What Is an Apostille and How Do You Get It in Turkey?

Almost all official documents to be submitted to Italy require an apostille. In this post we explain step by step what an apostille is, which documents are apostilled and where to get one in Turkey.

What is an apostille?

An apostille is a certification note confirming, on an international scale, that a document is genuine by the official authorities of the country where it was issued. It is valid between countries party to the Hague Apostille Convention; as Turkey and Italy are both party to it, a document apostilled in Turkey is recognised in Italy without the need for an extra consular certification. The apostille confirms not the content of the document but the authenticity of the signature and seal on it. This lets Italian institutions be sure an official document from Turkey is not forged. In student applications, the apostille is a critical step that comes before the translation.

Which documents are apostilled?

The documents students and workers most often apostille are diplomas and transcripts, the birth certificate, the criminal-record certificate, the civil-registry extract, the marriage certificate and various official papers. For diplomas, the relevant official certification steps are usually needed first, then the apostille. The authority to apply to for each document’s apostille varies by the institution that issued the document. So before the apostille you must determine the right authority by your document’s type. For the translation of your documents by type, see our document-type translations section.

Where do you get an apostille?

In Turkey, the apostille is obtained from different authorities by the document’s type. For court and judicial documents the Judicial Commission Presidencies (courthouses with a heavy-penal court) are authorised, and for administrative documents the Governorates and District Governorates. That is, for the apostille you must know whether your document is judicial or administrative. For example, the criminal-record certificate is apostilled at the courthouse, the civil-registry document at the governorate/district office. Going to the right authority prevents needless back-and-forth.

The apostille and translation order

The order of the apostille and the sworn translation matters. The general rule is to have the document apostilled first, then have it sworn-translated from the apostilled version; that way the apostille note is included in the translation too. Muddling this order may require preparing the document from scratch. As some special procedures may want a different order, it is safest to confirm the rule of the Italian institution you will submit the document to in advance. To manage the process end to end, leaving the translation with an office with apostille tracking included saves time.

How long does it take, how much does it cost?

The apostille is usually completed quickly when you go to the right authority; but preparing the document first (for example the official certification of the diploma) can take extra time. Apostilling several documents at once makes the process efficient. The cost varies by the number and type of documents. Planning the apostille and the following sworn translation as a single process is advantageous for both time and cost. For the translation and apostille tracking of your documents, you can take a free quote.

Steps after the apostille

Once your document is apostilled, the sworn translation and, where needed, submission to the Italian institution come next. For a university application the apostilled-translated diploma-transcript, for the visa the apostilled documents, for a scholarship the income documents are prepared. Some procedures may also need a CIMEA report or a Dichiarazione di Valore (DoV). Each of these steps follows a certain order; planning the process from the start prevents delays. For recognition, see our DoV guide.

Common mistakes

The commonest mistakes with the apostille are: applying to the wrong authority, sending the document to translation without apostilling it, using an expired or no-longer-current document, and inconsistencies in the name spelling. Also, some students try to apostille the diploma directly without the official certification steps and are turned back. These mistakes waste time and put the application calendar at risk. Preparing your documents in the right order by type and working with an experienced office prevents most of these problems from the outset.

Frequently asked questions