Power of attorney at a Turkish notary: what a foreigner needs in 2026

A Turkish power of attorney (vekaletname) is drawn up by a notary, not merely certified: the notary drafts the text in Turkish, reads it to you, and you sign before them (Noterlik Kanunu art. 84 ff.). For a foreigner that adds three questions: how the notary identifies you, what happens if you do not read Turkish, and how a power of attorney made abroad is accepted here. This guide answers them and gives the 2026 fee lines.

What the notary needs from a foreigner

• Passport, original. Many İstanbul notaries also ask for a notarised Turkish translation of the identity page; some accept the passport alone with an interpreter. A residence permit card, where you have one, is accepted as identity.
• Tax number or YKN: every notarial act records an identity number; without a Turkish number the act cannot be entered. See our tax number guide.
• Two biometric photographs for powers of attorney concerning immovable property (sale, purchase, mortgage) and for general powers; the notary attaches one to the deed.
• The attorney's details: full name, Turkish ID or passport number, and for a lawyer the bar registration.
• The scope: which acts, which property (with the title-deed reference), which company (with the registry number), which offices, for how long. A notary will not draft "everything" without specifics for property and shares.

The sworn interpreter rule

If the person signing does not know Turkish, the notary must bring in a sworn interpreter (yeminli tercüman) registered at that notary's office, who translates the deed orally and signs it alongside you (Noterlik Kanunu art. 74–75). The interpreter is a licensed professional paid at the notarial tariff by you, not by the notary; a friend or a relative cannot act. In practice this means booking the notary and the interpreter together for the same slot, which is what our notary coordination does. If you read Turkish and sign a declaration to that effect, no interpreter is needed.

The 2026 fee lines

A power of attorney is paid to the notary against a receipt in your name. The main lines in 2026: the vekaletname harcı of ₺307.90 per signature (Harçlar Kanunu, (2) sayılı tarife), the notary's drafting fee (düzenleme ücreti) and writing fee per page from the 2026 Noterlik Ücret Tarifesi, stamp paper, and the interpreter's fee at tariff where one attends. A one-page general power with interpreter commonly comes to a low four-figure lira sum in total; the notary's receipt is the final figure. Powers for property sales carry an additional value-based item at some offices. A notarised translation of the passport, where asked for, is ≈ ₺884 per page at the 2026 tariff.

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.

A power of attorney made abroad

There are two ways to grant a Turkish power of attorney without coming to Türkiye:

1. At a Turkish consulate. Consulates have notarial powers; a vekaletname drawn up at the consulate is a Turkish notarial act and needs no apostille or translation. Appointments are booked on the consulate's system; the same identity and photo rules apply.
2. At a foreign notary, then apostille. The power is drawn up before a notary in your country (preferably in Turkish or bilingual, with the attorney's Turkish ID number), apostilled in that country, then translated by a sworn translator and certified by a notary in Türkiye. A power for property or company shares must still state the specifics and carry a photograph; Turkish land registries refuse foreign powers without one.

For countries outside the Hague Convention the apostille is replaced by consular legalisation; see our apostille guide.

Revocation, duration and limits

A power of attorney remains valid until revoked or until the date written in it; it ends with the death of either party. Revocation is made before a notary (azilname) and notified to the attorney; for property powers the land registry should be informed too. Some acts cannot be done by power of attorney at all: the residence permit application requires the applicant personally (a lawyer may represent), marriage requires both spouses in person, and a bank may refuse account opening by proxy as a matter of policy.

Sources

• adalet.gov.tr — Ministry of Justice: 2026 notarial tariff, notaries' duties
• mevzuat.gov.tr — Noterlik Kanunu 1512; Noterlik Kanunu Yönetmeliği; Harçlar Kanunu
• gib.gov.tr — Harçlar Kanunu (2) sayılı tarife: notarial harç amounts
• tkgm.gov.tr — General Directorate of Land Registry: requirements for powers of attorney in property transactions

Questions