If you are going to make Turkey your permanent home then you will need to show the authorities certain documents to secure your residency and work permits. Documents that are legal in your home country will need to be legalized for the Turkish authorities and this means that they need an apostille to prove that a signature, seal or stamp that appears on an official document is genuine. That means that any seals or signatures by public officials like solicitors, notaries and public, registrars have to be confirmed as genuine before they are recognized in Turkey.
What is an Apostille?
An apostille is the legal expression used when talking about making documents from one country legal in another. The terms for legalization were set up under the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents. Turkey and the UK are both signatories to the Convention. The type of documents that will need an apostille are your children’s birth certificates, educational certificates like diplomas, degrees, school reports and SAT qualifications, deed poll documents showing a change of name and pension documents proving income and export licences, which will first need to be translated and inspected by the Turkish Chamber of Trade.
Authetication by a Solicitor or Notary
Most documents excluding original birth, death or marriage certificates must be authenticated by a solicitor or notary before they can be apostilled. If the document is a photocopy, this will also need to be authenticated first. In the UK, apostilles can be obtained from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, based in Milton Keynes. You can either visit in person, send your documents by registered post or use a private agency dealing in the sourcing of apostilles; an internet search under the word ‘apostille’ will provide you with plenty of choice in this area. It costs £69 per apostille if you send your documents to the FCO’s London office for their Premium Service (Centrepoint, London) and £28 per apostille for applications made to the Milton Keynes office. Private agencies will have their own table of fees, which will be in excess of a direct application. There is a £6 fee for postal applications, which are always sent by Special Delivery. You do not need to be UK resident to use the service but you must be a UK national. Applications generally take two to three weeks to complete.
Don't Panic in the Face of the Paper Chase
If you are asked to provide apostilled documents, don’t panic! The Turkish authorities know that this process takes time and they will not expel you from the country for not having them provided your visa is up to date. That is why it is imperative to apply for any residence and work permits well in advance of your current visa expiring.
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