Documents: Turkish to English Turkish → English
Turkish adoption and guardianship decisions translation
Certified English translation of Turkish adoption orders (evlat edinme kararı), Hague certificates of conformity, guardianship and curatorship decisions (vesayet, kayyım) and court permissions, for child visas, British citizenship, HMPO, the family court, the Court of Protection and banks.
What the receiving body requires
“If you need to certify a translation of a document that's not written in English or Welsh, ask the translation company to confirm in writing on the translation: that it's a ‘true and accurate translation of the original document’; the date of the translation; the full name and contact details of the translator or a representative of the translation company.”
Source:
· checked 29 August 2026Adoption and guardianship in Turkish law
Adoption (evlat edinme) is ordered by the family court under Articles 305 to 320 of the Civil Code after the child has lived with the adopters for at least a year, the birth parents have consented (rıza) and the Ministry of Family and Social Services has filed a social inquiry report. On the decision the child is entered in the adopter's family register, and the original parentage is kept in a restricted part of the record. Adults can also be adopted. Türkiye has been a party to the 1993 Hague Intercountry Adoption Convention since 2004, so an adoption from Türkiye by parents living in the UK produces, besides the court decision, a certificate of conformity under Article 23 of the Convention (uygunluk belgesi) from the Turkish central authority.
Guardianship (vesayet) is different: the civil court of peace appoints a guardian (vasi) for a minor who has no parent with authority, or for an adult placed under interdiction (kısıtlama) because of illness or incapacity. The decision names the guardian and the person under guardianship (kısıtlı), and later decisions grant the guardian permission (izin) for major acts such as selling property. A curator (kayyım) is appointed for a single task or to manage particular assets. Neither is the same as parental custody (velayet).
We translate the adoption decision, the Hague certificate, the guardianship decision and any permission, the finality notes and the annotated civil registry extract, and, if it is requested, the social inquiry report.
Where these documents go in the UK
- Home Office. An adopted child applying to join adoptive parents in the UK under the adoption provisions of the Immigration Rules; the decision and the Hague certificate are the core evidence. The route is described under translations for child and dependant visas.
- HM Passport Office and nationality. A child adopted under the Hague Convention by a British citizen habitually resident in the UK may become British automatically, and HMPO examines the adoption order and the certificate. Read translations for registering a child as British.
- Family court, for recognition of an adoption that falls outside the Convention, and for children under a Turkish guardianship order.
- Court of Protection, banks and pension providers, where a Turkish guardian needs to deal with an adult's UK account, property or benefits; the Court of Protection can recognise foreign protective measures.
- Schools and councils asking who holds authority for a child.
What the translation must contain
The Home Office and HMPO apply the gov.uk certification wording quoted below, and courts accept the same certificate of accuracy, signed, dated and carrying our company details. Terms are kept distinct because UK bodies compare them across documents: evlat edinen is adopter, evlatlık is adoptee, vasi is guardian, kayyım is curator, kısıtlı is a person under guardianship, and velayet stays custody. Where the registry extract shows both the adoptive and the original parentage lines, both are translated, since a caseworker will see them on the original.
Apostille and confidentiality
Court decisions and civil registry extracts can carry a Turkish e-Apostil obtained through e-Devlet, and the Hague certificate, being a ministry document, is apostilled at the valilik. The Home Office and HMPO have not asked for apostilles on these; a family court or the Court of Protection sometimes does. These files contain sensitive material about children and health, and our handling of them is described on confidentiality and data protection.
Price and turnaround
An adoption decision is 3 to 6 pages of 1,000 characters, £30.00 to £60.00, the Hague certificate one page, a guardianship decision 2 to 4 pages and a social inquiry report anything from 5 to 15. Certification is built into those prices and there is no UK VAT. Standard delivery is 2 to 4 working days as a certified PDF; the fast option halves it for 60 per cent more, the economy option doubles it for 20 per cent less. A signed hard copy from Ankara by courier is £30, and there is no collection because we have no UK office.
What you receive
- Translation of the decision with case numbers, finality note and the annotated registry extract; Hague certificate of conformity where issued
- Consistent rendering of adopter, adoptee, guardian, curator and person under guardianship, with the Turkish terms
- Certificate in the gov.uk wording and as a certificate of accuracy for courts, dated and signed, with company details
- Certified PDF by e-mail; courier hard copy optional
Frequently asked questions
Is my Turkish adoption recognised in the UK?
An adoption completed under the Hague Convention, with the certificate of conformity, is recognised; one outside the Convention may need an application to the family court. A solicitor advises on which applies; we translate the decision and the certificate either way.
What is the uygunluk belgesi and who issues it?
It is the Article 23 certificate confirming that the adoption was made in accordance with the Hague Convention, issued by the Turkish central authority within the Ministry of Family and Social Services. UK bodies ask for it alongside the court decision.
The registry extract still shows the birth parents. Will that be translated?
Yes, exactly as printed. The extract shows what the register holds, and the translation cannot differ from it. A caseworker sees both lines on the original and expects to see them on the translation.
I am my mother's vasi in Türkiye. Can I manage her UK bank account?
The bank will want the guardianship decision in translation, and may require an order of the Court of Protection recognising it. Ask the bank what it needs before ordering; we translate the decision and the permission to the standard the court applies.
Do you need the social inquiry report?
Only if a UK body has asked for it. It is long and personal, and most applications go through on the decision and the certificate alone.