Foreigners required to have “legal stay rights” for marriage in Turkey

The General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs of the Ministry of Interior sent a letter to marriage registrars. To prevent obtaining Turkish citizenship through official marriage, it was specified that foreigners wishing to marry Turks must have legal stay rights in the country. Accordingly, those who have entered Turkey illegally and do not have a passport or a substitute document will not be able to marry either Turks or each other.

The General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs of the Ministry of Interior announced in a letter sent to marriage registrars that in order to prevent obtaining Turkish citizenship through marriage, the person wishing to marry must have legal stay rights in the country; otherwise, their application should not be accepted.

“INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WANTING TO SETTLE IN TURKEY”

The General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs of the Ministry of Interior sent a written decision to marriage registrars for ensuring public order and combating irregular migration. The letter stated that since the early 2000s, there had been a significant increase in the number of foreigners coming to settle in Turkey, and obtaining residence permits through marriage with Turkish citizens was a subject open to abuse, which also opened the door to becoming a Turkish citizen. It was emphasized that if foreign nationals wishing to marry did not have legal stay rights, their marriage applications should not be accepted.

The letter included the following statements:

– In the letters received by our Ministry, it has been reported that due to the conflicts in the countries located at our borders and the geographical position of our country, there has been a significant increase in the number of foreigners wanting to settle in our country legally or illegally since the early 2000s. Marriage with a Turkish citizen is one of the most preferred methods for obtaining residence permits in our country and gaining Turkish citizenship due to its perceived ease of application. This issue is prone to abuse and provides an opportunity for malicious individuals who have not entered our country legally to stay easily and opens the door to becoming a Turkish citizen.

PASSPORT OR DOCUMENT REQUIRED

The continuation of the letter stated:

– To ensure public order and effectively combat irregular migration, marriage applications will be accepted if a foreign national wishing to marry a Turkish citizen or another foreign national has a valid passport or a substitute document along with legal stay rights in our country. This information should be communicated to all marriage registrars in your province…