Short answer: an apostille is an international certificate confirming that the signature and seal on an official document are genuine. It does not verify the content of the document; it confirms only that the authority which issued it was competent to do so. Between countries party to the Hague Apostille Convention it replaces the older chain of consular legalisation.
Apostille procedures confuse people because three separate layers get discussed at once: translation, notarisation and the apostille itself. This article sets out the order.
What an apostille verifies, and what it does not
An apostille is not a quality certificate but an identity check. A foreign institution does not recognise the seal on a Turkish document; the apostille says that seal really does belong to a competent authority.
| Layer | What it verifies | What it does not verify |
|---|---|---|
| Sworn translator | That the translation conforms to the source | That the source document is genuine |
| Notary | That the signature belongs to that translator | That the translation is substantively correct |
| Apostille | That the notary signature and seal are genuine | The content of the document |
The logic of the chain is that each link verifies the signature of the one before it. An apostille therefore cannot be obtained without the signature it is to sit on — breaking the order restarts the process.
Which documents need an apostille?
An apostille is required for official documents going to an institution abroad. A document issued by a private company cannot be apostilled directly; it must first be made official through notarisation.
Documents for which an apostille is most often requested:
- Birth, marriage and death record extracts
- Diplomas, transcripts and student certificates
- Criminal record certificates
- Powers of attorney and letters of consent
- Court decisions and enforcement documents
- Trade registry gazettes and signature circulars
- Medical board reports
Where is an apostille issued?
In Türkiye the authority issuing the apostille depends on the type of document:
| Document type | Competent authority |
|---|---|
| Administrative documents (civil registry, education, health, commerce) | Governorships and district governorships |
| Judicial documents (court decisions, prosecutor's letters, notarial acts) | Presidencies of the Judicial Commission at Heavy Penal Courts |
Documents drawn up or certified by a notary count as judicial documents, so apostilles for notarised translations go through the courthouse. Small differences between provinces do occur in practice, so confirming with the relevant authority before you start saves time.
Translation first, or apostille first?
This is the step most often got wrong. The correct order depends on which document the apostille is required for, and that is decided by the receiving institution.
There are two common scenarios:
1. Apostille on the original, then translation. Where the destination country asks for "a translation of the apostilled document", the original is apostilled first and then translated together with the apostille certificate, which is itself included in the translation.
2. Apostille on the translation. Where the destination country asks for an "apostilled translation", the order is: sworn translation → notarisation → apostille.
Which of the two applies varies by country and by institution. Asking that single question before you begin saves you paying for two extra layers of certification.
What about countries outside the Convention?
An apostille has no effect in countries that are not party to the Hague Convention. For those, the classic legalisation chain applies: the document is certified first by the governorship or the relevant ministry, then by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and finally by the destination country's consulate in Türkiye.
This process takes longer than an apostille and depends on the consulate's own appointment calendar. Check whether your destination country is a party before you begin; the list of parties changes over time.
Common mistakes
Cropping the QR code. On documents obtained through e-Devlet, the verification code carries the document's validity. A code cropped or blurred during scanning makes the document unverifiable.
An expired document. For documents such as criminal record certificates and civil registry extracts, institutions usually expect a certain freshness. A document that was apostilled but has expired by the time you apply is invalid along with its apostille.
Mismatched name spelling. If the spelling on your diploma differs from the one in your passport, the receiving institution may not treat the two as belonging to the same person. The translation follows your passport — send us the identity page along with the document.
Expecting an apostille on a photocopy. An apostille is issued on an original bearing a wet signature and seal, or on a certified copy. A plain photocopy cannot enter the chain.
The process in short
- Ask the receiving institution: is the apostille required on the original or on the translation?
- Obtain the original or a certified copy.
- Complete the translation and notarisation steps in the right order.
- Apply to the governorship or the courthouse depending on document type.
- Before submitting, compare names, dates and numbers against the source.
If you are unsure which order your document should follow, send us the receiving institution's requirement and we will work out the sequence with you.