Diploma recognition in Türkiye: YÖK denklik, MEB equivalence and school enrolment

Two different authorities recognise foreign education in Türkiye. The Council of Higher Education (YÖK) recognises university degrees; the Ministry of National Education (MEB), through its provincial directorates, recognises school years so a child is placed in the right grade. Both start with the same chain: apostille abroad, sworn translation and notarial certification here. This guide explains who needs which recognition, the documents, the fees and the timing.

Who needs recognition, and who does not

• YÖK denklik is needed to practise a regulated profession (medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, engineering, architecture, law, teaching), to be appointed in the public sector, to enrol in a Turkish master's or doctoral programme with a foreign bachelor's degree, and for some work permit positions where the Ministry of Labour asks for it.
• YÖK tanıma (recognition of the institution) is a lighter letter confirming that the foreign university is recognised; it is enough for many private employers and some postgraduate admissions.
• MEB denklik is needed for every child moving from a foreign school into a Turkish state school, and by many private and international schools for grade placement; it is also needed by adults whose foreign high-school diploma must be recognised for university entry or employment.
• No recognition is needed to found a company, to open a bank account or to apply for most residence permits; a notarised translation of the diploma is sufficient where a diploma is asked for at all.

YÖK denklik: documents and process

1. Apply on e-Devlet (e-Denklik) with your foreigner ID or passport number; applicants abroad apply through a Turkish consulate.
2. Upload and then submit: the original diploma with apostille (or consular legalisation for non-Hague countries), the full transcript with apostille, notarised Turkish translations of both (≈ ₺884 per page at the 2026 notarial tariff, paid by you to the notary), passport pages with entry and exit stamps covering the study period, and for distance or partly foreign programmes the course descriptions.
3. Pay YÖK's application fee per its current schedule, in your name.
4. YÖK checks the institution, the programme, the study duration and physical attendance; for some fields it requires a placement exam (SYBS) or a completion programme before the equivalence certificate is issued.

Timing ranges from two months for a straightforward degree from a well-known university to a year or more where an exam is required. The decision belongs to YÖK's Recognition and Equivalence Commission.

MEB denklik for school years

The provincial education directorate (İl Millî Eğitim Müdürlüğü) issues a denklik belgesi placing the child in a grade. Documents: the previous school's transcripts and leaving certificate for each year, apostilled in the issuing country and translated, the child's passport and residence permit (or the parents' permits), and the e-Devlet address record. There is no state fee. Most directorates decide within one to two weeks during the summer rush, faster off-season. Without the certificate a state school cannot enrol the child; with it, the school must.

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 apostille and translation chain, in order

The order matters because each step certifies the previous one: original → apostille in the issuing country → sworn translation into Turkish in Türkiye → notarial certification of the translation. An apostille obtained after translation covers only the original and the translation may be rejected; a translation made abroad cannot be certified by a Turkish notary. For countries outside the Hague Convention, consular legalisation replaces the apostille. See the apostille guide and the notarised translation cost guide.

The September school enrolment pack

Private and international schools in İstanbul each publish their own list, which usually includes: transcripts and leaving certificate (apostilled, translated), the MEB denklik for state-school transfers, birth certificate (apostilled, translated), parents' and child's residence permits or passports, vaccination record, two photographs, and proof of address. Our education pack maps the school's list to documents with sources, coaches the collection, orders the translations and apostille errands and delivers one folder before the enrolment date.

Sources

• yok.gov.tr — Council of Higher Education: recognition and equivalence
• meb.gov.tr — Ministry of National Education: school equivalence
• turkiye.gov.tr — e-Devlet: e-Denklik application
• mevzuat.gov.tr — Yurtdışı Yükseköğretim Diplomaları Tanıma ve Denklik Yönetmeliği

Questions