Statutory declarations and affidavits translation into Turkish

Declarations, affidavits and who takes them

A statutory declaration (yazılı beyan, beyanname) is a written statement of fact declared to be true under the Statutory Declarations Act 1835 before a solicitor, commissioner for oaths, notary public or justice of the peace. An affidavit (yeminli beyan) is the sworn equivalent used in court proceedings. Both carry the declarant's signature and the certifying officer's signature and stamp; a notary public adds a notarial certificate. UK banks, the Land Registry and HM Passport Office use them for lost documents, changes of name and identity questions, and Turkish offices meet them when a person in the UK needs to put a fact on record without attending a Turkish notary.

The Turkish counterparts are the notarial beyanname, taahhütname and muvafakatname. A Turkish citizen can make any of these at the consulate's notary unit in Turkish, one act per appointment, which is usually simpler than the route on this page. The UK declaration is for British nationals, for people who cannot get a consular appointment in time, and for statements that a UK solicitor has to take anyway.

Turkish uses that actually occur

• Name and identity reconciliation. A declaration that the person named Ayse Yilmaz on UK documents and Ayşe Yılmaz in the Turkish register are one and the same, filed with a nüfus müdürlüğü, tapu office or bank. See names, Turkish characters and transliteration.
• Parental consent. A British parent's consent to a child's Turkish passport, travel or school enrolment when the parent cannot appear before a Turkish notary; the consulate's muvafakatname serves Turkish parents.
• Company formation. A UK director's specimen signature declared before a UK notary (the Turkish imza beyannamesi) for the trade registry, and declarations required from foreign founders.
• Court evidence. Witness statements and affidavits from people in the UK for Turkish family, inheritance and commercial cases.
• Inheritance and property. Declarations by heirs about their status or by a seller about a property, where the Turkish notary or court accepts a foreign declaration as evidence.
• Lost documents. A declaration explaining the loss of a Turkish document, supporting a replacement application.

Legalisation depends on who signed

A declaration is a private document made public by the officer who took it. GOV.UK's rule is that documents can be legalised as long as a UK notary or solicitor has certified them, so a declaration taken before a solicitor or notary is ready for the FCDO as it stands: e-Apostille £35 within two working days, or paper £45. A declaration taken before a justice of the peace or a commissioner for oaths who is not a solicitor may need a further solicitor certification; check before sending. After the apostille, the translator sworn before an Ankara notary translates the declaration, the officer's jurat or notarial certificate and the apostille; the notary attaches the translation to a copy of the apostilled document, and the kaymakamlık apostilles the translation for £15 where a court or registry asks. The route is set out on apostille and legalisation.

Drafting so that it works in Türkiye

Turkish offices read a declaration for the specific facts they need: the T.C. kimlik number, the parcel details of a property, the child's full name and date of birth, the exact spelling variants. A generic UK template leaves these out. Have the Turkish office or your Turkish lawyer say what the declaration must state, draft it in English with those particulars, and we translate the draft first so that the Turkish side can approve it before you sign in front of the solicitor. The signed and apostilled version is then translated and notarised for filing.

Cost

A statutory declaration with jurat and apostille is 1 to 2 pages of 1,000 characters, £6.50 to £13.00; an affidavit with exhibits is priced by the page. The Ankara notary tariff of about £13.50 per page plus £5 handling is added, and £15 for an apostille of the translation. A draft translation before signing is charged at the page rate without notary fees. No UK VAT is charged. Translation takes one working day and the notary signs within a day. The PDF is e-mailed; the receiving office keeps the wet-sealed original, which goes by courier for £30 to the UK or to Türkiye. No collection.