What are the cases in which Turkish citizenship can be withdrawn?

As I explained before in my previous articles published in October and November, many news and rumors circulating on social media in recent months seem to have raised fears among many Arabs who obtained Turkish citizenship in different ways over the years Last. 

Among this news and rumors is a video clip of a politician claiming that citizenship granted to Arab investors will be revoked if the government changes in Turkey in 2023.

In this short article, I will highlight the rules regarding the withdrawal of citizenship in Turkey, which will enable readers to understand the conditions under which Turkish citizenship can be withdrawn by the authorities and help them not be indifferent to rumors spreading misinformation on this subject.

Suppose a Turkish citizen voluntarily works for the benefit of a foreign country officially at war with Turkey without the exclusive permission of the Turkish President. In that case, this will lead to that person losing Turkish citizenship.

If a Turkish person voluntarily joins the military services of a foreign country without permission from the Turkish authorities, that person loses Turkish citizenship.

At the outset, I would like to say that the authorities can withdraw Turkish citizenship in some instances. But, legally speaking, there are two clear sets of laws in this regard: the general laws on the loss of Turkish citizenship that apply to both original and naturalized Turkish citizens. 

Specific laws relating to the stripping of citizenship apply only to naturalized Turkish citizens. 

We will address these laws in the same order in this article.

General rules regarding loss of Turkish citizenship

Only four reasons can lead to the loss of Turkish citizenship. When the Turkish authorities discover one of these reasons, they refer their findings to the Turkish Presidency Office. The authority to make the final decision in this regard is in the hands of the Turkish President. The stripping of citizenship becomes effective Legally as soon as the President’s decision is published in the Turkish Official Gazette; the four reasons are as follows:

If the person holds Turkish citizenship and voluntarily works for the interest of a foreign country and his services to that country do not correspond to the interests of Turkey, the Turkish authorities urge the person concerned to leave that job within three months. If the person concerned does not comply with the order of the authorities, he loses Turkish citizenship.

Suppose a Turkish citizen voluntarily works for the benefit of a foreign country officially at war with Turkey without the exclusive permission of the Turkish President. In that case, this will lead to that person losing Turkish citizenship.

If a Turkish person voluntarily joins the military services of a foreign country without permission from the Turkish authorities, that person loses Turkish citizenship.

If a Turkish citizen has committed the crimes stipulated in Articles 302, 309, 310, 311, 312, 313, 314, and 317 of the Turkish Penal Code (all these crimes are included in crimes against the security of the Turkish state and the constitutional order of Turkey), and if this person is out of reach because he fled Turkey to escape investigation Legal and trial in the crimes committed, the Ministry of Justice urges that person to return to Turkey within three months. If he does not comply with the request of the Ministry of Justice, he may lose Turkish citizenship.

When a Turkish citizen loses Turkish citizenship due to the reasons above, this does not affect the citizenship of his wife and children.

Rules regarding revocation of Turkish citizenship

There would be only one reason to withdraw Turkish citizenship from naturalized Turkish citizens: if the Turkish authorities discovered that citizenship had been obtained by a false statement or by concealing basic facts that could have affected obtaining citizenship. 

When there is a suspicion that this has happened, the Ministry of Interior will investigate the matter and withdraw citizenship based on any evidence that proves the validity of that suspicion.

The main difference between the general laws regarding the loss of Turkish citizenship and the specific laws regarding the revocation of citizenship is that in the latter scenario, the citizenship of the wife or husband and children is also revoked.

Although it seems that there is only one reason to revoke Turkish citizenship, it is stated in loose language. Therefore many cases can fall within that language. 

For example, suppose a foreign investor makes an investment to apply for Turkish citizenship but submits a severely manipulated valuation report to prove that the value of his investment exceeds the required minimum. In that case, this can be considered a false statement when it is discovered. 

Also, if a foreigner obtains exceptional citizenship by bribing some senior officers, this will be considered concealment of basic facts upon discovery.

This means those who obtained Turkish citizenship by these suspicious methods should worry about their status because any new government may want to investigate all citizenship applications retroactively. 

As for the rest of the people who obtained citizenship by following legal procedures, there is no need to worry about their status because preserving their citizenship is a right guaranteed to them by the constitution. Therefore, they can take the necessary legal measures against the Turkish authorities even if the Turkish government tries to take any measures that affect their constitutional rights. 

I believe that no Turkish government would dare to take such unconstitutional steps in any scenario after the upcoming elections.

Source: aljazeera.net