UK bank reference letter translation into Turkish

What a bank reference letter says

A bank reference (banka referans mektubu, hesap teyit yazısı) is a short letter on the bank's headed paper confirming that you hold an account, since when, and sometimes that it has been conducted satisfactorily or that a balance above a stated figure is held. UK banks issue it on request from a branch or through the business banking team; some call it a bank confirmation letter or a status enquiry. It is signed by a named officer, which is what makes it more useful to a Turkish reader than a statement: it is a bank speaking about you, rather than a list of transactions.

Banks word these letters carefully and rarely state exact balances unless you ask. If the Turkish office needs a figure, ask the bank to include it before the letter is translated; a letter without the figure will come back.

Turkish uses

• Opening a Turkish bank account from abroad. Turkish banks applying know-your-customer checks to a non-resident often ask for a reference from the customer's home bank in addition to proof of address. See opening a Turkish bank account from the UK.
• Residence permit. A British national applying to the Göç İdaresi can support the means-of-subsistence requirement with a bank letter alongside statements.
• Company formation. Some trade registry directorates and banks opening the capital deposit account for a new Turkish company with a UK shareholder ask for a reference on the shareholder or the UK parent. Read setting up a company in Türkiye with UK documents.
• Property purchase. Sellers' lawyers and the notary sometimes want comfort that funds exist before a sale contract is signed.
• Tenders and contracts. A Turkish counterparty checking a UK supplier's standing.

Certification and apostille

A bank letter is a private document. Under GOV.UK's guidance it can be legalised only after a UK notary or solicitor has certified it; the FCDO then attaches an apostille, and because the document is solicitor-certified the e-Apostille at £35 within two working days is available. Turkish banks and the Göç İdaresi usually accept the letter with a notarised translation and no apostille; trade registry directorates handling a company formation are more likely to ask for one, in line with their approach to all foreign documents. Decide with the receiving office, then send us the scan of whatever has been assembled, and the translator sworn before an Ankara notary translates the letter, the certification and the apostille as one document. The general route is on apostille and legalisation.

How the letter is translated

Turkish banks read a reference letter for specific phrases: account opened on, conducted satisfactorily, no adverse information, balance in excess of. We use the wording Turkish banks themselves use for the same statements, keep the signatory's name and title exactly, and describe the letterhead and the signature. Amounts stay in pounds.

Cost

A reference letter is one page of 1,000 characters, £6.50, with the Ankara notary tariff at about £13.50 plus £5 handling for the notarised version and £15 if the translation needs its own apostille; a letter with solicitor certification and FCDO apostille attached is usually two pages, £13.00. No UK VAT is charged. Translation is done in one working day and the notary signs the same or the next day. The PDF arrives by e-mail; banks and registries keep the wet-sealed original, so it goes by courier for £30 to the UK or, more often for this document, to the branch or lawyer in Türkiye. We cannot offer collection.