Does a Child Born in Turkey Get Turkish Citizenship? Rules for Foreign Parents

A child born in Turkey (Türkiye) to two foreign parents does not become a Turkish citizen by being born there. Turkish citizenship at birth passes by descent: a child is Turkish if the mother or the father is a Turkish citizen, wherever the birth takes place (Law No. 5901, Art. 7). Birth on Turkish soil confers citizenship only where the child would otherwise have no nationality at all (Art. 8). The child of foreign parents takes the parents' nationality and needs a residence permit to stay.

This guide explains the rules of descent, the exceptions, what foreign parents have to do after a birth in Turkey — registration, passport, residence permit — and how a child born in Turkey can become a citizen later.

• Principle: citizenship by descent, not by place of birth (Art. 6–7).
• One Turkish parent is enough when the child is born in wedlock; the same applies to a child born out of wedlock to a Turkish mother (Art. 7(1)–(2)).
• Turkish father, foreign mother, unmarried: the child is Turkish once paternity is legally established (Art. 7(3)).
• Exception — statelessness: a child born in Turkey who acquires no nationality through the parents is Turkish from birth (Art. 8(1)).
• Exception — foundlings: a child found in Turkey is deemed born in Turkey (Art. 8(2)).
• Children of foreign parents: need a residence permit; the application can be made inside Turkey (Law No. 6458, Art. 22(1)(g)).
• Later routes: with a parent who naturalises (Art. 20), by adoption (Art. 17), or on their own application as an adult (Art. 11).

Legal status of this guide. It reflects the Turkish Citizenship Law (No. 5901) and Law No. 6458 as currently in force. Whether a child acquires a foreign nationality depends on the law of the parents' countries. Last updated: October 2026.

In this guide

• The principle: descent, not birthplace
• When one parent is Turkish
• When both parents are foreign
• The statelessness exception
• After the birth: registration and documents
• The child's residence permit
• Does the child's birth help the parents' status?
• Becoming a citizen later
• Protection applicants and temporary protection
• Common mistakes
• Frequently asked questions

The principle: descent, not birthplace

The Citizenship Law distinguishes citizenship acquired at birth from citizenship acquired afterwards (Art. 5). Citizenship at birth is acquired automatically on the basis of descent or of place of birth, and takes effect from the moment of birth (Art. 6). Of those two bases, descent is the rule and place of birth is a narrow safety net.

Turkey therefore does not apply birthright citizenship in the way some countries of the Americas do. There is no residence period after which a child born in Turkey becomes a citizen automatically, and no "anchor" effect: the birth of a child in Turkey does not change the nationality of the child or the immigration status of the parents.

When one parent is Turkish

Family situation	Child's status	Basis
Parents married; mother or father is a Turkish citizen; birth in Turkey or abroad	Turkish citizen from birth	Art. 7(1)
Parents not married; mother is Turkish, father is foreign	Turkish citizen from birth	Art. 7(2)
Parents not married; father is Turkish, mother is foreign	Turkish citizen once the legal procedures establishing descent are completed	Art. 7(3)

In the third case, the link to the father has to be created in law before citizenship follows. Under Turkish family law this happens by the parents' subsequent marriage, by the father's formal acknowledgement of the child, or by a court judgment of paternity. Once descent is established, the child is treated as a citizen by descent.

A child who is Turkish by descent may also hold the foreign parent's nationality. Turkish law accepts multiple citizenship: where a person acquires another state's nationality, this is noted in the civil registry on presentation of the documents (Art. 44). Whether the other country accepts dual nationality is a matter for that country's law.

For a child born abroad to a Turkish parent, the birth should be reported to the Turkish consulate so that the child is entered in the family registry; the child is a citizen from birth, but cannot obtain a Turkish identity card or passport until registered.

When both parents are foreign

The child takes the nationality or nationalities that the parents' national laws give. In Turkey the child is a foreigner, and the general rule applies: a foreigner who will stay beyond the visa or visa-exempt period, or more than 90 days, must hold a residence permit (Law No. 6458, Art. 19).

This is so regardless of how long the parents have lived in Turkey, what permits they hold, whether they own property, or whether they are themselves applying for citizenship. The child's path to citizenship, if any, runs through the routes described below.

The statelessness exception

Article 8 contains the two cases in which place of birth is decisive:

• A child born in Turkey who cannot acquire the citizenship of any country at birth through their foreign mother and father is a Turkish citizen from birth (Art. 8(1)).
• A child found in Turkey is deemed to have been born in Turkey unless the contrary is proved (Art. 8(2)).

The first case arises where both parents are stateless, or where the national law of each parent does not transmit nationality to a child born abroad, or does not allow the mother to transmit it and the father is unknown, stateless or unable to transmit. It has to be demonstrated: the family must show, through the relevant foreign nationality laws and written responses from the consulates concerned, that the child acquired no nationality.

The exception does not apply simply because the parents have not registered the child with their consulate, cannot reach it, or prefer not to. A child who is entitled to a nationality but has not been documented is undocumented, not stateless. Recognition of statelessness and the documents involved are discussed in stateless persons in Turkey.

After the birth: registration and documents

1. Hospital birth report. The hospital issues a birth report. Keep the original; it is the foundation of every later document. For births outside a health facility, the birth is declared to the civil registry with supporting evidence.
2. Notification to the Turkish civil registry. Births in Turkey are notified to the district civil registry directorate (nüfus müdürlüğü) within the statutory period. For a child of foreign parents this does not create a Turkish family-register entry, but the birth is recorded, and an international (multilingual) birth certificate can be obtained from the registry. Do this whatever the parents' immigration status.
3. Registration with the parents' consulate. Report the birth to the consulate of the country or countries whose nationality the child acquires, and apply for the child's passport. Each country has its own deadline and documents — commonly the Turkish birth certificate with apostille and translation, the parents' passports and their marriage certificate.
4. If the parents are of different nationalities, check both national laws: the child may acquire both, one or — rarely — neither.
5. If a parent is unable to approach their consulate because they have sought protection from that state, do not contact it before taking advice; see the section on protection applicants.

The child's residence permit

The law makes specific provision for children born in Turkey: an application for a residence permit made by a mother or father who holds a residence permit in Turkey, for their child born in Turkey, may be lodged inside the country with the governorate (Law No. 6458, Art. 22(1)(g)). The family does not have to leave Turkey and apply at a consulate.

• Which permit. Normally a family residence permit, sponsored by the parent who holds a residence or work permit (Art. 34(1)). The sponsor conditions on income, housing and health insurance covering all family members apply (Art. 35).
• Duration. Up to three years at a time and never beyond the sponsor's own permit (Art. 34(1)).
• When. Apply promptly after the birth, once the child has a passport or, where the passport is delayed, with proof that it has been requested. The migration authorities expect the application within a set period after birth; delay risks an overstay record against the child and fines.
• Consent. For a child's family permit, the consent of a parent abroad who shares custody is required (Art. 34(3)).
• School. A family residence permit gives the right to attend primary and secondary school until the age of eighteen without a student permit (Art. 34(4)).
• At eighteen. A person who has stayed at least three years on a family permit may convert it to a short-term permit on reaching eighteen (Art. 34(5)).

Where the parents hold work permits, long-term permits or international protection documents, the child's status follows the rules of that regime. If the parents themselves have no valid status, the child's birth does not regularise it; take advice before going to the migration office.

Does the child's birth help the parents' status?

Where the child is a foreigner, the birth has no direct effect on the parents' status. Indirectly, the child's interests matter in several ways:

• in decisions refusing, not renewing or cancelling residence permits, the best interests of the child must be taken into account (Law No. 6458, Art. 25(1));
• a humanitarian residence permit may be granted where the best interests of the child are at stake (Art. 46(1)(a));
• pregnancy and health conditions can bar deportation under Article 55 while they last — see who cannot be deported from Turkey.

Where the child is a Turkish citizen because the other parent is Turkish, the foreign parent's position is considerably stronger in terms of family life, but a residence permit is still required; see married to a Turkish citizen and facing deportation.

Becoming a citizen later

Route	How it works	Basis
With a parent who becomes a citizen	When a mother or father acquires citizenship by decision of the competent authority, children in that parent's custody acquire it too if the other parent consents; without consent, the matter is decided according to a court ruling in the country of the parents' habitual residence. Children of a mother and father who acquire citizenship together also acquire it.	Art. 20(2)
Child not included at the time	A child who was not processed together with the parent applies after reaching majority under the general conditions.	Art. 20(3)
Own application as an adult	Five years' uninterrupted residence and the other general conditions.	Art. 11
Parent's exceptional acquisition	Where a parent acquires citizenship as an investor or Turquoise Card holder, the provision extends to the parent's and spouse's minor or dependent children.	Art. 12(1)(b)
Adoption	A minor adopted by a Turkish citizen may acquire citizenship from the date of the decision, absent a national security or public order obstacle.	Art. 17
Marriage	As an adult, after three years of marriage to a Turkish citizen.	Art. 16

Being born in Turkey, speaking Turkish and having grown up in the country are not separate grounds, but they bear directly on the conditions of the general route — residence, intention to settle, language. For a child who has grown up in Turkey, the question at eighteen is usually which of their years of residence count under the citizenship rules; this should be checked before applying. See Turkish Citizenship Application Rejected.

Expecting a child in Turkey, or unsure of your child's nationality or permit? Tell us both parents' nationalities and residence status. Message Yayla Law on WhatsApp or use the contact form.

Protection applicants and temporary protection

• International protection applicants and status holders. A child born in Turkey to parents in the protection procedure is included in the family's file. Report the birth to the provincial directorate of migration management so that the child is registered and issued the relevant identity document. Because the parents are claiming protection from their state, they should not be required to approach its consulate; whether the child is thereby stateless under Article 8 depends on that state's nationality law, not on the lack of contact.
• Temporary protection. Children born in Turkey to parents under temporary protection are registered under the same regime with the provincial migration directorate, and the birth is recorded with the civil registry. They are not Turkish citizens by birth. Some families have acquired citizenship through exceptional decisions; this is discretionary and not a consequence of the birth.
• Undocumented parents. Registration of a birth is a right of the child and does not depend on the parents' status. An unregistered birth creates serious problems later for schooling, health care and proof of identity.

Common mistakes

1. Assuming a birth in Turkey gives citizenship, and not obtaining a passport or permit for the child.
2. Delaying the residence permit application until the child is found to be without status.
3. Not registering the birth with the Turkish civil registry because the parents are foreign.
4. Not registering with the home-country consulate and discovering years later that a deadline for transmitting nationality was missed.
5. Unmarried Turkish father, no acknowledgement of paternity, so the child's citizenship cannot be recorded.
6. Claiming statelessness without evidence that no nationality was acquired.
7. Leaving the child out of a parent's citizenship application or not obtaining the other parent's consent.

Frequently asked questions

Does a baby born in Turkey automatically get Turkish citizenship?

No. Turkish citizenship at birth is based on descent. A child born in Turkey to two foreign parents takes the parents' nationality. Birth in Turkey confers citizenship only if the child cannot acquire any nationality through the parents, or is a foundling.

Is a child with one Turkish parent a Turkish citizen?

Yes. A child born in wedlock to a Turkish mother or father, in Turkey or abroad, is a citizen from birth, as is a child born out of wedlock to a Turkish mother. A child born out of wedlock to a Turkish father and a foreign mother is a citizen once descent is legally established.

Do foreign parents get residence or citizenship if their child is born in Turkey?

No. The birth does not change the parents' status. The child's best interests must be considered in residence decisions and can support a humanitarian residence permit in appropriate cases, but there is no automatic right.

Does my baby need a residence permit?

Yes, if the baby is a foreigner. A parent holding a residence permit can apply inside Turkey for a child born in Turkey. A family residence permit is the usual type, and the application should be made promptly after the birth.

How do I register a birth in Turkey as a foreigner?

Obtain the hospital birth report, notify the district civil registry directorate, and request an international birth certificate. Then register the birth with your own consulate and apply for the child's passport.

What if my child cannot get any nationality from us?

A child born in Turkey who cannot acquire the citizenship of any country through the mother and father at birth is a Turkish citizen from birth under Article 8. You will need to prove, with the foreign laws and consular responses, that no nationality was acquired.

Can my child become Turkish when I become a citizen?

Yes. When a parent acquires citizenship by decision of the competent authority, children in that parent's custody acquire it as well if the other parent consents. Children of parents who acquire citizenship together also acquire it.

Can a child born in Turkey apply for citizenship at eighteen?

Yes, under the general conditions: five years' uninterrupted residence, intention to settle, sufficient Turkish, income or a profession, good character and no security obstacle. Which years of residence count should be checked in advance.

Does Turkey allow dual citizenship for children?

Turkish law permits multiple citizenship; a second nationality is noted in the civil registry on presentation of documents. Whether the other country allows it depends on that country's law.

Legal basis and sources

• Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901, Articles 5–8, 11, 12, 16, 17, 20 and 44 — official consolidated text at mevzuat.gov.tr.
• Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection, Articles 19, 22, 25, 34–35, 46 and 55.
• Population Services Law No. 5490 (birth notification).
• Directorate General of Population and Citizenship Affairs — nvi.gov.tr.

This article provides general legal information on Turkish law as of October 2026. It is not legal advice. A child's nationality also depends on the law of the parents' countries; confirm it with the relevant consulates.