Kesin dönüş: moving back to Turkey (İkametgâh Nakil Belgesi)

The certificate and the two conditions

A permanent return (kesin dönüş) is an ordinary move until you claim the customs reliefs that go with it: bringing household goods in free of duty and, for pensioners, a vehicle. The key to those reliefs is the residence-transfer certificate (İkametgâh Nakil Belgesi), issued by the Turkish Consulate General for the region where you lived. The consulate notes we have seen, in London and at other posts, state the same two conditions: at least 24 months of residence outside Türkiye's customs territory, and no more than 180 days spent in Türkiye during the last year before the application (some notes phrase it as six months). The certificate is used once, at the customs office where the goods arrive.

The consulate wants to see the 24 months proved from documents, not asserted. It lists identity documents first: a valid kimlik kartı and a valid Turkish passport, both with copies, and it states that a foreign passport cannot be used to apply. Visas, entry stamps and old passports show the pattern of travel. Because the consular officers read English, none of these UK papers needs translating for the consulate itself.

Proving 24 months in the UK

Which evidence is asked for depends on how you lived. Employees bring an employer's letter and P60s or payslips; the self-employed bring an accountant's letter and HMRC returns; students bring a letter from the school or university; families bring council tax bills and children's school letters. The officer checks that the dates cover the two years and that the address matches. Book one appointment per person, take originals and two copies of everything, and ask the consulate for its current list because the notes are revised.

What needs translating after you land

The translation work starts in Türkiye, where the same UK papers go to offices that do not read English.

• Customs. A pensioner importing a car shows a pension letter; customs accepts the translation if it is certified by an embassy, consulate or notary. Our page on taking a UK vehicle to Türkiye covers the two routes.
• Schools. Children continuing in Turkish schools need their UK school records recognised (denklik) by the provincial education directorate; reports and certificates are translated and, for GCSEs and A-levels, checked against the MEB tables. See MEB lise denklik.
• SGK. If you intend to buy back your UK years for a Turkish pension, the HMRC National Insurance record is translated by a sworn translator in Türkiye or a consulate-accredited one. See SGK yurtdışı borçlanması.
• Nüfus and driving licence. Marriages, births and name changes that happened in the UK and were never registered are recorded now, from apostilled and translated certificates; a UK driving licence is converted with a notarised translation.

Documents you will need

• UK employer letter and P60s and payslips
• HMRC documents for the self-employed and for SGK
• School reports and attendance letters for children
• Council tax bills as address evidence
• UK pension statement for a vehicle or for SGK
• UK marriage, birth or death certificates never registered in Türkiye, apostilled by the FCDO before translation

Common pitfalls

• Counting the 180 days loosely; a long summer plus a winter visit can break the condition.
• Applying with an expired Turkish passport, or only a British one.
• Shipping household goods before the certificate is issued; customs will not apply the relief retrospectively.
• Translating school reports without the year-by-year grades the education directorate needs for denklik.
• Having UK certificates translated before the FCDO apostille, so the apostille is missing from the Turkish text and the nüfus office rejects the file.

How we help and what it costs

Most families translate in stages. A pension letter or employer letter is 1 to 2 pages at £6.50 per page of 1,000 characters; a set of school reports for one child is 4 to 8 pages. The Ankara notary tariff of about £13.50 per page plus £5 handling per document is passed through at cost, and an apostille of a notarised translation is £15 where an office asks for it. No UK VAT is charged. We deliver scans by e-mail within 1 to 3 working days and the notarised originals by courier for £30, either to your UK address before you fly or to your new address in Türkiye. We have no UK office and no collection service. The kesin dönüş checklist lists the papers by office, and the guide on moving back to Türkiye puts them in date order.