Turkey to ease foreign investors' citizenship process

By Burcu Calik

ANKARA

Turkey will open service offices to ease citizenship or long-term residence permit procedures for foreign investors, the Turkish Interior Ministry announced on Saturday.

Last month, the country has reduced required limits for foreigners to acquire Turkish citizenship in order to encourage investment.

"Service offices will be opened in Istanbul and Ankara to follow and finalize citizenship or long-term residency permit processes for foreign visitors who met the conditions in a single location," the ministry said in a written statement.

Foreigners, who want to be a citizen of Turkey, need to make a $500,000 investment, buy real estate worth $250,000 or generate jobs for at least 50 people.

The ministry said offices, which will open on Oct. 22, will check conditions, support investors and provide consultancy and follow applications.

*Gokhan Ergocun contributed to this story from Ankara.