Translations for HM Passport Office (first British passport)

Who applies for a first passport with Turkish documents

Three groups come to us for HM Passport Office (HMPO) work. Parents applying for a first passport for a child born in the UK, where the child’s claim runs through a Turkish parent who was settled or British at the time of the birth. Parents of a child born in Türkiye to a British parent, whose Turkish birth record is the only evidence of the birth. And adults who have just naturalised, whose certificate is in English but who may be asked for documents about their own birth or marriage when HMPO establishes identity. In all three cases HMPO examines original documents, and it does not read Turkish.

What HMPO says about translations

HMPO’s caseworker guidance, quoted in the box, states that customers must supply translations of any foreign documents that are not in English. The guidance does not define the translator’s qualifications or keep a list; what an examiner looks for is the GOV.UK certification content: a statement that the translation is a true and accurate translation of the original document, the date, and the translator’s or company’s name and contact details. Our certification adds the signatory’s signature and the company’s Ankara registry details on every page. Two practical points distinguish HMPO from UKVI. First, HMPO asks for original documents to be sent by post, even for online applications, and returns them afterwards. Second, because the examiner handles paper, we recommend a wet-signed hard copy of the translation rather than a printout of the PDF.

Turkish documents HMPO commonly asks for

• The parents’ marriage certificate (evlenme cüzdanı) where the child’s claim runs through the father and the parents married in Türkiye.
• A parent’s birth certificate or nüfus kayıt örneği where HMPO needs to trace the parent’s own identity or descent.
• The child’s Turkish birth certificate, including the Formül A multilingual extract, where the child was born in Türkiye.
• A name-change court decision where a parent’s name differs between documents.
• A death certificate of a parent where the claim involves a deceased parent.
• The Turkish passport’s biodata page is bilingual and rarely needs translating; observation pages do if HMPO queries an entry.

Where passport applications stall

• Photocopies or printouts sent instead of the original Turkish document, which HMPO returns with a request for the original.
• A Formül A extract sent without translation because its headings are multilingual; the entries are still in Turkish.
• A short nüfus extract that does not show the parents, so the relationship is not proved.
• The parent’s name written with Turkish characters on the certificate and without them on the application form, with nothing to link the two. British passports are printed without diacritics, so the translation should show the chosen spelling and note the Turkish form.
• The Turkish marriage booklet translated from its first page only, missing the registration details that follow.

How we prepare documents for HMPO

Send scans of every page of each document, and tell us the exact spelling of the names as they appear on the application. We translate in full, reproduce every registrar stamp and margin note, and add a translator’s note where the Turkish record differs from the spelling you are using. Each page carries the accuracy statement, date, signature, company name, Ankara trade registry number and contact details. You receive the PDF by e-mail and, for HMPO, a wet-signed hard copy by courier from Ankara (£30, 2–4 working days) or by Special Delivery from our UK print partner (£8), to post together with the originals. A marriage certificate and a birth certificate cost £20 together; a nüfus kayıt örneği £10–30; turnaround 1–2 working days plus delivery. No UK VAT is charged. Our first British passport guide takes the application step by step, and the names and Turkish characters explainer covers the spelling question.