ACRO and DBS: UK criminal record certificates for Turkey

Why Türkiye asks for a UK criminal record

Turkish authorities use the phrase adli sicil kaydı for a criminal record certificate, and several procedures require one from the country where you live. The most common for readers of this site is Turkish citizenship for a British spouse after three years of marriage, where the file includes a criminal record certificate from the applicant’s country of residence. Others are adoption applications, teaching and childcare jobs in Türkiye, some residence permit categories, firearms licences and certain court matters. Because the certificate is a public document, Türkiye expects it to be apostilled by the FCDO and then translated into Turkish in a form Turkish offices accept, which means a translation certified by a Turkish notary or by the consulate.

Which certificate to obtain

The UK has no single national criminal record certificate, and two are in common use for foreign purposes. The ACRO Criminal Records Office issues a police certificate specifically for people applying for visas, residence, citizenship or similar purposes abroad; it covers the whole UK and is the document most foreign authorities expect. The Disclosure and Barring Service issues a basic check that an individual can request for England and Wales, showing unspent convictions; Disclosure Scotland and AccessNI issue the equivalents for Scotland and Northern Ireland. Turkish offices have accepted both in cases we have handled, but they do not publish a preference we could verify, so ask the office that will receive the file which it wants and how recent it must be. ACRO’s own site sets out its application process, fees and processing times, which we summarise in the box rather than quote.

Apostille: paper only

GOV.UK’s legalisation guidance lists ACRO police certificates and DBS certificates among the documents that cannot be issued an e-Apostille, so the certificate must go through the FCDO’s standard paper service at £45 and by post. Allow for that in your timing, and order the certificate close to when you need it, because Turkish offices commonly treat criminal record certificates as valid for a limited period, often described as six months, although the rule is the receiving office’s and should be confirmed. The apostille is attached to the certificate and becomes part of it, so the translation must be made after the apostille and must include the apostille page.

How we translate it for Türkiye

Send us a scan of the apostilled certificate, every page. A translator sworn before a notary in Ankara translates it into Turkish, including the apostille, the ACRO or DBS wording about the search made and the result, and any explanatory notes on the reverse; the translation is then notarised by an Ankara notary, which is the form nüfus offices, provincial migration offices and courts accept. If the receiving office asks for the translation to be legalised as well, we apostille the notarial act at the Ankara kaymakamlık for £15. English to Turkish is from £6.50 per page, the notary tariff is about £12–15 per page in 2026 plus £5 handling, and a certificate with apostille is usually two pages. A scan arrives the day the notary signs; the original goes by courier to you in the UK or straight to your lawyer or relative in Türkiye (£30). No UK VAT is charged. The alternative route, a translation by a consulate-registered translator certified at the Turkish consulate, is described on sworn translation for use in Türkiye.

Common reasons files are returned

• An e-Apostille was requested for the certificate and refused, or the certificate was sent to Türkiye without any apostille.
• The certificate is older than the receiving office allows by the time the file is lodged.
• The phrase “no live trace” on an ACRO certificate is translated as a clean record without explanation; it has a specific meaning and we render it with a translator’s note.
• The name or date of birth on the certificate differs from the passport or the Turkish marriage record, for example a maiden name.
• Only the front page is translated, leaving the apostille and the explanatory notes in English.

For the wider citizenship file, including the naturalisation certificate, marriage record and proof of cohabitation, see Turkish citizenship for a British spouse and the citizenship by marriage checklist.