Blue Card Turkey (Mavi Kart): rights and application

The Turkish Blue Card (Mavi Kart) is issued to people who were Turkish citizens by birth and gave up Turkish citizenship with official permission, and to their descendants up to the third degree. It shows that they continue to enjoy the rights of Turkish citizens (Article 28 of the Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901, Türk Vatandaşlığı Kanunu). The law lists the exceptions one by one: no right to vote or stand for election, no duty-free import of a vehicle or household goods, no military service obligation, and no permanent civil service post.

Abroad, the card is issued by Turkish consulates; in Türkiye, by district civil registry offices (ilçe nüfus müdürlüğü). It has nothing to do with the EU Blue Card, the residence permit Germany and other EU states issue to skilled workers.

Who can get the Mavi Kart

Article 28(1) has two conditions. You must have been a Turkish citizen by birth, and you must have lost that citizenship by obtaining a renunciation permit (çıkma izni). Someone who acquired Turkish citizenship later, for example through marriage, and then gave it up is not covered. Nor is someone whose citizenship was taken away by presidential decision (Article 29), because it did not end through a permit.

The permit is granted by the Ministry of the Interior. You must be of age and capable of judgement, you must have acquired a foreign citizenship or show credible signs that you will, you must not be wanted for a crime or in connection with military service, and there must be no financial or criminal restriction against you (Article 25). The permit is valid for two years from the decision; if you do not prove the foreign citizenship within that time, it lapses (Article 26(2)). Turkish citizenship ends when the renunciation certificate is handed over against signature, and your civil registry entry is closed (Article 27(1)).

Descendants up to the third degree (children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren) have the same rights. They must document their descent (Article 28(5)). According to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they are entered in the Blue Card register (Mavi Kartlılar Kütüğü) on application and receive a foreigner identification number.

Blue Card rights in Türkiye and the exceptions

The rights are set out in the first three paragraphs of Article 28 (as amended by Article 14 of Law No. 6304 of 9 May 2012). Unofficial translation:

(1) Persons who were Turkish citizens by birth and lost Turkish citizenship by obtaining a renunciation permit, and their descendants up to the third degree, continue to enjoy the rights granted to Turkish citizens in the same way, except for the exceptions set out in this article. Provisions on national security and public order are reserved.
(2) Persons covered by this article have no right to vote or stand for election, no right to import vehicles or household goods free of duty, and no obligation to perform military service. Their acquired social security rights are preserved; in exercising these rights they are subject to the provisions of the relevant laws.
(3) Persons covered by this article may not hold permanent and core public service posts that are tied to a staff position and governed by public law. They may, however, be employed by public bodies as workers, temporary or contracted staff.

The Turkish original is available on mevzuat.gov.tr (see sources). The basic rule is broad and the exceptions are listed individually, together with the reservation for national security and public order. Rights the article does not mention, such as inheriting or acquiring property, are not among the exceptions.

On social security, the law only says that acquired rights are preserved and exercised under the relevant laws. Whether a particular pension or contribution buy-back claim is possible depends on Turkish social security law and is outside the scope of this article.

Because there is no military service obligation, a Mavi Kart holder never needs the paid exemption. If you pay for the foreign-currency exemption and only then obtain a renunciation permit, the money is not refunded (Article 39(4) of Military Service Law No. 7179). See Turkish military service: paid exemption.

How to apply for the Mavi Kart

The card is issued on request (Article 28(6)). According to the General Directorate of Civil Registration and Citizenship (NVİ), you apply at a Turkish mission abroad or at a district civil registry office in Türkiye. You need:

a written application (dilekçe),
two photographs,
your foreign identity card or passport.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that no other documents are required. The Mavi Kart counts as a security document under Turkish Law No. 210, and its fee is set every year. The 2026 fee lists of the NVİ provincial directorates give it as 220.00 TL. Ask your consulate what it charges there; I could not confirm that amount in an official source.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the card has no expiry date. You only need a new one if it is damaged or altered, or if you can no longer be recognised from the photo.

To use your rights, showing the Mavi Kart is enough. Without it, a record from the Blue Card register plus an identity document from your country of citizenship will do (Article 28(7)). You receive an identification number that is used wherever a Turkish ID number is asked for (Article 28(8)). If your name changed abroad, you must also present a document showing the old and new details, with a certified Turkish translation (Article 28(7)).

Mavi Kart holders must report births, marriages, divorces and other civil status events to the Turkish mission abroad or to a civil registry office in Türkiye (Article 8/A of Civil Registration Services Law No. 5490).

Inheritance and property: which law applies?

There are two separate questions here.

Can a Mavi Kart holder inherit and buy property in Türkiye? Under Article 28(1) the holder enjoys the rights of Turkish citizens in the same way; inheriting and acquiring property are not exceptions. Article 35 of Land Registry Law No. 2644 (Tapu Kanunu) ties property acquisition by foreign individuals to a list of countries, area limits and presidential decisions. It does not mention Mavi Kart holders; the very next provision, Article 36, expressly excludes persons covered by Article 28 of Law No. 5901 from its rule on companies with foreign shareholders. That the restrictions on foreigners in Article 35 do not apply to Mavi Kart holders is a reading of the plain wording of Article 28(1) and is the author's assessment; the Land Registry Law has no express provision on this, and no binding court decision has been identified. The reservation for national security and public order in Article 28(1) must be considered separately. Before buying, ask the land registry office (tapu müdürlüğü) about its practice.

Which law governs a Mavi Kart holder's estate? The Mavi Kart does not confer citizenship. The holder is no longer Turkish; their national law is the law of the state whose citizen they are. The rule in the Turkish private international law act (MÖHUK, Law No. 5718) that Turkish law applies to dual nationals who are also Turkish (Article 4(1)(b)) does not apply; if the holder has several foreign nationalities, the law of the state with the closer connection applies (Article 4(1)(c)). Succession is governed by the deceased's national law, while Turkish law applies to immovable property in Türkiye (Article 20(1) MÖHUK). When a Mavi Kart holder who is only a German citizen dies, Turkish inheritance law applies to their flat in Türkiye; the Mavi Kart does not change this. More in Article 4 MÖHUK.

Whether a Mavi Kart holder who is an heir can obtain a Turkish certificate of inheritance from a notary is disputed; see certificate of inheritance in Turkey.

Dual citizenship in Germany since 2024, and the Netherlands

Germany's amended Nationality Act (Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz, StAG) has applied since 27 June 2024. In its current wording, section 10 StAG no longer requires applicants for naturalisation to give up their previous citizenship, and section 25 StAG, on loss of German citizenship when acquiring a foreign one, is marked "weggefallen" (repealed). In general terms, this means that people naturalising in Germany no longer have to leave Turkish citizenship for that reason. Turkish law does not end Turkish citizenship automatically when a foreign one is acquired either; once you submit the documents, a note on multiple citizenship is added to your registry entry (Article 44 of Law No. 5901).

If you keep Turkish citizenship you do not need a Mavi Kart, but you also keep the right to vote and the military service obligation. If you already renounced with a permit, you can regain Turkish citizenship by decision of the Ministry of the Interior without living in Türkiye, provided there is no national security objection (Article 13(1)(a) of Law No. 5901). How that affects your German citizenship is a question of German law. As an Avukat (Türkei) I cannot advise on German law (§ 206 BRAO); please contact your nationality authority (Staatsangehörigkeitsbehörde) or a lawyer admitted in Germany.

The Netherlands is different. According to the IND, adults who naturalise must in principle give up their previous nationality, with exceptions such as marriage to a Dutch national. For readers in the Netherlands the Mavi Kart therefore remains relevant. Whether an exception applies to you is a question for the IND or a lawyer admitted in the Netherlands. Other Turkish–German topics are on the Türkiye–Germany page.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Turkish Blue Card?

An official document for people who were Turkish by birth and renounced with a permit, and their descendants up to the third degree, showing that they continue to enjoy the rights of Turkish citizens (Article 28(6) of Law No. 5901). Showing the card is enough to use those rights (Article 28(7)).

How do I apply for a Mavi Kart and what does it cost?

At a Turkish consulate or a civil registry office in Türkiye, with a written application, two photos and your foreign ID card or passport. In Türkiye the 2026 fee is 220.00 TL.

Can a Blue Card holder inherit and buy a home in Türkiye?

Yes. Under Article 28(1) you have the rights of Turkish citizens, and these are not among the exceptions. That the restrictions on foreigners in Article 35 of the Land Registry Law do not apply is a reading of the statutory wording.

Do Blue Card holders have to do military service?

No. Article 28(2) removes the military service obligation. You cannot vote in Türkiye either.

Does the Mavi Kart expire?

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it has no period of validity.

Sources

Questions about your case

If you would like to check whether Article 28 covers you, how to use the Mavi Kart in an inheritance or property matter in Türkiye, or what regaining Turkish citizenship means under Turkish law, you can choose a time on the appointment page for an online video call, a phone call or a meeting in Düsseldorf. You can also send a written question through the contact form. Consultations are held in Turkish and cover Turkish law only; for German or Dutch nationality law, please contact the competent authority or a lawyer admitted there. It helps to have ready:

your renunciation certificate (çıkma belgesi) and, if you have one, your Mavi Kart,
your foreign ID card or passport and the date of your naturalisation,
for descendants, birth certificates showing the line of descent,
for inheritance or property matters, the deceased's citizenship and a list of the properties in Türkiye.