A French sworn translation is a French-Turkish translation prepared and signed by a translator whose oath is on file with a Turkish notary. You may need one if you studied in a French-speaking country and a Turkish university, employer or migration office now wants your papers in Turkish. You may also need the opposite: Turkish records in French for a school, town hall or consulate in France, Belgium, Canada or Africa. Documents reach Ziya Translation by WhatsApp, by email or through a branch visit in Istanbul, and the finished work is handed over at the branch or shipped by courier.
What a French Turkish translator in Istanbul works on
- Study: school and university diplomas, transcripts, student certificates, course descriptions, admission letters.
- Family: birth, marriage and death records, divorce rulings, powers of attorney, parental consent forms.
- Visa and consular files: civil registry extracts, bank statements, payslips, employer letters.
- Business: contracts, company records, invoices, tender files, product documents.
The translator's signature completes a sworn translation. If an office wants more, a notarized translation adds a notary's confirmation of that signature and oath record. The notary does not review the wording.
French documents for use in Turkey
If you are a student or resident holding papers from a French-speaking country, a translation alone may not be enough. For a residence application, the migration authority looks for two things: an apostille on the document and a notarized Turkish translation. Papers from a country outside the Convention need consular approval instead, together with approval from the ministry or an authorized Turkish body.
- Hang on to the original: no notary in Turkey can issue a certified copy of a foreign authority's document, and a governorship cannot approve one.
- If you apply to the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) to have a diploma recognized, take the original diploma and transcript. The Turkish translation must be approved by a notary in Turkey or by a Turkish mission, and the council will not take digital or colour-printed diplomas.
- The ministry gives no approval to documents issued by honorary consuls, which matters if your country has no embassy nearby.
Turkish documents for France, Belgium and Canada
The school, town hall or consulate that receives your file decides whose translation it accepts and which approval it wants. Some offices may ask for a translator from their own list or their own country, so a general rule would mislead you. Read the translation clause in the instructions before work starts, and ask the consulate if it is unclear. Do not assume Belgium or Canada will follow the French rule, and remember that a Canadian school and a federal office may ask for different things.
Apostille status by country
The figures below come from the Hague Conference (HCCH) table, read on 7 November 2026. New members appear over time, and bilateral agreements are not shown.
| Country | In force since | For a document from Turkey |
|---|---|---|
| France | 24 January 1965 | Apostille, if approval is requested |
| Canada | 11 January 2024 | Apostille, if approval is requested; older guides may describe the consular route |
| Morocco | 14 August 2016 (objection noted) | Apostille, then check with the office |
| Tunisia | 30 March 2018 (objection noted) | Apostille, then check with the office |
| Algeria | 9 July 2026 (objection noted) | Apostille, then check with the office |
| Belgium and other countries | Not covered here | Check the HCCH table and the office |
Among Convention countries, an apostille replaces consular legalization, so the document does not go on to a consulate. The apostille says nothing about whether the content is right. The receiving office also decides where it goes, on the original or on the translated copy.
Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria
These three entries carry a note: at least one member opposed their accession. Turkey's own entry has no such note, yet the table does not name the objectors, so check with the office receiving the document. Algeria joined recently, so treat guides written before 2026 with care. Offices in these countries may work in Arabic or French, so ask which language they want. If it is Arabic, our Arabic translation page covers name spelling and Hijri dates.
Other French-speaking countries in Africa
If your document is going to Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon or Congo, check the country in the HCCH table, because we do not state a status for it here. If it is missing, expect a three-stage chain: a governorship or district governorship first, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs next, and the country's mission in Turkey last.
French diplomas and academic terms
A diploma translation carries over the school, field, degree, date and grades exactly as written. Similar words can mislead, because education systems do not line up. Turkish "lisans" and French "licence" do not always mean the same length of study. "Baccalauréat" is a school-leaving qualification in France and a university degree in Quebec, and a Belgian "bachelier" is a university degree. A translation is not a recognition decision. For theses and research papers, see academic translation.
Small details that matter in French
- Accents: letters such as é, è and ç stay in names and institutions, since a dropped accent can clash with a passport.
- Surnames: French records separate "nom de naissance" and "nom d'usage", so check that a maiden or married name sits in the right field.
- Regional usage: Belgians may write "septante" and "nonante" for 70 and 90, and Canadian institutions use their own terms. Tell us where the document is going.
French interpreter in Istanbul
For meetings, trade fairs or a visit to the notary, send us the date, the length and the subject in advance. Under Turkish law a notary works with a sworn interpreter if the person involved has no Turkish. See our interpreting page for more.
What affects cost and timing
Length, subject, direction of translation and any notary or apostille steps all change the price. A one-page diploma and a long file of course descriptions are different jobs. Approval steps usually add the most time. For school deadlines, give us the date up front, as a shorter turnaround may be possible for some documents, languages and approval routes. The quote confirms the figures.
How to order
- Share your file by WhatsApp or email, or hand it in at a branch.
- Name the country and the school, consulate or office receiving it.
- Add any translation rule from the instructions.
- Write your name exactly as your passport shows it, accents included.
- Once you approve the quote, work begins, and the result waits at the branch or goes out by courier.
For a price, send your documents and request a quote.
