If we describe the “Apostille” shortly, it is the sum of procedures in which the documents issued by foreign state authorities are accepted as valid by another state authorities without subjecting it to any separate approval operation. This operation is highly simple and consists only of attaching “Apostille” stamp to the concerned document and signing and stamping by the competent authority of issuing state.
States, in their official transactions and procedures, accredit firstly to the documents which are issued by the authorities established under their laws. An official document which is issued by an competent authority of a state basically has no capacity or value for another state. It is the fundamental acceptance and assumption.
However, under some circumstances, an official document issued by a competent authority of a state may be accredited as official document by another state.
With regard to this matter, main acceptance of Republic of Turkey is that any document issued by the authorities of a foreign state is acceptable in Turkey only if such document is approved by the officials of consulates or foreign affairs in that state.
What is Apostille definition and how can we apostille a document
A person who has an official document issued by a foreign state can use such document in Turkey if that person obtains the attestation of said document by the officials of consulates or foreign affairs in that state. However this method requires quite difficult and troublesome procedures. This method is called sometimes as “Attestation Obligation”.
In fact, Apostille is nothing else than the elimination and simplification of said Attestation Obligation. This means that any official document issued by a foreign state will be exempted from “Attestation Obligation” if such document bears “Apostille” note of said foreign state.
“Convention Abolishing The Requirement For Legalization For Foreign Public Documents” prepared within the frame of Lahey Private International Law Conference and signed by Turkey on 08/05/1962 has been put into force on 29/09/1985.
Which authorities can issue apostille in Turkey?
Is issued by governorships and district governorships.
THE LIST OF STATES THOSE ARE THE PARTIES OF THE CONVENTION ABOLISHING THE REQUIREMENT FOR LEGALIZATION (APOSTILLE) FOR FOREIGN PUBLIC DOCUMENTS:
1- Federal Republic of Germany
2- United States of America
3- Andorra
4- Antigua and Barbuda
5- Argentina
6- Albania
7- Austria
8- Austrialia
9- Azerbaijan
10- Bahama Islands
11- Barbados
12- Belgium
13- Belize
14- Belarus
15- Bosnia and Herzegovina
16- Botswana
17- Brunei
18- Bulgaria
19- Cook Islands
20- Czech Republic
21- People Republic of China
22- Denmark
23- Republic of Dominique
24- Equator
25- El Salvador
26- Armenia
27- Estonia
28- Fiji
29- Finland
30- France
31- Grenada
32- South Africa
33- Georgia
34- Croatia
35- India
36- Netherlands
37- Honduras
38- England
39- Ireland
40- Spain
41- Israel
42- Switzerland
43- Sweden
44- Iceland
45- Italy
46- Japan
47- Southern Cyprus
48- Montenegro
49- Kazakhstan
50- Columbia
51- Republic of Korea
52- Lesotho
53- Latvia
54- Liberia
55- Poland
56- Lithuania
57- Luxembourg
58- Hungary
59- Macedonia
60- Malawi
61- Malta
62- Marshal Islands
63- Mauritius
64- Mexico
65- Monaco
66- Moldavia
67- Namibia
68- Niue
69- Norway
70- Panama
71- Poland
72- Portugal
73- Romania
74- Russian Federation
75- Saint Vincent and Granada
76- Samoa
77- San Marino
78- Santa Kitts and Nevis
79- Santa Lucia
80- Seychelles
81- Serbia
82- Slovakia
83- Surinam
84- Slovenia
85- Swaziland
86- Tonga
87- Trinidad and Tobago
88- Turkey
89- Ukraine
90- Venezuela
91- New Zealand
92- Greece