The citizenship document pack: every foreign document in the right chain, every Turkish document fresh, everything in the NVİ order
Whatever the route — investment, marriage, residence, descent — the file that goes to the İl Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık Müdürlüğü is built from the same materials: civil-status documents from abroad (birth, marriage, divorce, name change), criminal-record certificates from your country and countries of long residence, Turkish extracts from e-Devlet, biometric photographs to specification, and the application forms. Each foreign document must be apostilled (or consular-legalised) in its country, translated by a sworn translator in Türkiye and, where the office requires, certified by the notary at which that translator is sworn — in that order, within each document's validity window. This service is that chain, for people who have their route and want the file done properly.
Price — one applicant's file
State fees and the notarial tariff are paid by you directly to the state or to the notary. We are not a notary and receive no remuneration from any notary, bank or lawyer.
Last verified: 24.10.2026 · source: NVİ application documents — nvi.gov.tr; Hague Apostille Convention; 2026 Noterlik Ücret Tarifesi — higm.adalet.gov.trPilot prices, valid until 31.12.2026, incl. KDV. Worked example: birth certificate, marriage certificate and criminal-record certificate from Russia, 4 pages translated and notarised: ₺3,500 + 4 × ₺700 + ₺400 = ₺6,700 to ROSTU; ≈ ₺3,536 to the notary.
Documents and their chains
| Document | Where obtained | Chain to the Turkish file | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth certificate / civil-status extract | Civil registry of your country, or your consulate in İstanbul if it issues extracts | Apostille abroad → sworn translation → notarisation if required | Often accepted if recent; some offices want under 6 months |
| Marriage, divorce, name-change records | As above | As above; a court decision also needs its finality note | Recent |
| Criminal-record certificate (home country and countries of long residence) | Police or justice ministry; sometimes via consulate | Apostille → sworn translation | Short — order last |
| Turkish criminal record (adli sicil) | e-Devlet | None | Recent |
| Residence permit, address record, entry-exit record | Göç İdaresi / e-Devlet | None | Current |
| Passport identity pages | You | Notarised translation | Valid passport |
| Biometric photographs | Studio | ICAO specification, white background, recent | 6 months |
| Countries outside the Apostille Convention | — | Consular legalisation: foreign ministry of the issuing country → Turkish consulate there → sworn translation here | Plan extra weeks |
Translator and notary must match: a notary certifies translations only by translators sworn before it. Ours do.
How it works
Audit
Send scans of what you have and tell us the route and province. You receive the audit: which documents are accepted as they are, which need a chain, which must be re-ordered because of validity, and the order to obtain them.
Abroad and consulate
You order the foreign documents with apostille; we coach you on what to ask for and what the apostille must cover. Some consulates in İstanbul issue extracts or criminal records directly — we tell you which.
Translation and notary
Our sworn translator translates; the partner notary certifies where the office requires. We check names and dates across all documents for consistency before anything is stamped.
Index and hand-over
The file in the NVİ order with a bilingual index. You lodge it in person. If the office asks for anything further, one revision is included.
Typical cases
- Marriage-route applicant from Uzbekistan with a divorce decree from a previous marriage; the decree needs its finality note before apostille.
- Investor family with documents from three countries, one outside the Apostille Convention; three chains with different lead times.
- Naturalisation applicant who lived in Germany for eight years before Türkiye; a German criminal-record certificate is required as well as the home country's.
- Name transliterated differently in passport, birth certificate and residence permit; the translation must reconcile them with a translator's note, and sometimes a consular letter.
- Applicant's country does not issue apostilles; consular legalisation through the Turkish consulate there, planned early.
What can go wrong
- Translating before apostilling. The apostille must be on the original before translation, or the translation does not cover it and is redone.
- Ordering criminal-record certificates first. They expire before the appointment. Last, not first.
- Translator not sworn at the certifying notary. The notary will not certify; the office will not accept. We match them.
- Photos that do not meet the specification. A trivial reason for a wasted appointment. Our specification sheet goes to your studio.
- Treating a consular "certificate" as an apostille. They are different; the office knows the difference.
Questions
Can you obtain my foreign documents for me?
Civil registries and police authorities issue documents to the person concerned or their appointed representative under that country's rules. We tell you exactly what to request and in which form; you or a relative order them. Documents obtainable at your consulate in İstanbul we coach you through here.
Do all documents need notarisation?
No. Sworn translation is always required for a foreign document; notarial certification of the translation is required where the office's list says so, typically for civil-status documents and criminal records. We confirm with your office and notarise only those.
Does an apostille expire?
The apostille itself does not, but the underlying document's acceptance window does — criminal records in particular. We plan the order so that nothing expires before the appointment.
Is this included in the route packs?
Yes. The investment, marriage and naturalisation packs include this work; this page is for applicants who need only the documents, for example when a lawyer handles the rest.
Related: by investment — documents · by marriage · after 5 years' residence · notarised translation · apostille errand · guide: apostille in Türkiye · back to citizenship
Send scans of what you have
Opens in WhatsApp. Documents are sent through WhatsApp or e-mail during the pilot. Reply within one business hour.