What is an Apostille and why is it needed?

Moving to another country requires solving many issues, including those related to legalization. Before coming to Turkey, it is rational to study the information on how to legalize, what documents are needed and what needs to be done in Russia.

Given the relevance of the topic, we decided to prepare expert material for you, where we will talk about the procedure for apostilling documents in the Russian Federation and how the Apostille is affixed in Turkey.

So, what is Apostille and what documents will need to be apostilled to obtain a Turkish residence permit and fully move to another country - read on.

Apostille: what it is and how it looks like

First of all, it is worth noting that Apostille is affixed to documents in countries that are parties to the Hague Convention adopted in 1961. The apostille procedure is obligatory for foreigners wishing to legalize in the territory of one of the 135 states where this agreement is approved. The Hague Convention is also recognized in Turkey and Russia, so the execution of many documents involves apostille.

To better understand what an Apostille is and why it is needed, we suggest understanding the term itself and getting an idea about it.

Apostille is an international stamp that is placed on the back of a document or issued as an attachment. It has the form of a square seal 9x9 cm in size. The affixed Apostille confirms that the document has official force in any country, including Turkey. The stamp is perpetual and displays all important information:

information about the country that issued the document;
data about the signer;
where and by whom the seal was affixed.

Most of the documents you will need abroad require Turkish translation and Apostille.

A package of documents for legalization in Turkey

Apostille for Turkey is needed for a residence permit, citizenship, marriage with a Turkish citizen and many other cases. You will need:

Your passport. Pay attention to its expiration date. Citizens of the Russian Federation can get a second passport officially on the territory of their country. For example, this is appropriate if the expiration date of an available one is running out.
Passport of your country - be sure to take it with you. In some cases, you may need it, for example, to issue a card at a bank.
If you are planning to buy a property, we recommend that you take your marriage certificate and put an Apostille on it. Do you need an Apostille for Turkey for your second spouse if you are traveling alone? For those who are divorced, Apostille is not needed on the divorce certificate. There is also no need to provide a marriage certificate if the spouse does not travel with you and only one of you applies for a residence permit.
Those who have children, respectively, will need their birth certificates, which are also subject to apostille. The seal confirms the authenticity of the document. If you are traveling with a child without a dad, you will definitely need to apostille permission. If the child is over 18 years old, you only submit a passport, you do not need a birth certificate.

Apostille in Russia is placed at the MFC and costs about 2,500 rubles if you come and put it on a finished document. You can order a document through the website immediately with an Apostille - it will cost about 1,750 rubles.

The next document you will need if you plan to apply for permanent residence is your apostilled birth certificate. If you have lost it, you can restore it in the same MFC and immediately put it on a duplicate of Apostille. An old-style certificate - in the form of a booklet - is not stamped, so it makes sense in this case to get a duplicate.
Certificate of no criminal record, which must be ordered 1 month in advance and already immediately with an Apostille through the public services website. The certificate itself is free, apostille will cost 1,700 rubles.

The certificate is valid for 3 months before your intended departure abroad. Moreover, the period for its issuance is up to 1 month, but the date will be indicated from the moment you submit your application.

In general, which documents need to be Apostilled when moving to Turkey, you already know. An apostille is done within 5-7 working days, a duplicate of a birth certificate is issued in a day, that is, the main thing you need to order in advance is a certificate of no criminal record. Everything else can be done within 2 weeks.

Those who have chronic diseases and are constantly monitored by a doctor should take an exchange card and translate it into English.

The last thing I would like to note about the documents: when you affix Apostille in the Russian Federation, it is better to translate all papers in Turkey, since this should be done by authorized translators. Of course, they are also in Russia, but only at the consulate, where it is now very difficult to get.

If for some reason you did not have time to put these seals in Russia, you can legalize your document directly in Turkey. Legalization on the territory of the Republic of Turkey is as follows. You sign up at the Russian embassy or consulate and wait for your turn. But if you do it yourself, be prepared for the fact that the queue can be three months in advance. And, most likely, you will not have time to apply for a residence permit. You can contact law firms that deal with the legalization of documents. Specialists deliberately receive numbers from the consulate and submit once a week the number of certificates for which they were given numbers. Usually, the terms depend on the company: a large one receives more numbers, a small one, respectively, less. But it is clear that with the help of specialists, the process goes much faster.

Apostille of documents for Turkey in Russia and other CIS countries is affixed in the registry office on the reverse side of the certificate, then the document with a seal is certified by a notary and translated into Turkish. In turn, in the consulate, which is located on the territory of the Republic of Turkey, the seal is issued on a separate form (copy of the certificate), and an Apostille is placed on the reverse side and there is already a Turkish translation.

Where and how is Apostille affixed in Turkey

Turkish documents: originals and copies must be submitted for apostille to the same regional authority. In Russia, Apostille is placed directly by the specialized authorities. That is, birth, marriage, divorce certificates are stamped at the registry office, educational documents - at the Ministry of Justice at the place of residence.

On the territory of the Republic of Turkey, there are three organizations that deal with apostille. Only in state bodies endowed with appropriate powers, you can order an Apostille - where to put it in Turkey is:

in the prefecture;
judiciary;
Governorship (Valilik).

To obtain an Apostille for an individual in Turkey, you will need:

apply;
collect a package of documents necessary for printing;
provide identification;
Pay for the service.

Apostille for legal entities of foreign origin is affixed on the basis of the provision of constituent documents instead of an identity card.

Actually, we have opened the topic: how to affix an Apostille for Turkey. If you need any clarifications on the documents when buying a property, our manager is at your service. We provide full support to our clients and do everything in our power to simplify the process of legalization and adaptation in a new country for them.