UK court orders (custody, maintenance, injunctions) translation into Turkish

Orders that travel to Türkiye

The orders we see most are from the Family Court: child arrangements orders (velayet ve kişisel ilişki kararı) deciding where a child lives and the time spent with each parent, specific issue and prohibited steps orders about schooling or travel, financial remedy orders (mal rejimi kararı) dividing assets after divorce, maintenance orders, and non-molestation or occupation orders under the Family Law Act 1996. From the civil courts come money judgments and injunctions. Each is a sealed document from HM Courts and Tribunals Service with the case number, the parties, the judge and the operative paragraphs; the judgment giving reasons is a separate document, often much longer.

The final divorce order itself has its own page: decree absolute and final order translation. This page is for the orders that go with it or stand alone.

Why a Turkish court needs the translation

A UK order has no effect in Türkiye until a Turkish court recognises it (tanıma) or, where something must be done, declares it enforceable (tenfiz) under Law 5718. The file lodged with the family court or civil court in Türkiye consists of the original order, an apostille, a Turkish translation and proof that the order is final. A Turkish law firm's checklist describes the translation requirement as a Turkish translation certified by a notary or a Turkish mission, or bearing an apostille from the competent authority of the country concerned, and asks for the same for the document proving finality. After tenfiz, the icra dairesi enforces a maintenance or money order, the nüfus müdürlüğü records a custody decision, and the tapu office gives effect to a property order. Read recognition and enforcement of UK judgments in Türkiye and the guide getting a UK divorce recognised in Türkiye.

Orders are also filed without a tenfiz case: as evidence in a Turkish custody dispute, to show a Turkish school or hospital who has parental responsibility, or to support a Hague Convention return application through the Ministry of Justice.

Finality, apostille and translation in order

1. Proof of finality. English orders carry no kesinleşme şerhi. Turkish courts have accepted a sealed copy of the order together with a court letter or a solicitor's certificate confirming that the time for appeal has passed and no appeal was lodged; obtain that before the apostille so that it can be legalised too.
2. FCDO apostille. Sealed court documents are legalised directly, and orders issued as PDFs by the court are eligible for the e-Apostille at £35 within two working days; the paper service is £45. Our UK partner can arrange it for the FCDO fee plus £20.
3. Translation and notarisation in Ankara. The translator sworn before an Ankara notary translates the order, the finality letter and the apostilles; the notary binds the translation to a copy of the apostilled bundle. This is the notary-certified translation in the checklist above.
4. Apostille of the translation at the kaymakamlık, £15, which Turkish courts in tenfiz cases regularly ask for.

How court language is handled

Orders use terms of art: lives with and spends time with, parental responsibility, clean break, undertaking, penal notice. We render them with the Turkish Civil Code and Code of Civil Procedure terms where a counterpart exists and add a translator's note where the concept differs, so that the Turkish judge sees what the English judge ordered rather than an approximation. Paragraph numbering, dates, sums and the court seal are reproduced exactly. Our legal translation page describes the review process for court documents.

Price and time

A short order is 2 to 4 pages of 1,000 characters, £13.00 to £26.00; a financial remedy order 6 to 12 pages; a judgment with reasons 15 to 40 pages, where the economy tier at 20 per cent less applies if the court timetable allows. The Ankara notary tariff of about £13.50 per page plus £5 handling is added, and £15 for an apostille of the translation. No UK VAT is charged. Short orders are translated in 1 to 2 working days, judgments in 4 to 8; the notary adds a day and the kaymakamlık 1 to 3. The PDF is e-mailed; the court keeps the wet-sealed original, which goes by courier for £30, usually to your lawyer in Türkiye. No collection.