Urgent Translation

Urgent translation means your document is handled as a priority because a deadline is close: a visa appointment, a university application, a contract to sign tomorrow. Whether it can be finished in time depends on the document, the language and the approvals it needs, and nobody can honestly name a time without seeing it. Send the document to Ziya Translation by WhatsApp or e-mail, say which office it is for and when it is due, and your quote will tell you whether the date can be met.

What sets the pace of an urgent sworn translation

Four things decide how quickly a job can move. In most urgent cases the slow step is not the translating but the approval that follows it.

• Language. Work starts quickly where translators are easy to find. For a rarer language a suitable sworn translator has to be found first, and if a notary is involved, that translator's oath record must be held by that notary.
• Document type. Short standard papers, such as a passport translation or a civil registry extract, move faster than a court decision, a technical specification or a medical report.
• Length. More pages mean more time. A long file can be split, but then a final read is needed to keep the terms consistent.
• Approvals. A sworn signature alone is one step. Each notary, apostille or consulate stage adds another office with its own hours.

When same-day translation may be possible in Istanbul

Same-day delivery is not something to promise before seeing the document. This table shows which step sets the limit for each type of job.

Books, poetry and theses need research and a feel for style, so they rarely suit a rush job. Agreeing a realistic schedule protects the result.

Notary hours and weekend duty notaries

With an urgent notarized translation, the notary's hours set the limit. The sworn translator signs, and the notary approves the translator's signature and oath record. Even if the translation is finished late at night, approval can only happen while the notary is open. So the earlier in the day you send the document, the more time is left for the notary. If the original is needed, make sure you can get it to us that same day.

Turkey has a duty notary system for weekends. Under a regulation dated 6 November 2025, notaries take turns on Saturdays and Sundays that are not public holidays, and the Union of Turkish Notaries publishes the rota. That does not solve every case, because in notary procedures the translation is done by a translator whose oath record that notary holds. If the translator's notary is not on duty, approval may have to wait for the next working day.

Apostille, Foreign Ministry and consulate steps

If the document will be used in a country that is party to the Apostille Convention, the apostille is the single approval, with no separate Foreign Ministry or embassy stamp. That removes several steps. In Turkey it comes from governorates and district governorates for administrative documents, and from justice commission presidencies in places with a heavy penal court for court documents. You can check a country in the HCCH status table, but confirm with the receiving office in case a bilateral agreement applies.

For countries outside the Convention the chain is longer: sworn translator, contracted notary, governorate or district governorate, Foreign Ministry, then the country's mission. A notarized document cannot go straight to the Ministry. The Ministry's attestation unit works by appointment. Documents must be handed in, post is not accepted, and you do not have to go in person. According to the Ministry, people without an appointment or with an urgent need may apply during working hours, but those with appointments come first and the request is handled as far as possible. Our official document authentication page covers this route.

If the document comes from abroad and will be used in Turkey, check its approvals before translation starts. Turkish governorates cannot approve a document from a foreign authority, so a missing approval has to be sorted out with the issuing country or its mission. However quickly the translation is done, that gap stops the file.

How the cost is worked out

Length, language pair, subject, requested delivery time and approval steps all shape the fee. Official costs such as notary charges are separate from the translation fee. How much urgency affects the price depends on the job and will be clear in your quote.

What to ask an urgent translation office

Being told "it will be ready" is not enough. Before you order, get clear answers to these questions:

• Does the delivery time mean the translation is finished, or ready with notary approval?
• Is there a translator in this language with an oath record at the notary that will approve it?
• Does the notary need the original, and how will it reach the office?
• Does the quote include notary charges and courier costs?
• If the file has several documents, which can be delivered first?

A checklist that saves time

1. Pin down what the office wants: language, type of approval, final date.
2. Send every page at once, clearly legible. A page that arrives later sets the work back.
3. Give us the Latin spelling of names as they appear in the passport.
4. If notary approval is needed, make sure you can reach the original that day.
5. Attach any earlier translation so names and terms stay the same.
6. Choose the delivery method at the start. Courier delivery adds time, while collecting from a branch removes a step. If you are outside Istanbul, see how our online translation process works.

Mistakes people make in a hurry

• Ordering before asking the office. If the office wants a notarized translation and you bring a sworn one only, you face a second round.
• Treating machine translation as a signed translation. It can give you the gist, but it does not replace a translator's signature in an official application.
• Handing in the translation unread. A tight deadline leaves less room for checking. Read the name, date of birth and document number as soon as you receive it.
• Waiting for the last day. If public holidays and appointments are not counted in, even a fast translation can miss the date.

If your document is ready, request a quote and mention your deadline.

Official sources

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Attestation questions and answers (Turkish)
• HCCH: Apostille Convention status table
• HCCH: Apostille competent authorities