Citizenship after five years of residence: the conditions in article 11 and the file that shows you meet them
Article 11 of Law 5901 lists the conditions for ordinary naturalisation: legal capacity under your own national law; five years of uninterrupted residence in Türkiye before the application date; behaviour confirming the intention to settle; no disease that threatens public health; good moral character; sufficient Turkish; income or a profession to support yourself and dependants; and no obstacle in terms of national security or public order. The Regulation defines what counts as residence and what does not. Meeting the conditions does not create a right — the Ministry decides. Our part is the file: residence history reconstructed from your permits, income documents, health report, criminal records from every relevant country, civil records with apostille and translation, in the order the NVİ list requires, and an interpreter at the interview.
Price — one applicant
State fees and the notarial tariff are paid by you directly to the state or to the notary. We are not a notary and receive no remuneration from any notary, bank or lawyer.
Last verified: 24.10.2026 · source: Law 5901 art. 11 and Regulation arts. 15–16 — mevzuat.gov.tr; NVİ — nvi.gov.tr; Göç İdaresi entry-exit record — goc.gov.trPilot price, valid until 31.12.2026, incl. KDV. Bank fees, state fees and the notarial tariff are separate and paid by you to them.
The conditions, and the document that answers each
| Condition (art. 11) | Shown by | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Five years' uninterrupted legal residence before the application date | Residence permits for the whole period, entry-exit record from Göç İdaresi / e-Devlet | The Regulation allows absences totalling up to twelve months within the five years; permits that do not show intention to settle (for example student, tourism, medical treatment) are not counted — art. 15. A lawyer confirms your count |
| Intention to settle | Property or long lease, work or business, family in Türkiye, children's schooling, Turkish bank and tax records | Assessed as a whole |
| No disease threatening public health | Health report from a state or university hospital | Recent; the office names the form |
| Good moral character | Criminal-record certificates: Turkish (e-Devlet) and from your country and countries of long residence, apostilled and translated | Validity windows apply |
| Sufficient Turkish | Assessed at the interview; certificates (TÖMER, TYS) help but are not required by the law | Interpreter permitted for the procedure; the language itself is assessed |
| Income or profession | Employment contract and SGK record, or company and tax records, or pension and bank statements | Enough for you and dependants |
| Legal capacity, civil status | Passport, birth certificate or civil extract, marriage or divorce records, children's records | Apostille and sworn translation for foreign documents |
National security and public order are assessed by the authorities and are not a document you can supply.
How it works
Residence history and list
Send us your permits and your e-Devlet entry-exit record. You receive a residence-history table against the Regulation's counting rules, with any gap or non-counting period flagged for your lawyer, and the document list for your province.
Collection and chains
Criminal-record certificates from each relevant country with apostille; civil records; income documents; health report at a hospital we name. Our sworn translator translates; a notary certifies where required.
Indexed file and appointment pack
Everything in the NVİ order with an index in Turkish and your language. You lodge it in person at the İl Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık Müdürlüğü; we tell you what to bring and what to expect.
Interview
One preparation session on your own file — your residence history, your work, your family — and a sworn interpreter beside you at the commission. Your Turkish is assessed by the commission; we do not prepare answers.
Typical cases
- Employee on work permits for six years, family here, children at school: a clear file where the entry-exit record simply needs to be reconciled with the permits.
- Business owner on a short-term permit renewed yearly with long trips abroad; the twelve-month absence rule and the permit type decide, and the lawyer answers first.
- Former student who later worked: the student years are not counted under art. 15 of the Regulation; the five years run from the later permit.
- Applicant with records in three countries: three criminal-record certificates with three apostille regimes and validity windows to align.
- Spouse applying with the main applicant: each adult has their own file; children are included as dependants.
What can go wrong
- Counting years that the Regulation does not count. The most common refusal reason. The residence-history table exists to show you the gap before you apply, and your lawyer confirms.
- A gap between permits. Even a short unlawful period can break continuity; the entry-exit record shows it. Know before you apply.
- Income shown only informally. Cash income without tax or SGK records does not satisfy the income condition in the file.
- Documents out of their validity window at the appointment. Order criminal records and health report last.
- Turkish insufficient at the interview. No document replaces it. If your Turkish is limited, a course before applying is the honest route.
Questions
Does five years on any residence permit qualify?
No. Article 15 of the Regulation excludes periods on permits that do not show intention to settle — student, tourism, medical treatment and similar — and counts absences totalling more than twelve months as an interruption. We build the table from your permits; a lawyer you retain confirms whether your five years count.
Is there a Turkish-language exam?
The law requires sufficient Turkish, assessed by the commission at the interview; it does not prescribe a certificate. A TÖMER or TYS certificate can be included as evidence. A sworn interpreter may attend for the procedure, but the commission will speak to you in Turkish.
How long after lodging the file is the decision?
The authority's investigation and the Ministry's decision take the time they take; we do not estimate it and nobody can shorten it. We keep the log and tell you what each status on the NVİ enquiry page means.
What does the state charge?
Application and identity-card fees as published by NVİ, the hospital's fee for the health report, and foreign apostille fees. All paid by you directly; none through us.
Related: citizenship document pack — any route · interview accompaniment · residence renewal guidance · guide: criminal record certificate · legal information — retaining a lawyer · back to citizenship
Send your permit history
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