Applying from Turkey: VFS/TLScontact and document translation

How a UK visa application from Türkiye works

Turkish citizens need a visa for the UK and cannot use the electronic travel authorisation, so every application starts with the online form on GOV.UK. After paying the fee you book an appointment at a visa application centre in Türkiye. The centres are operated by the Home Office’s commercial partner rather than by the Home Office itself; at the time of writing that is TLScontact, with centres in Ankara, İstanbul, İzmir, Antalya and other cities, and GOV.UK’s “find a visa application centre” page is the place to confirm the current operator and locations. At the appointment your fingerprints and photograph are taken and your passport is checked; optional services include keeping your passport during processing and faster decisions for an additional fee. The decision is made by UKVI, not by the centre.

Uploading documents and translations

Supporting documents are normally uploaded by you, through the partner’s portal, before the appointment, sorted into categories such as identity, finances and relationship. If you prefer, the centre scans your paper documents for a fee. Either way the caseworker sees a set of PDFs, and this is where translation matters: each Turkish document should be uploaded together with its English translation, ideally in one file so that the two are never separated. Staff at the centre do not assess documents or translations, and there is no stamp or check from them that adds anything; the translation has to stand on its own when it reaches the decision maker.

The translation rule is the same wherever you apply

The standard is the GOV.UK certification wording in the box: the translator or translation company confirms in writing that the translation is a true and accurate translation of the original document, dates it, and gives their full name and contact details. For visitor applications the supporting documents guide spells out the same four items; for family applications Appendix FM-SE adds company credentials for in-country stages. Our certification carries all of these on every page, with the original attached behind the translation. No apostille or notary is involved, and there is no requirement that the translator be in Türkiye or in the UK.

Which documents depend on the route

What needs translating follows the visa you are applying for. The route pages describe each bundle: visitor (bank statements, employment letter, family record), spouse and partner (nüfus kayıt örneği, marriage and divorce records, savings), Skilled Worker (criminal record certificate, qualifications, dependants) and Student (funds, consent, diplomas). E-Devlet PDFs are accepted as originals in our experience to date, and we reproduce their verification codes so the caseworker can check them.

Mistakes made at the upload stage

• Uploading the Turkish original without its translation, or the translation in a different category from the original, so the pair is not read together.
• Scanning only the front of a document that carries stamps or a QR code on the back.
• Phone photographs that cut off the edge of a bank stamp or a signature.
• Booking the appointment before ordering translations and running out of time.
• Bringing paper translations to the centre and expecting them to be added to the file after the upload window has closed.

How we deliver for an appointment in Türkiye

We are in Ankara, so an application made from Türkiye is on our doorstep. Send scans or photographs of every page and tell us your appointment date; we return a certified PDF per document, original and translation combined, named clearly for the upload categories. Short bundles are ready in 1–2 working days, and same-day service is available for documents sent before 11:00 UK time. If you want a paper set for your own file, we send it within Türkiye by domestic courier at cost, which is faster and cheaper than the international courier we use for the UK. Prices start at £10.00 per page and no UK VAT is charged. Our guidance on how to send your documents covers scan quality, and digital vs hard copy explains when paper is worth having.