An Apostille certificate is an international notary approval valid in many countries, including the U.S. and Turkey. A U.S. state notary approval is NOT an acceptable form of notary approval in Turkey. A power of attorney (POA) document must have a state notary approval and an Apostille certificate to be acceptable in Turkey. A secretary of state in the U.S. issues an Apostille certificate. The Turkish Consulate does NOT issue an Apostille certificate. Here are two examples of Apostille certificates. An Apostille certificate will be the cover page of your power of attorney.
How to get a power of attorney with an Apostille certificate
The Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles does not assist non-Turkish citizens with their power of attorney applications. (updated on Jan 2024) The Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles recommends non-Turkish citizens to legalize their power of attorney with an Apostille certificate. Please note that there will NOT be a Turkish Consulate approval, Turkish Consulate signature, or stamp on your POA when your POA is legalized with an Apostille certificate. We can assist you with the entire process. Per the Turkish Consulate recommendation, your POA must have the following qualities:
- Your POA must be in English,
- Your POA must bear a wet signature of the applicant,
- Your POA must have your passport photo.
Some of our services include:
- We prepare your power of attorney within the specifications recommended by the Turkish Consulate.
- You take the POA to a local (state) notary public, sign it before a notary (you’ll get a Jurat approval), and send the signed and notarized documents to us with your passport-size photos.
- We obtain an Apostille certificate for your power of attorney.
- We mail your documents to a U.S. address, complimentary via USPS Priority.
- We can mail your documents to Turkey for an additional fee.
Here is an example of the required documents/information list. This list is an example, not an actual list. Once you retain us, we’ll give you a list of documents we need specific to your power of attorney application.
- A POA text in Turkish in Word format. We can prepare your power of attorney text; however, it’s much better if your agent provides the text exactly as they need. If one statement is not exactly as they need or one piece of address information is not exactly as they need, we’d have to prepare the POA from scratch. We cannot make any changes to a final POA. Hence, the POA text must include all necessary, correct, and complete information.
- A copy of your valid passport – Your valid passport constitutes your citizenship status. We may use a state ID; however, a state ID/DL may make your POA unacceptable in Turkey.
- Your agent’s information, including but not limited to their full name, ID number, and bar number if they’re an attorney.
- Your U.S. residence address.
- We may also request a copy of the title deed if the POA includes a real property.
- We may also ask for the Turkish ID of the deceased relative if the POA included inheritance matters.
