Foreign Documents for Use in Turkey

A birth certificate, diploma or criminal record issued in another country can't simply be handed to a Turkish office. It has to be certified in the country that issued it, and then put into Turkish. Getting the first part wrong is the most common reason people lose time, because it can only be done abroad.

Step 1: certification in the country that issued it

The certification must come from the country where the document was issued. A Turkish office cannot apostille or legalize a document issued by another country. What kind of certification you need depends on whether that country belongs to the Hague Apostille Convention:

• Hague member: the document gets an apostille from the competent authority in the country that issued it.
• Not a member: the document goes through legalization. In general, it is certified by that country's authorities, usually its ministry of foreign affairs, and then by the Turkish embassy or consulate there.

The authority and the procedure vary from country to country, so look up the process for the country that issued your document. We explain the difference between the two routes in Apostille or Consular Legalization?

Step 2: sworn translation and notarization in Turkey

Once the certified document is in Turkey, it is translated into Turkish by a sworn translator, and the translation is notarized by a Turkish notary. This is the part we handle.

The route at a glance

Documents this applies to

These steps apply to most civil and official documents that Turkish authorities ask for, such as birth and marriage certificates, criminal record certificates, diplomas and transcripts, and company documents. They come up for residence permits, marriage applications, university admission, citizenship, and business registrations. For two common cases, see our guides to the family residence permit and getting married in Turkey as a foreigner.

Mistakes that cost time

• Waiting until you arrive in Turkey. The apostille or legalization has to be done in the issuing country. Arrange it before you travel, or have someone handle it for you there.
• Looking for an apostille in Turkey for a foreign document. A Turkish governorship apostilles Turkish documents only.
• Treating a non-member country like a member. An apostille will not be recognized in this case, and the document needs the legalization route instead.
• Name spellings that don't match the passport. The translation will reproduce the spelling of the document, so mismatches show up as problems later.
• Not asking the Turkish office what it needs. Which documents it wants, how recent they must be, and whether it needs the full certificate or a short extract is its decision. Ask it directly and get the answer in writing if you can.

How we help

Tell us which document you have, which country issued it, and which Turkish office it is for. We'll confirm the steps, then handle the sworn translation into Turkish and the notarization once your document has its apostille or legalization.