What is a consent document, when is it required, and how is it translated?

What is a consent document?

A consent document is a document drawn up by a notary in which a person declares in writing their consent to a specific procedure. The person whose consent is required does not carry out the procedure themselves; someone else does, and the consent document proves that the procedure has been approved.

It should not be confused with a power of attorney. With a power of attorney, you authorise someone to act on your behalf; with a consent document, you give your approval for a procedure carried out by someone else on their own behalf. For example, your child travelling abroad with a relative requires consent, whereas selling property at the land registry on your behalf requires a power of attorney.

In which situations is it most commonly required?

In practice, consent documents are mainly drawn up for children under 18:

• A child travelling abroad with one parent, a relative, a school or sports group, or alone
• Visa applications for children under 18; consulates require a notarised consent document in the application file
• Passport applications for minors; consent from a legal representative who cannot attend the application is submitted as a document
• School enrolment abroad, student exchanges and summer school programmes
• Club and federation files for young athletes taking part in international tournaments

Some procedures between adults also require consent; a familiar example is spousal consent for transactions involving the family home. The form of such consent varies according to the institution handling the procedure and the applicable legislation.

How and where is a consent document obtained?

In Türkiye, the document is drawn up by a notary. The person giving consent applies to the notary with their identity document; for consent documents concerning a child, the child's identity details, destination country or countries, travel dates and, where applicable, the accompanying person's identity are included in the document. Consent documents with a narrow scope and specified dates and countries are more readily accepted by border authorities.

Parents may attend the notary together or have separate consent documents drawn up at different notaries. A parent living abroad can have a consent document drawn up at a Turkish diplomatic mission in their country of residence; consulates act as notaries for this procedure.

If sole custody has been awarded to one parent by a court, that parent's consent alone is sufficient for passport procedures. For visa applications, however, diplomatic missions generally want to see the original custody decision or a certified copy in the file.

Consent documents in visa applications

Diplomatic missions of Schengen member states require a notarised consent document from the parent who is not travelling when an applicant under 18 travels alone or with only one parent. Both parents' signatures are required on the child's application form.

Some missions require the consent document to have been issued recently, for example within the last six months. In the event of divorce, the custody decision is added to the file; in the event of death, the death certificate is added.

Rules vary between missions and over time; before applying, check the current document checklist of the relevant consulate or intermediary agency. Translation requirements are also specified on this list: many missions require a sworn translation of the consent document into the application language or English.

Use abroad: apostille and translation

When a consent document issued in Türkiye is used abroad, a three-step chain applies: preparation at a notary, an apostille from the district governor's office or governor's office, and then a sworn translation into the target language. As the apostille endorsement is considered part of the document, translation is carried out after the apostille has been obtained and covers both the document and the endorsement in full.

The same principle applies in the other direction. For a consent document drawn up before a foreign notary abroad to be valid in Türkiye, it must carry that country's apostille endorsement and have a sworn Turkish translation; most institutions also require notarisation of the translation.

If the document was drawn up at a Turkish diplomatic mission, no apostille or translation is required; a procedure carried out at the consulate is directly valid before Turkish authorities.

What should be considered when translating a consent document?

A consent document is short, but since its entire content consists of identity details and a declaration of consent, there is no margin for error in translation. First names and surnames must match the spelling in the passport exactly, and dates and passport numbers must be reproduced precisely; a difference of a single letter can result in rejection of the document at a border crossing or consulate.

Wording that defines the scope of permission is the most sensitive part of the translation. Expressions such as "may travel abroad alone", "may travel with the specified accompanying person" or "may travel with either parent" each define a different legal scope; the translation must neither narrow nor broaden that scope. The same care applies to clauses granting authority for passport and visa procedures.

The translation is delivered with a sworn translator's signature; if the institution requires notarisation, it is also certified by a notary. A legible photograph or scan of the document is sufficient for translation; the original document may need to be presented at the notarisation stage.

Missing consent documents are frequently discovered shortly before the travel date. As the document is one page long, translation is quick; nevertheless, procedures should begin a reasonable time before travel, allowing for apostille and notarial stages as well.

Frequently asked questions