Glossary
Valilik — meaning and English translation
The valilik is the Provincial Governorship, the office of the vali who represents the Turkish state in each of the 81 provinces and issues apostilles on administrative documents.
Each of Türkiye's 81 provinces (il) has a vali, appointed by the President, and the valilik is the administrative office through which the provincial governor acts. It supervises the district governorships, coordinates the provincial directorates of ministries such as education and health, and is one of the two authorities entitled to issue apostilles on administrative documents, alongside the kaymakamlık. Apostilles from the valilik typically take one to three days, and larger provinces have a dedicated apostille desk.
Our rendering is “Provincial Governorship (Valilik)”, with the office-holder as “Provincial Governor”. The province name is kept in Turkish, so the reader sees “Ankara Provincial Governorship (Ankara Valiliği)”.
UK bodies encounter the name on apostille certificates and on documents such as association and foundation registrations that the office issues. For the electronic alternative see Turkish e-Apostil.