Diploma recognition in Turkey: documents and translation

• Turkish citizens and foreign nationals who have graduated from associate, bachelor's or master's programmes at universities abroad may apply for recognition.
• The original of the Turkish translation of the diploma or graduation certificate, certified by notaries of the Republic of Turkey or by Turkish missions abroad, is required.
• The original of the certified transcript showing all courses taken, their hours or credits and the grades, together with the original of its Turkish translation certified in the same way, is required.
• For diplomas from European Union member states, the diploma supplement and its certified Turkish translation are also required.
• Translations made abroad by a sworn translator require an apostille certified by the relevant authority.
• Documents are first uploaded through the Council's online application link; the uploaded and required documents are checked on the appointment day and returned. Originals are returned, except notarised translations.
• If the language of instruction is one for which ÖSYM holds an examination, a document with a verification code showing the minimum score is required; applicants who do not submit it within two years of applying are refused.

This page is compiled from the application information published by the Council and contains no fee details. Processing time varies with the country, the programme and the reviews carried out. Check the current document list on the Council's own pages before applying.

The most common problem in recognition files is a name on the diploma spelled differently from the passport. Rendering from Cyrillic into Latin letters is not uniform, and where a surname changed on marriage the diploma and passport carry different surnames to begin with. The document that bridges them is the marriage certificate, which must also enter the file apostilled with a notarised translation. The same logic applies to the birth certificate: where the father's name or place of birth do not match, the review stops. The second critical point in translation is course titles and credits: the transcript is the basis of the recognition decision, so hours, credits and grades are carried over without interpretation, in the same order as the source. Seals, signatures and annotations on the diploma are reflected in the translation too. Your originals are returned to you and the notarised translations stay in the file — which is why getting the translation right costs far less than correcting it later.