Reacquisition of Turkish citizenship
Legal requirements, procedures, and advice from our law firm
Many former Turkish citizens have lost their Turkish citizenship as a result of naturalization in for example Germany. However, under certain conditions, Turkish citizenship law offers the possibility of reacquiring Turkish citizenship (reacquisition).
Our law firm provides comprehensive advice on the reacquisition of Turkish citizenship, accompanies the process in a legally secure manner, and represents clients before the relevant Turkish authorities and consulates.
Who can reacquire Turkish citizenship?
Reacquisition is possible in particular for persons who:
- have lost Turkish citizenship through naturalization in another country (e.g., Germany, Austria)
- were previously Turkish citizens by birth,
- were not expatriated for reasons of national security or public order.
👉 Mavi card holders are generally eligible.
Application: Where and how is the application submitted?
The application for reacquisition can be submitted:
- at the relevant Turkish consulate abroad or
- at the relevant Population Directorate (Nüfus Müdürlüğü) in Turkey.
The application is then forwarded to the Ministry of the Interior and submitted to the Presidential Office for a decision.
Required documents (selection)
Depending on the individual case, the following documents may be required:
- Application form for reacquisition of Turkish citizenship
- Valid passport/identity document
- Naturalization certificate from the other country
- Proof of previous Turkish citizenship
- Mavi card (if available)
- Biometric passport photos
- Registration certificate, if applicable
⚠️ Incomplete or incorrect applications often lead to significant delays.
Legal consequences of reacquisition
After successful reacquisition:
- Entry in the Turkish civil registry,
- Entitlement to a Turkish identity card and passport,
- full civil rights (with exceptions regulated by law),
- Possibility of registering marriage and children in the Turkish register.
Distinction: Reacquisition vs. Mavi Kart
The Mavi Kart (Blue Card) grants extensive rights, but does not replace citizenship.
Reacquisition is particularly useful if:
- political rights (e.g., voting rights) are desired,
- unrestricted real estate or inheritance rights are required,
- family status issues are to be fully reflected in the Turkish register.
Different names in the German register or ID card – legal implications in the Turkish register
In practice, it often happens that former Turkish citizens marry under German or other law after acquiring other citizenship and take their spouse’s surname.
If the person concerned is in possession of a Blue Card, such name changes can generally be recorded and updated in the Blue Card register.
Special case for male spouses
The situation becomes particularly problematic when a male spouse takes his wife’s surname. For example under German law, this name change is permissible. The Turkish Civil Code (Türk Medeni Kanunu), on the other hand, does not allow this form of name change for men.
The legal consequences are significant:
- The marriage cannot be entered in the Turkish civil register,
- it is not possible to register joint children in the Turkish register,
- there are permanent discrepancies between the German and Turkish civil status laws.
Judicial name correction
In such cases, a judicial name correction is required in Turkey.
To this end, proceedings for name correction are initiated before the competent Turkish civil courts.
The aim of the proceedings is to
- to align the name in the Turkish register with the German register,
- to ensure that both registers are completely consistent,
- to create the legal basis for further civil status entries.
These legal proceedings take place before the initiation of naturalization or, if applicable, expatriation proceedings (naturalization / expatriation).
Continuation of the proceedings after successful correction
Once the court’s correction order has become final, the following can be done:
- the marriage can be duly entered in the Turkish register,
- children can be registered in the Turkish civil registry,
- and the naturalization or expatriation proceedings can then be continued in a legally secure manner and without formal obstacles.
Why legal assistance is recommended
Name discrepancies between German and Turkish registers are among the most common reasons for rejection and delay in nationality law proceedings. Early legal review and court correction are therefore essential.
Our law firm provides comprehensive support in:
- court name correction proceedings in Turkey,
- register comparisons between Germany and Turkey,
- preparation and implementation of naturalization or reacquisition procedures.
The procedure is formal, multi-stage, and discretionary.
Our experience shows that many applications fail or are delayed due to:
- Incorrect documentation
- unclear reasons for loss of citizenship,
- lack of legal argumentation,
- insufficient communication with authorities.
Our services at a glance
Our law firm offers you:
- legal review of the requirements for reacquisition
- If necessary, an individual strategy depending on your personal situation regarding name correction
- Complete application and document coordination
- Communication with consulates and Turkish authorities
- Support until the decision is made and the entry is made in the register
We specialize in Turkish citizenship law and offer bilingual consulting (Turkish/English).
Contact & consultation
If you would like to check whether it is possible to reacquire Turkish citizenship in your case, please contact us for an initial legal consultation.
You can fill out the form on our website to share your inquiries with us without any obligation, or you can call us.
403