Applying for British citizenship with Turkish documents

Where you have to be before you apply

Naturalisation under the British Nationality Act 1981 requires, in outline, five years’ lawful residence ending on the date of application (three years if you are married to a British citizen), indefinite leave to remain or settled status held for at least twelve months (no waiting period for the spouse of a British citizen), absences within the permitted limits, the knowledge of language and life requirement (B1 English and the Life in the UK test), good character, and two referees. The Home Office’s guidance to form AN, Guide AN, is published on GOV.UK; the April 2026 edition was current when this page was checked, and its text on translations was not extracted for this guide, so we apply the general GOV.UK certification rule and recommend you read the guide’s document section yourself. Our naturalisation page covers the translation format; this guide is about the order of events.

Turkish documents that can be asked for

• Turkish passport, current and expired. Form AN asks for every absence in the qualifying period. Where the electronic record is incomplete, the stamped pages of your Turkish passports are the evidence, and a translated schedule of stamps is sometimes prepared. The data page is bilingual and is not translated. Details.
• Marriage record where you apply on the basis of marriage to a British citizen: the UK certificate needs nothing; a Turkish evlenme cüzdanı or Formül B extract needs a certified translation. Details.
• Nüfus kayıt örneği where the caseworker wants a single document showing identity, marriage and name history. Details.
• Name-change court decision where your name on Turkish documents differs from UK records. Details.
• Turkish birth certificate, occasionally, where the Home Office wants to confirm parents’ details.
• Turkish criminal record certificate. Not on the standard list; the good character section asks you to declare convictions anywhere, and an adviser may suggest an adli sicil kaydı where there is something to explain.

The translation rule we work to

GOV.UK’s guidance on certifying a translation asks for a written confirmation that the translation is a true and accurate translation of the original document, the date of the translation, and the full name and contact details of the translator or a representative of the translation company. Our certification includes those with the signatory’s signature and the company’s Ankara registry number on each page. HM Passport Office, which you will meet at the passport stage, asks separately for translations of any foreign documents not in English, and the same translation serves.

Timing and money

The naturalisation fee, which includes the citizenship ceremony fee, is published on GOV.UK and is one of the higher immigration charges; check the figure on the day. Processing is measured in months. Biometrics are given after submission, and the decision letter invites you to a citizenship ceremony at your local council, which must be attended within the stated period; the certificate of naturalisation is handed over there and is the document that proves your citizenship from then on. Translation costs are modest at this stage: a marriage record £10–20, a nüfus kayıt örneği £10–30, a name-change decision £10–20, a schedule of passport stamps priced by page, in one to two working days; no UK VAT is charged. The naturalisation checklist lists the items.

Telling Türkiye, and dual nationality

Türkiye allows its citizens to hold another nationality. Turkish citizens are expected to have the acquisition of a foreign citizenship recorded on their civil record, which is done through the consulate on production of the certificate of naturalisation and the new British passport; ask the consulate what it currently requires, since its notes state that UK-issued passports are handled without an outside translation but do not name the naturalisation certificate. Once recorded, your nüfus kayıt örneği shows the dual status, which matters for military-service deferment, the paid exemption and any later re-acquisition questions. The certificate of naturalisation page covers the Turkish translation where another Turkish body asks for one.

Avoidable problems

• Absences counted from memory and contradicted by passport stamps the caseworker can see.
• A name on form AN that matches neither the passport nor the ILR record, with no translated name-change decision.
• Referees who do not meet the requirements, which is the commonest reason for a request for more information.
• A Turkish marriage record submitted as a Formül B extract without translation.
• Not attending the ceremony within the period stated, which means reapplying.

After the ceremony

Apply for your first British passport with the certificate of naturalisation; HMPO may ask for the documents behind the certificate, and our first passport guide explains the Turkish items that can arise. Then record the citizenship with the Turkish consulate. Whether to naturalise, and the effect on your Turkish position, are questions for a nationality solicitor and, for the Turkish side, the consulate; we translate the documents and do not advise.