A UK Court Order for Recognition in Türkiye
How a UK divorce order takes effect in Türkiye: population register entry or court recognition, the UK apostille step and the translation documents.
A UK divorce order can take effect in Türkiye by one of two routes: registration in the Turkish population register (nüfus kütüğü) as an administrative act, or recognition (tanıma) by a competent Turkish court. Registration is governed by Article 27/A of Law No. 5490. A decision refused on that route is recognised under Law No. 5718.
Registration in the population register
Foreign decisions on divorce, annulment, nullity or the existence of a marriage are registered if three conditions are met. The court or authority that gave the decision was competent under UK law. The decision is final under that law. It is not manifestly contrary to Turkish public order. Both former spouses apply together. If one party has died or is a foreign national, the Turkish citizen can apply alone. Abroad, the Turkish mission in the country where the decision was given makes the entry. In Türkiye, the population directorates designated by the Ministry of Interior make it.
An information note of the Turkish Consulate General in Berlin dated 23 June 2025 lists the documents for this route: the original divorce decision bearing an apostille, its translation into Turkish by a sworn translator, and certification of that translation by the Turkish mission. What a Turkish mission in the UK or a population directorate in Türkiye asks for should be confirmed with that office.
The UK apostille and the court route
The Legalisation Office of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office legalises court documents that are sealed with a wet ink court seal. You apply online, for either a paper apostille or an e-Apostille. An e-Apostille requires a PDF electronically signed by a UK notary or solicitor. If you need a certified copy of the order for legalisation, it must be made by a notary based in the UK. The Berlin note refers to the translation of the apostilled original, so the apostille comes before the translation.
If registration is refused, the court route applies. The court determines whether the UK judgment meets the conditions for enforcement. The reciprocity condition does not apply to recognition. The application includes the certified original or copy of the judgment with its certified translation, and a document showing that the judgment is final with its certified translation. Which UK document proves finality should be confirmed with the issuing court. Enforcement (tenfiz), as distinct from recognition, requires an enforcement decision of the competent Civil Court of First Instance.
Our translators are sworn before a Turkish notary and make the Turkish translation in Türkiye. The mission, the population directorate or the court decides whether the documents are accepted.