Criminal record certificate: apostille and translation for Türkiye, and the Turkish certificate for abroad

A criminal record certificate is one of the documents most often rejected for a form error rather than a real problem: wrong issuing country, no apostille, a translation made before the apostille, or an old date. This guide sets out which country issues the certificate, who places the apostille, how the translation and notarisation are done in Türkiye, who decides how recent it must be, and the reverse route for a Turkish certificate used abroad.

Which country issues the certificate

A criminal record certificate (sabıka kaydı, adli sicil belgesi) is issued by the state that keeps the record, so the first question is where the person has lived. The Presidency of Migration Management list for the family residence permit says that a person who has not stayed in Türkiye for the last five years obtains the certificate from the authorities of the home country, while a person who has stayed in Türkiye for the last five years may obtain it from Turkish judicial authorities or through e-Devlet. A Turkish certificate must be e-signed, or signed and sealed.

If you have lived in several countries, the receiving authority may ask for a certificate from each; ask in writing which ones. For citizenship, the population directorate checklist we read asks for a certified copy of any final court judgment and puts the conviction questions in the application form; confirm with the provincial office whether a certificate is also wanted.

Apostille: always from the issuing country

The apostille is placed by the state that issued the document, not by the state where it will be used. A certificate from the United Kingdom, Russia or Kazakhstan is apostilled by the competent authority of that country, and no Turkish office can add one to it. The Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 has been in force for Türkiye since 29 September 1985; the HCCH status table lists 130 Contracting Parties as of 30 June 2026, so check the issuing country on hcch.net before you order anything.

The apostille certifies the signature, the capacity of the signatory and the seal, not the content. The Directorate list states the rule plainly: a certificate obtained abroad needs an apostille and a notarised Turkish translation. Ask the issuing country how long the apostille takes, because postal and queue time often decides the whole timetable.

Sworn translation and notary in Türkiye

After the apostille comes the translation. In Türkiye it is made by a sworn translator (yeminli tercüman) and a notary certifies the translator’s signature; the Directorate list asks for this notarised Turkish translation together with the apostille. Keep this order so that the apostille page itself is translated, and send the translator a complete scan of every page, including stamps and the apostille form.

Names are the usual trouble. The spelling in the translation must match the passport, so give the translator the passport page and any earlier spellings. Check dates, the issuing authority and the wording of the result line, for example that the record is clear, because a one-word error means repeating the notarisation. Keep the original, the apostille and the translation together as one set and do not detach pages.

How recent must it be: the authority decides

No single validity period applies to every office. The age limit comes from the receiving authority, and practice varies between the Directorate, citizenship offices, employers, banks and foreign consulates. We found no published rule that fixes the same age for all of them, so we do not state one. Ask the authority in writing how recent the certificate must be and from which date it counts: issue date, apostille date, translation date or filing date.

The Directorate list adds a timing warning for the home-country certificate: it advises requesting it at least three months before the application, because obtaining it may take a long time. The practical rule is to start the slow steps early but to order the certificate at the last point that still leaves time for the apostille and translation. If a file contains several documents, the oldest one sets the deadline. See our guide on validity periods for the sequence.

Turkish certificate for abroad, and non-Hague states

A Turkish certificate for use abroad follows the reverse route. Log in to e-Devlet and open the adli sicil query, choosing the purpose that matches your use; the result is a PDF with a barcode. Administrative documents are apostilled by the governor’s office (valilik) or the district governor’s office (kaymakamlık), and the HCCH page for Türkiye records no charge. e-Devlet also offers an electronic apostille for this certificate, which the recipient can check through eapostil.gov.tr or the QR code. Not every destination accepts the electronic form, so ask first.

If the other country is outside the Hague Convention, an apostille is not enough. For documents coming into Türkiye the Directorate list requires certification by the consulate or embassy of the issuing country and then by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or another authorised Turkish authority. For a Turkish certificate going out, ask the destination’s embassy for its exact steps.

Sources

• hcch.net — status table of the Hague Apostille Convention of 5 October 1961; Türkiye: in force 29 September 1985; 130 Contracting Parties as of 30 June 2026
• hcch.net — Türkiye, competent authorities under Art. 6 (governors, district governors, judicial commissions); price: no charge
• e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr — Presidency of Migration Management: documents required for family residence permit applications (criminal record, apostille, translation, consular chain)
• nvi.gov.tr — General Directorate of Population and Citizenship: document checklist for acquiring citizenship by general rule
• eapostil.gov.tr — e-Apostil portal: verification of electronic apostilles

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