How a power of attorney executed abroad is used in Türkiye

Many people living abroad have a power of attorney executed where they are so that someone else can carry out a transaction for them in Türkiye. That document is not automatically valid in Türkiye as it stands, however; it has to go through a particular certification and translation process first.

The document’s official status has to be recognised first

For a power of attorney executed abroad to be accepted in Türkiye, one of two routes is usually followed. If the country where the document was executed is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, an apostille applies; if it is not, consular legalisation comes into play. Whether a given country is a party to the convention varies, so this is worth confirming at the outset; rather than assuming membership, it is safer to identify the correct route according to where the document was executed.

Then the sworn translation comes in

Once the certification step is complete, the power of attorney in the foreign language and the endorsements on it have to be rendered into Turkish by sworn translation. The notary or the relevant institution in Türkiye carries out the transaction on the basis of that translation. In most cases the apostille or consular endorsement is asked to be included in the translation as well.

The most common problem is a power of attorney brought in without certification or without a translation, which then cannot be processed in Türkiye. Finding out which certification route applies before having the document executed saves a good deal of lost time. At our office we prepare Turkish translations of powers of attorney issued abroad, together with their endorsements.