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Turkish Consulate General in Edinburgh
The Edinburgh consulate general serves Turkish citizens in Scotland and Northern Ireland. What it handles, how to book, which Scottish and Northern Irish certificates it reads without translation and when a registered translator or an interpreter is needed.
What the receiving body requires
In summary of the consulate's information notes: the Edinburgh post serves Scotland and Northern Ireland; documents issued by British authorities such as passports, birth certificates and marriage certificates are read by the consulate without an outside sworn translation; where a translation is required it must be by a translator on the consulate's register and attested at the notary unit.
Source:
· checked 29 August 2026A consulate for Scotland and Northern Ireland
The Consulate General of the Republic of Türkiye in Edinburgh (Edinburg Başkonsolosluğu) opened in 2013 so that Turkish citizens north of the border no longer had to travel to London. Its consular district covers the whole of Scotland and Northern Ireland; a Turkish citizen in Glasgow, Aberdeen or Belfast books here, not in London or Manchester. The 2021 and 2022 censuses counted about 4,300 Turkey-born residents in Scotland and around 660 in Northern Ireland, so the queues are shorter than at Rutland Lodge and appointment slots are usually easier to find.
The consulate is in central Edinburgh; the current street address and postcode are on its contact page at edinburgh-cg.mfa.gov.tr. Opening hours change around Turkish and UK public holidays — check the current hours on the consulate’s own website before travelling. Appointments are booked in the same Ministry of Foreign Affairs system as every other Turkish post, konsolosluk.gov.tr, using your T.C. kimlik number.
Services at the Edinburgh post
- Passports, T.C. kimlik kartı and e-Devlet passwords.
- Civil registration: births, marriages, deaths and Article 27/A divorce registration; nüfus kayıt örneği on request.
- Notary unit: vekaletname, muvafakatname, azilname, declarations and undertakings, one act per appointment, with the same fee scale as London (roughly £30 to £40 per A4 page as of 2026). See consulate notary services.
- Military service: tecil renewals and dövizle askerlik applications.
- Citizenship files, including citizenship by marriage and the Mavi Kart.
Belfast residents should note that a ferry or flight is unavoidable for any act that needs a signature in front of a consular officer, which includes all notarial acts. Registrations and renewals that can be posted are worth asking about by e-mail first.
Scottish and Northern Irish certificates
The rule on translation is the same in Edinburgh as in London: documents issued by British authorities, including the passport, birth certificate and marriage certificate, are read by the consular officer and no outside sworn translation is asked for. In Scotland the birth document is the full extract from National Records of Scotland (an abbreviated extract is not enough), and in Northern Ireland the full certificate from GRONI. Marriage certificates from a Scottish registrar or from GRONI are read in the same way.
Where the consulate does require a Turkish text, for instance a DBS or Disclosure Scotland certificate in a citizenship-by-marriage application, or a certificate of no impediment for a wedding in Türkiye, the translation has to be by a translator listed on the consulate's register and is then attested at the notary unit (tercüme tasdiki). Our company is not on that register. For documents that will be used inside Türkiye, however, our translation notarised in Ankara is the domestic standard; see sworn translation for use in Türkiye for the two routes side by side.
Interpreters at the notary unit
A person who does not speak Turkish cannot sign a notarial act at the consulate without a sworn Turkish interpreter present. This comes up when a Scottish or Irish spouse gives consent for a child's passport, or when a non-Turkish father acknowledges paternity. Arrange the interpreter before you book the appointment.
Our part, from Ankara
We translate UK documents into Turkish for tapu offices, courts, notaries, YÖK, SGK and banks in Türkiye, sworn and notarised in Ankara. The order is always apostille first. Scottish and Northern Irish documents are legalised by the FCDO like any other UK document; GRO-type certificates need the paper apostille (£45), court and notary-certified documents can use the e-Apostille (£35). We then translate the document and its apostille together, from £6.50 per page of 1,000 characters plus the Ankara notary tariff at cost and £5 handling. The scan comes by e-mail and the wet-sealed original by courier for £30, to Scotland, Northern Ireland or straight to your lawyer in Türkiye. No UK VAT is charged. Full details are on notarised translation in Türkiye.
What you receive
- Confirmation of whether the consulate will read your Scottish or Northern Irish document without a translation
- Notarised Turkish translation from Ankara for offices inside Türkiye
- Optional apostille of the translation in Ankara (£15)
- PDF by e-mail; wet-sealed original by courier, no collection
Frequently asked questions
I live in Belfast. Do I really have to go to Edinburgh?
For anything that needs your signature in front of a consular officer, yes. Northern Ireland falls within the Edinburgh district. Ask by e-mail whether your particular matter can be handled by post before travelling.
Is a Scottish abbreviated birth extract enough to register my child?
No. The consulate asks for the full extract, which names both parents. Order it from National Records of Scotland or the local registrar before booking.
Can Disclosure Scotland certificates be used instead of a DBS certificate?
The consulate asks for a criminal record certificate from the country of residence; a Disclosure Scotland basic disclosure is the Scottish equivalent. Confirm with the consulate which level it wants, and use a translator from its register for the Turkish text.
Will the Edinburgh consulate accept a translation notarised in Ankara?
For its own files it expects translations from its register. Our notarised translations are for the Turkish domestic offices that follow, such as the tapu office, a court or YÖK.
Do you have an office in Edinburgh or Glasgow?
No. We are based in Ankara, work by e-mail and send originals by courier. There is no collection point in the UK.