Permanent residence: Turkish document list
Identity, civil status, education, work experience, funds and police records. The list is stable; what varies is the version of each document, its freshness window, and the order in which you should obtain them.
Checked on 8 September 2026 Last updated 8 September 2026
In brief
- Certification level
- Apostille + Sworn translation (Türkiye) + Notarised translation (Türkiye)
- Estimated time
- Driven by the slowest document, not by the average one
- Destination country
- Canada
Accepted under conditions
The Turkish side of a permanent residence file is predictable. What catches people out is not which documents are needed, but which version of each, and in what order to obtain them.
Identity and civil status
- Passport, and identity card where requested.
- Birth record — the detailed version showing parentage, not a short extract.
- Marriage record, and divorce record where applicable.
- A population register extract showing recorded events. See detailed population register extract.
Education
Diploma and full transcript, plus the credential assessment that depends on them. Course descriptions only if specifically requested. See credential assessment explained.
Work experience
Employer reference letters describing actual duties, hours and salary, supported by the central social security employment record which does not depend on any employer still existing. See social security employment record.
Funds and police records
Bank statements covering a period rather than a single day’s balance, and a criminal record extract. Both have short acceptance windows.
The ordering rule that saves the most
Slow and stable first, fast and perishable last. Diplomas, transcripts and the assessment do not expire and take longest — start there. Police certificates, bank statements and register extracts age quickly — request them once the rest is nearly ready. Files that reverse this order routinely pay for the same document twice.
Copies matter
Order more than one certified copy of anything you may need for a second authority. Turkish offices keep the copy they receive, and each copy needs its own apostille where one is required.
Name spelling
Turkish letters that do not exist in English are transliterated inconsistently across systems. A single character difference between your passport and a register extract is enough to stall a file. Compare your documents side by side before submitting. See spelling of names.
What we do
We obtain these documents on your behalf with a power of attorney, present them to the competent Turkish authority for the apostille where required, translate, and courier with tracking. We do not complete your application forms and do not advise on eligibility.
Keep a record of what you sent where
A permanent residence file involves a dozen documents, several authorities and often many months. Keep a simple list: which document, obtained where and when, apostilled or not, sent to whom. Without it, people re-order documents they already have and forget others entirely. It also makes rebuilding the file straightforward if an envelope is lost in transit, and it takes about five minutes to maintain.
Frequently asked questions
Not necessarily. Federal instructions focus on translation; other receiving bodies may require legalisation. Confirm before ordering it for every page.
The window is set by the receiving authority and is short. Request it late in the sequence, not first.
Yes, with a power of attorney. The consular version is the simplest route. See power of attorney from Canada.
Usually not. The version showing parentage and subsequent events is what is normally required.
For anything a second authority might need, yes. Turkish offices keep what they receive, and ordering a duplicate later means repeating the whole chain — request, apostille and courier — under time pressure.