An apostille is a certificate that makes a public document issued in one country usable in another country that is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, without consular legalization. It confirms the signature, the capacity of the person who signed and the seal on the document. It does not confirm the content, and it does not translate anything. Turkey has been a party to the Convention since 29 September 1985.
Which comes first, the apostille or the translation?
The order depends on the direction. For a foreign document used in Turkey, the apostille comes first, in the country that issued the document, and the sworn translation follows in Turkey. For a Turkish document used abroad there are two routes: an apostille on the original document followed by a translation, or a translation made and notarized in Turkey with the apostille then issued on the notarized translation. The receiving institution decides which one it wants, so ask it before you start.
Foreign documents for use in Turkey
A document issued abroad, such as a birth certificate, marriage certificate, criminal record or diploma, is usually accepted by Turkish authorities with two things: an apostille from the country that issued it, and a Turkish translation by a sworn translator, approved by a notary. The provincial migration offices ask for exactly this for residence permit files.
- Ask the office that issued the document in your country for the apostille. Each member country names its own authority; the HCCH website lists them.
- Give the apostilled document to a sworn translator in Turkey. The whole document is translated, including the apostille page and stamps.
- Have the translation approved by a notary if the Turkish institution asks for it.
If the country that issued your document is not a party to the Convention, an apostille is not possible and the document needs consular legalization instead. The Turkish institution that will receive it can tell you which route it expects.
Turkish documents for use abroad
For a Turkish document going to another member country, the apostille is issued inside Turkey by the governorship or district governorship, and for court documents by the courthouse. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not issue it, and it does not legalize a document that already carries an apostille. For a country that is not a party to the Convention, the document goes through legalization instead.
The translation goes into the language of the destination country. If the apostille is on the original document, many institutions want the apostille page translated too. On the other route, the notarized translation is made first and the apostille is issued on it. Ask the receiving institution which route it accepts and whether it accepts a translation made in Turkey.
Which documents usually need an apostille?
- Civil registry: birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates, family register extracts
- Education: diplomas, transcripts, certificates
- Courts and police: court decisions, criminal record certificates
- Notarial acts: powers of attorney, declarations of consent
- Company records: trade registry extracts, signature circulars
Whether yours needs one depends on the institution that receives it, not on the document type alone.
Common mistakes
- Starting the apostille process for a country that is not a member of the Convention
- Leaving the apostille page out of the translation
- Applying for the apostille on a plain photocopy instead of the original or an officially issued copy
- Using an old document when the institution only accepts recently issued ones
- Names spelled differently on the document, the apostille and the translation
What Marmara Tercüme does
We translate documents, including their apostille pages, with a sworn translator's signature and stamp, and we add notary approval when the institution requires it. Apostilles are issued by the authorities above. Tell us which institution the document is for and we will tell you whether a sworn translation is enough. See sworn and notarized translation or upload your document below.
The difference between the two kinds of translation is explained in Sworn vs Notarized Translation in Turkey.