Mavi Kart documents Article 28 rights for eligible former Turkish citizens by birth who left citizenship with permission and qualifying descendants. It is not a general residence programme. It does not confer voting rights, including in local elections; social-security entitlements remain subject to the applicable laws.
The Mavi Kart (Blue Card) documents rights retained under Article 28 of Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901. It is not a general permanent-residence programme for foreign nationals and is different from the EU Blue Card.
The statutory group comprises people who were Turkish citizens by birth and lost that citizenship with official permission to renounce it, together with qualifying descendants up to the third degree. Long residence in Türkiye, property ownership, or birth in Türkiye alone does not establish eligibility.
Article 28 preserves Turkish-citizen rights subject to its exceptions and national-security and public-order provisions. It does not confer voting or electoral rights, including in local elections. Holders have no military-service obligation under this provision. Duty-free vehicle and household-goods privileges and permanent public-law public-service posts are excluded; employment as a worker, temporary employee or contractual staff in public institutions is treated separately.
Acquired social-security rights remain subject to the relevant legislation: the card is not an automatic pension award. Personal records and the rules governing the particular transaction still matter.
NVI identifies Turkish diplomatic missions abroad and district population directorates in Türkiye as issuing authorities. Consult its current application checklist and report civil-status and address changes through the appropriate authority.
Do not confuse a document evidencing Article 28 rights with an ordinary residence-permit application. Establish the person's citizenship history and family link before selecting a procedure. Nor does a Blue Card mean that its holder is currently a Turkish citizen or entitled to a Turkish passport.
Returning to citizenship requires a separate assessment. Our guide to reacquisition of Turkish citizenship distinguishes the relevant procedures; it does not promise approval.
Source-check update: 27 September 2026. This general guide does not replace advice on an individual's records and circumstances.
Mavi Kart holders are individuals who lost their Turkish citizenship by obtaining an exit permit. With the aim of preserving the loyalty connection between these individuals and the state, except for the rights listed below, they are allowed to benefit from all other rights granted to Turkish citizens.
These rights, along with the exceptions, are outlined in Article 28 of the Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901. According to the aforementioned provision, Mavi Kart holders can enjoy all other rights granted to Turkish citizens, except for the following rights:
Furthermore, the descendants of Mavi Kart holders up to the third degree can also benefit from these rights. However, it is necessary for these descendants to document their family relationship with the Mavi Kart holder.
Military-service obligations of dual citizens are a separate question from Article 28 status. See our guide on military service exemption in Turkey for dual citizens.
Article 13 of Law No. 5901 establishes a separate reacquisition procedure for people who lost Turkish citizenship with an exit permit, and for specified people who lost it through their parents and did not exercise the Article 21 option in time. It requires no period of residence in Türkiye, but remains subject to the national-security condition and a Ministry decision. It is not simply the general Article 11 procedure with the five-year rule removed: the full Article 11 checklist should not automatically be applied to this route.
A descendant who has never held Turkish citizenship cannot be assumed to qualify for reacquisition merely because they have Article 28 rights. Establish the person's own citizenship history first. Approval is not guaranteed.
Children of Mavi Kart holders who lost their citizenship in relation to their parents, if the conditions stipulated in the legislation are met, can regain Turkish citizenship together with their parents. In other words, for these children who cannot demonstrate any intention regarding the loss of citizenship, a separate regulation has been introduced to enable them to regain Turkish citizenship.
Accordingly, children who lost Turkish citizenship depending on their parents can regain Turkish citizenship after reaching the age of majority by exercising their right of option within three years. This is a nationality-law option, not a right to vote in elections. Under Article 22, acquisition takes effect from the decision determining that the conditions for exercising the option are satisfied; it is not automatic merely on reaching adulthood.
Those who fail to exercise their right of option within three years after reaching the age of majority can still acquire Turkish citizenship through the method of acquiring citizenship without the requirement of residence, similar to Mavi Kart holders. The applicable route must be confirmed against the individual citizenship record; Article 13 concerns specified former citizens, not every Blue Card descendant.
Citizenship is the result of the connection between an individual and the state through citizenship ties. Therefore, it is up to the state to determine whether this connection will be established and under which conditions. Although the administration has a discretionary power in making decisions, it also has various obligations that it must comply with.
In summary, the decision of acceptance or rejection of a citizenship application made by the Ministry, in the case of individuals who hold a Mavi Kart and wish to return to Turkish citizenship, will be considered an administrative act. If the application of these individuals is rejected, they have the right and opportunity to file an annulment lawsuit against the Ministry that made the decision. Any further remedy depends on the available appeals, time limits and admissibility rules. A Constitutional Court individual application is not an automatic further appeal against every citizenship refusal.
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