Turkish citizenship for children born in the UK

Citizenship by descent, not by application

Under Article 7 of the Turkish Citizenship Law (Law 5901) a child born to a Turkish citizen mother or a Turkish citizen father, in Türkiye or abroad, is a Turkish citizen from birth. There is no application to make and nothing to be granted; the parent's nationality passes automatically. What the family must do is have the birth recorded in the Turkish family register so that the child receives a T.C. kimlik number and can be issued with an identity card and passport. Being born in the UK makes no difference to the Turkish side, and holding British citizenship, whether from a British parent or from a parent's settled status, is no obstacle: both countries allow dual nationality and the child keeps both for life.

Recording the child

The birth is reported to the consulate general for your district, London, Manchester or Edinburgh, with the child's full UK birth certificate and both parents' identity documents. The consulate's note asks for the report within two months and reads the British certificate itself; no translation is required for this step. The full appointment is described on registering a UK birth at the Turkish Consulate. Once the entry is made the child appears on the family's nüfus kayıt örneği and the passport application can follow.

A child who was never reported, sometimes discovered at 18 when a passport or a university place in Türkiye is wanted, is still a citizen. The late report is made in the same way, and the consulate may ask for additional evidence of the parent's citizenship at the time of birth, such as an older nüfus kayıt örneği.

Children of a Turkish father and a foreign mother, outside marriage

Where the parents are married, both parents' citizenship passes automatically. Where they are not married and only the father is Turkish, the child acquires Turkish citizenship once paternity is established: by the father's acknowledgement of paternity (babalık tanıma senedi) at the consulate notary unit, or by a court finding. A British mother attending the notary unit must bring a sworn Turkish interpreter. The child's UK birth certificate naming the father is evidence but does not by itself replace the Turkish acknowledgement.

Children of former citizens and Mavi Kart holders

A child born after a parent renounced Turkish citizenship does not acquire it by descent, because the parent was not a citizen at the child's birth. Such children are entered in the Mavi Kart register (mavi kartlılar kütüğü) and hold the rights of a Mavi Kart holder. In 2025 the Ministry of the Interior announced that children registered in the Mavi Kart register can now acquire Turkish citizenship without the conditions previously required, which removes the residence and other tests that used to apply. The application is made through the consulate or the provincial directorate; the file is largely Turkish records, with the child's UK birth certificate and the parent's naturalisation certificate as the British elements. See Mavi Kart: rights and applications.

Where a translation enters

For the consulate, nowhere: British passports and certificates are read in-house. A translation is needed when the child's UK documents go to an office inside Türkiye. The common cases are a nüfus müdürlüğü registration made while in Türkiye rather than at the consulate, enrolling the child in a Turkish school after a move, a custody or inheritance case, and a Mavi Kart child's citizenship file lodged in Türkiye. The office then wants the UK birth certificate apostilled by the FCDO (paper apostille, £45; GRO certificates cannot use the e-Apostille) and translated by a translator sworn before a Turkish notary, notarised in Türkiye. We do that in Ankara.

Documents you may need

• UK full birth certificate translation
• British passport translation for a child or a British parent
• Certificate of naturalisation translation where a parent's nationality history is examined
• UK school reports translation for enrolment in Türkiye

Military service for sons

A boy recorded as a Turkish citizen acquires an obligation to perform military service or to arrange deferment when he reaches military age, which surprises some families years later. Deferment for students and workers abroad and the fee-based option are explained on military service deferment and dövizle askerlik. This is not a reason to leave a child unregistered; an unregistered adult has the same obligation and fewer options.

Our part and the cost

We translate the child's UK documents for Turkish domestic offices, sworn and notarised in Ankara. A full birth certificate with apostille is one page, £6.50 for the translation plus the notary tariff at cost (about £13.50 in 2026) and £5 handling, so about £25 before courier; a passport or naturalisation certificate is priced the same way. PDF by e-mail, wet-sealed original by courier for £30 to the UK or to Türkiye; no UK VAT, no collection.