Getting married in Türkiye as a foreigner: documents, the marriage office and what follows

Civil marriage in Türkiye is performed by the municipal marriage officer (belediye evlendirme memurluğu) under the Civil Code and the Marriage Regulation (Evlendirme Yönetmeliği). A foreigner may marry a Turkish citizen or another foreigner here; the marriage is valid everywhere once registered. The paperwork is a short chain: a certificate that you are free to marry, your identity documents, a health report, photographs, and an appointment. This guide lists the documents, where each comes from and what to do after the ceremony.

The certificate of no impediment (evlenme ehliyet belgesi)

The central document is proof from your own country that you are legally free to marry: a certificate of no impediment, certificate of capacity to marry, or single-status certificate, depending on the country. It is obtained either from your consulate in Türkiye, which issues it in Turkish or with a Turkish translation and needs no apostille (the consulate's signature is legalised by the valilik or accepted directly, depending on the country), or from the civil registry at home, in which case it must be apostilled there and translated by a sworn translator and certified by a notary in Türkiye (≈ ₺884 per page at the 2026 notarial tariff, paid by you to the notary). Most marriage offices accept it for six months from issue. Previously married applicants add the divorce decree or the former spouse's death certificate, apostilled and translated. Citizens of some countries, including those whose consulates do not issue the certificate, use the multilingual Formül extract under the CIEC conventions instead; the marriage office knows which.

The rest of the file

• Passport with a notarised Turkish translation; a residence permit card is not a substitute for the passport but is added to the file if you have one.
• Birth certificate, apostilled and translated, where the certificate of no impediment does not show parents' names and place of birth.
• Health report (sağlık raporu) for marriage from a family health centre or state hospital, with the blood tests the Ministry of Health prescribes; issued within the last six months, both spouses.
• Photographs: usually four to six biometric photos per person, taken within six months.
• Marriage declaration form (evlenme beyannamesi), completed and signed at the marriage office by both.
• Tax number or YKN for each foreign spouse.
• For a Turkish spouse: ID card and the e-Devlet family register extract.

Where a spouse does not speak Turkish, the marriage office requires a sworn interpreter at the application and at the ceremony. Two adult witnesses with ID attend the ceremony.

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 marriage office: application, waiting, ceremony

Apply at the marriage office of the municipality where either spouse is registered; some İstanbul districts accept non-residents. The officer checks the file, enters the application in the civil register system, and sets a date; the earliest is after a short statutory interval, and popular districts book several weeks ahead in summer. Fees are the municipality's: the ceremony itself is charged on the municipal tariff and the international family booklet (uluslararası aile cüzdanı) on the annual valuable-paper schedule, both paid to the municipality. After the ceremony the officer issues the family booklet and enters the marriage in MERNİS the same day.

After the ceremony: proving the marriage abroad

Your home country will want the marriage registered or at least proved. Türkiye is a party to the CIEC conventions, so the population directorate issues the multilingual Formül B marriage extract, accepted in member states without translation; for other countries, the Turkish marriage certificate is apostilled (free, at the kaymakamlık) and translated. Consulates register the marriage on presentation of the extract; some require it within a set period. If the foreign spouse will apply for a family residence permit, the e-Devlet family register of the Turkish spouse already shows the marriage; see our family residence permit guide.

Common mistakes

• Certificate of no impediment older than six months, or apostilled on a copy.
• Names spelt differently across passport, certificate and translation; the marriage office follows the passport.
• Health report from a private clinic without the prescribed tests.
• No sworn interpreter booked for a spouse who does not speak Turkish; the appointment is postponed.

Sources

• nvi.gov.tr — General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs: marriage of foreigners, Formül B extracts
• mevzuat.gov.tr — Turkish Civil Code art. 124 ff.; Evlendirme Yönetmeliği
• adalet.gov.tr — apostille authorities; 2026 notarial tariff
• turkiye.gov.tr — e-Devlet: family register extracts, marriage appointment services of municipalities

Questions