Turkey Real Estate Investment: Preserving and Growing USD Wealth at the Gateway to Asia, Europe, and Africa
November 19, 2025 · Türkiye · 20-minute read
Istanbul sits where Asia meets Europe and connects quickly to Africa across the Mediterranean. Beyond its prime location, it is a regional hub for finance, trade, and logistics. For investors who want to build wealth in markets with steady growth potential while creating a base for international business, Turkey real estate investment offers a comprehensive strategy: preserving USD value, growing assets, and expanding business across borders.
Why Istanbul is a strategic destination for international investors
Istanbul is a transcontinental economic center, strategically positioned between Europe and Asia and connected to many of the region’s major economic hubs. Its location, advanced transport infrastructure, and market scale make it the economic heart of Türkiye.
Türkiye is currently the world’s 19th-largest economy by nominal GDP, and Istanbul generates more than 30% of the country’s GDP. Over the past decade, the city has attracted a wide range of international companies, particularly in logistics, technology, finance, and manufacturing.
Transcontinental connectivity and commercial appeal
Istanbul has two major international airports, including Istanbul Airport, one of the busiest in Europe, along with well-developed highways, metro lines, and seaports. The city offers direct connections to many countries, serving travel, freight, and international business.
Istanbul is also home to free trade zones such as the Istanbul Free Zone, where thousands of manufacturing and export companies operate, particularly in electronics, textiles, components, and processed foods. These zones offer clear opportunities for investors who want to hold real estate while running an active trading business.
Türkiye as a politically and financially neutral base for USD assets
Although Türkiye is not a member of the European Union (EU), its customs union with the EU gives businesses flexible access to European markets. On the financial side, Türkiye allows foreign nationals to own real estate and transact in USD (or EUR), and it does not impose the strict capital controls found in many OECD countries. This makes Istanbul a practical place to hold USD-denominated assets while keeping capital working.
A real estate market open to foreign investors
One strategic factor that is often underestimated when weighing investment migration programs is timing. These policies are not fixed; they move in cycles, and governments adjust them to meet their economic and social objectives at any given time.
Türkiye currently maintains a relatively open policy toward real estate investors. Foreign nationals can own property long term and, by investing in a qualifying property, access a path to citizenship for their family.
Today, a steadily developing economy coincides with a citizenship policy that remains in a favorable phase. Investors should keep in mind that programs like this can be replaced or tightened, as has happened with many programs around the world.
Turkey real estate investment strategy: preserving USD value and growing assets
Owning property in Türkiye can serve as a store of value and as a building block of a global asset structure.
- Portfolio diversification and preserving wealth in hard currency: Owning real estate in Türkiye, with transactions in USD, helps investors spread risk beyond their home market and protect asset value against home-currency volatility. Türkiye’s strategic position between Asia and Europe and its growing economy make it an option worth considering.
- USD-denominated passive income: Rental markets in Istanbul and other major Turkish cities are active, supported by owner-occupier demand and international tenants. Rental income in a hard currency is a significant advantage, supporting capital preservation while generating long-term income.
- Investing for the next generation, with property near international schools and universities: Owning property near leading educational institutions (such as Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Istanbul University, Boğaziçi University, Robert College, British International School, Deutsche Schule Istanbul, and others) can meet your family’s housing needs while your children study, and also offers long-term appreciation potential and steady rental demand, especially when combined with residence or citizenship through real estate investment.
- Building a “Plan B,” a home base for your family amid global uncertainty: Türkiye is one of the few countries that still offers citizenship through real estate investment at a reasonable investment level. With freehold ownership and the option of legal residence, investors can prepare a long-term “Plan B,” a flexible place for their family to settle.
- Travel and retirement abroad: Its position between two continents, diverse landscapes, and relatively affordable cost of living make Türkiye an attractive choice for vacations or retirement. Owning property there gives investors more flexibility in their long-term family plans.
- Freedom of travel, plus residence or citizenship through real estate investment: Türkiye currently runs a citizenship-by-real-estate-investment program with a set minimum investment. Investors and their families may be granted citizenship, gain visa-free access to many countries, and broaden their international mobility.
- Tax treatment for investors: According to Türkiye’s Revenue Administration (Gelir İdaresi Başkanlığı – GİB), as of 2025 foreign investors in Türkiye pay income tax on rental income (approximately 15–35%) and a title deed fee (approximately 4%). Compared with many OECD countries, these rates remain reasonable. Combined with long-term ownership and the freedom to transfer property, they help investors optimize rental returns, support efficient asset management, and facilitate international succession planning.
- Opportunities to expand your business and reach new markets: Türkiye’s legal framework and property rules allow foreign investors to own property directly, transfer it flexibly, and manage it remotely with ease. Real estate can be integrated into global investment structures, supporting wealth management strategies, succession planning, or the creation of an investment entity where needed.
Axis Istanbul: well-appointed, high-end apartments in the heart of Istanbul’s business district
The Axis Istanbul project
Central location, excellent connectivity
The Axis Istanbul project is located in one of Istanbul’s key central business districts (CBDs), on the city’s European side, with convenient transport links and amenities nearby:
- Just 7 minutes to the Old City and 15 minutes to the Taksim Square shopping area.
- Convenient transport links: the M1 metro station and the O-3 highway are directly below the project. The T4 tram stop is 100 m away, and another metro station and the O-1 highway are 600 m away.
- The nearest airport, Atatürk Airport, is a 12-minute drive from Axis, and Istanbul Airport is just 30 minutes away.
- Easy access to other business districts: Mecidiyeköy CBD in 9 minutes, Levent CBD in 12 minutes, and Maslak CBD in 16 minutes.
- Middle and high schools are within 200 m. Several well-known institutions, including Istanbul Technical University, Robert College, Istanbul University, and Boğaziçi University, are about a 20-minute drive away.
- Koç University Hospital and the American Hospital are a 10–20-minute drive from Axis.
Scale and amenities
- 104 studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom apartments with built-in kitchens, kitchen cabinetry, and built-in wardrobes, plus fully fitted bathrooms.
- A distinctive, well-appointed living environment with shopping, a cinema, a sports center, restaurants and cafés, an outdoor park, and more.
- The Axis shopping center on the lower levels is already open, with stores from a range of brands, restaurants, and a cinema.
- Units can be leased out for a variety of uses, lived in as a home, or used as company offices.
The project is developed by one of Türkiye’s leading real estate groups, with an emphasis on timely delivery, build quality, and post-handover property management.
Income potential and versatile use
With an investment amount of US$400,000, a comparatively accessible threshold among citizenship-by-investment programs, an Axis Istanbul property qualifies for Turkey Citizenship by Investment. Investors can lease the unit, use it as a representative office, or resell it after a holding period. Its mix of residential, retail, and transport functions makes the project a solid long-term holding.
| See full details of Axis Istanbul here
Turkey Citizenship by Investment
Through a real estate investment in Axis Istanbul, investors and their families may be granted Turkish citizenship directly, without first holding residence, and enjoy the same rights as other Turkish citizens. The Turkish passport allows travel to more than 110 destinations without a prior visa and can make it easier to apply for EU and Schengen visas. Processing typically takes around 18 months. The program’s straightforward requirements include:
- A minimum property holding period of just 3 years.
- No requirement to prove the source of funds.
- No medical examination required.
- No asset declaration required.
- Open to applicants of most nationalities.
- No upper age limit; no education, work experience, or language requirements.
- No requirement to reside in Türkiye.
With its central location, clear legal title, and versatile uses, Axis Istanbul is more than a long-term asset in the heart of a metropolis linking Asia and Europe. It is also a pathway to Turkish citizenship for your family, and a strategic option for investors who want to preserve USD-denominated wealth, build steady cash flow, and expand their global residence options.
| See full details of Turkey’s citizenship by investment program
Turkey real estate investment: why work with an experienced advisory firm?
The global investment migration landscape is constantly shifting and increasingly complex. Investors need an advisory partner who not only helps them prepare a sound application but also gives their family peace of mind about the future. For the Turkey real estate investment and citizenship program, as for all of our global investment migration solutions, IMM Group acts as a strategic advisory partner, supporting you with experience and integrity.
IMM Group is a pioneering, long-established firm with more than 21 years of hands-on experience in Vietnam. We are not salespeople, and we do more than advise: we design global investment and citizenship solutions built on:
- Rigorous due diligence and risk management: Having successfully handled hundreds of applications, including complex cases, we conduct multi-layered project due diligence and protect investors’ interests rigorously, including during periods of market stress.
- In-depth professional consulting and full transparency: Every IMM Group advisor and case manager holds an investment migration advisory certification from the Investment Migration Council (IMC). Our team analyzes benefits and risks in full, so you can make decisions based on complete and accurate information. We put our clients’ long-term interests first.
- Integrity and commitment at every stage: Guided by our philosophy, “Serving with Authentic Values,” IMM Group commits to supporting you from the first step until you are settled. Integrity is our foundation, reflected in our readiness to protect client interests and to proactively refund service fees when risks beyond the client’s control arise (as set out in the contract).
- Giving back: Since 2025, IMM Group has operated as a nonprofit enterprise, committing at least 50% of its annual profits to the Be Better Fund. By choosing IMM Group, you join us in supporting meaningful initiatives and the social responsibility and human values we pursue.
If you are interested in the Turkey real estate investment and citizenship program, contact IMM Group or leave your details below. Our experienced advisors will provide detailed guidance and help assess the prospects of your application. We are committed to keeping your personal data confidential and will use the information you provide solely to advise on your family’s application.
IMM Group
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