Interpreting at Turkish Consulate appointments

Why the consulate asks for an interpreter

The notary unit of the Turkish Consulate General in London draws up notarial acts in Turkish: vekaletname (power of attorney), muvafakatname (consent letter), taahhütname (undertaking), azilname (revocation), paternity acknowledgement and similar. Anyone signing must understand what they are signing, so when a party does not speak Turkish, the consulate requires a sworn Turkish interpreter to be present to interpret the act before signature. The commonest cases are a British spouse giving a power of attorney for a property purchase or sale in Türkiye, a British parent consenting to a child’s travel or passport, a non-Turkish father acknowledging paternity at birth registration, and a British partner signing declarations in a citizenship-by-marriage file. The consulate does not provide the interpreter; you bring one. The same applies at the Consulates General in Manchester and Edinburgh.

What we arrange

We arrange an interpreter to attend the appointment with you in London, subject to availability. Before confirming, we check the consulate’s current requirement for your act, including whether the interpreter must be one registered with the consulate, and we tell you what we find rather than assume; the notary unit can be contacted at [email protected] or +44 203 608 80 90. On the day the interpreter meets you at the consulate in Knightsbridge, interprets the identity check, the reading of the act and any questions from the notary officer, and signs where the consulate requires the interpreter’s signature on the act. Manchester and Edinburgh appointments are arranged with more notice.

Before the appointment

• Book the consulate appointment first through the consular appointment system; one appointment covers one act.
• Check what the act needs: for a tapu power of attorney, the Turkish party’s new-type identity card, the property details and two photographs are typically required; for a paternity acknowledgement, the birth certificate and both parents’ identity documents.
• Send us the appointment date, time, the type of act and who the non-Turkish-speaking party is. If a draft of the act or the attorney’s details has been prepared by a Turkish lawyer, send it so the interpreter can prepare.
• Bring your own identity documents and the consular fee, which is charged per page and paid at the consulate.

What it costs

A consulate appointment booking is charged as a fixed half-day fee covering travel within London, waiting time and the appointment itself, because consulate waiting times are unpredictable. If the appointment is cancelled or rescheduled by the consulate we carry the booking over to the new date without charge where the interpreter is available; cancellation by you within two working days is charged. No UK VAT is charged. The consulate’s own fee for the act is separate.

After the appointment: the document goes to Türkiye

A power of attorney drawn up at the consulate is already a Turkish notarial act and needs no translation or apostille for use in Türkiye. If instead the power of attorney is drawn up in England before a UK notary, it must be apostilled by the FCDO and translated and notarised in Türkiye; we do that part in Ankara, see notarised translation in Turkey. Which route is better depends on the act and on how quickly you can get a consulate appointment; consulate notary services compares them.

Limits

We are an Ankara-based company; we have no office in London and the interpreter is a professional we arrange, not a member of staff. Availability for consulate appointments is confirmed case by case and we will say quickly if we cannot staff a date. We do not interpret for a party who does speak Turkish but wants help with formal language; the consulate decides whether an interpreter is required, and if it is not, a friend or relative may accompany you.