Checklist: YÖK denklik application

YÖK assesses a foreign qualification from a small, strictly formatted set of papers. There is little room for interpretation and no appetite for improvised evidence: what the e-Denklik system wants is the degree, the marks behind it and a description of the programme, each legalised and translated in the right order.

Who this list is for

Graduates of UK universities — Turkish citizens, Mavi Kart holders and others — who need their degree recognised for employment, postgraduate study, professional registration or a public appointment in Türkiye. Secondary qualifications follow a different route through MEB, described on MEB lise denklik.

The documents

• Degree certificate — the parchment itself, apostilled by the FCDO first and then translated into Turkish. A university-issued degree certificate is normally signed by an officer whose signature the FCDO can verify; if not, a solicitor or notary certifies the copy before legalisation.
• Academic transcript — the full record with module titles, credits and marks. Apostille, then Turkish translation. Module titles are translated as written; nothing is mapped onto Turkish course names.
• Diploma supplement or HEAR — where the university issues one. It carries the programme structure and credit framework that the assessors rely on, so include it even though it is long.
• Identity documents — TC kimlik kartı, Mavi Kart or passport. Nothing to translate.
• Evidence of the mode of study — where any part of the programme was distance, online or delivered at a partner campus, the university's own confirmation. This is examined closely and an incomplete answer causes a long delay.
• Previous qualification used for admission — the Turkish lise diploması or earlier degree that got you onto the course, where the system asks for it. Already in Turkish, nothing to translate.
• Translation standard — a Turkish translation certified by a notary in Türkiye, or by a Turkish consulate abroad. A UK-style certified translation on its own is normally re-done, which is a cost worth avoiding once.
• Sequence — apostille the original, then translate the original together with its apostille. Translations of un-apostilled documents are rejected.

What people most often get wrong

Graduates translate first because the translation feels like the hard part, then discover the apostille has to appear on the document the translator worked from. They send a results letter or a provisional statement instead of the transcript. They omit the diploma supplement because of its length, and are then asked for it three weeks into the assessment. And they underestimate the clock: assessment commonly runs two to three months, so a job offer conditional on denklik needs planning from the moment you graduate.

What we would translate and what it would cost

A standard bachelor's file: degree certificate (1 page), transcript (3 pages) and diploma supplement (4 pages). Eight pages of English into Turkish at £6.50 is £52.00. Because YÖK expects notarised translations, add Ankara notarisation at the notary's tariff — about £13.50 per page in 2026 plus a £5 handling fee, so roughly £113 on eight pages — bringing the file to about £165. A Turkish apostille on the notarised translation, if the office asks for one, is £15. The FCDO apostille on your UK originals is paid to the FCDO: £35 for the electronic service where the document qualifies, £45 for the paper route.

Before you rely on this list

This is a translator's working list, not academic-recognition advice, and YÖK alone decides what your qualification is equivalent to. Its e-Denklik instructions govern the file and are updated as the regulations change: read them at denklik.yok.gov.tr before you commission anything.