Maryland Apostille for Documents Used in Türkiye

Maryland apostilles are certified by the Office of the Secretary of State in Annapolis. Two kinds of document reach it by different routes: state or county documents that already carry an official seal, and documents that carry a notary's signature.

A state or county document, such as a birth or death certificate, a marriage certificate, a divorce decree or a certification of the status of criminal records, goes to the Secretary of State with the seal and authorized signature of the department that issued it. Corporate good-standing certificates are among the common documents the office handles as well.

The Circuit Court step

A notarized document has one extra stop. Take it to the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the notary was commissioned, have it certified there, and only then submit it to the Secretary of State.

School records follow the same chain with a detail of their own. With the record still in its sealed envelope, you take it to a notary, who opens the envelope and notarizes the record. The notarized record then goes to the circuit court where the notary is commissioned, where the Clerk of the Court certifies that the notary is in good standing. After that the record is ready for the Secretary of State.

Certifications may be completed by mail or in person.

Continuing in Türkiye

The apostilled document then comes to Ankara, where our translators, sworn before a Turkish notary, translate it into Turkish. A Turkish notary certifies the translation when the receiving authority requires it, and that authority decides on acceptance.

For a Maryland university transcript, the order is: sealed envelope, notary, Clerk of the Circuit Court, Secretary of State in Annapolis, and then the sworn translation in Türkiye.