Irish Degree Certificates for Recognition in Türkiye
Where an Irish degree certificate goes for recognition in Türkiye, what YÖK asks for, and how DFAT apostilles Irish educational certificates.
Jump to section
An Irish degree certificate is recognised in Türkiye by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), Department of Recognition and Equivalence Services, through the diploma equivalence procedure (diploma denkliği). YÖK's published document list does not name an apostille for Irish degrees. Its page mentions an apostille only in country-specific cases (Bulgaria, Ukraine), so confirm with YÖK whether your Irish degree needs one before you apply in Dublin or Cork.
What YÖK asks for
For associate, bachelor's and master's diplomas, Article 4/1-c of the YÖK regulation asks for three things. You need the original diploma or graduation certificate. You need a copy certified by a Turkish foreign mission or a Turkish notary. You also need a certified Turkish translation. Article 4/1-ç adds the original official transcript showing every course, grade and course hour. Diplomas from European Union member states also need the original diploma supplement. Each of these needs a certified copy and a certified Turkish translation.
You apply in person, or a person holding a power of attorney issued by the competent authorities applies for you. YÖK sets the method. Documents are uploaded online first at denklik.yok.gov.tr. YÖK does not start processing a file with a missing document.
School-level certificates do not go to YÖK. They go to a Ministry of National Education equivalence centre, which is the provincial directorate of national education. For graduates, that centre asks for an apostilled diploma. Where there is no apostille, it accepts a diploma certified by the issuing country's education ministry, foreign ministry, or embassy or consulate. If the centre has no staff who know the document's language, it asks for a notarised translation. A translation made abroad needs consular approval. The originals are presented to the centre, and the file runs through the e-Denklik module.
Getting an apostille in Ireland
Irish apostilles come from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Authentication and Apostilles Section. Your certificate must be issued by a body recognised by the Department of Education or QQI. A photocopy must carry the issuing authority's original wet ink stamp. A document may need to be notarised by a notary public before it is apostilled. A notary or solicitor certifying a true copy must state that they personally saw the original.
From Türkiye, you apply by post to the section in Ireland. Walk-in and drop-off services exist in Dublin and Cork. Irish embassies and consulates cannot issue apostilles. DFAT puts physical stamps on physical documents and has no digital service.
Our translators are sworn before a Turkish notary (yeminli tercüman) and translate your documents into Turkish in Türkiye. Where the receiving Turkish authority requires it, a Turkish notary notarises the translation. YÖK or the equivalence centre decides whether your documents are accepted.