Documents: English to Turkish English → Turkish
British passport translation into Turkish
Notarised Turkish translation of the personal details page of a British passport for tapu purchases, Turkish notary acts, bank accounts, tax numbers, residence permits and company formation. £6.50 plus the Ankara notary fee; the consulate translates passports itself.
What the receiving body requires
“İngiliz makamlarından alınan herhangi bir resmi evrak (Pasaport, Doğum Belgesi, Evlilik Belgesi) için dışarıdan yeminli tercüme talep edilmemektedir.”
Source:
· checked 29 August 2026Which pages are translated
A British passport (İngiliz pasaportu) is issued by HM Passport Office. The page that Turkish offices need is the personal details page: passport number, surname, given names, nationality, date and place of birth, sex, dates of issue and expiry, issuing authority, signature and the machine-readable zone. The observations page is translated when it carries an endorsement, and the visa pages only when a Turkish body wants to see entry and exit stamps, which the askerlik and kesin dönüş procedures do. We describe the photograph, the chip symbol and the security features in square brackets and transcribe the two machine-readable lines as they appear.
Turkish offices that want a passport translation
- Tapu müdürlüğü. A British citizen buying or selling property in Türkiye is identified by passport, and the land registry file contains a notarised Turkish translation of it together with the Turkish tax number. See buying property in Türkiye from the UK.
- Turkish notaries. A power of attorney, a sales contract or a consent given before a Turkish notary by a foreign national needs the passport translation on file, and a non-Turkish speaker also needs a sworn interpreter present.
- Tax office and banks. Obtaining a tax identification number (vergi kimlik numarası) and opening an account; banks apply their own rules and most ask for the notarised translation.
- Residence permit (ikamet izni) applications to the Göç İdaresi, and work permits handled through the employer.
- Trade registry. A British shareholder or director in a Turkish company. Read setting up a company in Türkiye with UK documents.
- Courts and marriage offices identifying a foreign party.
The consulate translates passports itself
For services at the Turkish Consulate General, such as registering a birth or marriage or notarial acts for Turkish citizens, the consulate's note is explicit that no outside sworn translation is requested for documents obtained from British authorities, and it names the passport first. If the consulate is your only destination, you do not need to order a translation. The consulate is also where a dual national's British passport is read when a Turkish passport or identity card is being renewed.
Notarisation without an apostille
A passport cannot be apostilled; the FCDO legalises only a copy that a UK notary or solicitor has certified. In practice Turkish tapu offices, notaries and banks do not ask for that. What they want is a translation of the passport certified by a Turkish notary, and the notary in Ankara certifies our translation against a copy of the passport. If a receiving office does insist on an apostilled certified copy, have a UK solicitor certify the copy, send it to the FCDO (the e-Apostille is available for solicitor-certified copies) and we will translate the copy, the certification and the apostille together.
The notarised translation is treated as part of your identity file, so tapu offices and notaries keep the original. When you will need it at more than one office, order two notarised copies at the outset; the second copy costs only the notary's copy fee plus handling.
Price, timing, delivery
The personal details page comes to less than 1,000 characters, so the translation is £6.50; the observations page or visa pages add a page each. The Ankara notary tariff is passed through at about £13.50 per page, plus £5 handling. No UK VAT is charged. We normally return the scan the next working day and the notary signs the same day or the day after. The wet-sealed original goes by courier for £30 to the UK, or at a lower rate to your lawyer, estate agent or bank contact in Türkiye. No collection is offered.
What you receive
- Turkish translation of the personal details page, with the observations and visa pages where needed
- Notarial certificate from an Ankara notary attached to a copy of the passport pages
- Second notarised copy on request for a further office
- Scan by e-mail; wet-sealed original by courier to the UK or Türkiye
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to post my passport to Ankara?
No. A sharp colour scan or photograph of the details page, with all four corners visible, is what the notary certifies against. Never send the passport itself abroad.
The tapu office wants the translation done in Türkiye. Does yours count?
Yes. The translation is sworn and notarised in Ankara, which is what the land registry means by a notarised Turkish translation. Tapu offices have accepted it to date; the original with the notary's seal must be presented, not a scan.
I hold both British and Turkish passports. Which one is translated?
None, usually. A dual national deals with Turkish offices as a Turkish citizen using the Turkish identity card or passport, and the consulate reads the British passport without a translation. A translation is needed only where you are acting specifically as a British citizen, for example as a foreign shareholder.
Can you translate the entry and exit stamps for a dövizle askerlik or kesin dönüş file?
Yes. We list each stamp with its date, port and direction in a table, which is how the askerlik şubesi and the customs office prefer to read them. Each page of stamps is priced as a translation page.
How long does the notarised translation remain usable?
Until the passport expires or is replaced. A translation of an expired passport is not accepted, so if renewal is due, renew first and translate the new one.