New Jersey Apostille for Documents Used in Türkiye

In New Jersey the apostille comes from the Department of the Treasury, through its Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services. What it certifies is a signature: that of a New Jersey notary public or of selected public officials, such as Superior Court judges, County Clerks and the State Registrar of Vital Statistics, who have authenticated or notarized the document.

That makes the first step the same for every document. Obtain the original or a certified copy of the document that bears the original notarization or certification by the public official. A photocopy without that signature gives the Division nothing to certify.

Records and notarized papers

Vital records, such as birth, marriage, divorce and death records from January 1, 1923 forward, come from the New Jersey Department of Health, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry. Court documents are certified through the officials named above, for example a Superior Court judge or a County Clerk.

Notarized documents need two original inked signatures: that of the New Jersey notary public and that of the person who presented the document for notarization. A copied or scanned signature on either line will not do.

The request itself starts online. The order produces a confirmation page, which you then mail or drop off together with your documents at the Customer Service Center.

The Turkish part

Once the apostille is attached, the document goes to Ankara. There our translators, sworn before a Turkish notary, prepare the Turkish translation, and a Turkish notary certifies it if the receiving authority requires that. The decision on acceptance stays with that Turkish authority.

For a New Jersey birth certificate the order is: certified copy from the Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, apostille from the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, then the sworn translation in Türkiye.