Translation for companies and law firms

Translation for companies and law firms

Companies and law firms order a translation in the same way as individuals: you send a copy of the document, tell us the languages and the purpose, and we reply by email with a quote and a delivery date. A sworn translator then prepares the translation.

This page is for foreign-owned companies in Türkiye, for Turkish companies with foreign partners and for law firms that act for them. It covers the document and translation side only. We do not give company-law, tax or immigration advice. Your lawyer or adviser remains responsible for that.

If you are new to the office, our overview of sworn translation in Ankara explains the basics. You can also learn about the office on the page about our company.

Documents that companies and law firms send us

Business documents vary widely. These types come up most often in cross-border work.

• Articles of association, board decisions and extracts from a company register.
• Powers of attorney and signature circulars.
• Contracts, tender papers and correspondence for a dispute.
• Court judgments, summonses and other papers from a case.
• Property documents, such as a title deed from a land registry office (tapu müdürlüğü).
• Documents about the managers or shareholders, such as passports and civil-status records.

You decide what to send. We read the copy and tell you what the translation involves. We do not decide on your behalf which documents an authority will request. Each institution sets out its requirements in its own list.

Sworn translation and the notary's endorsement for business documents

Many institutions in Türkiye ask for a notarised translation of a foreign business document. A notarised translation is the notary's translation act. The notary adds an endorsement under the text, then dates, signs and seals it. When a sworn translator did the work, the endorsement states the translator's identity and address.

The endorsement completes the notary's translation act. The endorsement comes from the notary, not from the translation office. Ask the notary whether anyone from your company needs to attend for this step.

A sworn translator takes an oath before a notary. The notary records it in a report that stays on file at that notary's office. A notary may not use a translator whose oath report is missing from that file. You can read more on how sworn translators work in Türkiye.

A notarised translation counts as valid until someone proves otherwise. Keep the original documents available, because a Turkish notary cannot certify a foreign authority’s document as a true copy (Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication FAQ).

Apostille routes for company documents

The apostille route depends on the document and on where it will be used. State the route for each document type separately.

• A notarised translation used abroad. The governor's office (valilik) or district governor's office (kaymakamlık) of any province or district certifies the notary's signature and seal.
• A Turkish administrative document used abroad. The same governor's or district governor's offices issue the apostille.
• A foreign civil-status document used in Türkiye. The apostille is on the original, issued in the state that produced it, if that state accepts the apostille. The notarised Turkish translation goes with it. For other foreign business documents, ask the receiving institution what it requires.

An apostille certifies the signature, the signer's capacity and, where relevant, the seal or stamp. It does not certify the content. The Convention does not cover administrative documents that deal directly with commercial or customs operations, so check the route for such papers with the receiving institution.

If the destination country does not accept the apostille, the chain is longer. The governor's office comes first. Then the Consular Authentication Unit (Konsolosluk Tasdik Birimi) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Dışişleri Bakanlığı) in Ankara acts by appointment. The destination country's mission in Türkiye comes last.

The original of a Turkish court document follows its own route. The justice commission presidency (adalet komisyonu başkanlığı) issues the apostille on such an original.

How to work with us as a company

Name one contact person for each order and tell us the receiving party. Send the whole set of documents for a transaction together, so the translator can keep terms and names consistent across them.

Tell us if a document contains names in more than one script. A name in Latin script goes into Turkish records letter for letter, with accents. A name in another script is transliterated letter by letter. If the documents differ, those of the person's state of nationality prevail.

We reply with a quote and a delivery date by email. You can reach us through the quote form, by email, on WhatsApp or by phone.