Where Is My Citizenship Application? Following the Process End to End

Published: 9 October 2026 · Reading time approximately 8 minutes

The file has gone, you have a number in your hand, a sentence is written on the screen, and that sentence does not change for months. At this point the question in most applicants’ minds is the same: is my file sitting still, or is it moving and I simply cannot see it?

This guide explains exactly that: which desks the file passes through, what the wording on the screen means, why each stage takes so long and at which point there is something you can do. This article is for general information.

Which desks does your file pass through?

The application does not begin and end at a single institution. Three separate authorities come into play in turn: the directorate and the governorate, the police, and then the Directorate General together with the Ministry. Knowing which of these three holds a file that shows as in progress on the screen makes the wait predictable.

Stage 1: preliminary review and counting the residence period

When the file is submitted, the first thing done is to check whether the documents are complete and to verify the residence period. The general route requires five years of uninterrupted residence, and the total time spent abroad within that period may not exceed a certain limit. This calculation is made from the passport entries and exits and from the residence permit records; in practice it is called the day count, and the result is notified to the applicant or to their representative.

This is where most files are delayed unnecessarily: the count gives a different result from the applicant’s own, because short trips abroad add up to a larger figure than expected. Before applying, put all the entry and exit dates in your passport into a table and add up the days spent abroad. Having done the count yourself removes the surprise at the outset.

Stage 2: police archive search and investigation

The file goes to the provincial police headquarters. What is done at this stage is as follows.

• Your fingerprints are taken and an archive search is carried out
• Whether there is any obstacle in terms of national security and public order is examined
• An assessment of general morality and good character is made
• Your first entry date into Türkiye, the purpose for which your residence permit was issued, your retrospective residence period and your trips abroad are examined
• You are asked about your residential address and how you support yourself in Türkiye
• In applications through marriage, whether there really is a family life at the declared address is examined on site

If you see the wording provincial investigation in progress on the screen or in a letter sent to you, your file is at this stage. That sentence is not a negative thing; it means your file’s turn has come and it is being processed by the police. In the same way, the wording referred to the commission shows that the investigation has been completed.

An important detail: this archive search and investigation is valid for one year. If the file is not concluded within that period, the investigation may have to be renewed. This is one of the reasons why long-running files stretch out a second time.

Stage 3: the commission and the interview

Once the investigation is complete, the file goes to the Citizenship Application Review Commission (Vatandaşlık Başvuru İnceleme Komisyonu) within the governorate and you are called to an interview. The commission assesses whether the conditions are met, your descent, your level of spoken Turkish, how you support yourself and your social integration. In applications through marriage, the spouses are heard both together and separately, independently of each other.

The arrival of the interview invitation is the one moment at which the process visibly speeds up; it means the file has passed two stages.

Stage 4: review by the Directorate General

Once the commission stage is complete, the file goes to the Directorate General of Civil Registration and Citizenship (Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü). There the file is reviewed again as a whole and an archive check is carried out. This is the stage the applicant cannot see and cannot intervene in; the wording on the screen generally does not change for a long time.

Stage 5: the Ministry’s decision and its notification

The deciding authority is the Ministry of Interior (İçişleri Bakanlığı). The decision to accept or to refuse is notified to the applicant. If it is accepted, a civil registry record is created and the identity card and passport procedures can be carried out.

Where can you check your application?

There is a screen on the website of the Directorate General of Civil Registration and Citizenship that shows the status of a citizenship application. The check is generally made with identity details such as the application number and the date of birth, and it can also be made by your representative. Since the address of the screen and the details requested may change over time, we recommend confirming the current screen from the official site.

Two points need to be stated clearly here. First, the screen gives you the name of a stage, not a date: wordings such as in progress, at the investigation stage or referred to the commission show where the file is, not how long it will take. Second, it is normal for the screen to stay the same for weeks; transitions between stages take months, and the screen not changing does not mean the file has stopped.

How long does it take?

Giving a single number would be misleading, because what determines the time is the file itself. The factors that determine the time in practice are these.

• The documents being complete and the certification chain whole: the greatest accelerator
• A record in the archive search that needs explaining: can add months
• A difference in the spelling of a name between documents: sends the file back, completed from the start
• Periods spent abroad exceeding the limit: puts the whole application at risk
• The one-year validity of the investigation running out: a renewal is needed and the time extends
• The caseload of the province: the same file moves at a different pace in different provinces

In applications by the general route it is common for the process to approach or exceed two years. What matters is this: most of the delay comes not from the institution being slow but from a deficiency in the file being noticed over the course of the stages. That is why the check made before the file is submitted is far more valuable than the follow-up done after it.

What to do during the waiting period

Keep your address up to date. The address in the civil registry and the address you actually live at must be the same; notifications are served there and the police examination runs on that address. If you have moved, do not postpone reporting the change of address.

Renew your residence permit without interruption. Your application being in progress does not remove your residence permit obligation; any gap in the permit period directly affects the calculation of the residence period.

Keep a record of your trips abroad. Long departures made while the application is in progress can damage the residence condition retrospectively; if you have travel plans, assess their length in advance.

Keep your telephone number and, if you have one, your representative’s details up to date. Some notifications are made by text message; an unreachable number means a stage missed without your knowing it. Keep a copy of every document you submit as well.

Common mistakes

• Reading the wording on the screen not changing as my file has been lost, and making a second application for the same request
• Missing the expiry of the residence permit during the waiting period
• Not reporting a change of address and missing the notification
• Replying late to a letter about missing documents received during the investigation stage; these letters usually carry a deadline
• Mistaking the wording provincial investigation in progress for a negative decision
• Following the file only through the screen; letters asking for missing documents do not appear on the screen, they are served at your address

What do we do?

We read which stage your file is at, explain what is being asked for in the letter about missing documents you have received, and run the chain of obtaining, translating and certifying the document requested. We also keep the calendar of your residence permit renewals with you. Legal representation is a separate specialism; where it is needed we say so clearly. Send us the letter in your hand and let us read together which stage you are at.