Kif jiġu legalizzati d-dokumenti għall-applikazzjonijiet tal-viża, l-università u r-residenza? X'inhu l-apostille, minn fejn jinkiseb, u jsir qabel jew wara t-traduzzjoni?
Almost every application made abroad — for a visa, university enrolment, diploma recognition, marriage or residence — requires official documents issued in Turkey to be accepted as valid in the other country. This involves two stages: legalisation of the document (an apostille or consular legalisation) and its translation. Planning the order correctly from the outset, and knowing which document goes to which authority, can save you weeks.
What is an apostille?
An apostille is a one-page certificate that validates public documents between countries that are party to the 1961 Hague Convention. It confirms that the signature and seal of the issuing authority are genuine; it does not certify the content of the document. In countries that are party to the Convention (including Germany, Poland, Malta, Austria, the United Kingdom and all EU member states), no additional consular legalisation is required.
Where can you get an apostille in Turkey?
- Administrative documents (institutional documents such as civil registry extracts, diplomas, transcripts, student certificates and criminal record certificates): provincial governorships or district governorships.
- Judicial documents (court decisions, notarised documents): the presidencies of the justice commissions.
Some documents can be obtained via e-Devlet (Turkey's e-Government portal) and apostilled directly; for others, a notarised copy must be obtained first. Since the practice of the authorities changes from time to time, check with the relevant governorship or district governorship before applying.
Apostille or translation first?
The general rule: first apostille the original Turkish document, then have the document and the apostille certificate translated together by a sworn translator. Some countries require the translation to be notarised as well, or to be done by a translator sworn in that country. Finding out in advance the format required by the receiving authority (consulate, university, immigration office) prevents you from having to get the document translated twice.
Countries that are not party to the Convention
In countries that are not party to the Hague Convention, a chain legalisation applies instead of an apostille: the document is legalised in turn by the relevant Turkish authority, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the destination country's consulate in Turkey.
Diploma equivalence and recognition
An apostille shows that your diploma is “genuine” abroad; however, in order to practise your profession or be admitted to a master's programme, you often also need to go through a separate recognition / equivalence procedure (e.g. professional recognition in Germany). Depending on the country and profession, this process can take months; if you are planning a work visa, it should be addressed right at the start.
Checklist
- Does the receiving authority want the original document or a certified copy?
- Must the document have been issued within the last 3 or 6 months (e.g. criminal record certificate, civil registry extract)?
- Into which language, by whom and with what certification must the translation be done?
- Will the original documents be posted, or will scanned copies be uploaded?
For the documents required by each country, see our visa guide; for the documents required for university applications, visit our education site.
Next step
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This page is for general information purposes only. Salary thresholds, fees and visa requirements are updated frequently; confirm the current situation with your consultant or official sources before applying.
Tista' titlob spezzjoni b'xejn għal qisien, sistemi u prezzijiet speċifiċi għall-proġett tiegħek.