Turkish Foreign Ministry Legalisation Office: When You Need It and How It Works

Turkish Foreign Ministry legalisation (Dışişleri Bakanlığı tasdiki) is needed when a Turkish document will be used in a country that is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, such as Egypt, Iraq, Jordan or the United Arab Emirates. It is done by the Ministry's legalisation unit (Tasdik Birimi) in Ankara, by appointment through disisleritasdik.mfa.gov.tr, after the governorship's stamp and before the destination country's embassy. If the country is a party, such as Saudi Arabia or Morocco, an apostille is enough and the Ministry is not involved.

Foreign Ministry legalisation or apostille?

An apostille is a single certificate that replaces the chain of legalisations between the parties to the 1961 Hague Convention, and Turkey has been a party since 1985. In Turkey the apostille is not issued by the Foreign Ministry. It is issued by the governorship (Valilik) or the district governorship (Kaymakamlık) for administrative documents, and by the justice commission (Adalet Komisyonu) at the courthouse for court documents. Turkish embassies and consulates abroad cannot issue apostilles. See our guide on how to get an apostille in Turkey.

These are the Arab states that are parties to the Convention, according to the status table of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (November 2026):

The other Arab states, including Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Libya and Yemen, were not parties as of November 2026, so a Turkish document for use there needs the legalisation chain that passes through the Turkish Foreign Ministry. Algeria joined only recently, so ask the receiving authority whether it now accepts apostilles. Authorities in party states may still ask for an Arabic translation. Check the status table before you start, because new states join every year.

The Ministry is also needed for documents issued by foreign embassies and consulates in Turkey. The Convention does not cover documents of diplomatic or consular agents, so the mission's signature is certified instead, as explained below.

Steps for a Turkish document going to a non-Apostille country

The Ministry's consular portal (konsolosluk.gov.tr) says that if the country is not a party to the Apostille Convention, the Foreign Ministry's legalisation is needed after the notary's certification and the governorship's certification. The usual order is:

1. The original from the issuing authority: for example a diploma, a court decision or a civil registry extract. For a court decision such as a divorce, ask whether the finality annotation (kesinleşme şerhi) is needed.
2. A notary, where needed: a copy, a translation or a private document such as a power of attorney is first certified by a notary (noter).
3. Governorship or district governorship: certifies the signature and seal of the issuing authority or the notary. Court documents are certified by the justice commission at the courthouse.
4. Turkish Foreign Ministry: the legalisation unit in Ankara certifies the governorship's or justice commission's stamp, by appointment.
5. The destination country's embassy or consulate in Turkey: legalises the document, with its own appointments, fees and rules.
6. In the destination country: some countries require a final stamp from their own foreign ministry once the document arrives, so ask the embassy.

If the destination country wants a translation made in Turkey, a sworn translator (yeminli tercüman) translates the document, a notary certifies the translation, and the translation then goes through the same chain. Ask the embassy first whether it accepts a translation made in Turkey or prefers one made in its own country. Our guide to apostilling, translating and notarising documents in Turkey explains the roles of the sworn translator and the notary.

The reverse direction: foreign documents for use in Turkey

A document from an Apostille country needs only that country's apostille. For a document from a non-party country, the Turkish Foreign Ministry describes two routes:

• Legalisation in the issuing country: the document is certified by the competent authorities there, usually the foreign ministry, and then by the Turkish embassy or consulate in that country. It can then be used in Turkey directly, with no further certification by the Ministry or any other authority.
• Legalisation in Turkey: the document is certified by the issuing country's foreign ministry, then by its embassy in Ankara, then by the Turkish Foreign Ministry. Where the certifying mission is a consulate in another province, the certification is done by that province's governorship. In Istanbul, the Istanbul Governorship says that documents issued or certified by consulates in the city are certified only by the district governorships.

The document is then translated into Turkish by a sworn translator, and a notary certifies the translation. For a residence permit, for example, the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management asks for documents obtained abroad to carry an apostille and a notarised Turkish translation; for a non-party country, consular legalisation takes the place of the apostille. See also our guide on translation and notarisation in Turkey and our residence permit page.

Legalisation only confirms a signature and seal. Recognition (equivalence) of a diploma is a separate procedure: the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) for degrees and the Ministry of National Education for school certificates.

The legalisation offices in Ankara and Istanbul

These are the rules the Ministry publishes for the Ankara legalisation unit:

• No application is accepted without an appointment, which you book on disisleritasdik.mfa.gov.tr.
• The 2026 legalisation fee is 895.80 Turkish lira per document, according to the appointment site. Governorship, embassy and notary fees are separate.
• Bring an identity document to the counter. Applications by post are not accepted.
• A document in a foreign language is submitted with its notarised Turkish translation.
• Opening hours and the lunch break are published on the appointment site and can change, so check them before you go.

E-Apostille

Some Turkish documents can get an electronic apostille through eapostil.gov.tr or the e-Government portal turkiye.gov.tr. According to notices from Turkish embassies, these include criminal record certificates (adli sicil kaydı), court decisions and population register extracts (nüfus kayıt örneği). An e-Apostille is valid only in countries that are parties to the Convention. It does not replace legalisation for a non-party country.

Practical tips

• Ask the receiving authority, or its embassy in Turkey, which route it accepts before you pay any fees.
• Get a recently issued document, because many authorities want a recent date on civil status documents and criminal record certificates.
• Check that names in the document and the translation are spelled as in the passport.

Turkey Residence Agency can help you check your document list and arrange sworn translation and notarisation through independent translators and notaries; we provide advisory services only. If a document is refused or the matter becomes a court dispute, consult an independent lawyer registered with a Turkish bar association. Contact us if you need help.

Official sources

• Turkish Foreign Ministry legalisation appointment system
• Foreign Ministry notice on the legalisation unit
• Frequently asked questions on the consular portal
• Addresses of the Ministry's offices in Turkey
• Istanbul Governorship service standards table
• Apostille Convention status table (Hague Conference)
• Electronic apostille system

Rules checked in November 2026. They change, so confirm them with the Turkish Foreign Ministry and the authority that will receive your document before you act.