Turkey’s genealogy service prompts spike in double citizenship enquiries

ISTANBUL

Many Turkish citizens have taken steps to try to obtain the second citizenship, upon discovering their ancestry traced back to other countries such as Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Millions of people have flocked to the “e-government” portal (www.turkiye.gov.tr) after Turkey launched an online genealogy service at the start of February, allowing all people with a citizenship number to learn about their ancestors with just a few clicks. The records stretch back to Ottoman records in the early 19th century.

Upon launching the demand was so intense that the website crashed soon after launching. The site was re-launched on Feb. 14.

After finding that their ancestry is rooted in Europe, many amateur researchers have reportedly started researching options for double citizenship.

Many who found that their ancestry traces back to EU-member countries such as Bulgaria, Greece and Romania have been particularly keen to look into possible double citizenship opportunities. Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina are also thought to be receiving citizenship applications from Turkish citizens, with many submitting legal enquiries to the justice, foreign and interior ministries of the countries, as well as their consulates and embassies in Turkey.

Since the genealogy service was opened in Turkey at the start of February, millions of people have applied to research their roots in the online system.