Guides English → Turkish
Giving power of attorney from the UK for use in Turkey
Someone in Türkiye needs to sell your flat, file your SGK application or appear for you in court, and you are in London. A vekaletname can be made at the Turkish consulate, or before a UK notary with an apostille and a notarised Turkish translation. This guide compares the two and walks through each.
Two routes, one result
A power of attorney (vekaletname) for use in Türkiye must, in the end, be a document a Turkish office trusts: a notarial act in Turkish, or a foreign notarial act that has been apostilled and translated in a form Turkish law accepts. There are therefore two routes from the UK. The first is the notary section of the Turkish consulate, which drafts and executes a Turkish vekaletname in one appointment. The second is a UK notary public, followed by an FCDO apostille and a Turkish translation notarised in Türkiye. Which is better depends on where you live, what the POA is for, whether the person giving it speaks Turkish, and how quickly it is needed.
Route A: the consulate
The consulates in London, Manchester and Edinburgh execute vekaletname, muvafakatname, azilname and similar acts. The consulate note sets out the mechanics: one act per appointment; a fee of roughly £30–40 per A4 page; for a tapu (property) POA the grantor must hold the new-type kimlik kartı and bring photographs and the property details; a person who does not speak Turkish must bring a sworn interpreter. The document is issued in Turkish, sealed by the consulate and needs no apostille or translation in Türkiye. The drawbacks are distance, appointment lead times that can run to weeks, and drafting: the consulate uses standard wording, and a POA for a complex transaction, litigation or a company matter may need text supplied by the Turkish lawyer who will use it, which the consulate can incorporate if it is provided in Turkish. Our consulate notary page and the tapu POA checklist cover this route; where the grantor is a British spouse who needs an interpreter, our consulate interpreting page explains what can be arranged.
Route B: UK notary, apostille, notarised translation
A notary public anywhere in the UK can notarise a power of attorney signed before them; many will draft it, and a bilingual notary can produce a Turkish text side by side with the English. The notarised document then goes to the FCDO Legalisation Office for an apostille (£45 on paper, or £35 as an e-apostille, since notarial documents qualify for the electronic service), and then to us in Ankara for a Turkish translation notarised by a Turkish notary. The translation covers the POA, the notarial certificate and the apostille, which is why the order cannot be reversed. Turkish tapu offices, courts, banks and SGK accept a foreign POA presented this way, provided the wording gives the specific authority Turkish practice expects (for a sale, for example, the property description, the power to receive the price and the power to sign at the tapu office). Our UK power of attorney page describes the format, and the notarised translation service the tariff. This route suits people far from a consulate, non-Turkish speakers who would otherwise need an interpreter, and urgent cases where a local notary can see you tomorrow.
Getting the wording right
Turkish offices read a POA literally. A general POA that omits the power to sell, or names the property vaguely, is refused at the tapu office regardless of how many stamps it carries. Ask the lawyer, estate agent or relative who will use the document to send the exact Turkish wording they need, and give that to the consulate or the UK notary. If we are translating a UK-drafted POA, we translate what it says; we can flag a missing element but we do not redraft. A POA for litigation should name the court and the lawyer; a POA for SGK should mention borçlanma and pension applications; a POA for a bank must cover opening and operating accounts. Powers of attorney for property are commonly limited in time and should carry a revocation clause you understand; revocation (azilname) is itself a notarial act, done at the consulate or a Turkish notary.
Costs and timing
| Consulate route | UK notary route | |
|---|---|---|
| Notary fee | About £30–40 per page (consular fee) | UK notary’s own fee, commonly £70–150 or more |
| Apostille | Not needed | £45 paper / £35 e-apostille (partner service £20 handling) |
| Translation | Not needed | From £6.50 per page plus Turkish notary tariff (about £13.50 per page plus £5) |
| Courier | You carry it or post it | £30 Ankara to UK, or delivered in Türkiye |
| Time | Appointment lead time, then same day | Notary 1–3 days; apostille 2 working days (e-apostille) to weeks (paper); translation 2–4 days |
No UK VAT is charged on our part of either route.
Mistakes
- Booking the consulate for a tapu POA with an old-style nüfus cüzdanı; the new kimlik kartı is required.
- Sending a UK-notarised POA for translation before the apostille is on it.
- A British spouse attending the consulate without a sworn interpreter.
- Wording copied from a UK lasting power of attorney, which Turkish offices do not recognise as a sale authority.
- Forgetting that the POA holder in Türkiye needs the original, not a scan.
What we do
On the consulate route we can translate the Turkish draft into English so you know what you are signing, and provide interpreting arrangements. On the UK notary route we translate the apostilled POA into Turkish and notarise it in Ankara, then deliver it to your representative in Türkiye. Whether a POA is the right instrument, and what powers it should contain, is a question for a Turkish lawyer.
Step by step
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Get the required wording from Türkiye
Ask the lawyer, agent, bank or relative who will use the POA to send the exact powers they need, in Turkish, including the property description for a tapu POA, the court and case for litigation, or the account powers for a bank. This text drives everything that follows. Decide on a time limit and whether the holder may delegate.
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Choose the route
Pick the consulate if you can reach one, hold a new-type kimlik kartı (essential for property) and speak Turkish or can bring an interpreter. Pick a UK notary if you are far from a consulate, need the document within days, or the grantor is a non-Turkish speaker. Cost is similar once fees, apostille and translation are added up.
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Consulate route: book and attend
Book the notary section online for a single act. Take the kimlik kartı, passport, two photographs, the property or case details and the Turkish wording. A non-Turkish speaker brings a sworn interpreter. The consulate drafts, reads back, executes and seals the vekaletname in Turkish; post the original to Türkiye by tracked courier or hand-carry it.
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UK notary route: sign before a notary
Find a notary public, ideally one used to Turkish documents, and give them the powers required. Sign in their presence with identity documents. Ask for the notarial certificate to be in a form eligible for the e-apostille if you want speed. Do not translate anything yet.
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UK notary route: apostille, then translate
Send the notarised POA to the FCDO for an apostille (£45 paper, £35 e-apostille) or use our partner service. When it returns, scan every page including the apostille and send it to us; we translate into Turkish, notarise in Ankara and deliver the paper set to your representative in Türkiye or to you. Allow two to four working days.
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Deliver, use and revoke
The POA holder presents the original at the tapu office, court, bank or SGK. Keep a copy and note the expiry. When the job is done, revoke by azilname at the consulate or a Turkish notary if the POA was general; a POA limited to one transaction lapses on completion.
Frequently asked questions
Which route is faster?
Usually the UK notary with an e-apostille and our translation, about a week end to end, because consulate appointments can be weeks away. If a consulate slot is available soon, the consulate document is ready the same day and needs nothing further.
Can I use a UK lasting power of attorney in Türkiye?
Not for a sale or a court case as it stands. Turkish offices expect specific powers in a vekaletname. An LPA can be apostilled and translated, but the lawyer using it will usually ask for a fresh, specific POA instead.
My British wife does not speak Turkish. Can she give a POA at the consulate?
Yes, with a sworn Turkish interpreter present, as the consulate requires. Alternatively she signs before a UK notary in English and the document is apostilled and translated in Ankara.
Does the tapu office need anything besides the translated POA?
The holder brings their own ID, the property details and, where the seller is a foreigner, the tapu office may require a sworn interpreter and witnesses at signing. The tapu page explains the office’s own rules.