Apostille in Turkey 101: A Comprehensive Guide

Many can benefit from the services of an apostille in Turkey. So why is it used and how can one receive their services?

This article is meant to answer all of your questions regarding the services of an apostille in Turkey, most typically utilized when an individual intends to take official documentation for use from Turkey to another country.

For those in need of an apostille for documents from their home country for the purposes of residence permits, you can find some advice at the conclusion of this piece or contact us directly for guidance. 

What is an apostille?

An apostille is a service that authenticates or certifies documents for use in a country that is part of the Hague Convention of 1961. The Hague Convention introduced the Lahey Agreement, which removed the requirement of legalization for foreign public documents for the countries that agreed to be on the list. These countries are the following:

What does an apostille in Turkey consist of?

• Name of the country issuing the apostille
• Name of the person signing the apostille
• Title of the person signing the apostille
• The stamp of the issuing authority 
• Place of issue 
• Date of issue
• Authority composing the apostille
• Apostille number
• Stamp of authority composing the apostille
• Signature of person composing the apostille

A) Official documents that may need apostille annotation:

1. Documents issued by an official or official of a state court or court, including documents issued by a prosecutor, court clerk or court officer,
2. Administrative documents,
3. Notary deeds,
4. A notarization of documents signed by individuals in a private capacity, and the record of the document or official declarations such as the date and the authenticity of the signatures by official authorities.

B) Documents that cannot be authorized with an apostille:

1. Documents issued by diplomatic or consular officers,
2. Administrative documents directly related to trade or customs procedures
3. Article 6 of the Convention, “Each Contracting State is required to determine the authorities authorized to issue the Apostille Annotation, and to notify the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs when there is a change”.
4. Article 9 of the Convention, it is stated that “Each Contracting State shall take the necessary measures to ensure that approval is not made by its own diplomatic or consular officers in cases where the immunity of certification is stipulated in this Convention” and it is stated that no further certification is required for a document with an Apostille Annotation duly applied.

C) The authorization to make an apostille annotation is given to the authorities listed on this link

 Who is authorized to serve an apostille in Turkey?

• Administrative documents: Governorships, Governors, Deputy Governors and Legal Affairs Managers on behalf of the Governor, District Governorates.
• Judicial Documents: Justice Commission Presidency in centers with High Criminal Court establishments.

Apostille in the context of residence permit applications

In residence permit applications, many documents may be deemed appropriate to attach as a supplement to the applicant’s declared information. If any of these documents are obtained by institutions in their home country, they need to be apostilled for official use in the application. Most often, documents from other countries will not be valid for use in an application due to not being authorized by an official apostille. Thus an apostille in Turkey is not the actual resource needed, but rather an apostille service from one’s home country.

For example:

• bank statements from the applicant’s home country
• applicant’s national ID from home country
• school diplomas
• any documents relating to a business in the applicant’s home country

are subject to an apostille annotation from their home country if the country is mentioned in the list provided above.

Typically, a residence permit applicant should consult their country’s local consulate or embassy for information on how to apostille documents from their home country for use in Turkey. In general, countries have their own methodologies and thus this is a case by case basis in which the consulate or embassy would likely have the most experience in resolving the matter.

For any further questions regarding residence permit applications, get in contact with experts at Settle Turkey to make your application process as smooth as possible.