Turkish nationality law is based primarily on the principle of jus sanguinis

Jus sanguinis

Ius sanguinis is a social policy by which citizenship is not determined by place of birth, but by having a parent who are citizens of the nation...

. Children who are born to a Turkish mother and a Turkish father in (or outside of) Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

 are Turkish citizens from birth.
The intention to renounce Turkish citizenship (or acquire citizenship from another state) is submitted in Turkey by a petition to the highest administrative official in the concerned person's place of residence, and when overseas to the Turkish consulate

Diplomatic missions of Turkey

This is a list of diplomatic missions of Turkey, excluding honorary consulates. In 1793, the first permanent Turkish embassy was established by Selim III in London....

. Documents processed by these authorities are forwarded to the Ministry of Interior for appropriate action.

Definition of citizenship

Citizenship is defined in Article 66 of the Turkish constitution

Constitution of Turkey

This article relates to a current event. See also the Turkish constitutional referendum, 2010The Constitution of the Republic of Turkey is Turkey's fundamental law. It establishes the organization of the government and sets out the principles and rules of the state's conduct along with its...

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Adoption

A child adopted by a Turkish citizen automatically becomes a Turkish citizen if they are under 18 years old on the date the application for adoption was made. In some cases (although it is not required), those who have foreign names and are applying for Turkish citizenship change their name to a Turkish (but not necessarily a Muslim) name. Examples of people who have done this include football players Colin Kazim-Richards

Colin Kazim-Richards

Colin Kazim-Richards , commonly known as Colin Kâzım, Kâzım or Kâzım Kâzım, is an English-born Turkish footballer who plays for Galatasaray, and internationally for Turkey having qualified for Turkish nationality through his mother's ethnicity...

 and Mehmet Aurélio.

Loss of citizenship

Naturalization and loss of Turkish citizenship is controlled by the Vital Statistics Office , a department of the Ministry of the Interior.

Dual citizenship

Dual citizenship (the simultaneous possession of two citizenships) is possible in Turkey because there are no uniform rules of international law relating to the acquisition of nationality. Each country has its own laws regarding nationality, and its nationality is conferred upon individuals on the basis of its own domestic policy. Individuals may have dual nationality by choice or by the automatic operation of these different (and sometimes conflicting) laws.

The laws of Turkey provide for acquisition of Turkish citizenship based on one's descent—by birth to a Turkish citizen parent (or parents) in Turkey and also by birth abroad to a Turkish citizen parent (or parents)—regardless of the other nationalities a person might acquire at birth. Children born in Turkey to foreign citizens do not have a claim to Turkish citizenship, unless one of the parents is also a Turkish citizen. The automatic acquisition (or retention) of a foreign nationality does not affect Turkish citizenship. Turkish laws have no provisions requiring citizens who are born with dual nationality to choose one nationality over the other when they become adults.

While recognizing the existence of dual nationality and permitting Turkish citizens to have other nationalities, the Turkish government requires that those who apply for another nationality inform the appropriate Turkish officials (the nearest Turkish embassy or consulate abroad) and provide the original Naturalization Certificate, Turkish birth certificate, document showing completion of military service (for males), marriage certificate (if applicable) and four photographs. Dual nationals are not compelled to use a Turkish passport to enter and leave Turkey; it is permitted to travel with a valid foreign passport and the Turkish National ID card.

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

The Turkish Republic Of Northern Cyprus and Republic Of Turkey have similar citizenship laws, and citizens of both nations are permitted to live and work in either nation if basic requirements (such as a job and accommodations) are met.
Because the TRNC is only recognized by Turkey, many countries do not allow travel into their country with TRNC passports; the Republic Of Turkey issues passports to citizens of the TRNC, to enable them to travel freely.

The main difference between citizenship in the TRNC and the Republic of Turkey is that in Turkey, a person becomes a citizen (and obtains a national identification card) upon formal application; male children born outside Turkey are not obligated to perform military service. Children automatically become citizens of the TRNC if either one of their parents are a citizen. Therefore, all children born overseas to parents with TRNC citizenship, must perform military service if they wish to reside in Northern Cyprus for more than 90 days in a calendar year (even if they do not formally apply for citizenship). Male children born to parents who are TRNC citizens may buy out their military service (either in full or down to 30 days) under the requirements of the Asal Şube.
Children born in the TRNC to parents of Turkish Cypriot citizenship must perform full military service.