Documents for residence permits and Turkish citizenship

For a residence permit or Turkish citizenship, most documents issued abroad need two things. The original needs a legalisation, and you need a notarised Turkish translation. The legalisation is an apostille from the issuing country, or a consular chain if that country is outside the Apostille Convention. Documents from Turkish authorities need neither. This page explains which documents are involved and in which order to prepare them.

We prepare translations. We do not file applications or book appointments. Göç İdaresi (the Presidency of Migration Management) says its appointments on e-İkamet are free. It warns applicants to ignore third parties who ask for a fee to arrange one.

Residence permit documents that need a Turkish translation

Göç İdaresi sets the document list for each residence permit type and publishes it on its website. The regulation itself does not list the documents. The lists change, so open the current one on e-İkamet on the day you prepare your file.

The current lists ask for a notarised Turkish translation of documents obtained abroad. The rule appears in the short-term, family, student and long-term lists. Typical documents are:

• a marriage certificate, for a family residence permit;
• a child's birth certificate, custody decision or parental consent letter;
• death certificates, absence decisions and documents showing that a child has a single parent;
• a criminal record certificate from your home country, where the list asks for one.

For an applicant under 18, the list asks for an approved consent letter from the parent or legal representative who lives abroad. That letter follows the same rule as other foreign documents: a legalisation plus a notarised Turkish translation.

Residence permit documents that need no translation

• Passport. The lists ask for a copy, and for the original at the appointment. They do not ask for a translation.
• Documents from Turkish authorities. These must be e-signed, or signed and stamped.
• Turkish company documents for a business-contact permit. The activity certificate, tax plate, trade registry gazette and signature circular go into the file as notarised copies.

Your provincial migration directorate (il göç idaresi müdürlüğü) may still ask for more information or extra documents.

Legalising foreign documents for a residence permit

The legalisation goes on the original document. There are two routes.

1. Apostille route. If the issuing country is a party to the Apostille Convention, its competent authority adds an apostille. You then order a notarised Turkish translation.
2. Consular route. If the country is not a party, or the document has no apostille, three approvals are needed: the issuing country's authorities, its consulate or embassy, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Dışişleri Bakanlığı) or another authorised Turkish body. A notarised Turkish translation is still required.

An apostille confirms the signature, the signer's capacity and the seal. It says nothing about the content of the document. Once a document carries an apostille, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs adds no further approval. Our guide to apostilles and consular chains explains both routes in more detail.

A notarised translation is the notary's own act. The notary adds an endorsement that names the sworn translator, then dates, signs and seals it. Turkish law treats it as valid until proven otherwise.

Criminal record certificates for a residence permit

Several permit types ask for a criminal record certificate.

• Short-term permit for investors: from your home country if you have not lived in Türkiye recently; otherwise from Turkish authorities or e-Devlet.
• Family residence permit: the sponsor's record, from the sponsor's own country if they have not lived in Türkiye recently.
• Long-term permit: records from both your home country and the Turkish authorities.

A foreign record is treated like other foreign documents. It needs an apostille or the consular chain, plus a notarised Turkish translation. For a long-term permit, you may rely on the Turkish record if you can show that your home country cannot issue one because you have never entered it.

A Turkish criminal record certificate is a Turkish document, so the residence file needs no translation of it. You can query your own record online with an e-signature or secure login. The certificate comes e-signed with a verification code.

Turkish citizenship documents from abroad

The citizenship regulation says diplomas, passports and similar foreign documents only need a Turkish translation that a notary has endorsed. For legalisation, it refers to the civil-registry regulation. That regulation accepts foreign documents with an apostille and a notarised Turkish translation, or with due legalisation and a notarised translation.

In citizenship by marriage, a criminal record is requested if the law of your country allows one to be issued. If your file also includes civil-status records, our page on marriage, birth and divorce documents covers them.

Check how your name is written. A name in Latin letters goes into Turkish records exactly as written, accents included. A name in another script is transliterated letter by letter. Where documents differ, those of your country of nationality prevail.

Preparing residence and citizenship documents: the usual order

1. Open the current list for your permit type on e-İkamet.
2. Collect the original documents from the issuing authorities.
3. Have each original apostilled, or legalised through the consular chain.
4. Send us copies of every page for a notarised Turkish translation.
5. Check that names match your passport before the notary step.
6. Take the originals, translations and copies to your appointment.

For a family residence permit, the list accepts proof of accommodation as a notarised copy of your rental contract, or a notarised undertaking from the person you stay with; check your own permit's list. Anyone who signs at a Turkish notary without speaking Turkish must have a sworn interpreter present. For how sworn and notarised translation work in general, see our sworn translation service.