UK Documents for a Turkish Residence Permit

For a Turkish residence permit (ikamet izni), UK civil status documents such as a marriage or birth certificate are apostilled in the UK by the Legalisation Office of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and translated into Turkish. Published Turkish document lists ask for a notarised Turkish translation of the marriage certificate for a spouse, and of the apostilled birth certificate for a child under 18.

Getting the UK apostille

The route depends on the type of document. Birth, marriage and death certificates are public registry documents and can be apostilled as issued. General Register Office certificates cannot get an e-Apostille; they receive a paper apostille. Court documents need a wet ink court seal. Company certificates issued by Companies House are also public registry documents. A government department document, such as a letter confirming tax registration, must be signed by an official.

Other documents, such as a power of attorney, a contract or a qualification certificate, can be apostilled once a UK public official such as a UK notary or solicitor has certified them. A certified copy of a UK document for the apostille must be made by a notary based in the UK. Applications for paper apostilles and e-Apostilles are made online. An e-Apostille needs PDF files electronically signed by a UK notary or solicitor and is not available for ACRO, DBS or other disclosure certificates, fingerprint certificates or ACCA membership certificates. The quoted UK texts do not name parental consent letters; confirm their route with the Legalisation Office.

What the migration directorates ask for

For a family residence permit, the applicant must show that they are a spouse, a minor child or a dependent child. For a spouse joining a residence permit holder, the Tekirdağ Provincial Directorate of Migration Management asks for the original notarised translation of the marriage certificate at the first application. Where there is reasonable suspicion, governorships investigate whether a marriage was entered into solely to obtain a residence permit.

For children under 18, the Antalya Provincial Directorate of Migration Management lists the birth certificate and the consent letter (muvafakatname), each with an apostille and a notarised Turkish translation. Where a parent with joint custody lives outside Türkiye, that parent's consent is required for the child's family residence permit.

A student residence permit application is made after pre-registration, by the student or by the school. Whether other provinces ask for the same documents in the same form is not settled by the quoted texts; confirm it with the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management where you apply.

The Turkish translation is made in Türkiye by our translators, sworn before a Turkish notary, and is then notarised for these documents. The apostille itself comes from the UK Legalisation Office, and the migration directorate decides whether the file is accepted.