“Procuration”: power of attorney

A procuration authorises a named person to act on your behalf. It is the instrument that makes it possible to obtain Turkish documents, attend a registry, appear at a land registry office or instruct a lawyer without travelling — which is why it is the first thing most people abroad actually need.

Two routes, and a real difference in cost

At a Turkish consulate. A power of attorney drawn up by the consulate is a Turkish document from the moment it is signed. It needs no apostille and no translation, and Turkish offices accept it directly. For anyone living in Canada, Switzerland, Belgium or France this is nearly always the cheaper and faster route.

Before a local notary. A power of attorney drawn up by a notaire abroad is a foreign document. To use it in Türkiye it needs an apostille in the issuing country and then a sworn translation certified by a Turkish notary. Three steps instead of none, in two countries. Power of attorney from Canada walks through both routes.

The content matters more than the form

Turkish offices read the listed powers narrowly. A power of attorney that does not name the act being requested is refused, however properly it was executed. A document mentioning the registry but not the courthouse will not obtain a criminal record; one that omits the power to receive documents can stop a representative collecting the papers they have just requested.

So the wording is settled before the appointment, not at it: which offices, which documents, which acts, whether substitution is permitted, and how long it is valid. A photograph is required for certain categories, and identity details must match the passport spelling exactly — the point made in name spelling: the passport is the reference.

What it does not mean

• Not an everyday proxy. In casual French a procuration can be a banking or voting proxy. Turkish registries need a notarial power of attorney, not a signed letter.
• Not a transfer of responsibility. Declarations made in an application remain yours. A representative can lodge documents; they cannot assume your liability for what those documents say.
• Not open-ended. It can be revoked, it may carry an expiry, and offices may refuse one issued long ago.
• Not translation-free in the other direction. A Turkish power of attorney intended for use abroad follows the destination’s rules, including its translator requirement.

Before you book the appointment

Ask whoever will act for you to supply the exact wording, then take that text to the consulate. Redoing a power of attorney because a power was missing costs an appointment slot, and consular appointments are the scarcest resource in this whole chain.