turkish passports automatically obtain Turkish citizenship.

Avoid double taxation. Turkey and Pakistan have signed a double taxation avoidance agreement. It allows people who have connections with Turkey and Pakistan not to pay double the income tax rate.

For example, if you are a tax resident of Pakistan but own a property in Turkey and rent it out, the rental income is taxed in Turkey, and you are exempt from paying tax on this income in Pakistan.

Hold dual citizenship. Turkey and Pakistan discuss signing the agreement that will allow their citizens to have dual citizenship. When signed, Pakistanis won’t need to renounce their citizenship after obtaining a Turkish passport.

Turkish passport obtainment does not oblige you to live in Turkey, though immigration to Turkey from Pakistan can be beneficial due to a range of reasons.

Higher standards of living. In general, Turkey is a peaceful country and a safe destination for immigration for Pakistanis. Regarding the quality of life, Turkey holds the 54th position, while Pakistan is in the 70th. The crime level in Turkey is also a bit lower than in Pakistan.

No discrimination on religious grounds. Most Turks practice Islam, and there are plenty of mosques in the country. Yet, according to the country’s legislation, Turkey is a secular state with no official religion. Turkey citizens have freedom in terms of their beliefs. In Turkey, people are not persecuted or discriminated against the religion they confess, be it Islam or other.

Free quality medicine. Turkey is famous for medical tourism. The reason is that it has advanced medical services. Most of the clinics in Turkey meet international standards, and 34 of them are accredited with the certificates of Joint Commission International. Citizens of Turkey can use medical services free of charge.

Education in English. There are international kindergartens and schools where children have an opportunity to study in both English and Turkish. Some Turkish universities also offer programs in English. Among them are Istanbul University, Middle East Technical University, Ankara University, etc.

Turkish universities are a part of the Bologna Accord. That allows Turkish students to do exchange semesters abroad. Turkish diplomas are also recognized in EU countries which makes it easier for Turkish graduates to find a job in Europe.

There are several ways to obtain Turkish nationality for Pakistanis.

By marriage. A person who marries a Turkish citizen can obtain Turkey citizenship, but it is not granted automatically. There are two requirements: the marriage must last for at least 3 years and mustn’t be fake.

For special merit. Citizenship can be granted for Turquoise Card holders, which in turn is issued for highly qualified people with outstanding achievements in science, business, culture or sports.

By naturalisation. An individual can get citizenship after living in Turkey for 5 years. However, they can’t leave the country for more than six months.

To apply for citizenship by naturalisation, you will also need to prove that you know Turkish on a level sufficient for living in the country and have an income or job to provide for your livelihood.

By investment. Investment is the easiest and the fastest way to become a Turkish citizen: Turkey has a special program for investors. The whole process takes only 6—8 months, and it is unnecessary to visit Turkey.

To participate in the Turkey CBI program, investors must be over 18 years old and have no criminal records, violations of migration law or socially dangerous sicknesses. In addition, they must be able to prove the legality of the income.

Investors can choose one of the five available options. In case of real estate purchase, the minimum investment is $400,000. In case of business investment, opening a deposit in a Turkish bank, or purchasing government bonds or units in an investment fund, the minimum investment is $500,000.

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3 years after obtaining a Turkish passport, investors can return the money they invested.

Besides investors, family members such as spouses and children under 18 can also participate in the application. Investors' parents and children over 18 won’t be granted a passport but can get residence permits. However, if parents or children over 18 years old have their own source of income, they have to file their own application.

Statuses that investors’ family members can acquire

• Citizenship - investor, or the main applicant, spouse, children under 18

• Residence permit - investor’s parents, children over 18

Purchase of real estate is the most popular investment option. You can choose any type of property: housing, industrial and commercial building, or land.

You can either buy one object that costs at least $400,000 or several with a total cost of more than $400,000.

Akbar, 42 years old

Owner of a network of veterinary clinics

Turkey citizenship by investment in real estate

Akbar wanted to protect his savings in an unstable economic situation. Therefore, he decided to invest in real estate abroad. To do so, he addressed Immigrant Invest, and we helped the investor choose the best option.

In December 2021, Akbar, his wife and their daughter received their new passports. After that, the family travelled to Singapore freely and received Schengen visas for 5 years.

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