Levent Law Firm prepares Turkish citizenship applications in Izmir, resolves gaps in family and residence records, and challenges refusal decisions before the administrative courts. As your Izmir Turkish citizenship lawyer, we identify the legal basis supported by your history and present the documents that make it clear to the decision-maker. We take responsibility for the file from the first review through official requests and the final decision.
Your years in Izmir, a Turkish parent, a marriage, or a former Turkish citizenship may point to different legal positions. We examine the underlying records and build the application around the claim they support.
We file and follow your citizenship application under a power of attorney
Under Article 37 of Law No. 5901, the application is made to the governorate of the province of residence or to a Turkish mission abroad, in person or through a power of attorney. With that authority, Levent Law Firm files the application and handles the follow-up with the provincial citizenship office; you attend personally only for steps such as biometric collection. You provide the records, and we take the file to a decision.
The implementing Regulation identifies identity, civil status, residence, and family records as central parts of the application file. We compare names and dates across passports, foreign certificates, Turkish registry extracts, and earlier applications before submission. If the office requests a missing document or clarification, we answer the specific request and supply the supporting record rather than sending a generic explanation.
Law No. 5901 places the examination and decision with the competent authorities. We track the file, obtain official correspondence, and keep the evidence consistent as the review moves from the provincial office to the Ministry. For a client whose residence status also needs attention during that period, we handle that distinct matter through our immigration law practice in Izmir, so the right to stay is secured while the citizenship file is under review.
We build the application from your actual status
For a foreign resident who has made a home in Izmir, citizenship work begins with the residence history and the reason for settlement. We compare permits, entry and exit records, address records, family documents, and evidence of work or income. Where those sources tell different stories, we obtain the underlying record and explain the discrepancy in the application.
Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901, Articles 10 and 11 governs acquisition by decision of the competent authority. The general route requires five years of uninterrupted residence in Türkiye before the application, and under Article 15 up to twelve months in total spent abroad during that period still count as residence. We calculate the relevant residence history from official records, then make the case for settlement with evidence tied to life in Izmir: an established home, family ties, professional activity, or property that is actually used there.
The authority decides whether to grant citizenship under Article 10, so the file has to show settlement, not only time spent in the country. We present the documents together with a reasoned account of the applicant's residence, including any change of residence status, and answer the questions raised during review.
Turkish parentage: we prove a citizenship that began at birth
A person born to a Turkish parent may already be a Turkish citizen from birth under Article 7 of Law No. 5901. We pursue proof and registration of that existing status for someone whose birth was recorded abroad or whose parentage was never connected to the Turkish register.
We trace the parent and child through birth certificates, family registry extracts, marriage or parentage records, and earlier identity documents. Different spellings, changed surnames, and gaps between foreign and Turkish records are common practical issues in these files. We identify which record establishes the family link and bring the evidence to the competent authority in a form it can assess.
The Regulation implementing the Turkish Citizenship Law, Articles 62 to 64 addresses proof of citizenship, disputed status, and the application authority. It allows a person claiming Turkish citizenship through a parent to submit evidence of that link. We prepare the claim, pursue the registry inquiry, and address an adverse determination through the appropriate legal route.
Marriage and children: we connect the family record to the citizenship decision
For a foreign spouse of a Turkish citizen in Izmir, Article 16 of Law No. 5901 allows a foreign spouse who has been married for at least three years, and whose marriage is continuing, to apply for citizenship; the couple must live in family unity. We examine the marriage record, the household history, address documents, and the material the provincial commission will review. The case is presented as a documented family life, with any inconsistent dates or civil status entries resolved before they become the focus of an official inquiry.
The law provides a separate benefit for children when a parent acquires citizenship by decision. Under Article 20, minor children may acquire citizenship with a parent in the circumstances set out there, including the required parental consent or a judicial decision where consent is absent. We review custody and parentage documents together with the applicant's file and prepare the child's position at the same time, so the decision can be reflected correctly in the family register.
Under Article 20, a parent's acquisition does not extend to a foreign spouse, and children who were not included later apply as adults under the general route. We prepare each family member's application on its own legal basis and coordinate the civil records shared by the files.
Former Turkish citizens: we establish the route back
Some people with a former Turkish civil record can reacquire citizenship under Article 13 of Law No. 5901 without a residence-period requirement. The provision covers defined categories, including people who lost citizenship by obtaining permission to renounce it. Article 14 adds a route for people who gave up citizenship through the right of choice: they can reacquire it after three years of residence in Türkiye. We obtain the prior citizenship and loss decisions, compare old and current identity records, and present the evidence that connects the applicant to the statutory category.
This is a practical route for a former citizen who has returned to Izmir or still owns a home here. A change of name abroad, an old registry entry, or an incomplete loss record can obscure the legal basis. We reconcile those documents and seek the decision under the re-acquisition provision, keeping the client's property and family records aligned with the restored status.
For a foreign national with a substantial professional or economic contribution, Article 12 provides an exceptional acquisition route. We examine the relevant official determination and the records behind the proposed route, including property or business documents where they are material. We present the specific contribution and its supporting decision to the authority assessing the application. Our related practice's Turkish citizenship law overview sets out the broader legal framework; here we handle the individual's Izmir file.
A refusal: we challenge the decision on its stated grounds
When a citizenship application is refused, we obtain the written decision, the notification, and the documents considered by the authority. We compare the refusal with the route actually claimed and the records submitted, then identify a factual error, an incomplete inquiry, or a legal ground that the decision has applied incorrectly. The challenge addresses the specific finding in the decision.
Article 19 of Law No. 5901 provides for ministerial examination and a decision on applications by the competent authority; Article 41 addresses notification of citizenship decisions. Under Administrative Procedure Law No. 2577, Article 2, an administrative act affecting a person's interests can be challenged by an annulment claim. Under Article 7 of the same law, the case is filed within sixty days of the written notification, since Law No. 5901 sets no separate period. We calculate that deadline from the actual notice, prepare the petition, submit the documentary record, and represent the client before the administrative court.
Some files call for correcting an official record as well as contesting a refusal. We identify the responsible authority and the underlying document, then pursue the correction or the court claim that addresses the actual defect. A parentage dispute, a conflicting birth date, or an incomplete residence record deserves its own legal answer within the citizenship strategy.
The decision gives the family a usable legal status
A decision granting citizenship takes effect from its decision date under Article 20 of Law No. 5901. From that date the person is a Turkish citizen: residence and work permits are no longer needed, and property, inheritance and business matters in Izmir proceed under the rules that apply to citizens. We follow the notification and registration so the client's Turkish civil record reflects the decision and the Turkish identity card can be requested on the right basis. When the decision includes a child, we check that the family entries show the child's position correctly.
Article 44 also provides for the recording of multiple citizenship in the Turkish family register when the person presents evidence of another nationality and the identity records match. We handle the Turkish registry side of that record where it matters to a client with foreign documents and an Izmir household. A consistent identity history supports later family and property filings.
Our Izmir practice areas show the other legal work we take on when a citizenship decision meets a property or family dispute.
Put your citizenship file in our hands
Send us the citizenship application or refusal notice, your passport and residence history, and the family or property record on which your claim depends. We will identify the legal basis, assemble the evidence, answer the authority, and bring the court claim when the decision requires it. Read about Attorney Alparslan LEVENT and contact us about your Turkish citizenship case in Izmir to put the file before us.