Foreign Documents as Evidence in Turkish Courts

A contract signed in Germany, a US bank statement or a British birth certificate can all end up before a Turkish court. The Turkish Code of Civil Procedure decides when such a document counts as an official document and what the party relying on it must provide.

Certification and translation

A document prepared by the authorities of a foreign state has the standing of an official document in Türkiye only if it is certified by the competent authority of the issuing state or by the relevant Turkish consulate. The provisions of international conventions to which Türkiye is a party on the certification of foreign official documents are reserved; Türkiye is a party to the Apostille Convention.

A party relying on a document written in a foreign language must submit its translation as well. The court may also ask for an official translation, on its own initiative or at the request of the other side.

Originals and judgments

The parties must submit to the court all documents they rely on as evidence and hold in their possession. Where only a copy has been submitted, the court may ask for the original.

A foreign court judgment is a different matter. Its effect as a final judgment or as conclusive evidence runs from the moment the foreign decision became final, but it can only be accepted as such once a Turkish court has established that it meets the conditions for enforcement.

Criminal proceedings have their own rule for language: if the accused or the victim does not speak enough Turkish, an interpreter appointed by the court translates the essential points of the prosecution and the defence at the hearing.

We prepare Turkish translations of foreign documents in Ankara through translators sworn before a Turkish notary. The court decides what it admits as evidence.