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What is an apostille?
An apostille is a certificate issued under the 1961 Hague Convention that authenticates the signature and seal on a document. A document bearing an apostille is accepted in other countries party to the Convention without additional consular legalisation.
An apostille authenticates the signature and seal of the authority that issued the document, rather than its contents. This distinction is important in understanding what an apostille does.
Where can you obtain an apostille?
The competent authority depends on the type of document:
- For administrative documents: the governor's office in provinces and the district governor's office in districts. Applications are made to the legal affairs department or apostille office within the relevant authority.
- For judicial documents: the Judicial Justice Commission in centres with a high criminal court. Court judgments and criminal case documents fall into this category.
- For notarised documents and notarised translations: the governor's office or district governor's office. Since notarial acts are treated as administrative documents, apostilles are obtained from these authorities.
An electronic apostille (e-Apostille) can be obtained through e-Devlet, Türkiye's e-Government portal, for certain documents. Criminal record certificates are among the main documents covered.
How much does an apostille cost?
No fee is charged for apostilles issued by governors' offices and district governors' offices. An e-Apostille obtained through PTT via e-Devlet carries a service charge per document. Other chargeable items are translation of the document and, where required, notarisation.
Where a service charges for obtaining an apostille, the amount paid is for handling the process, rather than for the apostille itself. This distinction should be made clear.
Should translation or apostille come first?
The order depends on the institution receiving the document. Common practice is to obtain an apostille on the Turkish document first, then translate the document and apostille together.
Some countries require the translation to be notarised and a further apostille to be obtained on the notarisation. The receiving institution's requirements should therefore be established before starting.
Countries not party to the Hague Convention
An apostille is not valid in countries that are not party to the Convention. In this case, the document is legalised first by the district governor's office or governor's office, then by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and finally by that country's diplomatic mission in Türkiye. This process is called consular legalisation.
Some Gulf countries and certain countries in Africa and Asia fall into this category. As the current list of contracting countries can change over time, confirmation before proceeding is recommended.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to obtain an apostille?
It depends on the workload of the relevant authority; in many places the process can be completed on the same day. e-Apostille applications are processed electronically.
Does an apostille expire?
No general validity period is specified for the apostille itself. However, the institution requesting the document may require it to have been issued after a particular date.
This content is for information purposes. The documents and procedures required by institutions may change; we recommend confirming the requirements with the relevant institution before applying.
