Power of attorney in Turkey: notary, interpreter, apostille

• The rules are set by the country where the document will be used, not where it is signed. Answer that question first.
• If you do not speak Turkish, having a sworn interpreter at the notary is required by law — Notary Law article 74: “if the party does not know Turkish, a sworn interpreter shall also be present.” It is a condition of validity, not an optional service.
• Powers of attorney that by their nature require a land registry transaction, and powers of attorney for divorce proceedings, must carry a photograph (Notary Law Regulation article 93). The photograph is glued on and sealed; a stapled photograph is not accepted.
• Your name must appear exactly as written in your passport. A single letter of difference stops the transaction at the land registry or the bank.
• A general power of attorney does not cover everything: selling property, divorce proceedings and collecting money require expressly stated special authority. If the wording is missing, your representative cannot act.
• For use abroad an apostille is required, and it is always issued by the country that produced the document. For a Turkish notarial deed the apostille is issued by the district governor's office (kaymakamlık).
• A power of attorney drawn up abroad for use in Turkey follows this order: apostille in the issuing country → sworn translation in Turkey → notary certification. For land registry transactions the photograph rule applies to these documents as well.

This page is compiled from legislation in force and published public service standards; it makes no promise as to price or timing. Confirm current requirements with the notary, the land registry office or the consulate before you start.

Settle three things before the appointment: the country where the deed will be used, the representative's full identity details (given name, surname, patronymic, passport or ID number) and the list of powers to be granted. At the notary the text is drawn up in Turkish; for a party who does not speak Turkish, a sworn interpreter conveys the content and signs the deed. The interpreter's job does not end there: if the deed travels abroad, the translation must be flawless too, because the spelling of names, addresses and authority clauses is exactly what the receiving authority uses to decide whether to accept the document or send it back. The two most common reasons for rejection are a name spelled differently from the passport, and a missing special authority clause. A power of attorney can be revoked through a notarial deed of revocation (azilname); the revocation should be notified to the representative and to the institution where the deed was used. If the text states a period, that period applies; if not, the deed is treated as valid until revoked, although the receiving institution may still ask for a recently dated document under its own internal rules.