Reading the notary’s endorsement on your translation
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Learn what the notary’s endorsement on a translation contains, how to check it, and when the translation also needs an apostille.
In 30 seconds
- The endorsement is the block under your translation. It names the sworn translator and gives the translator’s address. The notary dates, signs and seals it.
- Check the endorsement and the names on your translation before you submit anything. The endorsement does not replace an apostille and does not confirm your names match your passport.
- Inside Türkiye a notarised translation needs no apostille. If you use it abroad, the apostille comes from a governor’s or district governor’s office.
- Find the endorsement under the translated text
- Read the sworn translator’s name and address
- Check the notary’s date, signature and seal
- Compare names with your passport spelling
- Ask the receiving office what form it wants
- Add an apostille only if you use it abroad
The notary’s endorsement is the block of text under your translation. It names the sworn translator, gives the translator’s address, and carries the notary’s date, signature and seal. When all of these are present, you hold a notarised translation. Read them in that order before you hand the paper to anyone.
What the notary’s endorsement on a translation contains
Turkish law treats a notarised translation as a notary’s translation act (çeviri işlemi). The notary completes that act by adding an endorsement (şerh) under the translated text. When a sworn translator did the work, the endorsement must state the translator’s identity and address. The notary then dates, signs and seals it.
A sworn translator (yeminli tercüman) takes the oath before a notary. The notary records the oath in a report that both sign, and the report stays on file at that notary’s office. A notary may not use a translator whose oath report is not on that office’s file. The notary must also be satisfied, from diplomas or other means, that the translator knows the language correctly.
So the endorsement tells you who translated and which notary stands behind the act. For the full procedure, read about notarised translation in Türkiye.
| Who | What they do | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| Sworn translator | Translates the document after taking an oath before a notary | Named in the endorsement with an address |
| Notary | Completes the translation act with an endorsement; dates, signs and seals it | Under the translated text |
| Governor’s or district governor’s office | Issues the apostille on the notary’s signature and seal, if you use the translation abroad | Separate apostille attached to the translation |
| Presidency of the justice commission | Issues the apostille on the original of a court document | Apostille on the court document itself, not on its translation |
| Translation office | Prepares the translation; issues neither endorsement nor apostille | Not in the endorsement |
How to check the endorsement on your translation
You do not need legal training to read an endorsement. Go through it line by line.
- Translator’s name. It should appear in the endorsement, not only on the translation itself.
- Translator’s address. The law requires it when a sworn translator is used.
- Date. The notary dates the endorsement.
- Signature and seal. Both must be the notary’s, and both must be present.
- Your own details. Compare every name, number and date with the source document and your passport.
The last check matters most to you, because you know your own name. Turkish civil registers record names in Latin script letter for letter and keep accents and other diacritics. Names in other scripts are transliterated letter by letter. If a name differs from your passport, ask for a corrected translation before you submit it. A corrected translation needs its own endorsement.
Some receiving offices also ask for the passport, residence permit and civil-status documents to match exactly. Check your list for that.
What the notary’s endorsement does not do
The endorsement is not an apostille. They are two separate steps by two separate bodies. An apostille certifies only the signature, the signer’s capacity and, where relevant, the seal or stamp. It says nothing about the content of a document.
A translation office issues neither the endorsement nor the apostille. The endorsement is a notarial act, and the apostille comes from a Turkish authority. Our work is the translation, prepared by a sworn translator whose oath is on file at a notary’s office.
The law treats a notarised translation as valid until proven otherwise. Whether your receiving office wants a recent one is for that office to say. Our guides on what a Turkish notary certifies and how long a notarised translation is valid cover both points in more detail.
Endorsement and apostille when you use the translation abroad
A notarised translation made in Türkiye and used in Türkiye needs no apostille. The Apostille Convention covers documents made in one state and produced in another.
If you take the translation abroad, the apostille goes on the notary’s signature and seal. It comes from a governor’s office (valilik) or a district governor’s office (kaymakamlık). It can be any province or district, not only the one where the notary sits. The destination may also ask for the translation in its own language.
Court documents follow a different rule:
- The original of a court document gets its apostille from the presidency of the justice commission (adalet komisyonu başkanlığı).
- A notarised translation of that court document is a notarial act, so its apostille comes from a governor’s or district governor’s office.
If the destination country is not a party to the Apostille Convention, the route is longer. The document goes to the governor’s or district governor’s office, then to the Authentication Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Dışişleri Bakanlığı) in Ankara. After that, the destination country’s mission in Türkiye approves it. The Authentication Unit takes appointments at tasdik.mfa.gov.tr and does not accept walk-ins. It does not add anything to a document that already carries an apostille.
Before you order, ask the receiving office what form of translation it wants. Some institutions name the approving body in their lists. YÖK, for example, asks for a translation approved by a Turkish notary or a Turkish mission abroad. Follow your list.
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