Receiving a Turkish pension in the UK

Two sets of paperwork in two directions

A Turkish pension does not stop because you live in London, but two administrations take an interest in it. SGK wants to know you still qualify, and that you are not working abroad if your pension was granted on bought-back foreign years. HMRC wants the pension declared as foreign income, the DWP counts it against means-tested benefits, and a UK bank or mortgage lender treats it as income only if it can read the statement. Translation therefore runs both ways: Turkish pension papers into English for UK bodies, and occasionally UK letters into Turkish for SGK.

SGK's rules for pensioners abroad

SGK's page on pensions abroad, quoted below, contains the two rules that matter. First, pensioners whose pension was granted using bought-back periods under Law 3201 and who stay abroad for more than six months must submit the declaration form for Law 3201 pensioners (yoklama belgesi) within three months after the six-month point; SGK identifies long stays from border records and press reports describe pensions being suspended where the form is not filed. Second, pensioners who reside permanently abroad may ask in writing for payments to be transferred to a foreign bank account, with the costs borne by the pensioner. Many pensioners keep a Turkish account and a debit card instead.

The yoklama form is a Turkish form. It asks whether you are working, receiving a residence-based foreign benefit and where you live, and SGK may ask for supporting documents. Where those are UK documents, an HMRC letter showing no employment income or a DWP letter about benefits, SGK's practice is to accept Turkish translations certified by a notary or by the consulate; the London consulate's notary unit lists pension-document translation certification among its services. Survivor pensions (dul ve yetim aylığı) for a widow or children in the UK follow the same pattern, and a death in the UK is proved to SGK with an apostilled and translated death certificate.

Turkish pension papers for UK bodies

• HMRC. Foreign pension income goes on the self-assessment foreign pages. HMRC does not usually ask to see the statement, but during an enquiry it can, and an English translation of the SGK pension statement (emekli maaş belgesi) or bank statement is what it expects.
• DWP and local councils. Pension Credit, Housing Benefit and council tax support claims require evidence of all income; a certified English translation of the SGK statement avoids a claim being stalled.
• Banks and lenders. A Turkish pension counts as income for a mortgage or a tenancy reference when the statement is translated and certified.
• UKVI. Pension income can help meet the financial requirement for a spouse or adult dependent relative application, with translations that meet the Home Office's certification wording.

Documents you will need

• Turkish pension statement from e-Devlet, into English
• Turkish bank statement showing pension credits, into English
• SGK service record where a lender or the DWP asks how the pension was earned
• HMRC letters or DWP letters into Turkish, where SGK asks for proof after a yoklama form
• UK death certificate, apostilled and translated, for a survivor's pension claim

Common pitfalls

• Missing the yoklama deadline: six months abroad plus three months to file. The pension stops without warning and reinstatement takes months.
• Assuming the rule does not apply because the pension was earned entirely in Türkiye; check with SGK, because the border-record checks cover all pensioners and provincial offices have applied the form more widely.
• Downloading the pension statement without its verification barcode; UK bodies ask how to check the document, and we translate the barcode line and verification code.
• Declaring the pension to HMRC in lira without a translation of the statement showing the dates; the exchange-rate calculation needs them.
• Sending SGK a UK-certified translation of an HMRC letter; SGK offices expect a notary or consulate certificate.

How we help and what it costs

Turkish to English work is £10.00 per page of 1,000 characters with the certification statement included: a pension statement is 1 page, a year of bank statements 6 to 12. English to Turkish letters for SGK are £6.50 per page plus the Ankara notary tariff of about £13.50 per page and £5 handling where a notarised copy is needed. No UK VAT is charged. Signed PDFs arrive within 1 to 2 working days; a wet-signed hard copy by courier is £30 and is rarely needed by HMRC or the DWP, more often by a lender. We have no UK office and no collection. We do not complete yoklama forms or tax returns, and questions on whether the pension is taxable in the UK, in Türkiye or both under the double-taxation agreement are for an accountant. The guide receiving your Turkish pension in the UK covers the annual routine.