Checklist: kesin dönüş

Kesin dönüş is a formal declaration that you have ended your residence abroad, and it unlocks a set of concessions — customs treatment for household goods and, for some returners, a vehicle. Those concessions are the reason the evidence is examined carefully.

Who this list is for

Turkish citizens who have lived in the UK for at least two years and are moving back permanently, including retirees drawing a UK pension. Families who keep a foot in both countries should read this as a warning as much as a checklist: the conditions assume a genuine, complete return.

The documents

• İkametgâh Nakil Belgesi — the transfer of residence certificate issued by your Consulate General. It is the pivot of the whole file, and it is issued on the strength of the evidence below rather than on your word.
• Evidence of at least 24 months' continuous residence abroad — a tenancy agreement or mortgage statements, council tax bills across the period, and utility bills. Translated into Turkish where the Consulate or customs asks for the address history in Turkish.
• Employment or study record — an employer letter with dates, P60s or a P45, or school letters for children. An accountant's letter takes the place of the employer letter for the self-employed. Translation required.
• Time spent in Türkiye during the qualifying period — kept below roughly 180 days across the two years. Passport stamps and the e-Devlet travel record are the proof; no translation.
• Evidence that the UK life has ended — a resignation acceptance or P45, the tenancy surrender or completion statement on a sale, and school leaving letters. Translated where they form part of the customs file.
• Household goods (eşya nakil belgesi) — an itemised list certified by the Consulate, plus the shipping documents. The list is prepared in Turkish at the Consulate; the removal company's inventory in English is translated where customs asks for it.
• Vehicle, where you bring one — the concession has strict conditions, and applicants have been asked for a UK pension statement or equivalent income evidence with a translation certified through the Consulate's registered translator. Confirm the current rules with customs before you ship anything.
• Social security — an HMRC National Insurance record if you intend to buy back years under yurtdışı borçlanması, which is a separate application to SGK with its own translated evidence.

What people most often get wrong

Returners assume kesin dönüş is a single declaration made on arrival. It is a file assembled before departure, and several of its documents — the employer letter, the tenancy surrender, the council tax closing statement — are far harder to obtain once you have left the country. The second recurring error concerns the vehicle: people ship first and read the conditions afterwards. The third is quieter but costs pension income later: declaring kesin dönüş affects the basis on which you can later claim from SGK, so speak to an adviser before signing.

What we would translate and what it would cost

A retiring couple's file: employer letter (1 page), two P60s (2 pages), a tenancy agreement extract (3 pages), two council tax bills (2 pages) and a pension statement (2 pages). Ten pages of English into Turkish at £6.50 is £65.00, certification included, no UK VAT. If customs or SGK wants the set notarised, Ankara notarisation adds the notary's tariff of about £13.50 per page plus a £5 fee. Where the Consulate requires a translation certified at its own notary unit, that must come from a translator on its registered list, which we are not; we will tell you when that is the case rather than sell you something unusable.

Before you rely on this list

A checklist for the paperwork, not advice on whether kesin dönüş is right for you financially — it interacts with pensions, benefits and tax in ways worth taking advice on. The Consulate General and the Turkish customs authority set the conditions and change them; check the current notes at londra-bk.mfa.gov.tr first.