US Diplomas and Transcripts for Use in Türkiye

Diplomas and transcripts from US schools are the documents most often turned back by state apostille offices, for a simple reason: a school registrar's signature and seal usually do not count on their own. Most states need a notary in the chain first.

The notary requirement

Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Ohio, Alabama and Kentucky all require school records to be notarized before the apostille. Alabama states plainly that a school official's signature with the registrar's seal is not acceptable. Georgia has the school official sign in the presence of a notary public. Washington requires notarization for all private school documents. Utah, by contrast, focuses on the official's details: the document must include the signature, name and capacity of the school official.

Two states add further steps. In New York the school certifies that the document is an official record or a true copy, and that official's signature is then notarized. In Maryland the record arrives in a sealed envelope, a notary opens it and notarizes the record, the Clerk of the Circuit Court certifies the notary, and only then does the Secretary of State apostille it. Kentucky adds a County Clerk certification of the notary.

Ask your school early how it handles records meant for an apostille; it saves a second round.

For a Turkish university or recognition procedure

Once apostilled, the diploma or transcript is translated into Turkish in Ankara by translators sworn before a Turkish notary, with notarization where the receiving institution asks for it. The Turkish university or authority decides whether the document meets its requirements. The table lists the apostille office for each state we have verified.