Introduction
Article 42 of the Turkish Citizenship Law Numbered 5901 (“Law”), which entered into force after being published in the Official Gazette dated June 12th, 2009 regulates that citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (“TRNC”) who have applied to acquire Turkish citizenship can acquire Turkish citizenship if they declare in writing that they would like to become Turkish citizens.
1. Application Authority and Procedure
Applications for acquiring Turkish citizenship by persons who are TRNC citizens by birth are made to the governor's office in the country where the place of residence is located and to foreign representative offices abroad, either in person or with a special power of attorney issued for the exercise of this right.
2. The Situation of Those Who Subsequently Became TRNC Citizens
Thanks to the facilitation of the acquisition of Turkish citizenship by TRNC citizens, it is sufficient for people who are TRNC citizens by birth to simply declare that they "would like to acquire Turkish citizenship", whereas to persons who subsequently became TRNC citizens, the second paragraph of Article 42 of the Law is applicable. In other words, persons who subsequently become TRNC citizens and would like to acquire Turkish citizenship will be able to apply if they meet all the conditions written in Article 11 of the Law, pursuant to the provisions regarding the general acquisition of Turkish citizenship by the decision of the competent authority.
Conclusion
Persons who subsequently acquired TRNC citizenship will be subject to the general provisions in their application for Turkish citizenship. Therefore, even if these persons meet all the conditions specified in the Law, they may not be naturalized by the competent authority. For those who are TRNC citizens by birth, their applications for Turkish citizenship will be accepted by the administration if they meet the conditions in the Law.
Yazar : Abide Gulel Birsen, Ece Melis Unlusan