Sworn Translation in İzmir
Sworn and notarised translation by translators who have taken an oath before a notary, in the format official institutions accept.
4 min read
Short answer
A sworn translation in İzmir is one bearing the signature and seal of a translator holding an oath record before a notary. Where notarisation is required it is completed at that notary's office; where an apostille is required it goes through the governorship or the courthouse, depending on the type of document.
- Sworn translation
- The translator's signature and seal
- Notarisation
- An extra layer where the institution asks
- Apostille (administrative)
- Governorship or district governorship
- Apostille (judicial)
- Courthouse judicial commission
Where to obtain an apostille in İzmir
The authority issuing an apostille depends on the type of document, and that division applies in İzmir as elsewhere. Administrative documents are apostilled at the governorship or a district governorship, judicial documents at the judicial commission in the courthouse. Because documents drawn up or certified by a notary count as judicial, an apostille on a notarised translation goes through the courthouse.
| Document | Type | Apostille authority |
|---|---|---|
| Civil registry extract | Administrative | Governorship / district governorship |
| Diploma, transcript | Administrative | Governorship / district governorship |
| Medical board report | Administrative | Governorship / district governorship |
| Notarised translation | Judicial | Courthouse judicial commission |
| Power of attorney | Judicial | Courthouse judicial commission |
| Court decision | Judicial | Courthouse judicial commission |
İzmir's universities and student documents
İzmir has several universities, each publishing its own admission guide for international students. Those guides determine which document is required in which form, and two universities in the same city need not ask for the same thing.
- 01
A student arriving in İzmir from abroad
The diploma, transcript and any recognition decision are translated into Turkish. The documents must be apostilled in the country of issue, and the apostille certificate is included in the translation. Files where it was left untranslated are frequently returned.
- 02
A student leaving İzmir for abroad
Diploma and transcript are translated from Turkish into the target language, then notarisation and an apostille are added according to the destination's requirements. Where a statement of the grading system is requested, it is obtained separately from the university.
- 03
Exchange programme documents
Learning agreements and recognition documents are often issued in English and need no translation. Those issued in Turkish require a sworn translation.
- 04
Recognition applications
Having a foreign degree recognised in Türkiye also calls for course descriptions. That is the bulkiest translation item in the file; mark which courses the guide requires and send those.
Port and export documents
İzmir is a port and export city, and a significant share of the translation requests arising here concern foreign trade documents. In these, terminology consistency matters as much as the translation itself: a product name, a tariff heading and a delivery term must carry the same rendering from start to finish.
Trade documents we translate most often
- Proforma and commercial invoices
- Certificates of origin
- Movement certificates
- Analysis and conformity reports
- Letter of credit correspondence
- Shipping and insurance documents
- Distribution and agency agreements
- Trade registry gazettes and signature circulars
Medical documents and international patient files
Files of patients coming to İzmir for treatment, and records going abroad from here, form a steady stream of requests. What is critical in these is not certification but accuracy: a discharge summary, a test result and a medication list will be read by a clinician on the other side.
We do not convert units in medical documents and we do not guess at abbreviations; where something cannot be read, a translator's note is added. If the document is going to an insurer or an official body, a sworn translation is required, often with notarisation; if it is going to a clinician, a standard translation may be enough.
Delivery options in İzmir
Settling how you will receive the document before the work starts avoids surprises on delivery day. Where a wet-signed original is required, digital delivery is not sufficient.
| Form | When it suits | Point to watch |
|---|---|---|
| In person | Where a wet-signed original is needed | Urla or Alsancak office |
| Courier | Outside the city and abroad | Courier days add to the timeline |
| Digital | Preliminary review and information | Usually insufficient for official use |
| At the notary | Where notarisation is also required | Depends on the notary's hours |
- one page under Act No. 492
- 20 linesone page under Act No. 492
- Urla and Alsancak
- 2 officesUrla and Alsancak
- translated in both directions
- 36 languagestranslated in both directions
How the process works
- 01
Send the document
Upload your document through the quote form, email it, or send it over WhatsApp. Tell us which institution it is for — that determines the type of certification needed.
- 02
Receive the quote
We share the exact amount, calculated from the character count, together with a delivery date. The binding price is set at this stage.
- 03
Translation and review
The document is assigned to a sworn translator specialising in its field. Once translated, it goes through a comparative quality check against the source text.
- 04
Delivery
Receive it signed and sealed online, by courier, or in person from our Urla or Alsancak office.
Languages we work in
We translate in both directions between Turkish and the languages below.
Frequently Asked Questions
What you need to know about sworn and notarised translation.
What is the difference between a sworn translation and a notarised translation?
A sworn translation ends with the translator's signature and seal; a notarised translation adds the notary public's certification on top of that.
Which one you need is determined by the authority the document will be submitted to. Some institutions accept a sworn translation, while certain official procedures require notarisation.
Tell us where the document is going and we will clarify which one applies.
Which documents require a sworn translation?
A sworn translation may be required for any foreign-language document that will be submitted to an official authority.
The most common in practice are diplomas and transcripts, birth and marriage certificates, powers of attorney, criminal record extracts, trade registry gazettes, contracts, court decisions and medical reports.
Whether your document appears on this list is not decisive — what matters is what the receiving institution asks for.
What is an apostille, and is it obtained before or after translation?
An apostille is a certificate that confirms the validity of a public document between countries party to the Hague Convention.
The order depends on the destination country. For Turkish documents being sent abroad, the apostille is usually obtained first and the translation is produced afterwards.
Proceeding in the wrong order can mean repeating the process, so we recommend telling us the destination country from the outset.
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