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Vekaletname (Turkish power of attorney) translation
Certified English translation of a Turkish notarial power of attorney (vekaletname), general or special, with the apostille and any Turkish lawyer's letter, for HM Land Registry, UK conveyancers, probate applications made by an attorney and banks. From £10 per page.
What the receiving body requires
“This guide does not deal with powers of attorney granted under the law of another jurisdiction. In such cases we are likely to require a letter from a qualified lawyer practising in or familiar with the relevant law confirming the effectiveness of the power for the purposes of the execution of the deed concerned. Any such letter and supporting documentation in a language other than English or Welsh will need to be accompanied by a translation.”
Source:
· checked 29 August 2026What a vekaletname is
A Turkish power of attorney is a notarial act. You tell the notary (noter) what powers you want to give; the notary drafts the text, reads it back, records your identity, and seals and numbers it in the journal (yevmiye). The heading names the notary's office, for instance Ankara 12. Noterliği. A general power (genel vekaletname) authorises the attorney across a wide range of dealings; special powers are drawn for a single purpose and carry extra formalities, such as the principal's photograph on a power to sell property (tapu satış vekaleti) or to conduct a divorce (boşanma vekaleti), and the lawyer's bar number on a litigation power (dava vekaleti). Turkish citizens abroad can make the same document at a Turkish consulate, and a power is revoked by a separate notarial act, the azilname.
The text is dense with formulaic legal phrases inherited from Ottoman practice: ahzu kabz (to receive and collect), sulh ve ibra (to settle and release), tevkil, teşrik ve azil (to delegate, to associate and to dismiss a substitute). We render each with its established English equivalent and keep the Turkish phrase in brackets at first use, because a conveyancer looks for the specific power to sell, charge or receive money and needs to find it. The principal's and attorney's identity details, the description of the photograph, the notary's attestation, seal, fee stamp and journal number, and the apostille sheet are all translated.
Where it is used in the UK
- HM Land Registry. When an attorney signs a transfer or a charge of land in England and Wales under a Turkish power, Practice Guide 8 says the Land Registry is likely to require a letter from a lawyer familiar with Turkish law confirming that the power is effective, and that the letter and supporting documents, if not in English or Welsh, must be accompanied by a translation. See translations for HM Land Registry.
- Conveyancers and solicitors taking instructions from an attorney, and running identity checks on the principal in Türkiye.
- Probate. A person entitled to a grant who lives in Türkiye can appoint an attorney to apply on their behalf; the probate registry needs the power in translation.
- Banks. Some UK banks act on a foreign power after their legal team has reviewed it; others decline any non-UK power. Ask the bank first.
For the opposite direction, a power made in the UK for use in Türkiye, see giving power of attorney from the UK for use in Türkiye.
What the translation must contain
The Land Registry's wording is quoted below. It asks for a translation of the lawyer's letter and the supporting documentation, and in practice the conveyancer lodges the translated power, the translated apostille and the Turkish lawyer's letter together. Our certificate of accuracy is signed and dated and gives our company details, which is the form conveyancers and the registry have accepted to date. We do not summarise the list of powers, however long, since an omitted power is the one the registry will ask about.
Apostille
Solicitors and the Land Registry regularly ask for an apostille on a foreign power of attorney. It is issued free by the kaymakamlık or valilik of the district where the notary sits; for a power made at an Ankara notary we can collect it for a £15 fee in 1 to 3 working days. A vekaletname made at the Turkish Consulate in London is a Turkish consular act and is designed for use in Türkiye; if you are in the UK and the power is for a UK transaction, a UK notary or solicitor is the normal route and no translation arises.
Price and turnaround
A general power is 1 or 2 pages of 1,000 characters, £10.00 to £20.00; a property power with the photograph page and the apostille is 2 or 3 pages. Those figures include certification and carry no UK VAT. We return the certified PDF in 1 to 2 working days, or the same day for the fast option when the scan reaches us before 11:00 UK time. A signed hard copy by courier from Ankara is £30, and because we have no UK office there is no collection.
What you receive
- Translation of the full power with every authority listed, identity details, photograph description, notary attestation, seal and journal number
- Translation of the apostille sheet and of any Turkish lawyer's letter supplied with it
- Certificate of accuracy, dated and signed, with our company details
- Certified PDF by e-mail; courier hard copy optional
Frequently asked questions
My mother in Ankara has given me power to sell her London flat. What will the Land Registry need?
Practice Guide 8 points to a letter from a lawyer familiar with Turkish law confirming the power is effective, with translations of the letter and the power. Your conveyancer will usually add an apostille to the list. We translate all three documents as one set.
The bank has refused the Turkish power even with a translation.
Some banks accept only their own forms or a UK lasting power of attorney, and no translation changes that. Ask whether they will accept a UK-executed general power instead; a solicitor can prepare one for your mother to sign at a UK notary or at the British Embassy.
Is the photograph on the power translated?
It is described in square brackets as a photograph of the principal, and it appears on the copy of the original attached to the translation. Nothing on the page is left unaccounted for.
Does a vekaletname expire?
Not unless it says so. It ends when it is revoked by an azilname, when its purpose is fulfilled or when the principal dies. A UK solicitor may still ask for a recent confirmation that it has not been revoked.
Do you provide the Turkish lawyer's letter?
No. That letter must come from a lawyer, and we are a translation company. We translate the letter once your Turkish avukat has written it.