Tag: citizenship by investment

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Becoming Turkish Requires Learning Turkish

Throughout our Turkish Citizenship by Investment journey, many have asked us if we speak Turkish.

Put simply… no. Aside from fundamentals.

I have always had a brain for languages and can still get by in the Spanish and French I took in school. But Turkish is a whole different structure — nothing like the Romance Languages of my past.

Which just provides an additional challenge — I’m not shying away from it!

Many speak at least basic English, if not better. In fact, Turks are usually eager to practice their English when you’re out and about, so I have had to specify that I’m trying to practice, too! It makes me feel better that some of the other expats we’ve met, even after a year of residency, are still at the Sesame Street level. We’re not alone!

While there are many apps available for foreign language learning, nothing beats sitting down with a native speaker and just chatting. (I made some local friends from a Duolingo Spanish conversation group — so I’m not totally against apps!)

In our recent trip to Istanbul, in fact, I felt so rudimentary in my communication that I couldn’t help but think of the famous ESL scene from Stripes…

Immersion will be the best classroom once we’re able to be there longer-term!

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Do I Have…

I don't have a police record, but I think Synchronicity is a pretty good Police CD.

As mentioned in the last few posts, we learned that we had/have a lot more hoops to jump through before being awarded our Turkish passports and citizenship.

Before this last visit, we had to get background checks to ensure that we don’t have criminal records (spoiler alert: we’re goody two-shoes). Which involved additional paperwork and expense.

I didn’t do this, but I was tempted… When they asked if I had a police record, I wanted to tell them no, but I have a Police CD. (Sting and team wrote killer songs. Just a musician’s opinion. Fight me.)

Seriously, tho: We had to get fingerprinted and verified on both the US and Turkish sides. Mr. Becoming Turkish had no problem, but fingerprints have often been the bane of my existence. Why do I have shallow prints? All I can think of is hands in water and solvents too often.

Shout-out to Seattle Fingerprint (Shoreline, WA) for managing to get my fingerprints before the deadline passed. We had tried one of our local post offices, and while the Mr. went through with no problem, they tried every trick in the book to get my prints to show. Warm up hands. Wash hands to get oils off. Different angles. Nope. I was so distraught, hoping that this would not be my barrier to citizenship.

After that little shop captured my fingerprints, I was not out of the woods — I had to do the same in Istanbul. In the weeks prior, I used a lot of lotion on my fingertips (supposedly heals any damage to prints) and avoided hand sanitizer (alcohol can be bad for prints). It took a little back and forth and trial and error, but my prints showed up in Istanbul, and they verified properly in my second appointment.

Can I say — WHEW!!!

So funny that I never thought that fingerprints could be a barrier to my second citizenship. Which got me thinking: what do people with amputated fingers/hands/arms do?

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Second Passport, Second Name?

Sign your name on the form

Did you know that I might need a new name when we become Turkish citizens?

I mean, names I’ve considered: Ink Ognito (only when I want to stay in hiding), Paige Turner (overdone?), Ima Pseudonym…

Seriously, though. Apparently Turkish society is still — shall I say — a bit behind on women’s rights.

When we got married in 2001, I made a last-minute decision to keep my own last name. While I was thrilled to become his life-partner, even at the ripe age of 27, I felt like changing my name meant changing my deep-down identity. So, I didn’t change.

Yet, after we had already committed to the citizenship process, our attorney told us that in most cases, husband and wife need to have the same last name. I was gobsmacked, to say the least.

But I wasn’t going to let that stop our citizenship application. I just thought, “gee, after 50 years, I’ll have to teach myself a new way to sign my name.”

On this recent trip, however, our attorney filled out our paperwork with our legal American names for both of us — and told us to cross our fingers that it would go through. I still don’t know.

I guess it might be cool to have two identities either way?

Interestingly, when applying for Turkish citizenship, you can opt to change your name to anything. The thought briefly crossed our minds to create new Turkish names for each of us, but we quickly discarded it due to overall logistical challenges.

However, it would be super convenient to have a Turkish name when we visit an Espresso Lab, the only chain which insists on putting a name on a cup Starbucks-style (funnily enough, even when there’s no crowd). I have had mixed results trying to communicate my first name to staff, and got this interesting result from one of my visits:

How does Brooke become Billar???

On future visits, I learned to hold up the credit card I used, point at the spelling of my name, and hope for the best. (Worked, mostly, the last time I went to Espresso Lab — they’re more expensive, so not a frequent stop for us, but I looooove their Green Plum drink!)

Overall, there is a fair amount of gender equality in major cities like Istanbul. So, the possible name change surprised us. Hopefully they accept our attorney’s current application with my legal American name!

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Still at #14…

Maiden's Tower

It’s been a minute, eh?

Last time we chatted, we were on step #14 of the 15-step Turkish citizenship process. Annnnnd we’re still at Step 14, nine months later.

Why the delay, you ask? As always, red tape. Bureaucracy.

Last October, we were told that only Bruce needed to complete residency paperwork, and that I would be carried along with his application. Which was true then. But an early call from our Turkish attorney on March 1 made things a little more complicated.

She told us that there had been a change to the program. We both would need official US background checks, and both of us needed fingerprints verified. In person.

I thought, so much for my goal of having a Turkish passport by my 50th birthday (just over a month ago). But — at least it would eventually happen. Hopefully. I was only half-joking with our attorney when I asked if I should leave a DNA sample.

While we toyed with the idea of spending a quick week in Istanbul in May, we knew that it made the most sense to wait until the July/August trip we’d already planned. (Besides, it gave the government a few months to add even more requirements — which they luckily did not, but it was a good buffer, anyway.)

During our time in Istanbul, we had two appointments: first to get my fingerprints, and then to verify both of our fingerprints around 3 1/2 weeks later. We were among the lucky, who had already planned a longer trip; many other expats we spoke with had to make two separate trips for the two appointments.

We haven’t heard anything else yet, so we assume all is well. But since not many passports have been issued since this change, we’re planning an October ’25 trip to update our residency (which needs to be done in person every year).

In case you’re wondering about the rationale behind these changes, put simply: corruption. It ends up that many of the now-former government officials rubber-stamped “spouses” without thorough research, letting folks in (criminal background, etc) who should not have been. The new government, noting that this had gotten out of hand, started requiring background checks for all applicants, not just one from each couple.

Whew! That was a lot to unpack. But hopefully… someday… we’ll be the owners of that red passport to go alongside our current blue ones.

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CBI: Almost There!

At the beginning of the year, our Turkish attorney sent us this list, which outlines the Turkish CBI (Citizenship By Investment) process:

When I found this list earlier today, I was thrilled to see that we are currently at #14!

It wasn’t that long ago that we were spending a long time in #4. It took us a long time to find places that fit in our budget and would make good rentals. Plus, we wanted properties that we’d want to stay in, as well.

Some of these steps were almost instantaneous, which is how we’ve stepped through them so quickly. For example, applying for the Residency Permit (#13) happened over the course of a few morning meetings. That paperwork was processed relatively quickly, and I’m happy to say that as of the end of October ’23, we are indeed Turkish residents!

At this point, our application is in “the queue”, we’re told. We’re not the only ones applying for Turkish citizenship, after all. Our attorney told us that processing time was 3-4 months. Since we applied toward the end of October, hopefully we’ll have our shiny, new passports in January or February!

Here’s looking forward to our second passports in the new year. It will be strange at first, but it will open up so many more opportunities — primarily, being able to stay in Turkiye longer-term. It has taken patience and a lot of attention to detail, but it can be done.

If you’re curious about CBI (or Golden Visa) programs, please DM me, and I’m happy to chat!

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Still In The Game

I’ve been having some WordPress technical problems and haven’t been able to post. We are still in progress on our CBI!

You may recall our previous post in which I mentioned our two properties. One is located in the city of Istanbul, near the tourist-popular Galata Tower and Istiklal Street. The other is located in a coastal area, not far from Izmir.

Just our luck that the coastal property, in the town of Karaburun, was almost move-in ready! It just needed to be furnished once we purchased it. (Unfortunately, many of the furnishings have been slow going, since several were out of stock as university students needed them to furnish their apartments. Only one sofa to go!) Once that unit is entirely furnished, we will be able to rent it out.

The other one, in Istanbul, is in a fantastic location, but needed to have a different layout to make it useable as a rental. We have a team working on renovations, and we’re told they’ll be finished by Jan ’24. Then, we can rent that one out, too!

Our goal is not necessarily to make money on these. Some people start CBI as a means to invest in foreign property, that they then will earn an income from. While it would be great if we actually earned money from these rental properties, the most important feature, for us, was our means to a second passport.

We will be heading to see our properties in person very soon! I’m always up for a trip to Turkiye, but this will be a special one in two ways. First, seeing our new properties, of course. But secondly, Turkiye’s centennial is on October 29, and we want to enjoy the festivities!

The last time we were in Istanbul in ’21, it occurred to us that ’23 would mark 100 years for the country. We thought, wouldn’t it be nice to come back for that event. Not only are we coming back for that, but we will start the last phase of paperwork to apply for our Turkish passports. Hopefully by my birthday next August, I will be a citizen of two countries!

Watch this space to learn more…

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The Future Of CBI

A pile of international passports
Second passports are valuable. Are they still possible?

Back when I was a kid in the 80’s, the idea of having a second (or third) passport was for the rich and famous, something that Robin Leach included in his “champagne wishes and caviar dreams.” (If you understand that reference, you”re probably pulling out the Geritol every morning.)

But more recently, it has become more of an option for everyday folks like you and me. Whether you get your second passport through Citizenship by Descent, whereby some countries allow you to document recent heritage, or through a Golden Visa/CBI style program, it’s possible for us plebes to get a second passport.

However, if you stay up on the news in these circles, you may have noticed a trend: Portugal recently did away with its Golden Visa program. Some of the Caribbean islands have tightened their restrictions. Even Turkiye increased its minimum required investment in 2022 (from $250K to $400K — ah, if only we’d had more liquid assets at the time).

Why is this happening? No one has made an official statement, but a big international crisis (looking at you, Putin) has shaken things up quite a bit, creating massive population shifts.

Am I telling you to throw in the towel if this is a dream? NO! Absolutely not. But I do believe that these programs will continue to adjust in the coming years, and probably not in our favor.

What I am telling you is that if you’d like to invest in a CBI or Golden Visa program, and you have the means to do so, consider acting now rather than later. Because you never know how much longer your dream will be an option.

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Properties Achieved!

By the end of May ’23, we had negotiated, settled, and purchased two properties in Turkiye. Once those were officially complete, there was quite the sigh of relief!

With the rapidly changing USD to TRY (Turkish Lira) exchange rate, it was a tight squeeze to get these properties while still hitting the $400K mark, required for CBI.

(And we’re still not 100% certain that we’re at $400K, even today in mid-July. More on that complication later. Fingers crossed that these two purchases hit our goal!)

One of our two spots is in Istanbul, close to touristic areas:

This property is an apartment in an historical building, and it’s located where the heart is (underneath the bold KABATAS). It’s a few minutes away from the famous Istiklal Street, famous for its great shopping and eating. In just a few minutes on public transport, you can reach the historic district, featuring the Grand Bazaar and Aya Sofia.

This neighborhood, while not our absolute favorite, is also one that we really enjoy. We’re hoping to use the apartment ourselves sometimes, while also earning some rental income through AirBnb when we’re not there.

NOTE: We are not pursing this as a second income source. If it makes enough money to generate a second income, that will be fantastic! Our main goal is to make back some, or all, of our investment. It’s in a popular area, so hopefully others will also want to stay there!

Our second location is near the town of Karaburun, less than an hour’s drive from Izmir on the Aegean Coast. It’s a small getaway cottage in an up-and-coming area. In fact, Alacati (look south of Karaburun) is quite a popular weekend destination! While the two of us are more city folk, we expect this location to be popular for those who want to escape the city.

The Karaburun location is in the process of being furnished, and it will be ready to rent. The Istanbul property is taking a bit more work, needing some minor renovations. It’s great to have the variety between the two of them!

In the coming weeks, I will keep you updated on the process of getting these properties rental ready. Check back soon!

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How To Find A Property

Home in Bodrum
Properties in Turkiye range from old to new, small to large. (Image credit: Daily Sabah)

So, you want to buy property in Turkiye. How do you get started?

We started by watching a few YouTube channels focused on foreign property, including Wandering Investor. Through the Wandering Investor channel, we learned about an Istanbul-based real estate agent who is experienced in working with foreigners. (He’s from Canada, so he’s fluent in English, too.) We found his contact information in the comments section of the video, and simply reached out.

Keith enthusiastically responded and connected me to his local network, including a few WhatsApp groups with other current and prospective investors. Others in the group were also eager to provide backchannel chats with advice, which I found particularly helpful from those already in the late stages of the CBI process.

One of the WhatsApp groups is basically a repository for real estate listings, including photos. So, as our money became available, I was paying more attention to these. Keith and his team also worked relentlessly, often until late in the night for them, to find the right combination of properties for us.

Our properties? I’ll write about them in the next post…

But for now, know that there are a variety of property types available if you’re wanting to invest. There’s a lot of newer construction, which is more expensive, of course. Older properties are also available, but you need to ensure that they are earthquake-safe. And you can choose an urban location (such as Istanbul), a coastal beach location (such as Bodrum, shown in the photo above), or something rural elsewhere in the country.

Once you have the appropriate connections, it’s pretty straightforward to find a Turkish property that works for you! We certainly did.

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Property Search

(Note: this post was originally written in early May 2023. Spoiler alert — we have since found properties in Turkiye. But this post outlines the process for finding properties.)

This cool map was on the wall at one of the properties where we stayed in Istanbul.

Our money is deposited into our Turkish bank account, and it’s time to look for a place! The only thing – the clock is ticking, since with the country’s presidential election looming (this post written during the first week of May), it’s unclear if the CBI program will be maintained. There is zero likelihood that they would choose to terminate it the day after the May 14th election, but if such a decision were made, we may only have until June 1 or June 15 to finalize our property purchases. If only our money had been available earlier – this last-minute stress would not have been such an issue!

I didn’t know that the property purchase would be as stressful as waiting for the money to come in. Many properties for sale are under $400K, meaning we’re trying to get two. (Better to diversify our investments, anyway.) But with a hard upper limit to our budget, it’s become a game of Tetris to come up with two properties that fit the criteria, but don’t exceed $450K.

What are these criteria, you ask? The most basic one is that the property is suitable to be used for the CBI program. Properties which have been used for CBI in the past, and subsequently sold, are not eligible to be used for the program. Also, in light of the recent Hatay Province earthquake, we want a solid building. But aside from that, we don’t have too many other qualifications. Ideally, it would be in an area where we could rent the apartment and get a reasonable return – basically, the apartment paying for itself in the end.  We’re not sure how much we’ll be staying in our properties when we visit Istanbul, since AirBnBs in our favorite neighborhood are affordable enough.

The friendly faces of Istanbul and Besiktas!

The long-term plan is hopefully to buy a property in our favorite neighborhood after our initial CBI holding period is over. Once we buy our first property, we are allowed to sell it after three years and still maintain citizenship. If we hold the property five years before selling, we will avoid long-term gain taxes. We’d love to use the proceeds from these sales to buy our ideal property in 2028. This, of course, is dependent on availability, world economy, and the status of Turkiye at the time.

Besiktas — our favorite neighborhood! (So far.)

Meanwhile, we feel like we’re close to moving on a pair of properties, but the ten-hour time difference is nervewracking! I don’t expect the agents to stay up all night to help me; as it is, they’ve been more than generous, texting me until 12pm PDT/10pm Istanbul time. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say I spend the entire rest of the afternoon with property anxiety…