Turkish court documents for the UK family court

Who this is for

You are a party, or you act for one, in family proceedings in England or Wales where something happened in a Turkish court first: a divorce, a custody order, a maintenance decision, an order under Law 6284 on protection from violence, or a set of proceedings still running in Türkiye. The English court needs to read those documents, and it needs to be satisfied that what it is reading is what the Turkish court decided. Getting that right is mostly a matter of completeness and care rather than expense.

What the rules say about foreign-language evidence

The civil practice direction on evidence provides, in substance, that where a document containing evidence is in a foreign language the party relying on it must have it translated, and the translator must make and file an affidavit verifying the translation, exhibiting both the translation and a copy of the document; a related paragraph deals with affidavits sworn in another language. Family proceedings are governed by their own procedure rules, which contain comparable provisions, and in day-to-day practice the family court works with certified translations and directs a verifying affidavit only where authenticity or accuracy is actually in issue. We are stating the position as we understand it rather than as advice: your solicitor or counsel will confirm which rule applies in your case and whether the court has directed anything more than certification.

What we can and cannot do

We are an Ankara company. We can produce a certified translation of a Turkish judgment carrying our accuracy statement, the date, our company registration details and a signature, and translations in that form have been accepted to date in family proceedings and by the solicitors instructing us. What we cannot do is swear an affidavit before a solicitor or notary in England, because that requires the translator to attend in person in the jurisdiction. If the court directs a translator’s affidavit, tell us early: we will supply the translation and a signed statement of what was done, and your solicitor will need to arrange the swearing with someone able to attend. Saying this plainly at the start avoids a wasted hearing.

The Turkish documents and what makes them complete

• Gerekçeli karar — the reasoned judgment, not the short operative decision. English courts want the reasoning, and a one-page karar özeti invites an adjournment.
• Kesinleşme şerhi — the annotation, stamped and dated by the court, recording that the decision became final and when. A Turkish divorce judgment without it is not yet effective, and this is the single most common gap we see. Ask the court or your Turkish lawyer for a copy bearing the şerh.
• Velayet and nafaka orders — custody and maintenance decisions, with any later variation; see custody and maintenance orders.
• Dava dilekçesi, cevap dilekçesi, duruşma tutanakları — petition, response and hearing minutes, where the conduct of the Turkish case matters.
• Bilirkişi and sosyal inceleme raporları — expert and social enquiry reports, often decisive in welfare disputes.
• UYAP prints carrying a barcode and verification code, which help the court confirm the document exists.

Apostille and authenticity

Judicial documents are apostilled in Türkiye by the adalet komisyonu at the courthouse, free of charge, and court decisions can be apostilled electronically through e-Devlet. No family court rule we found requires it, but where the other side may dispute that a document is genuine, an apostille is cheap insurance and takes a day. Apostille before translating, so the certificate is translated with the judgment; the apostille guide sets out the offices.

Recognition is a separate question

Whether an English court will recognise a Turkish divorce, or enforce a Turkish maintenance order, is a legal question with its own route and its own evidence, and translation is only the first step in it. The recognition guide outlines the territory, and the family court page lists what the court has asked to see in the cases we have worked on. We do not advise on recognition, jurisdiction or the merits; instruct a family solicitor.

How we prepare court translations

Judgments are translated page for page against the Turkish original, so that a paragraph number in the bundle points to the same paragraph in both. Seals, signatures, court numbers and case references are reproduced and marked, not omitted. Names and dates follow the Turkish original exactly, with a note where a party’s name is spelled differently in a passport. Turkish legal terms without an English counterpart are given in Turkish with a short neutral gloss on first use — velayet, nafaka, tanıma and tenfiz among them — because inventing an English equivalent can shift the meaning of an order. Where a Turkish court refers to an article of a code, the article number stays visible.

Timing and fees

• From £10 per page of 1,000 characters, certification included. A reasoned judgment of four to twelve pages typically comes to £40–120.
• One to two working days for a short judgment; a full bundle is quoted after we see it. Urgent handling adds 60 per cent, with a same-day cut-off at 11:00 UK time.
• Wet-signed paper sets by courier from Ankara, £30, where a court wants hard copy. No UK VAT is charged.
• Apostille in Türkiye is free; allow a day for the courthouse and minutes for the electronic route.

Common mistakes

• Filing the operative decision without the reasoning, or the judgment without the kesinleşme şerhi.
• Leaving translation to the last fortnight before a hearing, then paying an urgency surcharge on a 40-page bundle.
• A translation in which the child’s name is spelled three different ways because the Turkish documents themselves vary; tell us the passport spelling and we will note the differences instead of hiding them.
• Having part of the bundle translated by a friend and part professionally, which invites an attack on the whole.