Glossary
Taahhütname — meaning and English translation
A taahhütname is a written undertaking, usually notarised, in which a person binds themselves to do or refrain from something, such as repaying a sum or vacating premises.
Turkish administrative and commercial practice relies heavily on the unilateral undertaking. A tenant undertakes to leave on a given date (tahliye taahhütnamesi), a debtor undertakes to pay by instalments, a scholarship holder undertakes to return and work for a period, an employee undertakes to keep information confidential, a citizen abroad undertakes to complete the remote training that goes with paid military service. The document is signed before a notary or consular officer so that the signature and date cannot later be disputed, and a notarised eviction undertaking can be enforced directly through the Enforcement Office.
Our rendering is “letter of undertaking (taahhütname)”; in a heading, simply “undertaking”. The verb form “hereby undertake” is used in the body so that the obligation reads naturally in English legal style.
UK bodies rarely require one, but employers and landlords sometimes receive a Turkish undertaking in a dispute. Those executed abroad go through consulate notary services.