Glossary
Legalisation — explained for Turkish readers
The process of confirming that a signature or seal on a UK document is genuine so it will be accepted abroad. For Türkiye, legalisation means an apostille.
Legalisation is the general word for authenticating a document for use in another country. In the UK it is done by the FCDO Legalisation Office, which checks the signature, seal or stamp against its records and attaches a certificate. For countries inside the Hague Convention, that certificate is the apostille and the process ends there. For countries outside it, the document goes on to that country's embassy for a second stamp, which is what many people mean by “full legalisation”.
Türkiye is a Hague country, so a UK document bound for a Turkish office needs the FCDO apostille only; the Turkish Consulate does not add a stamp of its own to the document. The Turkish terms tasdik and konsolosluk tasdiki cover the same idea.
Translations are legalised only after a UK solicitor or notary has certified them, and for Turkish purposes that is seldom the right route. See the FCDO Legalisation Office page for fees and timings.