The phrase "buy an apartment and get citizenship" is untrue in most countries. In some, property grants only a residence permit; in others it grants nothing; in others the programme has closed and sellers do not mention it. Below are the four destinations we are asked about most often and what they actually offer as at October 2026.
The essential caveat first: thresholds and conditions change, sometimes mid year. So where a rule is not confirmed by an official source today, the text below says it is being clarified rather than giving an approximate figure.
Turkey: citizenship exists, but not for any apartment
Citizenship by investment requires a property purchase of at least 400 thousand dollars. The condition is that the property is not sold for three years, and that undertaking is recorded at the land registry. The sum may be assembled from several properties, for example two at 200 thousand each, the value is confirmed by an official valuation, and transaction costs do not count towards the threshold.
A spouse and children under 18 obtain citizenship together with the applicant. Processing time depends on the caseload and is currently being clarified: the figures agents quote differ from month to month.
A smaller purchase grants no citizenship. It may support a residence permit, and there the threshold depends on the province and the district: in some places foreign registration is refused altogether because a quota is full. The specific address is checked before the deposit, and that is not a formality.
Bulgaria: no citizenship through property
Fast track citizenship by investment is not currently available in Bulgaria: that route has been suspended since 2022. What remains is a residence permit, granted on ownership of housing worth at least 600 thousand leva, roughly 307 thousand euros.
The permit runs for a year and is renewed annually. After five consecutive renewals, provided ownership is retained and you spend at least half of each year in the country, you may apply for permanent residence.
One point about the form of ownership matters here: a citizen of a country outside the European Union cannot own land in Bulgaria directly. A building, including an apartment or a house, can be bought, but the land beneath a house is held through a Bulgarian company. For an apartment in a complex this is no obstacle; for a house with a plot it is a structure that has to be built in advance.
Spain: the golden visa has been abolished
Spain's residence by investment programme is closed. The relevant provisions were repealed by a law of January 2025, and no new applications have been accepted since 3 April 2025. The most popular route was a property purchase from 500 thousand euros, and that is precisely what no longer exists.
In practice this means you can still buy an apartment in Spain, which was never prohibited, but it no longer brings a residence document. Applications filed before 2 April 2025 are processed under the former rules, and permits already issued remain valid to their expiry.
Other routes to Spain exist and are unconnected to property: a non lucrative visa, a digital nomad visa, study, employment. Their conditions are being clarified and we do not undertake to describe them, because that is not our service.
Cyprus: two territories, two different answers
The Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state, operates a permanent residence by investment programme that includes real estate. Its current conditions and threshold are being clarified: the programme has been revised, and we will not print a figure without fresh confirmation.
Northern Cyprus is a separate jurisdiction and is not part of the European Union. Buying there is possible but carries its own limits: a foreign buyer may register only a limited number of properties, and each transaction requires the approval of the Council of Ministers. We cover it in a separate article, because the title documents there have features that can make a purchase contested.
What holding costs once the document is in hand
Nobody asks about this at a viewing, yet it is paid for years. In Turkey: annual property tax, the complex service charge, insurance, utilities out of season, and renewal of the residence permit if you use it.
In Bulgaria you add the upkeep of a company where the land was registered to one: accounting, filings, annual charges. A dormant company still files returns, and buyers learn this after the purchase.
Together, holding a property abroad usually costs between one and three per cent of its value a year. On a 400 thousand dollar threshold that is four to twelve thousand a year, needed whether you live there or not.
What follows from this
If the document is the aim rather than the property, count the whole sum: the threshold plus taxes, fees, formalities and the cost of holding the property. Three years of holding in Turkey means three years of expenses, not merely frozen capital.
If the property is the aim and the document a welcome extra, the order reverses: first a property you are willing to hold and let, then a check on what it offers in residence terms.
And above all: no agent grants citizenship. The state grants it, under its own procedure and on its own timescale. We find a property that meets the threshold, check it and run the transaction, while the application is filed by a lawyer in that country.
How to start
Tell us the sum, the country you are considering and the purpose: living, letting, or a document. We will send what is available at that sum and say plainly where what sellers promise does not match what the law says.
What sum does Turkey require for citizenship?
From 400 thousand dollars in property with an undertaking not to sell for three years, as at 07.10.2026. The sum may be assembled from several properties, the value is confirmed by an official valuation, and transaction costs do not count towards it.
Does Bulgaria grant citizenship for property?
No. Fast track citizenship by investment has been suspended since 2022. There is a residence permit on ownership of housing from 600 thousand leva, about 307 thousand euros, renewed annually.
Is the Spanish golden visa still available?
No. New applications have not been accepted since 3 April 2025 and the provisions were repealed by a law of January 2025. Applications filed before 2 April 2025 are processed under the former rules.
Can a foreigner buy land in Bulgaria?
A citizen of a country outside the European Union cannot own land directly. A building, including an apartment or a house, can be bought, while the land beneath a house is held through a Bulgarian company.
Can family members be included?
In the Turkish programme a spouse and children under 18 obtain citizenship with the applicant. Elsewhere the family composition that may be included depends on the specific programme and is being clarified.
We will shortlist options for your budget and guide the deal from the first viewing to signing.
