Apostille And Legalization

An apostille authenticates the origin of a public document: the signature, capacity of the signer and, where applicable, seal or stamp. It does not confirm the document’s contents.

The competent authority in the country where the public document was issued provides the apostille. In Türkiye, authorized governorate or district offices handle administrative documents and authorized judicial bodies handle judicial documents. Translation and notarial certification are separate steps when required.

The Convention covers eligible public documents, including many civil status records, judicial documents and certain notarized documents. It excludes some documents issued by diplomatic or consular agents and certain administrative documents directly dealing with commercial or customs operations. The competent authority determines eligibility.

An original or notarized copy may be accepted depending on the type of document required for Apostille approval and the requirements of the country and authority in which the document will be submitted.

No. Apostilles are issued by the competent authorities designated under the Convention in the country of issue. Consular legalization is a different process that may apply when the Convention does not.

It is an authentication route that may be requested when the Apostille Convention does not apply. The exact steps depend on the country of issue and the receiving authority; confirm them before ordering translation or certification.

An apostille does not expire merely because it is old. The receiving authority may require the underlying document to have been issued recently, so check its document age and translation requirements.