Documents for citizenship applicants: apostille, legalisation and translation by country

Most delays in property-based citizenship files are not about the property but about paper: a birth certificate without an apostille, a marriage certificate legalised in the wrong order, or a translation that does not match the passport spelling. This guide lists the documents the citizenship regulation asks for and explains how foreign documents are made usable in Türkiye, with notes for applicants from countries such as Iraq, Iran, Russia and Germany. Rules are as of October 2026.

What the citizenship file contains

Article 20(3) of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law lists the file for exceptional citizenship, which includes the property-investment route explained in our main citizenship guide:

• an application form stating the request;
• a passport or similar document showing nationality (for stateless people, a document on that status where obtainable);
• a civil-status document, plus a marriage certificate if married, a divorce document if divorced, or the spouse's death certificate if widowed;
• a birth certificate or civil-register extract showing identity and, for married applicants, documents proving the family link with spouse and children;
• civil-register extracts for any first- or second-degree relatives who are Turkish citizens (the authority pulls these from its own system);
• if the day or month of birth is missing, a document from the home country completing it, or a signed statement accepting the procedure under the Population Services Law;
• the receipt for the service fee (135.45 lira in 2026 for exceptional applications, according to the population directorate's published fee table).

Before this, the land registry needs its own documents for the purchase: passport (with a Turkish translation if it is not in Latin script), the identity information form with photo, and a power of attorney if someone signs for you. See where foreigners can buy for the purchase side.

Step 1: make the foreign document official (apostille or legalisation)

A document issued abroad is accepted in Türkiye only once its origin is confirmed. Which method applies depends on whether the issuing country is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Türkiye has been a party since 1985.

Countries in the Apostille Convention

The competent authority of the issuing country adds an apostille, a stamp or certificate headed "Apostille (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961)". No Turkish consulate stamp is needed. According to the HCCH status table (last updated 30 June 2026), parties include, among others, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Georgia, Armenia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Morocco, Tunisia, Pakistan, India, China and the United Kingdom. Algeria's membership entered into force on 9 July 2026.

The HCCH website lists the authority that issues apostilles in each country. A few accessions are marked "A**" in the table, which means another party objected; between those two states the Convention does not apply, so check the table for your country's entry.

Countries outside the Convention

Countries such as Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan do not appear in the HCCH status table. For them, TKGM and the migration authority describe a chain of approvals, all made inside the issuing country:

1. the document is issued or certified by the competent body (for example civil registry or notary);
2. a higher authority, usually the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Ministry of Justice, confirms that signature and seal;
3. the Turkish embassy or consulate in that country legalises the document.

Where Türkiye has no mission in the country, TKGM accepts legalisation by the Turkish mission in a neighbouring country authorised by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. TKGM's FAQ also notes that powers of attorney from Iran, Yemen and Somalia follow different procedures, so confirm the current route with the Turkish consulate before you start.

Step 2: sworn translation and notarisation in Türkiye

Once apostilled or legalised, foreign documents need a Turkish translation. The migration authority's document list asks for a notarised Turkish translation. Article 67 of the citizenship regulation says that for documents such as passports and diplomas, a Turkish translation certified by a notary is enough. In practice a sworn translator (yeminli tercüman) registered with a Turkish notary translates the document and the notary certifies the translation.

Practical points that avoid rejections:

• Translate the apostille or legalisation stamps too, not only the main text.
• Use one spelling of every name, matching the passport, across all translations, the land registry file and the residence permit.
• Check dates of birth in different calendars (for example the Iranian solar calendar) and ask the translator to show the converted date clearly.
• Keep originals. Authorities may ask to see them at the appointment.

Notes by country

The table does not replace the official status table. Membership changes: Viet Nam's entry into force is listed for 11 September 2026 and Thailand's for 28 February 2027.

Powers of attorney for the land registry

If you buy through a representative, TKGM accepts a power of attorney that was either made at a Turkish consulate, or made by a notary abroad in the local language with your photo and then apostilled (Hague countries) or legalised up to the Turkish consulate (other countries). Foreign consulates inside Türkiye cannot issue powers of attorney for Turkish property. For citizenship, the power of attorney must also expressly allow giving the three-year undertaking or acting under the Citizenship Law.

A simple order of work

1. List every person in the application (you, spouse, children) and the documents each needs.
2. Get recent originals from the home country and apostille or legalise them there.
3. Have them translated into Turkish by a sworn translator and certified by a notary in Türkiye.
4. Check names and dates against the passports before submitting.
5. Keep a copy set for the residence permit stage; see residence permits for property owners.

How we can help

Our office in Gaziantep has sworn translators for Arabic, Persian, Russian, German, English, Azerbaijani, Uzbek and other languages. We translate civil-status documents, apostilles and powers of attorney into Turkish, arrange notary certification, and can check that names are spelled consistently across the whole file. More document guides are in our documents section.