Death of a Foreigner in Turkey

Losing someone is hard enough without having to deal with documents in another country. If you are the family of a foreigner who has died in Turkey, this guide explains which papers usually follow and where translation, notarization and certification come in. It is meant to help you find your way, not to replace advice from your embassy or a lawyer.

Registration in Turkey

A death in Turkey is registered with the civil registry. For a foreign national, the registry notifies the authorities of that person's country using the Multilingual Death Registration Sample, known as Formül C. It is the international form used between countries that are party to the relevant convention on multilingual civil status extracts. The migration authority is also informed.

Your embassy or consulate is usually the first point of contact. It can explain what your country needs and which documents it will accept.

Preparing the death certificate for use abroad

Authorities, banks, insurers and courts abroad often ask for an official death certificate. Which Turkish document they want, and in what form, is up to them, so ask before you order anything. Depending on the request, the document may need:

• A sworn translation into the language of the receiving country.
• Notarization of the translation.
• An apostille, if the destination is a Hague Convention country, or legalization if it is not. See Apostille or Consular Legalization?

Turkish civil registry documents come in different forms, and some are multilingual. We explain the difference in Turkish Birth and Marriage Certificates for Use Abroad, and the same logic applies here.

Estate and inheritance matters

Dealing with property, bank accounts or other assets involves legal questions that depend on the country, the will, if there is one, and the heirs. That is a matter for a lawyer, and we don't give legal advice on it. What we can do is prepare the documents a lawyer asks for:

• Translations of certificates and other papers.
• Powers of attorney, so a family member or lawyer can act in Turkey when the heirs can't be present. See Power of Attorney for Property and Vehicles.
• Tax numbers, which are often needed for transactions. See Tax Number in Turkey for Foreigners.

Mistakes that cost time

• Ordering documents before asking what is needed. Each authority has its own requirements.
• Name mismatches. The person's name on the certificate, the passport and other records should agree. See Names in Translation.
• Getting an apostille for a non-member country. The document needs legalization instead.
• Not asking your embassy first. It can tell you which documents your country will accept.
• Assuming a translation or an apostille settles the estate. It does not. Estate matters follow their own legal process.

How we help

Tell us which country the documents are going to and what you have been asked for. We will confirm which of them need translation, notarization, apostille or legalization, and handle those steps, quietly and without fuss. If you need a power of attorney, we will explain how the signing works.