The 6-Step Turkish CBI Process: Details and a 6-9 Month Timeline

The 6-step Turkish CBI process is the standard execution roadmap for Vietnamese investors to acquire citizenship Türkiye through the investment programme. Total time from initial document preparation to receiving passports generally spans 6 to 9 months, provided the file is complete and no security issues arise.

The year 2026 brings several important changes to the execution process: the Secure Payment System (Güvenli Ödeme Sistemi – GÖS) becomes officially mandatory from 1 July 2026 for real estate transactions; same-day biometrics introduced in February 2026 reduce the required stay in Türkiye; and the Hague Apostille Convention takes effect in Vietnam on 11 September 2026, fundamentally changing how Vietnamese documents are prepared. This detailed guide to the six steps Türkiye Citizenship by Investment programme is updated with the latest changes.

Overview of the 6-Step Turkish CBI Process for 2026

The standard process is structured to run investment and legal documentation in parallel. The six main steps are broken down below along with estimated timeframes for each.

Step	Contents	Timeline
1	Document preparation and preliminary due diligence	2-4 weeks
2	Account opening, tax number acquisition, and capital transfer	2-3 weeks
3	Making the investment and securing the Certificate of Conformity	1-2 months
4	Applying for a short-term residence permit by investment	2-4 weeks
5	Submitting the citizenship application and security vetting	3-4 months
6	Approval, identity card issuance, and passport collection	2-4 weeks

A total of 6 to 9 months for straightforward files. Complex cases or those involving AML and security concerns can extend to 12 to 15 months. Some investors with complicated immigration histories or from high-risk countries may be asked to supply supplementary documents, which lengthens the assessment period.

Step 1: Document preparation and preliminary due diligence (2-4 weeks)

This phase determines the success rate of the entire process. Errors at this stage lead to application rejections at later steps or post-grant revocations.

Investors must complete four parallel workstreams during this stage:

• Selecting the investment option: choosing one of four routes: US$400,000 real estate, US$500,000 government bonds, US$500,000 bank deposit, or creating 50 Turkish jobs
• Preliminary due diligence via passport: legal advisers check international sanctions lists, immigration history, and criminal records using basic passport details
• Preparing personal documents from Vietnam: passports valid for ≥6 months, birth certificates, marriage certificates if applicable, children’s birth certificates, and criminal record check No. 2 from the Vietnamese Department of Justice issued within ≤6 months
• Proof of source of funds: 6 to 12 months of bank statements, tax returns for the past 2 to 3 years, commercial contracts or employment agreements, and certificates of existing asset ownership

Vietnamese documents must be notarised, translated into Turkish or English, and consular legalised. Specifically, before 11/09/2026, investors must complete a three-step consular legalisation process:

1. Notarise copies at the local Department of Justice
2. Legalise at the Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam
3. Certify at the Embassy of Türkiye in Hanoi

From 11/09/2026, once the Hague Apostille Convention comes into effect in Vietnam, the process will be streamlined into a single step — Apostille at the Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Apostilled documents are recognised directly in Türkiye without further certification at the Embassy.

Practical recommendation: investors planning to submit applications after September 2026 should consider delaying the preparation of Vietnamese documents until after the Apostille milestone — this saves approximately 2-3 weeks and 30-40% in notarisation costs compared to the three-step consular legalisation.

Step 2: Account opening, tax number acquisition, and capital transfer (2-3 weeks)

Before investing, investors must complete three basic procedures in Türkiye.

Obtain a Turkish tax identification number (Vergi Kimlik Numarası): this procedure is performed at any local Tax Office (Vergi Dairesi) with a passport; it is free and issued on the same day. Investors may grant Power of Attorney to a local lawyer to act on their behalf. Details in the article Turkish Defter tax number.

Open a bank account in Türkiye: select a commercial bank licensed by the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK). Opening an account via Power of Attorney is accepted by most major banks. Required documents include a passport, tax identification number, and a reference address (residence permit or rental agreement). Detailed instructions in the article opening a Turkish bank account.

Transfer investment capital from an overseas account: transfer USD/EURO via the SWIFT system from a source account (in the investor’s name) to the Turkish account. The source bank must be able to provide a traceable audit trail. Upon receipt, the Turkish bank converts the funds into Lira at the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (TCMB) and issues a DAB (Döviz Alım Belgesi) certificate. The total DAB value must be ≥ the chosen investment threshold (US$400,000 for real estate, US$500,000 for the other three options).

Important note for the real estate option from 01/07/2026: payments are no longer transferred directly to the seller but must pass through the Secure Payment System (GÖS). The investor’s funds are held in a blocked account connected to the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre (TKGM) and are only released to the seller once the title deed has been successfully transferred.

Step 3: Making the investment and securing the Certificate of Conformity (1-2 months)

This step varies according to the investment option. Each option has its own certifying authority and process.

Option 1 — real estate: follow the sequence of SPK valuation → contract signing → payment via GÖS → TAPU transfer with a 3-year restriction note. The Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change issues the Certificate of Conformity within 4-6 weeks. Details in US$400,000 real estate option.

Option 2 — government bonds: open a securities account → place an order to purchase Eurobonds or DİBS → 3-year block on the custody account. The Ministry of Treasury and Finance issues the Certificate within 4-6 weeks. Details in US$500,000 government bond option.

Option 3 — bank deposit: open a deposit account → sign a commitment letter for a 3-year block. The BDDK issues the Certificate within 3-5 working days — this is the fastest processing option at this stage. Details in US$500,000 bank deposit option.

Option 4 — job creation: establish a business → hire and register 50 employees with the Social Security Institution (SGK) → operate for 1-2 months → submit application. The Ministry of Labour and Social Security issues the Certificate within 4-6 weeks. This is the longest processing option due to the requirement for an on-site inspection. Details in 50-employee job creation option.

After receiving the Certificate of Conformity, the investor can proceed to Step 4. The certificate is valid for 6 months from the date of issue — meaning the investor must submit the residence permit and citizenship application within 6 months to avoid having to reapply.

Step 4: Applying for a short-term residence permit by investment (2-4 weeks)

The short-term Investor Residence Permit is issued under Article 31(1)(j) of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection. This is a temporary permit intended to legalise the investor’s status while the citizenship application is being processed.

The residence permit application includes:

• Electronic residence permit application (via the e-İkamet system of Turkish Directorate General of Migration Management)
• Original passport and copy
• Four biometric photos taken within the last 6 months
• Certificate of Conformity from Step 3
• Private health insurance valid in Türkiye
• Address registration certificate from the Population Office (Nüfus Müdürlüğü)
• Residence permit fee: from 01/05/2026, this increases to US$631 for 1 year or US$1,857 for 3 years

Important update from February 2026 — a same-day biometric process has been implemented in Istanbul for priority CBI applications. Investors can complete biometrics and submit their citizenship application on the same day during a one-day trip to Türkiye. Previously, investors had to stay for approximately 1 week to complete each procedure separately. This improvement significantly reduces travel and accommodation costs for the investor’s family.

Note: the investor must be present in Türkiye at least once to provide biometric data (fingerprints and biometric photos) — this cannot be replaced by Power of Attorney. Spouses also applying for citizenship must also be present. Children under 18 are not required to visit Türkiye during this stage (they only need to visit when receiving their passport if they wish to be issued an ID card).

Step 5: Submitting the citizenship application and security vetting (3-4 months)

This is the longest stage in the 6-step Turkish CBI process. The processing authority is The General Directorate of Civil Registration and Nationality (NVİ) under the Turkish Ministry of Interior.

The citizenship application (Form VAT-4) includes:

• Official application form (Form VAT-4) signed at the time of submission
• Original passport and copies of all used pages
• Certificate of Conformity
• Investor Residence Permit
• Four biometric photos
• Consular-legalised birth certificate (or Apostille from 11/09/2026) and Turkish translation
• Marriage certificate (if the spouse is also applying)
• Children’s birth certificates (if children under 18 are also applying)
• Vietnamese Criminal Record Certificate No. 2 (≤6 months old)
• Turkish Criminal Record Certificate
• Documentation proving the source of funds
• Citizenship application fee according to 2026 regulations

After submission, the application undergoes three rounds of assessment:

• Round 1 — document check (3-4 weeks): The NVİ checks the completeness and consistency of the application. Incomplete applications will be requested to be supplemented within 30 days
• Round 2 — security vetting (2-3 months): cross-referencing investor information with Interpol databases, OFAC/EU/UN sanctions lists, and Turkish internal risk lists. This is the longest round and the primary cause of delays
• Round 3 — submission to the President (3-4 weeks): Once the profile assessment is complete, the file is transferred to the Office of the President for the citizenship grant decision to be signed.

During this stage, investors may return to Vietnam or travel freely — there is no requirement for continuous residence in Türkiye. The General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs (NVİ) will contact the investor via email or their legal representative if additional documentation is required.

Step 6: Approval, identity card issuance, and passport collection (2-4 weeks)

After the President signs the citizenship grant decision, the file is returned to the NVİ to finalise the last procedures.

The final steps include:

• Registration in the Turkish civil registry: the investor and their family are issued a Turkish national identification number (TC Kimlik No)
• Issuance of the citizen identity card (Türk Kimlik Kartı): completed after biometric collection in Türkiye or at a Turkish Embassy abroad, issued within 2-3 weeks
• Issuance of the passport: applications can be submitted in Türkiye or at a Turkish Embassy/Consulate in Vietnam (Hanoi). Passports are valid for 10 years for those over 18 and 5 years for children

Passport issuance fees in 2026 range from approximately US$27-30 for a 10-year passport. The fee for a citizen identity card is approximately US$20. The total official fees for a family of four (spouse + 2 children) are approximately US$200-300 — a very small fraction of the total investment and service costs.

Upon receiving their passport, the investor becomes an official Turkish citizen with full rights: voting, unrestricted property ownership, free public schooling, access to public healthcare, and notably, the right to apply for a US E-2 visa under the US-Türkiye investment treaty. Details regarding travel rights and the E-2 pathway are analysed at Turkish passport and the US E-2 route.

Total Costs and Official Fees

The total official fees for a 6-step Turkish CBI application (excluding investment capital and advisory service fees) in 2026 range between:

• Business registration/real estate transaction service fees: US$200-500
• SPK valuation fees (real estate option only): US$300-500
• Notarised translation and consular legalisation fees (before 11/09/2026): US$800-1,500 per person
• Notarised translation and Apostille fees (from 11/09/2026): US$400-700 per person
• Residence permit fees: US$631-1,857 per person (as of 01/05/2026)
• 1-year private health insurance: US$200-400 per person
• Citizenship application fees: as per 2026 regulations
• Passport and identity card issuance fees: US$50 per person

Total official fees for a family of four range from US$5,000-8,000 (depending on whether the Apostille process is applicable). Independent legal advisory fees, excluding official costs, are typically US$15,000-30,000 for a full-service package — this cost varies significantly depending on the advisory firm and the complexity of the file.

Important Note for Vietnamese Investors

There are four specific considerations for Vietnamese applicants that investors should pay close attention to.

Note 1 — Leverage the 11/09/2026 Apostille milestone: if the intended submission date is after September 2026, investors should proactively delay the preparation of Vietnamese documents until after the Apostille milestone. The one-step Apostille process shortens the timeline by 2-3 weeks and reduces costs by 30-40% compared to the three-step consular legalisation.

Note 2 — Prepare financial proof carefully: Vietnam has foreign exchange control mechanisms — transferring more than US$50,000 abroad requires permission from the State Bank. Investors must prepare documentation for legal capital transfer through Vietnamese banking channels that allow for source-of-funds traceability.

Note 3 — Plan for biometric timing: although same-day biometric collection was implemented in 2026, investors still need to plan at least one 3-5 day trip to Türkiye for both spouses (children under 18 are not required to attend in the first round). This timing should coincide with the receipt of the Certificate of Conformity.

Note 4 — Be wary of timeline guarantees: some advisory firms advertise “citizenship in 3-4 months” — this is often a false promise because the security vetting stage (Step 5) alone takes 3-4 months. In practice, Vietnamese applications rarely complete in under 6 months. Investors should choose a firm that commits to a realistic 6-9 month timeline.

Conclusion and next steps

The 6-step Turkish CBI process in 2026 has become significantly more efficient thanks to the same-day biometric system, GÖS for secure real estate transactions, and the upcoming Apostille Convention, which will simplify Vietnamese documentation from 11/09/2026. A total duration of 6-9 months and official fees of US$5,000-8,000 for a family of four (excluding investment capital and advisory fees) make this programme highly competitive compared to other CBI options.

To better understand the specific documents required, investors can refer to the article Turkish CBI application — a detailed list of documents for both the main investor and family members.

The overall legal framework of the programme is presented at Turkish CBI overview 2026. For investors considering different programmes, the article comparison of Turkish CBI and Caribbean CBI provides a detailed analysis of processing times, costs, and travel rights for the two largest programme groups.