Using Foreign Documents in Turkey: Apostille and Translation

Almost every legal procedure in Turkey involving a foreigner needs documents from abroad: birth and marriage certificates, diplomas, powers of attorney, company extracts or court judgments. Turkish authorities will only accept them in the right form.

Step 1, the apostille

Turkey is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention. If your document comes from another member country, it only needs an apostille from the competent authority in the country where it was issued. Members include the USA, Canada, Australia and many countries in Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.

The apostille is issued in the country of origin, not in Turkey. In the USA, for example, this is usually the Secretary of State of the state that issued the document, or the federal authority for federal documents.

Step 1, alternative: consular legalisation

If your country is not a member of the Apostille Convention, the document goes through a legalisation chain. Typically the document is certified by the competent ministry, often the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of the issuing country and then legalised by the Turkish embassy or consulate there. Each step must be completed in order.

Membership lists change as new countries join, so check the current status of your country before you start.

Step 2, sworn translation

Documents not in Turkish must be translated into Turkish. The translation is made by a sworn translator (yeminli tercüman) registered with a Turkish notary. The apostille or legalisation stamps should be translated as well.

Step 3, notary certification

The notary certifies the translator's signature, which makes the translation an official document. Some authorities also accept translations certified by a Turkish consulate abroad.

Practical tips

• Ask the Turkish authority in advance which documents and which format they need
• Check how recent the document must be; some offices refuse older certificates
• Names must be spelled identically in passport, documents and translation
• Order several certified copies if you have several procedures
• Do not laminate or staple documents in a way that removes the apostille

This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules as of 2026 – always check the current requirements before applying.

How Turkeyy App helps: order documents and book a Turkish lawyer in the app, who can check your papers by video call from anywhere in the world, or ask the AI assistant whether your country uses the apostille.