Apostille is an authentication system facilitating the legal use of a document abroad. The rules of apostille are set out in the Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (“Convention”).
The Convention applies to public documents which have been executed in the territory of one contracting state and which haw to be produced in the territory of another contracting state. In other words, the referred rules are only valid between the contracting states. The Convention entered into force in the Republic of Turkey on 29.09.1985.
The following are deemed to be public documents within the scope of the Convention:
- Documents emanating from an authority or an official connected with the courts or tribunals of the State, including those emanating from a public prosecutor, a clerk of a court or a process-server (“huissier de justice“),
- Administrative documents,
- Notarial acts,
- Official certificates which are placed on documents signed by persons in their private capacity, such as official certificates recording the registration of a document or the fact that it was in existence on a certain date and official and notarial authentications of signatures.
The Convention does not apply to documents executed by diplomatic or consular agents and administrative documents dealing directly with commercial or customs operations.
The contracting states shall designate the authorities that are competent to issue the apostille. In Turkey, the competent authorities are Governorships with respect to administrative documents and Presidencies of the Justice Commission where Criminal Courts are present with respect to judicial documents.
The apostille shall be placed on the document itself or on an «allonge» (a slip of paper attached to the public document) and should be in the form of the below model.
Model Apostille Certificate
APOSTILLE
(Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961
1.Country:________________________________
This public document
2.has been signed by________________________
3.acting in the capacity of_____________________
4.bears the seal/stamp of______________________
Certified
5.at____________ 6.the_________________
7.by ______________________________________
8.No______________________________________
9.Seal/stamp 10. Signature