The Turkish passport has an advanced position among the world passports and is ranked by the Henley index at 52nd place for 2023.
According to the mentioned indicator, the Turkish passport allows its holder to travel to 111 countries without issuing a travel visa in advance or through e-visa and visas granted upon arrival at airports.
The strength of the Turkish passport:
The strength of a passport depends on the countries it allows the holder to travel to without the need to issue a travel visa in advance or those countries requiring a visa on arrival or an electronic visa.
In turn, the Henly and Passport Index indicators rank the Turkish passport in an advanced position. Many Arab and foreign nationals and weak passport holders want a Turkish passport.
Ways to get a Turkish passport in 2023:
Turkey grants its citizenship holders in the following ways:
By investment:
Turkey issued Turkish citizenship by investment law in 2017, and it has undergone several amendments through the years 2018 – 2019 – 2022, of which are:
– Turkish citizenship by real estate ownership:
Buying a property worth at least 400 thousand dollars, provided it only gets sold after three years.
– Turkish citizenship by bank deposit:
Deposit an amount of 500 thousand dollars in any Turkish bank with no withdrawal for three years.
– Turkish citizenship by a deposit in the pension fund:
Deposit the amount of 500 thousand dollars to the individual pension fund and not withdraw for three years.
– Turkish citizenship by Public Investment:
Establish a company, employ at least 50 Turkish workers, and not lay off any of them for three years.
– Turkish citizenship by purchasing government bonds:
Another way is to buy government bonds worth 500 thousand dollars and hold them for three years.
Turkish citizenship through origin:
If a foreigner proves that his origins are ottoman or Turkish, “father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, uncle, aunt, uncle, aunt,” he has the right to apply for citizenship, provided that he has official papers that prove it.
Turkish citizenship by marriage:
Every foreigner who marries a Turkish citizen can obtain Turkish citizenship after three years of marriage.
Turkish citizenship by adoption:
If a Turkish family of a husband and wife of Turkish origin adopts a foreign child under 18, this child will be granted Turkish citizenship.
Exceptional Turkish citizenship:
Turkey grants its citizenship exceptionally to those it deems appropriate. Turkey has been granting a particular category of Syrian refugees the citizenship since 2016.
Types of Turkish passports:
Public passport (Red Turkish passport):
Native Turkish citizens, as well as those with Turkish citizenship and citizens of the Turkish Republic of Cyprus, receive it without special conditions or criteria.
Personal passport (green passport):
This type of passport requires the employee to meet strict conditions, and the employee’s eligibility to obtain it is determined by the degree of seniority in the government institution where he works.
This passport is also granted to civil servants of the first, second, and third grades and former ministers and deputies of the Turkish people’s Assembly.
Service passport (Gray passport):
It is carried by employees sent by Turkey on special missions outside the country.
Diplomatic passport (black passport):
Members of the Turkish parliament, ministers, governors, generals, mayors of major municipalities, and holders of high positions in Turkey are granted this type of passport. They are required to obtain this type of passport for their service in office, meaning that they cannot obtain it after retirement and cannot give it to their family members.
Which countries allow Turkish passport holders to travel to?
According to the Henley Global Index, the countries that allow Turkish passport holders to travel to without a visa, an electronic visa, or those that are granted upon arrival at airports and crossings are:
The continent of Africa:
Burundi, Botswana, Comoros, Cabo Verde Islands, Gabon, Eswatini, Congo, Guinea Bissau, Egypt, Djibouti, Cote d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Guinea, Liberia, Lesotho, Malawi, Libya, Mayotte, Mali, Nigeria, Niger, South Sudan, reunion.
The American continent:
Belize, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Paraguay, Venezuela, and Uruguay.
The continent of Asia:
Brunei, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Macau, Mongolia, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Philippines, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Tajikistan, Taiwan, Timor-Leste, Thailand, Uzbekistan.
Caribbean region:
Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Barbados, Dominica, Dominicans, Jamaica, Haiti, Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Vincent, and the Grenadines.
The continent of Europe:
Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Kosovo, Georgia, Montenegro, Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Ukraine.
Middle East region:
Armenia, Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, and Qatar.
The continent of Oceania:
Fiji, Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Niue, Tonga, Vanuatu, Tuvalu.
Which countries require the issuance of advance visas?
The African continent:
Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Benin, Cameroon, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Djibouti, Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Guinea, Liberia, Lesotho, Malawi, Libya, Saint Helena.
The American continent:
Canada, Bermuda, USA, Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, Falkland Islands.
The continent of Asia:
Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Japan, Turkmenistan, North Korea, and Vietnam.
Caribbean region:
Aruba, Anguilla, Cayman Islands, Bonaire, Curacao, Cuba, French West Indies, Grenada, Puerto Rico, Montserrat, Saint Martin, Turks and Caicos Islands, US Virgin Islands.
The continent of Europe:
Austria, Andorra, Bulgaria, Belgium, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Czech, Faroe Islands, Estonia, France, Finland, Gibraltar, Germany, Greenland, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Malta, Norway, Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Russian Federation, Romania, Slovakia, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Vatican, United Kingdom.
Middle East region:
Iraq, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, and Yemen.
Oceania:
Australia, American Samoa, Guam, French Polynesia, Nauru, Kiribati, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua Guinea, Northern Mariana Islands, and Solomon Islands.
Are Turkish passport holders allowed to enter Europe?
Some European countries allow Turkish passport holders to enter their territories without a visa, such as: “Albania, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Montenegro, Ukraine,” while countries within the European Union require obtaining a travel visa in advance through their consulates in Turkey.
Can a Turkish passport holder go to the UAE?
Yes, it is possible, but after entering the official UAE website dedicated to applying for visas to travel to the UAE and obtaining a visa.