“Extrait plurilingue”: the multilingual extract
A multilingual extract is a civil status record issued on a standard international form with headings pre-printed in several languages, French included. Where accepted it removes the need for translation and often certification too — but Canada is the exception people get wrong.
Checked on 8 September 2026 Last updated 8 September 2026
In brief
- Document category
- Civil status documents
An extrait plurilingue is not a translation. It is the civil status record itself, issued on a standardised international form on which the field headings are pre-printed in several languages, including French. The data — names, dates, places — is filled in once, and the headings tell any reader in a participating country what each entry is. Births, marriages and deaths each have their own form.
Where it comes from and where it works
The forms were created by a convention concluded within the International Commission on Civil Status, and they work between the states that are party to it. Türkiye is one, as are France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and most of western Europe. Between those countries the extract is accepted without translation and without further certification — no sworn translator, no apostille.
In Türkiye you request one from a population registry directorate. It is the same underlying record as the ordinary Turkish extract, on a different form, so it is worth asking for the multilingual version at the outset rather than translating the ordinary one afterwards.
The exception people get wrong
Canada, and therefore Québec, is not a party to that convention. A Turkish multilingual extract is still a perfectly good document there, but its acceptance is a matter for the receiving office rather than an entitlement, and some bodies ask for a translation anyway. Requesting one costs little and often works, but get the answer in writing before treating it as settled. Multilingual civil status extracts sets out when it helps and when it does not.
What it does not mean
- It is not a full copy. An extract carries selected fields. Where an authority asks for the complete record with parentage and later annotations, the extract is the wrong document — see “copie intégrale” versus “extrait”.
- It is not proof of current status. Like any extract it reflects the register on the day of issue, and most offices impose a validity window measured in months.
- It does not cover every document. Diplomas, criminal record certificates, court judgments and employer letters have no multilingual form and always need translation.
- It is not an apostille substitute outside the convention. Where the destination is not a party, the ordinary certification chain still applies.
How to use it well
Ask the receiving office which document it wants — extract or full copy — and whether a multilingual version is accepted. Then request that exact version in Türkiye. Doing it in this order regularly removes a translation line, an apostille step and a week of waiting from a file.
Frequently asked questions
The standard forms exist for births, marriages and deaths. Records without a corresponding form — a population registry record showing all family events, for example — are issued in Turkish only and are translated in the ordinary way.
Between states party to the convention, no. Outside them, treat it as an ordinary foreign document and ask the receiving office whether it wants an apostille, because the answer varies by office rather than by country.
It can be. The registry prints the name as held in the Turkish register, which may differ from the Latin transcription in your passport. Where the two do not match, expect the receiving office to ask for a document reconciling them.