Apostille for Turkish and foreign documents in Antalya
We tell you which authority must issue your apostille, in which country and in what order with the translation and the notary, then take care of the steps in Turkey.
Whether you are sending a Turkish document abroad or bringing a foreign one to a Turkish office, an apostille is easy to get wrong: requested in the wrong country, or done in the wrong order with the translation. From our office in Antalya we plan the route, prepare the sworn translation, have it notarised and arrange the Turkish apostille where one is needed.
When you need an apostille in Turkey
An apostille is a certificate under the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. It confirms the signature, capacity and seal on a public document, not its content. Turkey (officially Türkiye) is a party, as are the UK, Ireland, the United States and Germany. Typical cases:
- a foreign marriage or birth certificate for a family residence permit or a wedding in Turkey
- a foreign diploma or court decision requested by a Turkish office
- a Turkish criminal record, diploma or court decision for a visa, a job or studies abroad
- a notarised translation made in Turkey that another country wants apostilled
Which office issues the apostille
The apostille comes from the country that issued the document, so a British, Irish, German or Russian certificate is apostilled there, never in Turkey. For Turkish documents:
- Governor's and district governor's offices (valilik, kaymakamlık): administrative and notarised documents, including notarised translations.
- Justice commissions (adalet komisyonu) at courthouses with a high criminal court: court decisions and other judicial documents.
- e-Apostil, a service of the postal operator PTT on the state's e-Devlet portal: as of October 2026, available for some electronically issued documents, such as the criminal record certificate. Coverage changes, so we check it for your document.
Notaries do not issue apostilles, and neither do we. A foreign document from a country outside the Convention, or one issued by a consulate, is legalised instead: by the Turkish mission in the issuing country, or by that country's mission in Turkey and then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the relevant governor's office.
How we handle it, step by step
- Send a photo of the document on WhatsApp or by e-mail and say where it will be used.
- We reply with the route and a written quote.
- A foreign document gets its apostille in its home country first, arranged by you or through our document retrieval service.
- Our sworn translator translates the document, including any apostille, and the Antalya 16th Notary Office certifies the translator's signature.
- For a Turkish document going abroad, we then take the notarised translation, and the original if required, to the competent office.
- You collect the finished set at our Antalya office or receive it by courier.
Cost and timing
An apostille is issued by an authority, so it is not on our price list: any fee for it, like the notary's fee, is paid separately. Your quote lists the sworn translation and each step we take on. Starting prices, VAT included:
- from ₺1,400 per birth, marriage or divorce certificate
- from ₺1,400 per criminal record certificate
- from ₺1,400 per page of a court decision
Your written quote confirms the deadline, and urgent work is possible on request. Every other service is on our price list.
Details that prevent mistakes
- The apostille does not replace the translation. For a residence permit, a foreign document needs both, and the Turkish translation must be notarised: a sworn translation alone is not enough.
- For foreign documents, apostille first. We translate the apostille along with the document, so a translation made before it was added usually has to be redone.
- The notary certifies the translator's signature, not the content of the translation.
- Ask where the apostille should go. Some destinations want it on the original, some on the notarised translation, some on both. The receiving office decides, and we check before anything is submitted.
Frequently asked questions
Can my UK or US document be apostilled in Turkey?
No. Only the issuing country can apostille its own documents; in the UK, this is the Legalisation Office of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. If you cannot arrange it yourself, our document retrieval service can, and we translate the document once it arrives.
Does a Turkish notary issue apostilles?
No. A notary certifies signatures, including the sworn translator's signature on a translation. Apostilles on Turkish documents come from governor's and district governor's offices or, for court documents, from the justice commissions.
What if the destination country is not part of the Convention?
Then the document is legalised instead. For a Turkish document, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists the Turkish steps as notarised translation, then the governor's or district governor's office, then the ministry's certification unit.
How long does an apostille take?
That depends on the authority, so we do not promise its timing. Our deadline for the translation and notary steps is in your quote.
Send a photo of your document on WhatsApp or through the request form, tell us where it is going, and we will reply with the route and a quote.
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