TRNC PM Denies Citizenship-for-Property Programme Amid Rumours
The Prime Ministry of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has issued an official statement rejecting claims that citizenship would be granted in exchange for property purchases, following widespread rumours and media reports in recent days.
The statement was released by the Prime Ministry under Ünal Üstel, after reports suggested that TRNC citizenship could be offered to Turkish citizens who buy residential property, most commonly citing a threshold of USD 150,000.
Citizenship claims explicitly denied
Quoting directly from the Prime Ministry statement, the government said:
“Our Government has no study, decision, or agenda regarding the granting of TRNC citizenship in exchange for the purchase of residential property worth USD 150,000. There is no government policy to this effect, nor is there any preparation underway at the relevant institutions.”
The statement stressed that there is no existing or planned framework linking property ownership to citizenship.
Source of the rumours
According to the Prime Ministry, the claims stemmed from public remarks made in a media interview by the president of the Cyprus Turkish Construction Contractors Association. The government said these remarks do not reflect state policy and should not be interpreted as an official proposal.
The statement also clarified that during a recent Economic Organisations Information Meeting attended by Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and Prime Minister Üstel, no proposal or discussion regarding citizenship linked to property purchases was raised by the government.
Call for reliance on official sources
The Prime Ministry urged the public to rely solely on official institutional communications and warned against unverified reports circulating on social media and in parts of the press.
In recent days, speculation about a potential “citizenship for property” scheme had gained traction amid broader debates over housing and property ownership in the TRNC. The government’s statement seeks to formally close the discussion by ruling out such a programme.