The Istanbul Provincial Office of Migration has introduced a priority procedure for submitting biometrics for investors applying for Citizenship by Investment (CBI). The updated regulations, which entered into force on February 9, 2026, allow wealthy applicants to go through all the stages from submitting biometrics to applying for a passport within one business day.
Previously, investors were forced to visit the Department of Population Affairs twice. First, to submit biometric data (followed by waiting for a residence permit for up to 10 working days), and then again to apply for citizenship. This created inconveniences for foreigners: they either had to spend up to two weeks in Turkey or plan two separate trips, which is especially problematic for entrepreneurs and families with children.
Now the process looks different:
1. Applicants send a package of documents to the migration service by e-mail in advance.
2. They are given a priority place in the queue for 1-2 days.
3. On the appointed day, the investor bypasses the general queues, takes his fingerprints in a special accelerated service area and receives a ready-made residence permit (provided that all documents are in order) on the same day.
4. An application for citizenship is submitted either in the afternoon of the same day or the next morning.
Service cost:
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for the main applicant: 44,000 Turkish lira (plus VAT), or $994.
for family members: 22,000 Turkish lira (plus VAT) for each, or 497 dollars.
It is important to emphasize that the simplification concerns only the procedure. All investment thresholds (for example, the purchase of real estate starting from $ 400,000), terms of ownership and other criteria for investors remain unchanged.
According to experts, it takes investors less than three months to complete the entire journey from applying to obtaining a passport.
Recall that a Turkish passport entitles you to visa-free entry or a visa on arrival in more than 110 countries, opens up the possibility of obtaining E-1 and E-2 visas (under an agreement with the United States), and does not require language exams or mandatory residence in the country. Turkey recognizes dual citizenship.
Turkish citizenship for real estate investments
Source: IMI
