Türkiye implements same-day biometric process for CBI programme

The Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Migration Management has implemented a priority biometric process for Citizenship by Investment (CBI) applicants, allowing eligible investors to complete both residence permit approval and citizenship application in a single day. This change took effect on 09/02/2026.

Previously, investors had to visit the Cevizlibağ Population Directorate in Istanbul to submit biometrics for a residence permit, then wait five to ten working days for approval before returning to submit their citizenship application. This meant staying in Türkiye for nearly two weeks or booking two separate international flights – a significant requirement for busy entrepreneurs and families with tight academic schedules.

Detailed article on the Turkish citizenship by investment.

One day, one visit

Under the new system, applicants submit documents in advance via email and receive a priority appointment within one to two days.

Applicants bypass the public queue, provide fingerprints at a separate express processing area, and leave with an approved residence permit on the same day – provided the file is complete. The citizenship application can be submitted in the afternoon of the same day or the following morning.

This service carries a fee of 44,000 TRY (excluding VAT) for the main applicant and 22,000 TRY (excluding VAT) for each family member. The investment thresholds, holding periods, and all other eligibility criteria remain unchanged. This is an administrative procedural streamlining, not a change in legal regulations.

Under 3 months to obtain a passport

The minimum real estate purchase of US$400,000 remains the most popular route, and unlike Caribbean programmes that steer investors into pre-approved resort projects, the Turkish programme operates on the open market.

Investors can now fly to Istanbul, complete biometrics in the morning, view properties arranged by CIP Turkey at noon, and be home in time for dinner.

The one-day processing time is the pinnacle of what was already one of the fastest programmes available. CIP Turkey, one of the oldest firms in the Turkish CBI sector, states that their clients are completing the entire process – from application to receiving a passport – in under 3 months.

A Turkish passport allows visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry to over 110 destinations, qualifies for E-1 visas and E-2 for treaty investors with the United States, and has no language or residency requirements.

Türkiye allows dual citizenship and does not require applicants to declare their new nationality to their country of origin.

Extending the lead

Over 13,000 investors and their families have received Turkish citizenship since Ankara lowered the minimum threshold in 2018, making this the world’s most popular direct citizenship programme by volume.

The implementation of the express biometric process shows that the government has no intention of stopping at those numbers. Caribbean programmes are competing aggressively on processing speed. Gulf nations are pouring resources into investor services. Türkiye is responding in kind.

Geopolitical instability and ongoing conflicts in many regions are also increasing demand for passports that can be obtained quickly. When someone needs a second citizenship urgently, a 3-month timeline with only one day of on-site presence is hard for any programme to match.

Open-market real estate, a high-value passport, and now the fastest direct processing in any direct CBI programme. Türkiye is asserting its position strongly.