Apostille

WHAT IS AN E-APOSTILLE?

APOSTILLE CERTIFICATION or APOSTILLE

WHAT IS AN APOSTILLE?
APOSTILLE CERTIFICATION or APOSTILLE
Apostille is an international document approval system that enables the authenticity of a document to be legally used in another country.
The rules of the Apostille were determined by the Hague Convention of 06 October 1961. Apostille rules are valid only between member states or parties to The Hague Conference. A local authority, a ministry, an organization approved the authenticity of this document, which will be sent to countries that are not members of this convention, and a local authority, ministry, or an organization determined by the relevant member or party state, making it legal for use in another member or party country within the framework of the rules set forth in the Hague Convention of 06 October 1961. The document with apostille certification is accepted as a valid document in all member and party states of the Hague Conference held in The Hague city of the Netherlands.

Important Notices:
The circular of the authorized signatory and the seal of the competent authority on your apostille document must be registered in the system of the Legal Affairs Departments in the Governorship or District Governorates.
To give another example; The seal of the school in a High School Diploma and the signature of the school principal may not be sufficient, so the seal and signature must be approved by the relevant Provincial or District Directorate of National Education. Then, a copy of the notarized original must be made and taken for Apostille approval.
Apostille is applied on the document itself or on a paper to be attached to it, as stated in Article 4 of the convention by the competent authority of the country that issued the document or decision to be certified. The commentary can be in the desired language, but the title of the confirmation must be written in French and must be at least 9 cm. the border must be in square form.
Apostille is prepared in 4 languages in Turkey, they are Turkish, English, French and German. Some countries, such as Russia, require the translation of the Apostille as the official language is Russian and due to their own legislation. Therefore, your document must first be made apostille, then translated, and then notarized. Some countries or their representative offices (such as the Consulate General of Ukraine in Istanbul) may request a double Apostille, ie first apostille + sworn translation + notarization + second apostille.
A document, which received from an authority in any province or district of Turkey, that it can be made Apostille approval in another province or district governorship.
The apostille certification process is free of charge. However, if you want to have this process done by translation offices instead of yourself, translation offices rightly charge a small service fee for this.
The documents you bring from abroad must be apostilled, if not, the following is usually done in order; Sworn translation + notarization + consulate approval of the relevant country + approval of the district governorship where the consulate is located must be made.
If you have any detailed questions or anything you do not understand, feel free to contact us via our telephone numbers. We will be happy to assist you.

Components of an Apostille document
In Apostille, the main title must be written in French as “Apostille (Convention de La Haye du 5 Octobre 1961)”. An apostille document consists of the following elements:

  • the name of the country in which the document was issued;
  • name surname of the person signing the document;
  • the title of the person signing the document;
  • the name of the authority to which the seal printed on the document belongs;
  • where it is certified;
  • the date it was certified;
  • the authority and officer’s name surname title that issued the apostille;
  • apostille number;
  • the seal or stamp of the authority that issued the apostille;
  • Signature of the authority that issued the apostille.

Turkey has signed this convention on May 08, 1962 while. This convention has been ratified under Law No. 3028 of 20.06.1984. “The Hague Convention of October 5, 1961 on the Abolition of the Requirement for Approval of Foreign Official Documents” was published in the Official Gazette dated 16.09.1984 and numbered 18517 and entered into force for our country on 29.09.1985. In Article 1 of the aforementioned convention, it is foreseen that the Apostille certification will be applied to “official documents arranged in the country of one of the Contracting States and to be used in another Contracting State”. It is aimed that the citizens of the countries that are parties to the aforementioned convention can directly use the said documents, which they have issued in their own countries, in other countries that are parties, thereby reducing the burden in the transactions, and ensuring ease and speed. In the said convention, it is stated that for the purposes of the convention, the following documents are considered as official documents:

A) Official documents to be Apostilled:
a) “Documents issued by an authorized signatory officer or commissioned officer a judicial authority or court of the state or and also documents issued by the prosecutor, registrar (clerk) or court clerk,
b) Single administrative documents (sad)
c) Notarial deeds/public documents
d) Official declarations/statements that have been certified by official authorities and notaries that the relevant document is registered or exists on a specific date and the authenticity of their signatures is applied on documents signed by individuals in private capacity”.
For example; all official documents such as education certificates and diplomas, documents about marital status, birth certificates, marriage certificates, marriage license, power of attorneys and consents etc.

B) Documents for which the convention cannot be applied according to the same article, in other words, Apostille certification cannot be made:
1) “Documents issued by officials of diplomacy representatives or consular officers,
2) Administrative documents directly related to trade or customs procedures.
3) According to Article 6 of the Convention, “Each Contracting State is required to determine the authorities authorized to give Apostille certification, and to inform the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs when there are changes in them.”
4) Article 9 of the Convention states that “Each Contracting State shall take the necessary measures to ensure that its diplomacy or consular officers are not subject to ratification in cases where immunity to ratification is stipulated in this Convention” and it is stated that a document duly approved by Apostille does not require any further certification.
5) It is possible to access the text of the aforementioned convention and the current list of the countries that are parties to the convention and the information about which authorities are authorized to put Apostille in each country in English from the link below or at the bottom of the column of this article, the names of the Apostille Parties in Turkish and English and the links of the competent authorities are also included.
http://www.hcch.net/index_en.php?act=conventions.authorities&cid=41
6) As it is known, international conventions/agreements take the character of law after their approval by the Turkish Grand National Assembly and become effective like our national laws/codes.
The certification authorities that will apply Apostille certification vary according to countries and even states divided into states. For example, while the head of the state court (Landgericht), to which the court or notary is affiliated, gives Apostille to the court decisions and German notary documents in Germany,

Apostille application approval authorities in the Republic of Turkey:
Administrative Documents; Governorships, Governors, Deputy Governors and Legal Affairs Managers on behalf of the Governor, District Governorships;
Forensic/Judicial Documents; Presidencies of the Justice Commission in the centers that are the institutions of the High Criminal Court.

SAMPLE DOCUMENTS;
Student Selection and Placement Center Documents:
A student entering the university entrance exam in Turkey, shall apply to another university or a university abroad and
The releated university requires translation of a SSPC (OSYM) document that he/she was accepted into which universities in Turkey and translation of High School Diploma from the person.

What this student should do;
Translation Office: Taking the original SSCP (OSYM) certificate/document and high school diploma, go to a Certified Translation Office or a Sworn Translator and ensure that the document is translated into the language of the country to which it will be presented/submitted.

Notary Public: This translation should be notarized in the notary public directed by the Translation Office or Translator or where Translation Office or Translator is registered.

Governorship/Sub-Governorship(District Governorship): This translation, which is approved by the notary public, is provided an apostille certification by going to the governorship in the provinces and the sub-governorship in the districts (recommended; in the province and district where the notary is located, but possible in others). So, this document can be submitted to the relevant authority in another country party to the convention.

Single Original Documents such as T.R. Identity Card, Diploma: If you want to make “Apostille” to single original documents such as Identity Card and Diploma, they must be a notarized copy “as an original” before. Otherwise, apostille process cannot be performed to the single original documents.

Commercial Documents: A company registered in Turkey, if want to open branches or representative offices in another country, the competent authorities of the foreign country requires translation of the main contract or corporation’s charter from the related company.

In this case, what the company should do;
Translation Office: Taking the approved copy of main contract/corporation’s chapter by the Chamber of Commerce (original copy published in the official gazette/trade registry gazette), go to a Certified Translation Office or a Sworn Translator and ensure that the document is translated into the language of the country to which it will be presented/submitted.

Notary Public: This translation should be notarized in the notary public directed by the Translation Office or Translator or where Translation Office or Translator is registered.

Governorship/Sub-Governorship(District Governorship): This translation, which is approved by the notary public, is provided an apostille certification by going to the governorship in the provinces and the sub-governorship in the districts (recommended; in the province and district where the notary is located, but possible in others). So, this document can be submitted to the relevant authority in another country party to the convention.

WHAT IS AN E-APOSTILLE?
E-APOSSTILLE CERTIFICATION or E-APOSTILLE

Important Note:
E-Apostille can only be applied to Forensic/Judicial Documents such as Criminal Record (Clearance) and Finalized Court Decisions. For other documents the system is not yet functional. You can follow the developments at https://www.pttteknoloji.com.tr
You will be able to receive your apostilles through the E-APOSTILE SYSTEM, which will be created together with the Ministry of Justice and Post Office (PTT). Citizens who will have apostille certification should have no missing content in their approved documents. Document with missing contents makes the document invalid.

Document;
The name of the country in which the document was issued,
Name surname of the person signing the document,
The title of the person signing the document,
The name of the authority to which the seal printed on the document belongs,
Where it is issued/certified,
The date is was issued/certified.

Apostille;
The authority that issued the apostille,
Apostille number,
The seal or stamp of the authority that issued the apostille,
Signature of the authority that issued the apostille.

Flow;
The translated document contains the translator’s signature of the Translation Office. The signature of the translator on the original document certifies by the notary and it combins and seals with the original copy by the notary (hereby, signature and seal of the notary was applied on the concerned document and it was certified as approved by the Republic of Turkey), The Citizen uploads this official document physically to PTT via https://www.pttteknoloji.com.tr or online to the E-APOSTILLE SYSTEM, The document registers in the E-REGISTRATION SYSTEM as Apostille approved, E-Apostille applications in the pool are transferred to the Justice Commissions along with the request forms, E-Apostille is created as .pdf,
When the commission transactions/procedures are concluded; The request form, the main document, the apostille document and the pdf, in which the E-Apostille is combined without electronic signature and they are stored inside the e-signed EYP (Electronic Correspondence Package) in UYAP (National Judiciary Informatics System),
If the request is denied; refusal letter is stored inside the e-signed EYP (Electronic Correspondence Package (ECP) ) in UYAP (National Judiciary Informatics System) (Must be reply about approval / rejection information for reasons such as refund etc.), Information regarding the finalized application is sent to E-APOSTILLE SYSTEM of the Post Office (PTT), When the main document and E-Apostille are requested to be downloaded by the citizen, or when the document needs to be accessed again after a certain period of time, or if it is necessary to check that the content of the document has not changed, an inquiry can be made via the EYP service with EYP ID.

Countries Parties to Apostille:(Countries are constantly updated!)

Albania (Arnavutluk), Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda (Antigua ve Barbuda), Argentina (Arjantin), Armenia (Ermenistan), Australia (Avusturalya), Austria (Avusturya), Azerbaijan (Azerbaycan), Bahamas (Bahamalar), Bahrain (Bahreyn), Barbados, Belarus (Beyaz Rusya), Belgium (Belçika), Belize, Bolivia (Bolivya), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna-Hersek), Brasil (Brezilya), Brunei Darussalam (Brunei Darüsselam Sultanlığı), Bulgaria (Bulgaristan), Burundi, Cape Verde (Yeşil Burun Adaları), Chile (Şili), China Hong Kong (Çin Halk Cumhuriyeti Hong Kong Özel İdare Bölgesi), China Macao (Çin Halk Cumhuriyeti Makau Özel İdare Bölgesi), Colombia (Kolombiya), Cook Islands (Cook Adaları), Costa Rica (Kosta Rika), Croatia (Hırvatistan), Cyprus (Kıbrıs), Czech Republic (Çek Cumhuriyeti), Denmark (Danimarka), Dominica (Dominik), Dominican Republic (Dominik Cumhuriyeti), Ecuador (Ekvator), El Salvador, Estonia (Estonya), Eswatini formerly Swaziland (Esvatini Krallığı yada Svaziland Krallığı), Fiji, Finland (Finlandiya), France (Fransa), Georgia (Gürcistan), Germany (Almanya), Greece (Yunanistan), Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary (Macaristan), Iceland (İzlanda), Indea (Hindistan), Ireland (İrlanda), Israel (İsrail), Italy (İtalya), Japan (Japonya), Kazakhstan (Kazakistan), Republic of Korea (Kore Cumhuriyeti), Kosovo (Kosova), Kyrgyzstan (Kırgızistan), Latvia (Letonya), Lesotho (Lesoto Krallığı), Liberia (Liberya), Liechtenstein (Lihtenştayn Prensliği), Lithuania (Litvanya), Luxembourg (Lüksemburg), Malawi (Malavi Cumhuriyeti), Malta, Marshall Islands (Marşal Adaları), Mauritius (Morityus Cumhuriyeti), Mexico (Meksika), Monaco (Monako Prensliği), Mongolia (Moğolistan), Montenegro (Karadağ), Morocco (Fas), Namibia (Namibya), Netherlands (Hollanda), New Zealand (Yeni Zelanda), Nicaragua (Nikaragua), Niue, Norway (Norveç), Oman (Umman Sultanlığı), Palau (Palau Cumhuriyeti), Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines (Filipinler), Poland (Polonya), Portugal (Portekiz), Republic of Moldova (Moldova Cumhuriyeti), Republic of North Macedonia (Kuzey Makedonya Cumhuriyeti), Romania (Romanya), Russian Federation (Rusya Federasyonu), Saint Kitts and Nevis (Saint Kitts ve Nevis), Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Saint Vincent ve Grenadine Adaları), Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe (Demokratik Sao Tome ve Principe Cumhuriyeti), Serbia (Sırbistan), Seychelles (Seyşel Adaları), Slovakia (Slovakya), Slovenia (Slovenya), South Africa (Güney Afrika Cumhuriyeti), Spain (İspanya), Suriname (Surinam), Sweden (İsveç), Switzerland (İsviçre), Tajikistan (Tacikistan), Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago (Trinidad ve Tobago), Tunusia (Tunus), Turkey (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti), Ukraine (Ukrayna), United Kingdom (Birleşik Krallık – İngiltere, İskoçya, Galler ve Kuzey İrlanda), United States of America (Amerika Birleşik Devletleri), Uruguay, Uzbekistan (Özbekistan), Vanuatu, Venezuela

Important Information: As seen in the list, especially Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Syria and socialist countries such as Cuba and North Korea, African countries such as Madagascar, Kenya, Chad, Gambia, Far East countries such as Thailand, Papua New Guinea, and countries such as Canada and Iran. They did not become a party to the convention. Therefore, instead of Apostille, only Turkish “Annotation Ratification” is applied to documents that will be sent to countries that are not parties to the convention. Likewise, if the validity of the judicial, administrative or commercial documents obtained from these countries (within the period when they are not a party to the convention), the Approval (Attestation) of the Turkish Foreign Representation such as the Consulate in that country will be required.

Click on the country below to see Competent Authority (Article 6) !

Countries and documents that do not require an Apostille:
In accordance with bilateral agreements made between Turkey and some countries, which is party to the Hague convention dated 1961 or not parties, this Apostille annotation requirement has also been mutually removed.
For example; In addition to the Hague Convention on the Civil Procedure dated 01.03.1954, in accordance with Article 15 of the agreement between Turkey and AUSTRIA held on 09.16.1988, Stating that “Documents issued or certified by a court or notary public in either country do not need to be re-certified in the other country”, They removed the condition of Apostile bilaterally. Therefore, a decision by the Austrian court or a document issued by the Austrian notary public without apostille certification just it is translated into Turkish approval translation will be valid in Turkey.
Also, in addition to Austria and Turkey mutually made in accordance with bilateral agreements with these countries has abolished the requirement of approval Apositil/document certification;
POLAND according to the 13th article of the agreement dated 12.04.1988,
HUNGARY according to the 13th article of the agreement dated 06.06.1988,
CROATIA according to the 12th article of the agreement dated 10.09.1999,
LITHUANIA according to the 7th article of the agreement dated 19.09.1999,
KUWAIT according to the 7th article of the agreement dated 07.02.1990 (Not a party to the 1961 Hague convention),
UZBEKISTAN according to the 14th article of the agreement dated 23.06.1994,
ALBANIA according to the 14th article of the agreement dated 15.03.1995,
GEORGIA according to the 14th article of the agreement dated 04.04.1996,
TAJIKISTAN according to the 14th article of the agreement dated 06.05.1996,
RUSSIAN FEDERATION according to the 14th article of the agreement dated 15.12.1997,
UKRAINE according to the 13th article of the agreement dated 23.11.2000,
MACEDONIA according to the 14th article of the agreement dated 11.07.2001,
SERBIA according to the 15th and 22nd articles of the agreement dated 05.06.2013,
KAZAKHSTAN according to the 8th article of the agreement dated 17.07.1997 (only for documents to be used before courts),
AZERBAIJAN according to the 12th article of the agreement dated 02.11.1992 (only in proceedings before judicial authorities).
In addition, in accordance with the agreement made between Northern Cyprus Turkish Republic (TRNC), which is not party to the 1961 Hague Convention and Turkey, after that it was published in the Official Gazette on 01.07.2003 pursuant to 27/2 substance of the cooperation agreement at the Justice and Home Affairs, which entered into force has also been a mutually document approved exemption.