Apostille in Türkiye: which documents, where to go, what it costs

An apostille is the single certificate under the 1961 Hague Convention that lets a public document issued in one member state be accepted in another without consular legalisation. Türkiye has been a party since 1985. This guide explains which Turkish documents can be apostilled, which office issues the stamp, what it costs (nothing), how long it takes, and what to do when the destination country is not in the Convention.

Which documents can carry an apostille

The Convention covers public documents: documents issued by courts and prosecutors, administrative documents (civil-registry extracts, criminal-record certificates, diplomas issued by state institutions), notarial acts, and official certificates placed on private documents, such as a notary's certification of a signature or of a translation. A private document, such as a contract or a company letter, is not apostilled as such; it is first signed before a notary, and the notary's certification is then apostilled.

Documents must be originals or notarised copies bearing a live signature and seal of a Turkish authority. Foreign documents cannot be apostilled in Türkiye; the apostille is always placed in the country where the document was issued.

Where the apostille is issued

• Administrative and notarial documents — the governor's office (valilik) in the provincial centre or the district governor's office (kaymakamlık) in any district. In İstanbul every kaymakamlık has an apostille desk; you are not limited to the district where the notary sits.
• Judicial documents — court decisions, enforcement documents and anything signed by a judge or prosecutor are apostilled by the judicial commission (adalet komisyonu başkanlığı) at the courthouse (adliye) of the province where the court sits.
• e-Apostille — certain documents retrieved through e-Devlet, such as criminal-record certificates and some court decisions, can be apostilled electronically; the recipient verifies them by QR code. Not every destination country accepts the electronic form yet, so ask the receiving authority first.

Cost and timing

The apostille itself is free of charge in Türkiye: no harç, no stamp fee. What costs money is the step before it. A document that first needs notarisation (a signature certification, a notarised translation, a certified copy) is charged by the notary at the 2026 tariff, paid by you to the notary. Most kaymakamlık desks issue the apostille the same day or the next business day; the courthouse may take two to three days. Our errand service, door to door with queueing and collection, runs five to seven business days.

State fees and notarial tariffs are paid by you directly to the state or to the notary; they never pass through us and we receive nothing from any notary. The figures above are the official 2026 tariff, last checked 24.10.2026.

The usual chain: translate, notarise, apostille — in which order?

For a Turkish document going abroad, the receiving country usually wants the translation to be covered by the apostille too. The working order is therefore: original → sworn translation into the destination language → notarial certification of the translation → apostille on the notarial certification. Some countries accept an apostille on the original and have the translation made locally; check with the recipient, because the wrong order means paying the notary twice.

For a foreign document coming into Türkiye, the chain runs in reverse: apostille in the country of origin → sworn translation into Turkish in Türkiye → notarial certification of the translation. See our guide to notarised translation cost for the 2026 per-page figures.

When an apostille is not enough: consular legalisation

If the destination country is not a party to the Hague Convention (for example the United Arab Emirates, Canada for documents before 2024, several Gulf and African states, and some CIS countries that apply bilateral treaties instead), the document is legalised in two steps: certification by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (or the valilik acting for it), then legalisation by the destination country's consulate in Türkiye. Consulates charge their own fees in their own currency and keep their own appointment systems. Between Türkiye and some countries (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia and others) bilateral legal-assistance treaties waive legalisation altogether for certain document types; the receiving authority will tell you if that applies.

Sources

• adalet.gov.tr — Ministry of Justice: apostille authorities, notarial tariff
• resmigazete.gov.tr — Official Gazette: 2026 Noterlik Ücret Tarifesi
• mevzuat.gov.tr — Convention of 5 October 1961 as ratified; Noterlik Kanunu
• e-devlet (turkiye.gov.tr) — e-Apostille service for eligible documents

Questions